January 2010

Letters BETWEEN FRIENDS

For the third year in a row, we're focusing our January issue on getting organized, one of the most popular New Year's resolutions. And like most perennial resolutions, it's easy to start strong, but hard to stick with. No matter how much we sort, swap, donate, clean, stack, rack, and label, living organized is something else entirely.

Q Are you well-organized?

Meet Our Organizer

Things to do this month

Qa What would you name The next decade?

INDISPENSABLE: MOISTURIZER

TECH: SMART CLOCKS

Blogged

88 percent of adults make New Year's resolutions, but only 20 percent keep them.

Good fun

Letter perfect

Good read

Good deed

Swap till you drop

Clean your closets, grab your friends, and trade your stuff at a party where everybody leaves happy and nobody spends a dime.

No small order

How organized can an 1,100-square-foot home be? This one perfectly fits two artists, one toddler, and a home-based business.

25 Easy ways to Conquer clutter

1 Tame linen closet chaos by storing bulk items such as extra soaps, bath salts, and cotton balls in clear cylinders, above. It's an attractive, inexpensive solution, and you'll be able to see when something needs replenishing. Use this trick all around the house-- for sponges in the kitchen and detergent in the laundry room, for example.

Home Stretch

A renovation of a cramped old house makes room for both storage and personality.

Honey

Some of the most forgiving colors to work with, honey hues give virtually any room a fresh start.

Organize Every Room

Warm up with easy, healthy meals

Make It Spring Inside

Multi tasked

Laundry isn't the only thing spinning in this storage-packed utility room. So are crafts and creativity.

Blooms on the sill

Brilliant orchids brighten the darkest winter days. These easy-care varieties are a cinch to grow in your home.

Growth fun

Save money, grow hard-to-find flowers and vegetables, and get an early jump on gardening by starting your own seeds this spring.

SNOW BUSINESS

32°F the temperature at which tongues freeze to flagpoles

GREEN TEA FOR ARTHRITIS

I Did It!