The Über Organized Pantry- life hacks from my sister-in-law

I'm a terribly messy and chaotic person, perhaps it's the visual artist in me needing everything at hand or I'm just a hopeless disaster either way I need help. Luckily for me, and you, my sister-in-law is an occupational therapist with epic solutions to streamline life.

 

The biggest hack I learned from her is to organize my pantry in a way that makes perfect sense- by dish rather than ingredient. 

What does this mean? 

Instead of putting all your rice and pasta together and stacking your canned goods by tomato/bean/sauce etc, she puts everything that makes something Indian/Mexican/Italian together. Even better, she puts them in a colorful basket that acts like a drawer so you can see those pesky cans in the way back of the shelves. So, if you love making spaghetti, put the pasta, Parmesan, and marinara in  the same basket. Taco night? Salsa, beans, tortillas, taco mix and hot sauces can go together. My own little tip: with a sharpie label the tops of your cans for a quick and easy way to see what's what. 

This also helps you make your grocery list as you can easily see what is missing to complete a dish. No more "ah crud we can't make tacos because we forgot to buy salsa."

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Decor on a Dime: Mid-Century Mod & Other Vintages

Would you like a mid-century modern living room, but pulling home decor together isn't your strong suit? Often we end up with random finds and that all too familiar Ikea design vocabulary. Getting out to assemble a vintage inspired 'look' can take cash and time, luxuries we don't always have.

While Craigslist might showcase a few pricey pieces, making contact with the seller and then getting out to whatever neighborhood it is located in can be a real chore, especially when that Craigslist photo made it look alot better than it really was (dang, a wasted trip!).

If that is where you currently find yourself, then it's time to hit the thrift stores. Before becoming too frustrated, here are some classic and some lesser known sources for shopping vintage home decor:

GOODWILL: This old stand by is one of the few chains left that seems to have the space to carry furniture. Each store has its own strong points: big open area that is crammed with furniture? Lots of shelves for 'smalls'? Get to know which one near you is best.

OUT OF THE CLOSET: This store seems to get more random donations, and it often reflects the neighborhood, so venture out into the ones that seem to be set in the pricier 'hoods if you want quality goods. I have seen amazing things at the one in Pasadena on Colorado Blvd down the street from PCC.

COMMUNITY THRIFT, VALLEY THRIFT/AMVETS: Ready to leave town for this hunt? Going out the 210 Freeway past the 605 north end and you come to a number of huge thrift stores (lower rent district). Both Community Thrift (Covina) and Valley Thrift (was Amvets Azusa) feel very much the same: huge, pretty well organized, crowded. Be prepared to meet your competition at these active spots! We have walked away with some awesome finds with really low sticker prices.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY--RESTORE : Seriously, I don't know why I am sharing this with you. These are my 'ace in the hole' when I am looking for the unique, inspiring and super cheap. The big plus? They carry out-door stuff as well (yes, I have hauled home a trunk load of stepping stones). So if you go, don't buy up the place, leave a few things for me too!

PS, the photo here shows vintage furnishings found on the curb or at thrift stores, with the exception of that Ikea lamp.

PPS, when looking at furniture, please take care to give the piece a very close look, you don't want to bring home buggies and other little friends.

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Guisados- The 'Curated' Taco

In my 33 years in L.A. I've had a lion's share of tacos, from the simple an tiny authentic tacos with just pollo, onion and cilantro to the 2 a.m. Del Taco shame spiral covered in sour cream. But no taco had stolen my heart so completely as the  tacos at Guisado's in Boyle Heights. 

Guisado's not your typical taco joint. First off, you don't just pick from chicken, asada, al pastor, carnitas and lengua. Each taco is an art piece carefully designed. My personal favorite is the Tinga de Pollo, a spicy complex stewed chicken served on freshly made tortilla and topped with a wedge of creamy avocado. The tortillas are almost half of what make these puppies so dang good. Fresh freakin' masa people! 

