To Remember

Bullet Journals, Planning, and other things I don’t want to lose.

Apple TV remote and Zvox soundbar

Not exactly craft related, but it took me a bit to sort this out so I thought I’d leave this here for those who may need it.

This morning our Zvox sound bar and the AppleTV remote quit talking to each other.

Swearing, turning it on and off and just randomly stabbing at the settings in the Apple TV menu made it worse.

This link led me to the super simple fix of resetting the Apple tv remote. Which you do by holding down the home button (on our remote it looks like a tv) and the down volume button for about 5 seconds. Nothing signals it is doing anything (no flashing lights or sounds) but when I pressed the up volume button it was magically talking to the Zvox box again.

Cut a shape right where you want it

Center a shape on an already existing sticker | SuzerSpace

At the beginning of the month I finally replaced my aging computer. I’d been thinking about it since January or so, but the weekend before I wanted to do something simple and it took so long to start up and then crash that I finally realized it was time.

Also at the beginning of August, I started a new bullet journal.

How are these two things related, you ask? I’ll give you a hint – SuzerSpace is a craft blog.

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I have links to share…

I’m a sucker for lists. 

And lists of links? Oh man.

I kind of think I might not be alone, and I like to be helpful, so here’s where I’ve been recently:

Quick note – NONE of these links are affiliate. I’m just sharing because I want to.

  1. So last month I posted my mini bujo, and my the algorithm  that feeds my social media accounts flooded with real bullet journal information. Somehow I never read the actual instructions from the original founder of the system, and it turns out it’s not all about making pretty layouts to share on the ‘gram.

2. My feeds are also full of some $99 face brush that vibrates and promises to keep your pores clean. I’m in my mid-fifties (OMG that hurt to type!) and still struggle with acne . I bought these which are not sonic powered but are also a fraction of the cost. I keep one in the shower and one at the sink and I feel super influencer-like when I use them. No wait. I feel like my skin is clearer than it used to be, and that’s a good value for 9 bucks in my view.

3. I have made this recipe before many times, and it’s great as written, but if you want a much quicker version to make on a worknight, just use a jar of good pasta sauce, a can of white beans and a bag of shredded cheese.  Mix in proportions that make you (or your cheese-loving family member) happy (reserve some cheese for the last broil) and bake in a casserole pan until bubbly. Add that last cheese and broil until until golden brown and volcanic hot.

4. Have you been using Canva for creating artwork? If not, you should check it out. The free version has a ton of features, and some great templates for setting up web art for social media or even flyers and logos. I’m an Adobe snob because of work, and even I liked it. And now, Adobe has a competitor product which also looks like it would be worth checking out. 

5. We are super late to the party, but we finally installed a video doorbell. If you happen to have a Ring, you might be interested in this little spare parts kit.

Mini Bullet Journal Planners

New Year, New Planner - Mini Minimalist Bullet Journal Planners | SuzerSpace

If it’s January at SuzerSpace then it’s a pretty safe bet that I’m trying out some new planner/journal configuration. 

There’s a concept called “planner peace” which suggests you’ll keep hunting and searching for the perfect planner – the one that you enjoy working with, that also keeps you all super organized, happy and bestows magical powers on all who see it. Just kidding about that last part. And actually, just kidding about all of the parts – I don’t actually believe that planner piece has as end point.

I think it’s like searching for the perfect shoes, perfect hand bag or perfect ProCreate brush – most of the fun is in the hunting.

For this year, I’m trying out a mashup of an idea I hadn’t seen since sixth grade (the single sheet ‘zine) and an idea I tried before but didn’t stick with (the bullet journal). 

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It’s the Little Things

How was your weekend?

Since the Pandemic Started, I’ve been trying to focus on restoration and relaxing on the weekends. The weekdays have too much extra stress on them already, and I didn’t want to become a slave to my To Do list just because we weren’t going anywhere.

Along the way, I’ve been noticing a lot of little things that can make life better.

Here are three:

  1. The Pinterest Gods dropped this pin about adding corner ties to duvets into my feed, and at the time I was scrolling Pinterest in bed, kicking around the covers because they had become all lumpy at the bottom again. As soon as I finished my coffee, I took our Ikea duvet and cover downstairs, rummaged around and found some ribbon and in less than fifteen minutes had solved an irritation I didn’t realize I had. It’s also now even easier to make the bed in the morning because I don’t have to keep fluffing the covers.

2.  Did you know there’s a difference between purple and golden raisins, and it’s not the color of the grapes they come from? For many, many, many years I’ve been not eating raisins because I didn’t think I liked them. Recently I used golden raisins in a recipe, and it was a game changer. In my opinion, much better flavor and texture, which makes sense, because the difference is in how they are dried.  

3. I’ve posted earlier about my light therapy lamp and I’m happy to report it brought me a lot of ease this winter. This week I added a sunrise alarm to my arsenal of morning systems, and I’m only two days in, but it’s already a big hit. The concept is the light starts up as a low orange and gradually changes to a bright yellow white, simulating sunrise. I have mine set up to start up 20 minutes before my actual wake up time, with a beeping back up alarm set to go off if the light doesn’t do the trick. So far I’ve been up 10 minutes earlier than usual, and not as cranky. I bought mine at Amazon, and they have quite a range – I opted for a low end one so if it wasn’t what I hoped for I’d only be out 35 dollars, but you can go in for over $200.00 if want more bells and whistles.