what I've been up to

More catching up to do as it's been a month since my last post...

I had another fall on the 21st. Not kidding...

 

Same reason as my previous fall — slipped in water dripped by Scarlett, Aaron's poodle, after she had a drink.  I swear I'm not clumsy but, unfortunately, water and tiles just don't go well together. We have a mat under the dishes but Scarlett always drips a trail of water as she walks away. My feet went out from under me but, this time, my poor neck and shoulder slammed into the storage box near the easel in the studio ('X' marks the spot in the pic below). Lucky the box is padded but my neck and left shoulder are still on the mend. Needless to say, we are trialling another position for the water dish. Wish me luck.

I hope you all had a lovely Easter. Our Easter was nice, quiet and peaceful. Beau, my son who lives away from home, came down with Covid over the Easter weekend. He was fully vaccinated so his symptoms were fairly mild — sore throat and a fever mostly. He did lose his sense of taste and smell though which he didn't like at all. Apparently, loss of taste and smell happens to about 13% of Omicron sufferers and it can stay that way for months afterwards. Thankfully, Beau's senses are back to normal now.  He isolated at home for 7 days and is already back at work. 

 

On a Easter sweet treat note, Brad and I can vouch for the deliciousness of the NOMO vegan chocolate eggs....so creamy! YUM! 

Another delicious vegan snack/meal we often have is nachos with vegan cheese and vegan sour cream. We like our nachos topped with Sriracha sauce and some cayenne pepper because some like it hot!

 

The past couple of nights, for dinner, we've had vegan Sausage and Potato Madras on brown Basmati rice made by me. We do love Indian-style curries in this house. Vindaloo is my favourite.

All ready for May in my bullet journal — both analogue and digital. 

This is my analogue Month View, then I work daily from there. 

Click on image to view it larger.

I've even managed a bit of sketching here and there since my last post. This page spread is all ready for the journaling/handwriting. LOVED The Hobbit movies! The hobbit is drawn with a BIC ballpoint pen while the plant is inked.

Today, I started this giraffe in graphite pencil. He is just roughly plotted out at this stage so definitely a work-in-progress. Not sure yet if I will end up inking him or giving him splash of watercolour. What do you think?

I'll leave you with a pic of the Queen of the Castle nestled on the back of the couch. 

I'm planning to post frequently in May so stay tuned...

 

P.S. - If anyone is having trouble leaving a comment on my blog would they please let me know via email. searen3 at gmail.com.

Love, Light and Peace

My digital bullet journal set-up and some flowers

Firstly, I want to say thank you all for the caring messages regarding my Mum. She is still in horrible pain but they are trying different medications to see if they may help.  

I did end up having a lovely Christmas with three of my sons. Quiet but nice.

 

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My potted Frangipani is in bloom, known as Plumeria to some. I'm still waiting for the 2 I have in the backyard garden to bloom.

Also my potted Canna Lily. The flowers are very fragile and, this particular day, I was in love with how the sun shone through the petals so had to snap a pic.

Canna Lilies are also known for their spectacular leaves. The leaves on mine are not as spectacular as other varieties because this one is the dark leafed variety - Tropicanna Black

 

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With the new year approaching, I have been busy setting up my bullet journals for 2022. I keep an paper AND a digital bullet journal. I've shown my paper journal before. If you didn't see it, you can check that post HERE. I love working with both. I usually work month to month in my bullets. What I write in one, gets updated in the other.

I don't carry my paper bullet journal with me as it would add to the weight. I'm one of those people who carry everything but the kitchen sink. I usually have a small cross-body bag for wallet, phone, keys, and sanitiser, as well as, a tote for utensils, small torch, multi-gadget tool, tissues, wipes, etc...well, you just never know if I'll need them. On top of that, I also carry a couple of sketchbooks, pencils, pens, etc. in my tote so as you can guess, space and weight are an issue. With my Digital Bullet, I love that I can access all my bullets from my phone, no extra weight at all. I can even use the Search feature to look for something specific.

Anyway, I thought you might like to see some screenshots of how I set up my Digital Bullet Journal. I used Tables in OneNote where I created Templates for different spreads/collections which I can then copy and paste over into a new month. All I need to do is add the dates which are done in a jiffy.

 

As with the paper Bullet Journal, I also use a Key for my Digital Bullet. 

Below are the Annual Sections. I password-protect my journals hence the little lock. I love that I can access any of my bullet journals, anywhere, any time.

If I click on TEMPLATES, you will see all the Spreads I can utilise. These are the blanks that I created using the Tables function in Microsoft OneNote. Each month, I just copy and paste them where needed. The beauty of Tables is that I can add or remove columns/rows easily.  

 

(NOTE - You can click on any image to see a larger view of them all)

 

An expanded view of December with Monthly and Weekly sections

This is the Month Template view. I add the dates for the new month when I paste it over. Easy-peasy.

Below is the December month view where I can add more as needed. The Teal and Orange highlighted days let me know at a glance which week we put 1 or 2 wheelie bins down at the roadside for collection. Believe me, it's so easy to forget. Orange = 2 bins; Teal = 1 bin.

And the weekly Template view 

 

Dates added and the weekly spread is in it's place and ready for filling in each day.

You will notice I use Dark mode for my digital bullet journal as it's less strain on the eyes. I love Dark mode and use it everywhere I can, including my Social media apps. However, if I wanted to, I could easily switch to Light mode with the touch of a button in Options. Below is an example of a Weekly spread filled-in, after selecting Light mode.

I also use a Brain Dump spread for the year, rather than monthly. I like that I can see the whole year at a glance. This is where I quickly note anything of interest to me throughout the month that I don't want to forget. An example below. The highlighted text is for art-related notes. 

