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In the studio — 2 Comments
21
Jan 13

Top Free Accounting Software

Now that year 2 has begun, I really need an accounting program to organize all my income, expenses, customers, inventory, etc….!  QuickBooks is probably the most popular option for small business accounting, but I really don’t have the money to spend on that right now.  So I did a little researching on what is out there that won’t cost as much, and turns out there are a bunch of FREE programs available!  Here are some that I tried out:

1.  FreshBooks (website)

  • Pros:  It was listed as the most popular free accounting program.  It is versatile and can be used anywhere-tablet, laptop, desktop, mobile.  Invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking, taxes, reports, etc.  Overall, very user-friendly.
  • Cons:  I can’t seem to create an itemized invoice versus one with hourly expenses.

2.  Outright (website)

  • Pros:  CAN add old transactions.  Nice interface.  Charts showing profit and loss info each month.  Invoices, expenses, reports, taxes, etc.
  • Cons:  Cannot specify individual items in the transaction.

3.  Wave (website)

  • Pros:  Invoicing, accounting, payroll, bills, etc.  CAN add items to invoices.  Easy to use.
  • Cons:

4.  Zoho Invoice (website)

  • Pros:  Invoices, expenses, reports, etc.  Overall very good.
  • Cons:  Can’t add old transactions.  Interface

5.  Express Accounts (website)

  • Pros:  Best choice in my opinion!  Downloads to your computer, for FREE, and is not on the web.  Options to use web accounts in order to access from other devices.  Can link to Inventoria.com, a free inventory program!  Very professional option and great to do all bookkeeping.
  • Cons:  A little difficult to get used to if not familiar with accounting terminology and organization.  Tutorials are available though.  Not very pretty.

Hope these tips are helpful… If you have any experience with these programs or any other ones, feel free to leave tips, advice, or comments below!

Crafting Tips / DIY / In the studio — No Comments
17
Jan 13

DIY : Handmade Packaging

You don’t have to go out and buy fancy packaging materials.. just be a little creative!

Here is our packaging for our Oceanscape Rings (This adorable Sailboat one is off to Washington state today :)

photo-10photo-12 photo-11

Materials: Cardboard, twine, and paint.  Eco-friendly and recyclable, too!

Crafting Tips / DIY — No Comments
14
Jan 13

DIY : Wine Label Removal

 

 

A bottle of your favorite wine that you don’t want to forget? A bottle from a special occasion? Or plans to reuse that beautiful bottle for something else?

Whatever your reason is…here is one method to removing the label from a wine bottle:

1. Select bottle.

2. Fill bottle with HOT water.

3. With a straight edge razor, gently loosen the edges of the label.

4. Continue to use the razor to lift the label off.  Be sure to go evenly, vertically along the bottle.

5. Press the labels to a blank sheet of paper (the back is still sticky) and place under something heavy to keep it flat.

 

ALTERNATIVE METHODS:

  • If you don’t need to keep the labels, you can run the label directly under hot water to help the process move faster.
  • Fill bottle and sink with water and soak. This should loosen the label off completely.

Now what?

  • Make a book of all your favorite wines.
  • List the date and occasion.
  • Frame a really beautiful label in a fun vintage frame.
  • Add to a scrapbook.

 

Crafting Tips / DIY — No Comments
07
Jan 13

DIY Canvas Prints: HUGE Impact, low cost

Love this DIY idea by TrendyThrifting! I never knew Staples did those prints.. must try in “free” time!

Crafting Tips / DIY — No Comments
11
Apr 12

DIY Project : Crochet Doily

My desire to knit and crochet has been a continuing self-taught series of small projects over the past year or so.  My first attempt at a doily began with this pattern (see reference below).  I have found crocheting to be much easier to pick up than knitting!  So, if knitting isn’t for you… don’t be discouraged!  The two are similar in the results but much different in how the tools are worked.  I found that teaching yourself the stitches can be pretty confusing from a book, so I recommend the following video tutorials instead:

One and Two

Doily Pattern:

Ch 7. Join with sl st to form ring.

Rnd 1: Ch 4 (counts as first treble), work 19 more tr in ring. Join to top of ch-4 with sl st.

Rnd 2: Ch 8 (counts as first double treble and ch 3), work dtr in next tr. Work Ch 3 and dtr in each tr around, ending ch 3. Join with sl st in fifth ch of ch-8.

Rnd 3: Ch 4, dtr in next dtr. *Ch 6, work another dtr in the same place as the last one, retaining the last two loops on hook; work another dtr in next dtr, retaining last loop (three loops on hook); yo and draw through all loops*. Repeat from * to * around, ending with ch 6. Join to top of ch-4.

Rnd 4: Ch 1, work 4 sc over first ch-6 arch. * Ch 5, sc in next ch-6 arch *. Repeat from * to * around, ending ch 5, tr in fourth ch of beginning arch, where 4 sc were worked.

Crocheting School: A Complete Course. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.: New York, 2001. Page 97.

Just for Fun — 1 Comment
17
Mar 12

DIY Project: Calligraphy

I always wanted to learn Calligraphy, so… one weekend I decided to teach myself!

I took this book out from the library and turned out to be a great book to learn from.

Here are my practice sheets:

And some fancier styles:

Tips:

1. Sharpie chisel tip marker is a great cheap way to practice when starting out.

2. The key to successful calligraphy is consistency… Keep you pen at the right angle (about 45 degrees counterclockwise).

3. The pen should be moving to the left and downward… don’t work a stroke from right to left.  I.e. when making a circle, make two semicircle strokes, one “c” shaped and the other the reverse.

4. Height! Keep your heights consistent.. height of capital letters, height of lower case letters, and ascenders (i.e. l and f) and descenders (i.e. g, p, and q)

If you follow these few simple steps, you can follow traditional calligraphy styles or just make your own handwriting style even more beautiful!

Once you get more advanced or fall in love with this craft and want to be more professional, you can purchase some calligraphy pens and nibs to use with ink. I purchased mine at the RISD Store, but you can find them at most local craft stores.  They are fairly inexpensive and can last a long time if you take good care of them. It is also cheaper if you want to use a variety of colors.

I used my new skills to make my sister a lovely homemade birthday card … Share what you use it for!

 

Crafting Tips / DIY — No Comments
17
Mar 12

Eco Adhesives

Looking for some environmentally friendly adhesives?  Here are some options:

1. Ecoglue : Site.

2. Ecopoxy : Site.

3. Flour paste : Flour + Water

4. Animal glue : Video.

5. Casein : Skim Milk + Vinegar + Heat, Filter

6. Starch : Cornstarch + Salt + Water

Examples of Bioadhesives found in nature:

Spider Webs

Mussels

Just for Fun — No Comments
17
Mar 12

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I decided this morning would be a great day to make some Irish Soda Bread.. here’s the recipe I used:

  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 3/4 cups buttermilk substitute ( You can use store-bought buttermilk here) : 2 Tbsp lemon juice in measuring cup, fill up to 1 3/4 cups with milk.

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.

3. Work the butter in.

4. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

5. Mix in beaten egg and buttermilk (or substitute).

6. Knead dough into a ball.

7. Place in a lightly greased cast iron skillet or baking sheet.

8. Score top of dough with and “x”.

9. Bake until golden,about 35-45 minutes.

10. Enjoy!