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July 2, 2008
Plant sale this weekend: 7 Oaks half-off sale, Corona, California
Filed under: House + Garden, Shop — StyleGuide @ 12:09 pm
The amazing half-off plant sale runs this weekend — July 3-6 — so I am re-posting this tip.
When we bought our first house a few years ago, this is the front yard we got. It was our first attempt at gardening, so I looked to Martha Stewart for guidance. Her books told me to propagate my own plants or risk going broke at the nursery.
Propagate? Are you kidding me?
That’s what 7 Oaks’ half-off plant sale is for. I don’t often go to the 951, but when the sprawling nursery off the 15 in Corona takes 50 percent off every plant they have — from trees in 36 inch boxes to the smallest annual — I make the long drive.
Sales are held twice yearly, over the Columbus Day and Fourth of July weekends. If you decide to check it out, here are a few tips. First, the sale has become quite popular, so shop early for the best selection. Second, take advantage of the neat little sandwich shop in the 7 Oaks convenience store.
Load your truck, then fuel up on fresh sandwiches for the drive home.
When: Thursday, July 3 through Sunday, July 6, 2008
Where: 21501 Temescal Canyon Road, Corona, Ca 92883
Call: 951-277-2927
What’s your best gardening tip?
February 27, 2008
New eco-friendly lawn mower? How about $100 from AQMD.
Filed under: House + Garden — StyleGuide @ 9:09 pm
Of course, the most Earth-friendly idea is to replace grass with something less thirsty like drought-tolerant plants. If you can’t go cold turkey on the green stuff, you can make your lawn the tiniest bit more Earth-friendly by trading up to an electric mower.
Using a typical gas mower for one year can pollute as much as 43 new cars driven for a year. That’s why the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) is making it easy to switch to a ”green” mower.
Their lawn mower exchange program allows residents to turn in their working gas-powered lawn mower and purchase a new cordless rechargeable electric mower for only $100. The new mower, made by the Neuton Lawn Mower Company, is a $400 value. It operates for 45-60 minutes on a single charge of the battery, and it comes with a rear-mounted bag as well as a mulching kit.
The one I got is easy to use, powerful and efficient, and does a great job keeping our small patch of lawn looking clean and trimmed. The simple self-mulching features means no clippings to throw away.
You must pre-register, and registration for the 2008 Lawn Mower Exchange Program will begin on March 18, 2008 at 9 a.m. AQMD will send you an email reminder of when registration opens if you sign up now for the Lawn Mower Exchange List Serve. Enter your e-mail address twice and then select the Lawn Mower Exchange List Serve from the list of options.
To be eligible for this very stylish deal, you must live in AQMD’s four-county jurisdiction, which includes all of Orange County, most of Los Angeles County (excluding the Antelope Valley), almost all of Riverside County, and the non-desert portion of San Bernardino County.
Price: $$$$
Where: Sites in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties in California
When: Different Saturdays in April and May, 2008
Call: 888.425.6247
http://www.aqmd.gov/tao/lawnmower.html
Into green yard care? Check out cheap composters from the City of L.A. here.
January 23, 2008
Two great fabric stops
Filed under: House + Garden — StyleGuide @ 8:16 pm
It is a curious coincidence that two of my favorite fabric stores are shaped, oddly, like little fabric store archipelagos. Each:
- Has three storefronts (an upholstery shop, an apparel shop and an outlet shop),
- Within walking distance,
- With the same name.
The formula seems to work — these two gems have been around for decades:
1. Michael Levine’s: This is the 60,000 square foot granddaddy of fabric stores, located in the downtown garment district. The shop with apparel fabric could fit a jetliner inside, and the upholstery shop across the street is only slightly smaller. Slip upstairs for the no-frills outlet, where fabric remnants are sold not by the yard, but for $2 a pound.
2. F&S Fabric: For a quick fix, F&S Fabric is a convenient Westside stop. The store was featured on Project Runway, but I go for their outlet, where fabric starts at $5/yard.
In addition to stocking both high-end designer fabrics and more affordable choices, each shop is staffed by fabric-savvy salespeople.
Great prices, huge selection, and the help of people who know what they’re doing — why bother leaving the island?
Want to make curtains from Indian sari fabric? Learn more from Stylish Guide here.
January 8, 2008
Little India for Low Cost, Highly Cool Sari Curtains
Filed under: House + Garden — StyleGuide @ 7:55 pm
Drives in Los Angeles seem to cross borders completely independent of geography. Signs migrate from Armenian to Korean to Farsi, from Thai to Chinese to Spanish. Sometimes it is nice to go where things are in English, and by that, of course, I mean in Little India.
Little India is a collection of stores along Pioneer Boulevard in Artesia where I can get my fill of Indian groceries, music, fancy dress clothes, jewelry, Bollywood movies, beauty shops and restaurants.
But my best find there was a set of curtains.