Mole Poblano-

Tinga de Pollo

Cochinita Pibil 

Recommended Order: 

Get the six taco sampler. It features six smaller sized tacos of your choice. The menu has at least 12 tacos to chose from, the fish and shrimp are only available as full size. For those vegetarians out there they offer five different choices which is definitely a cut above the usual only quesadilla option you generally see. My order? Steak picado, mole poblano, Tinga, cochinita, chorizo, and chuleta. (These days I do 2 mole, 2 Tinga, picado and chorizo)

Also make sure to try one of the daily aqua frescas, for you gringos they are punches made from a variety of fruits; watermelon, cantelope, lime, hibiscus and the famous horchata (rice milk.)

Another note: Armando Jr. is also a curator, of art. The restaurant regularly features a local artist on their walls. 

For more info follow them

On Twitter @guisados

On Instagram @guisados

On web http://www.guisados.co/

Address- 2100 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave. Los Angeles 90026

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Bougainvillea Views: Gardening in L.A.

What is a hill top view of city without a few neon splashes of Bougainvillea? This hearty transplant from Brazil via Europe is well suited to our climate and scarce watering habits. While we see these everwhere, from well manicured versions on 1920's Mediterranean style mansions, to abandoned city lots, most wouldn't have a clue how to plant and grow one.

While I'm no expert, I can pass along a few tips to get your own piece of color going:

SITE: This girl likes alot of sun. Think: glaring, relentless light, and you have found the best spot for her. If you have a south or west facing front door, she will make you happy when you come home.

NEEDS: Like anyone in the sun all day, she needs some water, especially if young. But don't soak her all day or let her rot next to a leaking sprinkler head. On the other hand, keep an eye out: drooping leaves means she's over due for a drink.

HOW: You can grow this in the ground or pot. She likes to be 'root bound' so don't plant her with alot of space around the root ball. This is the place to mention that her root ball is really sensitive, so taking her out of the plastic pot she came in can be tricky. Try cutting the pot away from the root ball and setting the plant into a hole without spreading or tearing the roots. You could even set that black plastic pot into a bigger clay one, then pack soil around the 'gap' so it looks planted.

TYPE: Bougainvillea has many hybrids and colors these days. Some will grow tall with deadly, thorny canes reaching high up for a grab onto your fence. Other varieties grow low and wide, spreading out into neighboring bushes and festooning them with her blooms at a time when most plants are colorless.

RESOURCES: try this BGI site for lots of details and this article from Dave's Garden can give you more tips too.

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Workin' it at work- Vannieka

Everyday I work with Van I can't wait to see what she is wearing. As a talent coordinator for some big reality shows she needs boots made for walking and to still have style. Here she rocks a military styled blazer, striped/floral blue infinity scarf, stretch cargo pocket detailed jeans, soft oatmeal tee, a unique handmade fanny pack (gotta have that walkie belt, sharpies, and sunscreen on hand,) and irreverent pink and red colored socks peaking out from her black boots. Zoom in and check out those shades. Dang those are hot. Clear acrylic frames edged in black lines like a cartoon. 

Keep it up girl. 

Follow her style on Instagram @van_sneakas

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Workin' it at Work- Shannon

Here is Shannon, a production assistant on the Sony lot. She's paired comfortable brown riding boots with comfy stretch pants. Layered white tee and grey knit tank cover her up just enough to be stylish and still work-ready.  The denim vest is what really nails this casual western vibe. And of course, no P.A. worth her salt would forget a belt to hold the walkie. 

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Trinity knot- As seen on set.

One of my favorite people working at Shark Tank showed up to my table sporting this striking knot. It's pretty large and wouldn't suit a skinny neck but on an average to built guy it looks killer. 

Also note the combo of camel colored blazer, red striped shirt and burgundy plaid/purple tie. Yowza this outfit gets me all tingly. 

 For the full low down on how to tie this visit Black Lapel's post on the trinity knot. http://www.blacklapel.com/thecompass/ask-a-black-lapel-stylist-how-do-you-tie-a-trinity-knot/

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Twin Shadow- Confess

Twin Shadow stopped in Los Angeles as he wrapped up his North American tour and I missed it. BALLS. What a bummer. I'm pretty near terrible at remembering shows and knowing about them in the first place. I was actually super psyched about this show since his album, Confess, has basically lived on repeat all dang summer.  If you haven't heard him yet: here's a little taste of his magic. 

