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

merry christmas to all.

wishing you all a very merry christmas filled with love: joy: laughter: and sparkle. 

c.organized- cw

while the boss is out of town..

we make use of our strong employees and chic, yet conservative decorating tendencies. our office is small with several private offices: a bathroom: kitchen: and common area....filled with valuable antiques extra furniture. this left our poor little work abode without a conference area. out with the old, in with the new! 

.brody the model dog.

this table about to be unveiled took me months to find. i had found what i thought was the perfect conference table at ikea after searching the typical office furniture sites with bulky legs + dark hues. of course, about an hour before leaving for ikea, i search the site for inventory available...nada. all is not lost, though.

part of my attempted daily to-do's is blog: site research. this website is wonderful for those with high price style but a low[er] budget. thanks to copy cat chic, i found the perfect conference table and they had it in stock [and on sale] at our local world market.  the table took up every inch of my small suv, but after months and months of searching, by golly that table was coming to work with me. 

without further ado, here is a sneak peek at our beautiful new lunch table conference table.

c.organized- cw

the best of everything. in one place.

purses: scarves: jewelry: oh my! does anyone else have trouble figuring out the perfect place to showcase your 'pretties' without spending a fortune? recently i had the same issue with jewelry and came up with an inexpensive solution. 

[pre organized]

first things first. take inventory, remove everything from your bucket: dresser: drawer: organizer bin: whatever you currently store your jewelry in and separate into basic categories OR by color..

rings: stud earrings: dangling earrings: bracelets: necklaces: watches: costume

deciding how to display or store your jewelry is a personal choice. some might prefer clear plastic boxes [organized either by color or by type of jewelry], others might like to show off their accessories in a plastic or cloth divider. personally, i love my fun jewelry out and about : ) click the link to check out where i found my inexpensive cloth and plastic dividers! http://www.target.com 

[post organized] 

have an empty wall in your closet? here's a fun way to hang your necklaces! all you need is a hammer: nails: and maybe some decorative cabinet knobs [if you want a little extra pazazz].

how are you going to organize your jewelry or other fashion accessories?

c.organized- cw

blog lova = unorganized inbox?

since beginning the startup adventure i've been searching: following: liking: loving: obsessing over fellow creativists blogs. [see my list of blog favorites below] when visiting a blog, there is most likely an option to subscribe via email or 'rss feed'. [i've yet to figure out what rss feed is; that will be homework for this week.] up to this past week, i have submitted my email for every blog and website catching my eye as fun: creative: entrepreneurial: woman empowering: colorful: etc. now, this means i have about 40 emails coming in per day from different blog posts. as you know i love organizing, so creating folders + click/drag procedure has sufficed, until realizing it was a pain in the a*s unnecessary work.

one night last week, my goal was to find a website i can login to and see all of my blogs in one place without having to sift through a bunch of email subjects, of which all begin to look the same. www.bloglovin.com is my lovely answer and suggestion for you. blog lovin is easy to setup: search: follow: read your favorite blogs. an iphone/ipad app is available. AND it's free! all new posts show up on your feed [similar to FB or twitter] ; as you read, there's a 'mark as read' option. a list of your followed blogs are on the far left for easy access to each individual blog site. now, i know there are many more blog collaboration sites out there [maybe rss feed is one of them and i am currently clueless], but blog lovin   is pleasing my blogging needs.

[pre organized]

[post organized]

what website do you use to read your blogs? 

c.organized- cw