Bullet Journals, Planning, and other things I don’t want to lose.
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.
Continue reading…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.
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.
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).
Continue reading…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:
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.
SuzerSpace is mostly a craft blog where I share my projects and tips and tricks.
But the last year has been a tough one for just about everyone, and I’ve found myself with less enthusiasm for crafting.
When the safety protocols started for COVID-19 and I was under a stay-at-home order, I found myself filling my time reading all I could about the science behind the virus, plus a lot of long form journalism that was extremely well written but gut wrenchingly accurate about the cost of the pandemic in turns of economic and human tragedies.
I soon realized this wasn’t really a good coping mechanism – normally I like to learn everything I can about a topic, but having a jillion tabs open with each one bringing sad news, bad news or politically charged opinions was definitely NOT what I craved.
So I searched for something more uplifting. Not syrupy feel good postivity that didn’t take into account what was going on around me. That would have made me equally miserable.
Below are links to some of the places I found for reading and viewing that would fill my brain and heart with skills to weather this storm in particular, and probably all sorts of other difficult times.
A quick, but important note:
None of these links are ads or affiliate, and I’m not endorsing any particular platform.
Your mental health is a serious topic, and I’m not a doctor, so this is not advice to be used in place of professional help.
Calm, a developer of a Mediation and Mindfulness app (which I don’t use) has a variety of free resources that do not require you to download their app or provide any contact information (not even an email).
Of the above, I have really enjoyed this online generator of intention cards (kind of like and affirmation magic eight ball).
In addition, Calm has have added a page of resources specifically designed for Covid 19 stress – meditations, lectures and stories to listen to lull yourself (or someone else in your house) to sleep:
Instead of binge watching bad TV, I signed up for this Science of Happiness Course , which is online, free and self paced class taught by Professor Laurie Santos of Yale. It “reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change.”
Have you watched EVERYTHING on Netflix, Prime, Hulu and Disney? TED has a neat searching tool for their talks which let you search by content, speaker or time.
If the above is all too serious for consideration, here are two more links that are pure diversion:
A nice assortment of Live Webcams featuring beautiful views, adorable puppies and aquariums (there are also bats, alligators and cats if that is more your thing).
A free download of a coloring book that you can print out for yourself or others in your household, or import into a drawing or painting program so you can color with whatever medium you prefer.
Again – these links are just things I’ve found online that I personally enjoy and they help me not spend my time doom scrolling (endlessly reading bad news about the virus or politics).
If you have any good bookmarks you’d like to share, please leave them in the comments below!
