Last night I re-read one of my favorite books on lifestyle and living: Colin Cowie Chic, by Colin Cowie- the renowned lifestyle and party planning guru. I read this book whenever I suspect that my home is sinking into disarray. I run a pretty tight ship but every now and then I start to let things go and then it becomes easier to let them go even further and as soon as I know it I am having nightmares about Mr. Cowie opening up one of my kitchen drawers and fainting from the complete chaos and lack of organization.



Colin Cowie boasts that he does not have a single kitchen drawer or cupboard that is unorganized. I envy this way of living. Honestly, I do. Some people might think to live like that would be an incredible bore. I think it would be marvellous. So today when I was doing my weekly washing I opened up my linen closet and realized with a sinking stomach that I have let it go. Big time. Table clothes were folded next to pillow cases. The sheets were folded such that I couldn't tell which were for the king sized bed and which were for the queen. Cloth napkins were mixed with bathroom hand towels. Just looking at it gave me the chills. How had I let it get this bad? So I rolled up my sleeves and got stuck in. Only one hour later everything is beautiful again and orderly- all of the bath linens are together, bedroom linens are together and organized by bed size, kitchen linens are all stacked neatly in a row. For me, it is linen closet heaven.

I think the key to maintaining this domestic bliss is to not be in such a hurry when I am putting things away. Putting things in their proper place should only take mere seconds more than not putting them that way and it saves a hell of a lot of agro down the road. Now Colin Cowie can stop by any time he pleases and open my linen closets (not that he would) but it's nice to know that he could...

Colin Cowie Chic can be purchased at: www.amazon.com

Images courtesy of: www.countryliving.com and www.colincowie.com

I'm not sure if the familiar urges for spring cleaning have just reached me early this year or if my home was crying out for an overhaul, but I have spent the past two weeks culling and cleaning chez moi. Not a junk drawer went unturned, not a picture frame undusted.

I tend to be a very tidy person anyway and always have a clean home. Every night before I go to bed I do a once over and make sure there are no dishes in the sink and that the cushions on my couch are propped up in an orderly fashion. There is nothing worse, to me, than waking up to a messy house. And, of course, I make my bed every morning without fail. (I think my mother told me when I was a kid that if I didn't make my bed, spiders would crawl into it- that scare tactic seemed to work wonders as I still do it today!)

However, just because it looks outwardly tidy does not an organized home make. I would hide things away in drawers, cupboards and baskets thinking that out of sight meant out of mind. The trouble is that whenever I would pass these drawers and cupboards I would get an uneasy feeling because I knew deep down that the clutter behind those doors was there to stay... until I dealt with it.

So I decided to tackle my home, one junk drawer at a time. I probably thew away 5 large trash bags full of things that I had been storing- talk about junk! Now, as opposed to having- count them- 4 junk drawers in my kitchen, taking up highly valuable space, I now have one drawer that I call my 'miscellaneous' drawer. It no longer contains 'junk', but has highly useful things like take out menus, nuts and bolts, errant pens and appliance manuals.

The best method for tackling junk drawers for me? Do one at a time. Dump everything out on the floor while you are watching television (preferably some cleanliness motivating show like Clean House, How Clean is Your House? or Anthea Turner Perfect Housewife). You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish in a half an hour- horrified at the trivial junk you've been holding on to- and proud that you have done something productive rather than merely wasting away in front of the television.

I am not sure how long this junk-drawer-free life will last, as I tend to be a very "going through a phase" type of person. But I aim to do my best.

So I would love to know... how many junk drawers do you have?

Image of Anthea Turner, Perfect Housewife courtesy of www.dailylife.com