I’d been jonesing for curtains since I moved into a house with 22 windows, every one of them a peepshow for the neighbors. Nowhere was I more exposed than in my bedroom, and I thought that curtains made of sari fabric would give me and the neighbors a break while creating an exotic ambiance.
We stopped at every sari fabric store on Pioneer, examining bolts of sari fabric and learning about the range in quality and price. In the end I found I needed the cheapest one I could find that matched the room and had enough saris on the bolt to cover four windows.
For my 3×4 foot windows, I cut one sari in half and hung the pieces side by side. Custom iron curtain rods were made in Mexico (likely the subject of a future www.StylishGuide.com tip), and I was lucky enough to have my sister sew up the fabric.
An easier way to hang the saris is to create a pocket at one end with iron-on fusible tape (from fabric stores), then insert a drapery rod (find cheap ones at Ross or Tuesday Morning). Of course, go more elegant if you know how to sew, but if you know how to sew, you don’t need my help.
Price: $$-$$$$
Where: Pioneer Boulevard between 183rd and 188th streets in Artesia
January 3, 2008
Go green at home with Linoleum City’s Marmoleum
Filed under: House + Garden — StyleGuide @ 9:14 pm
When we started work on our house, we agreed to try some green products. (If you can’t experiment when you’re fixing up an abandoned crack den, when can you experiment?)
We were beyond thrilled with our Marmoleum linoleum floor from Linoleum City.
Linoleum has been saddled with a sad association with those tattered, stained, pastel flower-printed vinyl squares you’ve probably seen in apartments and dumpy houses like mine. The truth is that the term has been bastardized. True linoleum is a biodegradable product made from natural renewable resources like linseed oil, wood flour, rosin, jute and limestone.
There are so many things to love about linoleum that I decided to write a song — I mean, a list (that incidentally can be sung to the tune of “I Feel Pretty”).
Linoleum is:
- Easily cleaned
- Naturally antimicrobial
- So durable they call it “40 year floor”
- Barefoot friendly — especially compared to cold tile floors
Linoleum can also go low-end (including materials and installation, linoleum tiles can end up on par with the price of inexpensive ceramic tile), or high-end (choose custom colored inlays designed by linoleum artists, or professionally installed sheet linoleum).
My main Marmoleum source — Linoleum City — is a gem in itself. After 60 years on the same block, the family-owned behemoth with a small-town-hardware-store vibe just moved to a new, even larger warehouse. I hope its charmingly simple handpainted signs and mom-and-pop mentality made the move, too.
Price: $$$$
Where: 4849 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90029
Call: 323.469.0063
December 5, 2007
Furniture: Hotel Surplus Outlet
Filed under: House + Garden — StyleGuide @ 7:50 pm
This is my new table.
This is my new marble table.
This is my new marble table from the Mondrian Hotel.
This is my new marble table from the Mondrian Hotel, designed by Philippe Starck.
This is my new marble table from the Mondrian Hotel, designed by Philippe Starck, for which I paid $80.
This means two things: 1.) I have to stop reading children’s books, and 2.) There are some amazing finds at Hotel Surplus Outlet.
When hotels redecorate or close, the Hotel Surplus Outlet picks up the discards. Sofas, dressers, tables, chairs, mirrors, VCRs, armoires — anything you see in a hotel room you’ll find here.
The huge warehouse is stocked with furniture ranging from motel (oh, no) to luxury (uh huh). Prices aren’t garage sale or Goodwill, but you’ll find high quality, only slightly worn furniture.
Price: $$$$
Where: 6843 Valjean Avenue, Van Nuys, CA 91406
Call: 818-787-7807
November 19, 2007
Stylish Six: Home & Garden Deals
Filed under: Best Of, House + Garden — StyleGuide @ 9:00 pm
Here are enough bargain home and garden sources to transform a former crack den into a family-friendly space. (Trust me — I’ve done it.)
1. B&W Tile: This factory outlet mini-chain (locations in Gardena, Lake Elsinore and Riverside), sells hundred of tile styles. Discontinued or seconds from their factory are dirt cheap.
2. Fernando’s Lumber: “Bare-bones basic” custom kitchen and bath cabinets at prices so low you can splurge on high-end appliances — learn more here.
3. Santa Fe Wrecking Company: Check here for tips on shopping this grungy 50,000 square foot salvage yard, overflowing with old building materials like solid wood doors, near-new toilets, antique lighting and vintage tubs.
4. Linoleum City: Authentic Linoleum Marmoleum is wonder flooring. Environmentally friendly! Durable! Lots of colors! Available nearby! Learn more about how much I love Marmoleum here.
5. 7 Oaks Nursery: Their twice-yearly sales are worth the drive to Corona. Thousands of plants, from mini to mammoth, all half-off. See my tips on getting the most out of the sales here.
6. Pottery Manufacturing & Distibution: Browse pallet after pallet of heavily discounted decorative pots at this factory outlet. See what this pottery mecca looks like here.
