design surprise: in training.

happy friday, ya'll! i hear the weather back home [kentuckiana] is to be b-e-a-utiful this weekend, so get out and enjoy; save this blog post for your monday am blues. 

back in my backlogged blog post, there was mention of a design surprise. you may now begin the drumroll please.....

currently, the blog author of c.organized + design [muah] is enrolled in interior design school! that's right, in around 2 years my brain will be fully packed with wonderful design knowledge and ideas to properly and professionally re-outfit your room: home: office: whatever! 

here is a little history on my journey to design school. nearly 2 years ago i decided to go confidently in the direction of my dreams and was planning to immediately enroll in school for interior design. did you know going back to school is a scary scary thing? think of all the time + money invested in yet, another undergraduate degree. well folks, the 3rd time [accounting and finance were 1st and 2nd degrees] must be a charm because i dove in about 3 months ago [yes, it took me 2 years to do so!] at sullivan college of design and haven't looked back since.

the 1st quarter is under my belt and i can now properly draw your space [architectural drafting I]: recognize design from the ancient times to american georgian [design history I]: choose a design principal and element for any room [intro to interior design]: and lastly, choose a design that jives with your age: mental state: or personality [environmental psychology]. bam! just like that, i know SO much more about the design field! quarter 2 begins in less than 2 weeks. eek!

have you thought about returning to school for something you love? i may be your girl for questions or encouragement. email me!

c.organized- cw

backlogged blog.

alright readers, this blog went on another unplanned... hiatus, vacation, fail spree. whatever you want to call it, i will probably smile, nod along and agree. if you all are like me, i am wondering where my summer 2013 went? it seems like yesterday we were ringing in 20thirteen! much has happened over the past few months [a design surprise will come out soon] and the blog post ideas are backlogged in my brain and planner. 

to start back in a speak easy tone, i leave you with some favorite websites and blogs i check daily.

1. the everygirl this site might be a slight obsession of mine. almost daily, there's an inspirational story of literally 'an everygirl'. finances: travel: shopping: entertaining: career. it's all discussed.

2. levo league hey working woman! this is your site. 

3. copy cat chic this lady is amazing. anytime one can get a chair for $399 instead of $1,699, it's a deal. each post shows one item from a high-end retailer [expensive!] and another item from a good retailer [reasonable!], but it's basically the exact same item. boom! your wallet and/or husband will smile and thank you.

4. design darling if you're looking for a perfect little boutique you can browse while sitting on your rear, design darling is a goodie. monogrammed: chic: color happy sums up mackenzie's [shop owner + blogger] style.

5. the kids made me fat having a bad day? go read some of these blog posts. if you do not laugh, well, consider yourself a fun sponge.

c.organized- cw

yellow page opt out.

ladies and gents, do you find yellow page directories any of the following:

1) annoying
2) useless
3) waste of paper
4) waste of space
5) behind the times
6) bulky
7) an eye sore
8) ______________ [write your description here]

my answer: all of the above, #8 i will keep to myself. honestly, if you can think of any person who needs yellow pages besides your 92 yo grandmother who does not have a cell phone or computer, please leave a comment below. yellow page hoarders: i promise you google is a bazillion times faster and most likely more accurate than your yellow pages from 4 years ago. recycle those bad boys!

story time! not too long ago i recently moved into my new beautiful house [which you can read about here]. as i oohed and awed over all the kitchen storage, i opened a drawer to find 5 yellow page books taking up half the available space. 3 days later, my roommate and i witness an unmarked white van driving down our street oh-so slowly tossing books at each house. dangit if it was not ANOTHER yellow page book. we literally wanted to run behind this van and chuck the damn book back at 'em. [not to fret. we are nice people and did not want to cause a ruckus in our new neighborhood. therefore, the book went straight to the recycle bin.]

recently i found the wonderful website that will forever force the white van to pass my house. yellow page opt out is quick + easy. PLUS i learned a few interesting facts that made me a tad less bitter about the yellow pages:

- the yellow page paper does not come from freshly cut trees
- new products are made from outdated and recycled yellow page books
- yellow pages are made with non-toxic ink: dye: and adhesive
- there has been a 29% demand decline for yellow page books since 2006

we are earth friendly here at c.organized + design and really encourage reducing: reusing: recycling. more useful posts to come!

