It's a happy day, but in a weird way. We're happy that summer is almost here, happy that we live in this beautiful country and happy to be free. We got that freedom through the ultimate sacrifice of others. Let's never forget that.
Ciao,
Anne
Another Must-Have To Make Your Office Run Smoothly!
Meet Sheila Rennart of Quick Bookkeeping, Inc., (click on her business name back there to get the link) here in Raleigh. Of course I've been keeping my accounts straight throughout the years, but it has taken a LOT of time to do that--because knowing how to add, subtract, multiply and divide isn't the same as accounting. If you're running a business, this is another one of those things you need to hand over to an expert. Sheila LOVES accounting (thank you, God, for making all kinds of people)! AND she taught Karen and I how to use the accounting software. She is our hero.
Do you think you can't afford a bookkeeper? The truth is that you can't afford not to hire a bookeeper. She saves you money. Go figure. I won't share Karen (my Business Manager, talked about here), but I can share Sheila!
Ciao,
Anne
How To Make Your Office Run Smoothly
If you have a busy, hectic, slightly chaotic office environment, I have a cure for you:
Hire Karen. No, wait, that's not what I mean! Hire a person like Karen. You can't have Karen, she's the new Business Manager at DeCocco Design! She appears to LIKE running a business--I've heard about people like that. My office has become an oasis of calm. I'm not sure I remembered what color the top of my desk was and now it's clear and orderly. Records and resources are where they should be. There are processes and forms, invoices and reports.
I can focus on interior design. Thank you God, for Karen!
Ciao,
Anne
Old House Dreams
Do you have old house dreams like I do? When you pass one in the car, do you slow down a bit to take in a detail or two? I recently played hooky with my friend (and fellow designer), Christine. We headed to a tiny NC town that has a lovely Main Street. It's lined on both sides with beautiful old houses.
Details baby, details!
I was going to do a little research to identify the style of every house for you, but it's December and I just don't have the time. Maybe I'll come back to this in January (don't hold your breath). For now, just feast your eyes and get ready--tonight you might have Old House Dreams.
So stately.
Every window has molding or a pediment above it.
Soft yellow with black shutters is such a great color combination on an old house.
Feels like something out of a movie.
Look at the summer porch on the side. Porch parties happen all the time in my Old House Dreams.
Columns!
Arches and balconies!
This mightbe a Queen Anne Victorian. Gracious!
And big old houses have big old magnolia trees.
Wouldn't you love to see the interiors of these houses?
This one had me at apricot.
Ready for renovations.
Spectacular!
This street is a treat, isn't it? I've got more photos, but it's time to read to Grandboy (we're working on Roald Dahl's "The Wonderful World Of Henry Sugar"), so I'll stop here.
I hope your December is a merry one and that you have Old House Dreams!
Ciao,
Anne
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am thankful for so much. Hope you are, too.
Ciao,
Anne
Launching A New Website In 6 Steps
This is what the site looked like yesterday.
Launching a new website is soooooo much easier said than done. But we've done it, you're on it and I hope you're loving the purple vibe. What follows is a summary of what it takes to get a new site up and running.
Launching a new website, step #1 - choose your platform.
There are so many choices! To make the right decision for your needs, you have to do a lot of research. This turns out to be the easiest part in the entire process. We chose SquareSpace because it's easy for me to update. "Easy" is a relative term.
Anderson, John and Anthony. Rockin' my favorite hair color.
Launching a new website, step #2 - hire the best web designer you can find.
I don't care what anyone tells you - doing it yourself is for the birds. Web design is a profession, so hire a professional. John Hoge has been the force behind DeCocco Design websites for a whole lot of years now. He's an artist first and a web guru second and what a difference that makes! He looks like a cross between Anderson Cooper and Anthony Bourdain, don't you think? Maybe it's just the fabulous hair color (I am biased). John is patient, generous and hilarious. Thanks John. I wouldn't have a business without you.
Laura Mentler, photographer
Marilyn Peryer, photographer
Launching a new website, step #3 - use professional photographers for the eye candy.
I take plenty of decent pictures with my iPhone. They're great for the blog, but not the whole website.
Let me introduce you to my photographers (you can use them, too!):
Most of the interior photos - Marilyn Peryer of Style House Photography
One lovely project in Charlotte - Wes Stearns of Artist Eye Photography
All photos of yours truly - Laura Mentler of Laura Ann Photography
Each of these photographers has a special talent that is very evident in their work. Thank you Marilyn, Wes and Laura, for capturing the sparkle that lives in my head.
Felicia Gressette, Editor
Launching a new website, step #4 - hire an editor.
Every website gets a few seconds to hold your attention, so the text is really important. I like to write (well, talk) and keeping it short and sweet is not in my wheelhouse. Felicia Gressette is an accomplished editor and publisher who graciously came on board to ensure that every page gives you solid information but doesn't bore you to death with my blather about design versus decorating or the value of hand milled soap (oh yes, I've seen that on a website). She would never have written that previous sentence--it's way too long.
Thanks Felicia, for making all the other pages on this website short and sweet.
Wrestling with templates, coding, internet issues, etc. is like being in the midst of this lava flow - it's sharp, brittle, unforgiving, nasty stuff.
Launching a new website, step #5 - wrestle with the site template, the almighty internet, the search engines, etc.
I can't even describe this part. It takes the longest and much of it is beyond anyone's control. It's all the yucky, wonky, luck of the draw, fullness of the moon, mercury in retrograde sort of stuff. Two words; endless and frustrating. You (and your web designer) just have to deal with it.
Launching a new website, step #6 - life happens.
Oh yeah, this one needs to be inserted in between every step. Truth be told, website work is very creative, complex and interesting. Websites take a LOT of time and so does everything else. Jobs, families, houses, travels, illness, exhaustion.... you know, life.
I am a happy camper. On to the next room!
And then one day, the website launches!
For us, today is that day. It's looking beautiful. It's not perfect. I still find typos, photos still suddenly move out of place, Google continues to make changes and we're thrown into a temporary tizzy. But in the end, it's all good.
And we've got a new logo!
Our old logo. Rich, strong and classy.
Our new logo. Clean, calm and modern.
Ok, the ribbon has been cut, the champagne bottle is empty and we all need to get back to work. Hooray!
Ciao,
Anne