I have always wanted to adorn my front door with a holly wreath, but have never been able to justify spending $60 for red styrofoam balls on grapevine. This year I thought ahead…a month ahead. When I decorated for Thanksgiving this season, I decided to make my own Fall wreath by purchasing a grapevine wreath from Hobby Lobby (~$5) and some floral picks (~$10). The result was just what I had in mind!

Of course, Thanksgiving was over before I knew it, and it was time to put the pumpkins away and bring out the holly. Once again, Hobby Lobby made the transition easy. I found a berry garland for only $10 (originally $20, 50% off for Christmas); the same berries that were on the $35 (originally $70) wreath right next to it! All it took was my pre-purchased grapevine wreath and some grapevine wire to make what I think looks just as good as the store-bought version. Decide for yourself!

Merry Christmas decorating, everyone!

Post from: in her words

A berry cheap wreath

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I have to say, having a husband that travels for a living does have it’s advantages (as few and far between as they may seem). As luck would have it, Chase received word that he needed to travel to Europe far enough in advance that I could plan a trip around his business plans! I’ve always dreamt of traveling through Europe, visiting museums and admiring the ancient architecture. My only other taste of Europe was in Spain when I was I was 12 years old, and it was just enough to wet my whistle.

This time around I will get to explore Germany and the Netherlands. I couldn’t be more excited! I already knew Amsterdam was an amazingly eclectic city, and that my husband had nothing but good things to say about Nijmegen and other smaller towns, but after doing some research, I discovered that I’ll be visiting one of the largest hubs for graphic design in the world! It couldn’t be a more perfect destination! My type-A personality went into overdrive, and I began researching all the possible museums, bookstores, and design parlors we could visit in my short 4 days of travel. I know I’ve crammed more into our itinerary than possible, but I’m ready and willing to try to see it all. Call me a dork if you will, but I can’t wait to explore the world of design from a different point of view.

Post from: in her words

Bon Voyage…or should I say, Goede reis!

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August always seems to be a big month for me. Not only is it my birthday month (happy birthday to me!), but it’s also the month I officially launched Ali Taylor Design. I can’t believe three years ago today I took the step to go out on my own. It’s been a fun ride so far!

This August I have one more cornerstone to add to the calendar — I have officially incorporated Ali Taylor Design. It feels so much more official to know ATD is now a legal entity, AND it motivates me to keep this fairytale going!
 

Happy August to all!

Post from: in her words

One year older

Finding the right applications to keep your business running smoothly is, no doubt, a challenge. Personally, I’ve been through the treacherous app land more than a few times searching for the right solution for a streamlined financial management system . . . and, after ruling out lots of viable options, I absolutely love the outcome of my search. I now have a trio of apps that keep my finances in order. Now I consider these three apps my right-hand men. My tripod.

Freshbooks :: Invoicing

If you’re like me, there are many things you’d rather do than keep up with your billing. When I first started Ali Taylor Design, I tried to create each estimate and invoice individually in an InDesign template I made. I quickly realized this wasn’t the most efficient route. That’s when I discovered FreshBooks. Freshbooks has now become my go-to application for time-tracking, invoicing, recording payments, and managing client contact information. I always have it open in my browser and I keep a running tab open for many of my clients. As I work, I am able to track my time with their nifty stopwatch widget. As I complete a task for each client I record that time to their invoice. At the beginning and middle of each month I send an invoice with a log of each task that has been completed to date. Once I receive payment, I record it in Freshbook and, in turn, Freshbooks automatically notifies my client that their payment way received. My clients appreciate the thoroughness, and I love that I never forget to record a task — even the smallest ones!

Shoeboxed :: Receipts

If I remember anything from accounting in college, it’s that you must debit what comes in and credit what goes out (or is it the other way around) :P? Now, while I’m on a scholastic kick, here’s an SAT flashback for ya: as Income is to Freshbooks, Expenses are to Shoeboxed – the second leg of my tripod. Shoeboxed is my receipt tracking application. They have a free account where you have to scan your receipts yourself, and a paid account where they’ll do it all for you. I don’t have a ton of expenses in my company, so I chose to stick with the free account. Essentially, I take a picture of every receipt from my business-related expenses and upload them into Shoeboxed once a week (I deem Fridays as my finance days). Once you’ve uploaded your receipts, you can choose a category (for tax purposes) and, ta-da, you’ve filed away your receipt for your tax records!

