It was literally driving me crazy. Not only did it look terrible, it didn't function at all because things were impossible to find quickly. I'd had a plan to fix it, but Michael was against it. He insisted that a junk drawer was just supposed to be messy. I know he was just being contrary. Because if you know me, you know that was not going to fly.

So, where to start? With some dividers so you can easily group like items together. There are lots of drawer dividers out there (Container Store is a good place to start), but I loved this one I found at Marshall's. Stylish. And cheap too.

First: I threw a bunch of stuff away. Second: I moved some things that belonged in other places to the places they belonged. Third: I got organizing, putting things together that seemed to belong together. Pens, pencils and scissors; matches and candles; gum and mints; coupons and gift cards; sticky notes and paper; postage and return address stamp; paperclips and pushpins; and so on. The organizer didn't perfectly fit the space (it'd be hard to find one that did) but I filled out the empty spaces with a small notecard box, a small dish (I find lots of these in cute styles at Pier 1), and a larger bowl where Michael empties his pockets at the end of the day (the mix of coins and screws/washers/etc drives me crazy too and I want to organize them, but you have to let some things slide, right?). Anyway, life is sooo much better now with just one more organized drawer in my life. And I even think Michael agrees.

So, have you organized your junk drawer? Need more inspiration? I get way too excited when I see totally organized drawers, like these.

 martha stewart

Go for extra credit when you stencil the drawer bottoms, like a brooklyn limestone

real simple

centsational girl

 bhg