are you going to opt out for your directory subscription?

c.organized- cw

digital photo box

smart phone. tablet. laptop. mini tablet. desktop. camera. ipod.

we now live in an almost overbearing digital world where technology rules our everyday life. believe me, like the girl next door, i love my iphone, could not live without my macbook and am in the market for an ipad mini [for those of you who own apple stock--> you're welcome.]. with all of these gadgets, maintenance and organization is a MUST. now, i am no apple genius bar employee, but every time my lovely momma says her iphone is running slow, my response: ''you have too many pictures and/or videos on there''. where this may not be the true reason, i'd like to think it is. recently, we took a few minutes to import pictures to make a digital photo box [remember those photo boxes that were so popular ten years ago?]. we saw an immediate change in her phone AND finding photos on her laptop is now a piece of cake. here is a little step by step on how we can all get our photos organized, making ourselves semi tech savvy!

1) import pictures to your laptop or computer. after the import is complete, a message might ask to delete or keep pictures on your phone. this is a personal preference, but i delete to allow more space on my phone. if you are one to show off that big fish caught on vacation or a child's first steps to friends and family, maybe consider keeping those pictures on your device.

2) whether you are using 'my pictures' or 'iphoto', there should be a place to create new folders or albums. you can create as many folders/albums as one would like. consider grouping them by year, with subfolders under each year. here are some examples-

folder: 2013

subfolder: tampa, FL vacation

folder: 2012

subfolder: summer gardens

another way to organize pictures are by subject; put any picture that pertains to that particular subject in the relevant folder. currently, this is how mine are organized in 'iphoto'. examples-

folder: oregon 

folder: c.organized projects

folder: uofl 

   [side note, go cards!]

3) drag photos from the original import folder [pictures usually default into a 'my pictures' or 'photos' folder after importing] to the new organized folder [ie- vacation 2013]. holding down the CTRL or COMMAND button while clicking on photos allows for multiple pictures to be chosen. time. saver. 

4) smile because all of your photos are now in one place ready to access: print: share: enjoy.

do you have a go-to store for developing pictures? if not, i highly recommend Walgreens. the site is user friendly, processing time is minimum, delivery or pickup options AND you can link to your facebook page to print directly from facebook photo albums. handy, eh?

need a little helping hand with your photo project? i would love to jump in! visit my webpage for contact information. www.corganizedanddesign.com 

c.organized- cw

photo above from www.theverygirl.com 

sunday funday.

when did sunday turn into 'funday'? long gone are the days of recovering and cramming for the week ahead [for now, anyway]. hellooo brunches: flea market shopping: and the weekly GROCERY visit. don't lie readers, we all dread the grocery. especially when it's so crowded that all the mini carts are gone.

for lent, my lovely roommate and i decided we would 'cook more, eat out less' [simply thai->we know your sales have gone down because of this decision]. several weeks in and one left to go [who's counting, right?], we've done a pretty darn good job. 

let's chat planning. aka organizing. 

1) choose a set day to visit your local grocery store: we choose sunday evenings because it's a good prep time for the week ahead. and who am i kidding, there are young, single men perusing the aisles, mini carts available, and rarely a screaming baby in the place [i love babies, just not screaming ones. in the grocery.]. but all joking aside, keep in mind crowds: and product stock when choosing your day.

2) have some resources in mind for those go-to weeknight recipes: we are found flipping through our cookbooks before we go, but pinterest: cooking sites: magazines are also all lovely. keep in mind breakfast: lunch: dinner: leftovers: snacks: doggie treats when planning for your week. [lauren has been making our fur friend's treats. healthy AND saves some moolah.]

3) write down [or type in notes on a phone] the ingredients you think you'll need along with those to check on in your pantry. as you write, categorize by either A. type of food [ie- produce: canned foods: dairy] or B. location in store [ie-right: middle: back]. this will make it easy for shopping and check out speed. 

4) check on those spices you think might be hidden behind that giant jar of olive oil. 

5) grab your recyclable bags: headphones [if you're a music listener]: list: and coupons [if applicable]. 