Outright :: Bookkeeping

Now, it ALL comes together with Outright — the third and final leg of my tripod. This wonderful, wonderful application pulls my income from Freshbooks and my expenses from Shoeboxed and compiles the data into super-clean and user-friendly reports for accounting purposes. It even generates a Schedule C for me come tax season! Now, I just use this Schedule C as a reference for my accountant (who is a very important piece of the puzzle). She then adds in other various line items such as medical expenses, charitable contributions, etc. I’m sure I could use Outright to manage these too, but I haven’t quite gotten that far yet :)

All in all, I’m very happy with my financial management system. It has been able to grow with my company thus far, and as I continue to expand into different facets of my business, these applications continue to expand their capabilities. I’m looking forward to a long-standing relationship with my tripod.

Post from: in her words

How I Do Business :: The Tripod

Well, here’s my most recent splurge (thanks to Woodstock Furniture Outlet!):

a coffee table…

…that seconds as an office!

Ok, I don’t really sit here 9-5 Monday through Friday. That would bring a whole new definition to couch-potato. But it is a perfect after-work blogging, web searching, snacking and reading spot! (say hello to Conner!)

Now I get to have some fun dressing my new coffee table! See, decorating my house is my non-techy creative outlet. As much as I love that my job allows me to be creative day-in and day-out, sometimes you need a shift in thinking to keep things interesting. Here are some well-dressed coffee tables I’ve been eyeing:

via pottery barn

via house beautiful

Who doesn’t love a new addition to the house? Something to switch things up — you know, that thing that provides just enough change to make you stop and think when you walk into the room. What was your most recent splurge?

Post from: in her words

A new member of the family room

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Hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth fo July weekend filled with good fun, family, and friends! Our goal for the weekend was to avoid the crowds and enjoy a stay-cation. We spent our days on the lake or at the pool and made it a point not to housework, open a computer or answer too many emails. Come Tuesday, I’m proud to report we definitely feel like we had a vacation!

One other wonderful thing came out of this weekend — our dear friends had a new, sweet baby boy! They weren’t expecting him to make an appearance until later this week, but (just like his parents) he decided the early bird gets the worm! We’re soo excited for them and can’t wait to go meet the little guy in person today!

Did you stay in town or head to the beach for your American holiday?  Are you refreshed to start your work week with a bang?! (yes, that was a fireworks reference)

Post from: in her words

Happy Belated Fourth!

Wouldn’t you love to sit here…

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…eating this…

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…and looking at this…

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…while maybe playing with these?

Photo by Jessica Stout via Style Me Pretty

That’s what I thought. I would too! Welcome, Summer!

Post from: in her words

Welcome, Summer!

Rather than hunting for ingredients and making trips to and from the fridge when you’re ready to prepare lunch — why not make them one trip away?  Let’s use a wholesome sandwich as an example.  When sandwiches are on the menu for the week, I keep a container in the fridge filled with all the necessary ingredients to make my favorite sandwich.  If I’m feeling extra motivated, I slice the tomatoes and lettuce Sunday before the week begins.

By keeping turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo together, all I have to do is grab bread and a plate and I have lunch in under 5 minutes.

This goes for non-work-from-homers, too!  If you’re trying to save money on lunches during the work week, keep your ingredients neatly stored together in the office refrigerator for easy preparation and clean up!

Bon Appetite!

Post from: in her words

Fast Food

Post from: in her words

More planting…

Well, five months later the summer heat finally faded enough to tackle another landscape day.  The bank we created the day we laid sod has now gone from this…

…to THIS!

We planted three Muskogee Crape Myrtles (which we search far and wide for).  I was determined to get lavender blooming crapes to bring a softer color into our already very red spring blooms.  The smaller shrubs are Encore Azaleas.  They have an amazing sunset red bloom, and despite the 40 degree weather this week, are still holding their blooms.  Chase and I tackled this planting job ourselves, which proved to be a long day, but it was definitely worth it in the end.  I can’t wait to see how everything is going to look in the Spring!

Post from: in her words

Update on landscaping