Five Seconds is a song that gets in way deep with a beat that feels like a Molly Ringwald movie but with way more motorcycles and grit. I could go on and on about how freakin addictive his music is but you'd best just take a listen for yourself.

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Tin Ceiling and Regency Sconce Reincarnated

I've always had a thing for tin ceiling panels likely from looking up in the restaurants of New York City imaging how old the panels must be. Often they are covered in coat after coat of paint but occasionally they gleam with rich patina.  I found my tin ceiling panels at an architectural salvage store on Mission just east of the L.A. river called Silverfox Salvage. Of course they are originally from upstate NY so they have delightful finds that one just doesn't find easily in Los Angeles. 

They were originally coated in several coats of lead paint. Gasp. So I attacked them with stripper, a heat gun and steel wool pads. First off: do not use heat gun on the stripper! I did the stripper first with the steel wool. Once I got what I could off I attacked the remainder with the heat gun. That seemed to be disastrous since the tin became extremely hot. DOH! But what was great about the heat gun was the patina it gave the tin. It ended up looking like it was ripped from a Victorian apartment. 

I put old photos I've found at flea markets and photo booth photos that just never seem right in a frame. Using clothes pins I can even clip flowers and objects to the edges. 

These two sconces have plagued me. I love the bronze tone and the scroll work but they never seem to go with my living room. They strike me as a bit to feminine for the public spaces of the house. Well why not embrace the femininity of it all and use them to hang and organize my necklaces?

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Pinup Hair How the heck?

I am cursed blessed with super curly hair with tiny tiny curls haloing my head and strange weak curls on top. So if I really really want my hair to look good for something and I don't want to risk the 'fro acting up I will blow dry and curl it into a bit of a pinup 'do. Now being a recovering tomboy I never quite learned to set the curls properly, so I am left to the big sister/brother we know as YouTube!
Shuffling thru hundreds of tutorials with obnoxious music and blah blah blah can be a time waster, so here is my favorite video how-to I've stumbled upon.




Now I'm gonna let my hair get almost dry and give this a whirl!

For my blow dry I'm obsessed with using, obviously, the Marilyn brush. 100% natural boar-bristle, this baby has changed everything for me. I also spray my mostly dry hair with Rusk Thermal Shine Spray to protect my hair and add shine.

All done and ready for the city. 

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You an me got d-issues.

 Water conservation has been drilled into me at a young age thanks to growing up in Los Angeles during a major drought, one that seems to stick around like party guests at 2am not getting the signals to go home. PSA's about turning off the faucet while brushing teeth and not taking 30min showers were sandwiched between Saturday Morning Cartoons. 

 My mom made us save our shower water and bail it out ourselves to the vegetable garden, a fantastic way to get you used to short showers. So it is no wonder that I'm pretty militant about my dish washing regime. Recently I was horrified as I watched a friend leave water running the entire time he washed dishes. He'd walk away from the sink and leave it. I won't even go into the fact that the water was only warm. Ugh. (I always use water so hot it almost burns.)

So little miss bossy pants showed him how to wash efficiently. My trick, learned by watching a caterer at work, is to have a little bow of hot soapy water to dip your sponge or brush into. 

I realize this seems pretty simplistic, "Jeez Miss Andy thanks for the incredibly mundane post today." But it's totally made washing dishes so much faster and I use hardly any soap, saving me money.  I suds dishes in order of size, utensils and service ware first, then small bowls and cups, plates and finally larger dishes and greasy pans. In the time it took you to wash the utensils and bowls the big pans have had a chance to soak.  Rinse the dishes as hot as you stand which cuts down on drying time and saves you from having all those dripping towels. After talking to the Mother about this topic she added another tip: sanitize and dry at the same time by sticking utensils, pans and other oven safe dishes in the oven and let the heat from the pilot light do the rest. 

Ok back to writing about hot dogs and strippers. 

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