6) have fun! roommate lauren and i are starting to get the hang of where products are located and may be speaking for myself, but am really starting to enjoy the whole shopping and cooking experience. [we have competitions too. who spent the most? who saved the most?]

bring on the dinner parties.....

eh, maybe in a few months!

where are your favorite places to find good recipes? comment below!

c.organized- cw

shape up that hand me down

have you ever had a room so desperate for one piece of furniture, where the rest of the room will just NOT be organized without it? yes? well, that was my bedroom two weeks ago. in case you missed the last post [here], i have recently moved and was convinced to find: refinish: and put clothes in a dresser.. in one weekend. insert sweat: blood: wine: dust: and some white wash pickling stain and it happened in one week. here is my little dresser journey and some GREAT places to furniture shop in kentuckiana. 

weekend one-

drive over the sherman minton bridge to the lovely dress and dwell in new albany for their 50% home furnishings sale. stop in antiques attic first because i got to d + d too early. buy an old revlon vanity table because it was EXACTLY what i was looking for [in another room] ...and a retro magazine rack too. run in dress and dwell to scope the store out before anybody snags what i want. no luck with a dresser, but buy lots of other cute home accessories. meet my antique saavy aunt who gives me lots of tips on where to look for good used furniture at a decent price. receive a picture message from my dad....

it was like that moment in christmas vacation when the griswolds are at the christmas tree farm and they find the perfect tree. although i didn't have a selection of dressers, i knew this was going to work. AND it's special because my grandparents: dad: and brother all used this dresser. double high five!

weekend two-

go to sherwin williams for the 73rd time in one month to talk furniture paint [they know me on a first name basis and probably hate answering 26 questions every time i stop in. sherwin williams people--> i appreciate your ongoing kindness and forced smiles.]. they suggest white trim + door paint on the above dresser. work really hard on friday afternoon to sand the entire piece [side note- all my friends with their own home should own a handy dandy hand sander. they are around $50 and since moving, that thing is my best friend.] 

saturday, paint the piece: hate it [it's stark white, people]: sunday, sand it again and paint with miniwax white wash pickling stain from home depot. use a dark miniwax stain to distress. in LOVE the second-go-round! to finish the look, i find beautiful knobs at world market [$5.00 instead of anthro's $11.00 knobs]. whewww. catch my breath: drink some wine: carry the dresser upstairs. boom! done. 

so, what do you all think? if you have specific questions on the process, feel free to ask!

until the next project...

c.design- cw

national organizing month turned....

............buy a house month! that's right, as of january 16th i am a proud: new: and slightly stressed home owner. 

this little beaut in louisville, kentucky had everything i was looking for in a first home and then some!
basement- check
garage- check
location- check
nice yard for the furries- check
old charm- check check 

with the help of one of my best friends [who is also my roommate]: her boyfriend: my parents: niece: and a few other hard workers, we have transformed that house into pure 'courtney style'. it is looking uber cute and already feels like home. i am excited to share some before and afters here soon!

now, getting back to the true biz: organizing! 

as some of my friends are getting to that age where buying a house is 'knocking at their front door', it might be a fun post to explain the home buying process and how staying organized helped me close in one month DURING the christmas and new year holidays. stay tuned guys and gals! 

[readers: my true apologies for no useful posts in january or most of february. managing two homes: work: moving: renovating 1 house: and a few shenanigans here and there will about wear a girl out. there are a few exciting projects and posts on the horizon, i promise!]

c.organized- cw

ringing in 20.thirteen!

happy 2013 followers! hope you ALL had a fabulous time ringing in the new year with friends: family: significant others: and furry friends. i love this time of year because even though each start of a day: week: or month is the opportunity to begin new and make a difference, january one is [what seems like] an official new start. we can focus on different goals: opportunities: relationships.

january is also..drum roll, please... national get organized month! wahoo! time and time again i hear from people their new year's resolution is 'to get organized'. perfect timing! go for it and email me if you need some assistance. many helpful posts should be coming this month, so stay tuned!

my favorite way to start off an organized year is by purchasing a cute new calendar and planner. sure we all have iphones, but there is something special about writing it down on cute paper. check out some of these chic calendars posted on the brit + co. blog. 

and you must browse design darling's site for planners and everything else colorful and fun!

going in to the new year, what are you focusing your energy on? anything fun or different? 

whatever it may be, get out there and make it happen! 

c.organized- cw