Honorable Mention
Sears Appliance Outlets: As a mega chain with three appliance outlets outside L.A. County (Santa Ana, Corona and Ontario), this can’t qualify as an “L.A. Original.” Nevertheless, they carry the latest home appliances, flat-screen TVs, mattresses and BBQs, slightly damaged or reconditioned and at deep discounts. Example 1: A recent tag had the original price of $899 marked down to $449. Example 2: I’ve picked through their huge inventory and saved a bundle on a high-end, top-brand stove with barely noticeable dents on the side that faces the cupboard. Don’t worry about things breaking down — everything comes with the Sears guarantee.
November 13, 2007
My Friend, Fernando: Bargain Kitchen and Bath Cabinets at Fernando’s Lumber
Filed under: House + Garden — StyleGuide @ 9:17 am
When hunting for our first house, we fell in love with a once-abandoned shack in a so-so neighborhood a few blocks from gangland. Clearly love is blind — we made an offer on it right away.
Everything had to be fixed — most importantly the kitchen, where nearly all of the cabinets were missing (sold to pay drug debts, perhaps?). We needed simple cabinets, for a bargain price, that wouldn’t leave our house “over-improved” for our neighborhood.
Fernando’s Lumber came to our rescue. They custom-build all-wood kitchen and bath cabinets — no MDFs or other weird wood-like materials. You can get any configuration you want, as long as you choose pine fronts and plywood shelves. Don’t expect a ton of options for door styles, either. Just bare-bones basic wood cabinets at an insanely low price.
We upped the quality by skipping Fernando’s standard knobs and hinges in favor of our own hardware. And here’s an important tip: When you order, say you’re planning to stain them (even if you end up painting instead) — they’ll do a better job on the finish.
New cabinets at a low price — a great way to make your own outdated-drug dealer-70’s style kitchen just a little more homey.
Price: $$$$
Where: Three locations:
1920 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles, Ca 90011, 213-747-3766
750 E. Manchester Ave., Los Angeles, Ca 90001, 323-789-6576
5836 S. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles, Ca 90003, 323-234-7993
November 6, 2007
10 Ways to Find Love in the Salvage Yard: Santa Fe Wrecking
Filed under: House + Garden — StyleGuide @ 7:54 am
When you want to add expensive touches to your home at a bargain price, try buying used at a salvage yard. Santa Fe Wrecking Company, a 50,000 square-foot salvage yard near downtown L.A., is a great place to start.
It may seem intimidating, so here are 10 ways to make it easier to, as they say, find “the items you need for restoring the original beauty of antique architecture, hardware and building materials”:
1. Expect to get dirty. This place is filthy.
2. See past the dirt. Check for permanent stains, but you can wash dirt off.
3. Think big… or small. Replace your hollow-core doors with old solid wood ones. Change out standard door knobs with vintage crystal ones. Even add columns around your front door!
4. Bring measurements. That way you’ll know whether the fabulous old built-in will work in your dining room, or that hand-painted fireplace mantle will fit.
5. Get to know a refinisher. Old pedestal sinks or claw-foot tubs can be recoated; ask staff for a recommendation.
6. Go for newer items, too. I picked up a plumber-recommended Toto toilet for a third of the cost of new.
7. Light it up and get cooking! They carry an extensive selection of antique lighting and stoves.
8. Be patient. Block off a good hour or two to navigate the enormous inventory. New items arrive regularly, so come back if you didn’t find what you were looking for.
9. Expect to work alone. Staff can help load, but I would never consider this place full-service.
10. Bargaining is OK.
Where: 1600 South Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, 90021
Call: 213-632-3119
http://www.santafewrecking.com/
Have you been? Tell us all about it.
October 25, 2007
Antiques Roadshow (w/o the road): Bonham & Butterfield Appraisal Day
Filed under: House + Garden — StyleGuide @ 6:39 am
If PBS’s Antiques Roadshow has you wondering if the table you bought at the neighbor’s garage sale could earn you a cool half-mil, then consider Bonham & Butterfield’s Appraisal Days.
Once a month, appraisers at Bonham’s Sunset Boulevard location will say (in an honest but gentle manner) whether your stuff would be worth anything at auction. The crowds arrive early, take numbers by category (Asian Art, Paintings, Books, etc.), then wait in chairs set up classroom-style for the experts to call their numbers.
My hour-long wait to have two pieces appraised flew by — mostly because the atmosphere of nervous anticipation (tempered by the boredom of waiting) seemed to make everyone friendly, chatty and supportive.
Those I spoke with fell into two categories. Half were giddy with the thought that their bric-a-brac might someday fund a vacation cruise. The others kindled a sad hope that selling their family heirlooms might chip away at overwhelming medical and nursing homes bills.
When my numbers were called, I quickly learned that of all my worldly possessions, I own absolutely nothing of value.
A nice little adventure, a shot at untold riches, and a fascinating glimpse into people’s odd relationships with their things — and it didn’t cost a dime!
Price: Free
When: Check Bonham’s website for the schedule; the next one is October 31, 2007 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Where: 7601 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, Ca 90046
Call: 323-850-7500
Have you been? Talk to us.