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Armchair Neat Freak : Kitchen

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January 1, 2012
Be Organized
22 Comments

 

I know for a fact that January is the time when everyone turns their homes upside down in an organizational tornado.  It’s surely the peak neat freak time at shops like IKEA and Howard’s Storage World (who thought of that ingenious name, btw?!) with pressed and buttoned up people seeking better tooth brush holders, more streamlined dish drainers, more neatly stacking plastic crates, more shoe racks, more loo paper wranglers?

I am also positive that charity stores get their donation bins and doorways PILED high with useful (and not so useful) things come Jan Oh One.  I have seen those useful things scattered up and down the street out the front of my local Salvos after a long weekend.  (This reminds me of the sleeping bodies of New Year’s Eve revelers, similarly dotted about the local park on New Year’s Day.)

I’m super positive those huge BIG TOUGH rubbish bags totally sell out at this time of year, as people get BIG and TOUGH on clutter and random bits and bobs they have lying about the house.

Doesn’t it make you TIRED just to think of it? Gosh. I’m feeling quite vexed about the whole thing.  I’m quite content to spend the next day or two easing into the New Year, in fact.  I don’t really feel like decluttering or sorting or rationalizing or IKEA-ing.  I am more likely to be drinking tea and watching back episodes of The Kardashians or Friday Night Lights.  I might even be painting my toenails…  Or talking to YOU on Facebook…

I don’t want to diminish this natural and commendable drive to get neater, however.  I know that lots of people love to neaten up.  Perhaps you are one of them?  Yes? Go you.  Never fear because I won’t let you down.  Despite my own tardy tidying, I’m still a team player.  I know that you’ll be scratching your head as you try and work out how to sort your doo-dads from your hoo-has.  So here you go.  I’ve scouted these images to inspire your endeavours.  Get neat and nice.  Get sorted.  Get arranged.

We’ll start, today, with the kitchen.  And I’ll show you lots more Armchair Neat Freak ideas over the coming weeks.

If you’re looking for me I’ll be over here spreading brie on my biscuits and giggling at The Bush and The Tush.

xx Pip

Click Images to View Source

  • MaryAnne Bennie

    This is great Pip, where did you get all these great pics? Love them!

    • http://www.meetmeatmikes.com Pip Lincolne

      Just click each image to see the source, Ms MaryAnne! xx

  • Name

    Not a pet person but love the dog dish drawer!! I think new year is a tidy time only surpassed by the blessed tradition of ye olde hard rubbish collection.

    • http://www.meetmeatmikes.com Pip Lincolne

      I love that drawer too! Maybe a HIGHER people dish drawer would be good too?! It could have little bento boxes in it and a hole for your glass of vino!! And a slot for chopsticks! YES! x

  • Beck

    Oh yeh, that’s me! I love the pix, you’ve got me thinking… ;)

  • http://www.meetmeatmikes.com Pip Lincolne

    I like to find smart LITTLE fixes to getting organized and making things more practical. Then I can look at the smart fixes and ignore the mess!! x

  • allison

    I do always get my hoo-has confuzzled with my doo-dads. Don’t even start me on my whatchamathingies or the doohickeymawhatsits.

    But I can’t EVER imagine being as organised as the top photo depicts. No sirree bob!

    • http://www.meetmeatmikes.com Pip Lincolne

      I will NEVER be organized. I shall strive for a cute clever home instead! I do admire the organized greatly, though! I just don’t have the gene…! x

  • http://www.facebook.com/leithalwriting leithbaker

    Oh Pip, perfect post. I have my neat freak on and started in the kitchen.

    • http://www.meetmeatmikes.com Pip Lincolne

      Oh Leith! I could learn a lot from you! Happy Neat Freaking! xxxx

  • suburbansider

    haha love this and your thoughts Pip and thanks for the inspiration.
    I’m torn between chilling out for a couple of days till I have to go to back work, and getting stuck in to sorting out my house which I really am dying to do.
    I’m thinking strike now while the rare burst of motivation is upon me and hope that the momentum will keep me going for a little bit longer.
    I’ve just sat down for a coffee break and to read some blogs for encouragement and yep here it is!
    Pretty picture ALWAYS help!
    okay back to work…

    • http://www.meetmeatmikes.com Pip Lincolne

      See. I am good for something. If NOT neat freaking, at least I can be a cheerleader for people like YOU! I hope you got lots done and there is an icy drink at the end of it all for you! xxx

  • paula

    enjoyed that at the start, then started to feel a little over-nerdy re enjoyment of the neatness. then remembered it wasn’t my neatness so felt a little relieved. have put the man-child to work though and have a half made weld mesh pot holder ready to hang. cheap n desperately needed. so thanks!

    • http://www.meetmeatmikes.com Pip Lincolne

      Oh I think this might be JUST your kind of nerdy good time, then Paula! It’s nice to look, but if my house was this neat I would sit on a chair and feel like I could not do a thing, lest I mess it up! x

  • Digs

    I need to neat freak my kitchen (and someone to make my lunch). But to do this successfully I need TIME to make my space neat. After all, a trip to the megacity that is IKEA is half a day gone.

    • http://www.meetmeatmikes.com Pip Lincolne

      I love to go to IKEA for the linen and fabricky things…. but I avoid it like the plague, because ONCE INSIDE, all hope is LOST! I come home with 27 potato mashers and 387 tea towels! x

  • amnamehwish

    loved this post, have been reading a post earlier on apartment therapy obviously meant for neat freaks about how to clean and organize your house etc. Just sorted out my closet yesterday and was looking for some inspiration for my kitchen. Thanks to you now I am not that clueless anymore :) Cheers

    • http://www.meetmeatmikes.com Pip Lincolne

      Oh I think it’s TOTALLY that time of year! Time to turn over a new leaf and refresh our nests!!

  • Justine

    Morning:: sewing with my some of my patchwork group lay-dies = fun
    Afternoon:: decluttering and organising entire kitchen including pantry because it was driving me nuts = not so fun.

    Does the fact I do this as a living for other people get me off the hook for only doing this once a year for myself? Nowhere near as exciting rearranging one’s own jars and non-matching tupperware, me thinks.

    • http://www.meetmeatmikes.com Pip Lincolne

      Ooh I like your morning, Justine! And I think your afternoon is NOT fun, but will end in FUN, because PROGRESS = happiness! I can’t believe you are a SORTER! That is such a cool job! You change lives, for sure!

  • Emma

    I dropped off some old stuff at St Vinnies this morn, they were so busy sorting in the back room, piles and piles of books and things, I fear that they may all end up at my place in the coming weeks as I go browsing for gold!

    • http://www.meetmeatmikes.com Pip Lincolne

      I’m not allowed to go into op shops at the moment. I keep telling Cam we need to look for Wedding Plates, and that is why… but he doesn’t seem to believe me!