 

I also have a Future Log which most Bullet Journal users will be familiar with. Basically, it's where I place future appointments, events, To-do's, that are not yet active. 

 

Those are pretty much my main Bullet Journal sections and then I have the Collections which are different for everyone.

 

My Book Log for 2022 at the ready

Part of this year's Book Log

I donate throughout the year, mostly to animal sanctuaries, so I felt it warranted a Collection too. 

 

A partial screenshot from this year.

And set up and ready for next year

Trackers are a big thing with lots of Bullet Journal users. I did create one of those too using Tables in OneNote. I must admit that, with all my back and hand issues this past year, I gave up on filling it in. Maybe I will be better at it in 2022. I just copy and paste this Template into a given month to start tracking my habits by ticking the boxes.

And the same Habit Tracker in Light mode view

(remember to click on any image to see a larger view of them all)

 

And that ends this very long post. If you managed to read it all the way to the end...thank you. I understand Bullet Journals aren't for everyone but I sure do love mine and have been keeping the analogue version since 2015. 

This will be my last post for the year so I hope you all enjoy a great New Year's Eve whatever you do. Let's hope 2022 will be a better year for all.

 

As with our usual New Year's Eve tradition, I will be partying and staying up to welcome in 2022 with three of my sons. Not sure if I will be staying awake the whole night to greet the dawn like Bradley (son) and I normally do...but we shall see.

See you in 2022! 

Love, Light and Peace to All!

my bullet journal set-up and a hummingbird drawing

For many years, I tried to maintain shop-bought planners/diaries but I would always fizzle out by the time I got to March or April. Then back in 2015, my friend Rita, mentioned Bullet Journals and I was hooked. The Bullet Journal has been the only planner that I have stayed with religiously. Maybe because I can tailor it to my own needs, and chop and change things up, as desired. I like to use stick-in tabs to quickly access the section I want.

For the most part, I stick to a the basic layout similar to what Ryder Carroll recommended. Ryder is the creator of the original Bullet Journal method and you can see a short video on his original method HERE. Bullet journaling then became a phenomenon where it gathered a huge following on YouTube and Instagram. It was warped into something very decorative and, in my view, time-consuming...not what Ryder intended. Like him, I wanted simple all the way without all the glam. He uses an index, I don't, as I find tabs easier to work with.

So I thought you might like to see my basic formula and what works for me. I love setting up each month as it comes, deciding which format that month will take. I flit back and forth between vertical columns and horizontal layout for my daily task lists and entries.

At the start of a new year, I draw up pages containing vertical columns for each month. Here I keep important dates such as birthdays and appointments which can be transferred across to the monthly/daily pages. 

Then, I follow with my Tracker pages (below). Some people like to do their Trackers beside each month in their journals but I prefer to have them altogether where I can compare, side-by-side, at a glance. These are not necessary to the Bullet Journal method but are helpful if you are trying to get into regular habits.

Then, I follow with my Monthly To-Do notes OR commonly referred to as Future logs (below). Here I will add tasks for upcoming months that I haven't drawn up yet. They are then transferred to that month when it is drawn up. 

Then I have my annual Books Read/Completed pages (below). I love to read and I like to keep track of what I've read, month to month. On average, I read 5 books per month.

Then I follow with my annual Donations pages (below). I'm big on supporting Farm Animal Sanctuaries among other things. 

Note, that not all of the above sections are necessary to the Bullet Journal method. It's an entirely personal and different set-up for everyone. You tailor it to suit your own needs. 

After the annual pages are set up, I just work month-to-month. As one month nears to a close, I set up the new month. 

I start with the Month view which I have in three sections. I log things relating to the Personal/General, Creative, or Finance columns. This includes appointments and birthdays in the personal/general section.

 

Then, I follow with Gratitude and Quotes pages (below). I like to keep track of quotes that make an impression on me that particular month.

Then comes the Brain Dump and Check-in pages. Brain Dump is for notes on anything that may crop up that month, that I don't want to forget. Or just info that I may find useful at a later date..quick notes. 

Check-in relates to how I'm feeling at the beginning of the month, emotionally and physically. Plus mindfulness where I think about where I'm at spiritually and if I'm aligned with my beliefs etc.

From there, it's straight into each day as it comes. I sometimes do 2 days to a page using a vertical column for each day, e.g. below....or I split the page in half horizontally, so still 2 days to a page.  Occasionally, I will do one day to a page....see, no set format, just whatever suits my needs at the time. Daily tasks are always listed just under the day/date, then Notes from the day are below the tasks.

I love my Bullet Journal!

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Now to my drawing. This cute little Hummingbird was drawn back in January using Graphite. 

Sincere thanks and credit goes to James Marvin Phelps, on Flickr, for the use of his image as my reference. Link to his original photo HERE.

And that ends my post for today. 

 

I hope you are all keeping safe and well. 

 

Serena x

Starting a new bullet journal

I've always loved starting a brand new journal! Initially, I have a little fear that I might spoil it within the first few pages. I try to start out perfectly neat but I do get less paranoid about that after I make the first few mistakes. In a couple of days — end of July — I will have finished yet another bullet journal and will get to start a new one for August.

I'm so grateful to my friend Rita for telling me about Bullet Journals to begin with. I've been using them since 2015. They are the only journal/planner that I have been able to stick with religiously. With all other types, I'd be lucky to get as far as April before I'd fizzle out. Not sure why that is but I do love that I can use my bullet journal to suit my own preferences. It works perfectly for tasks/events and things that I want to keep track of. The formula is different for everyone.

My bullet journal layouts are very basic and simple. I LOVE vertical columns! I mark in the month vertically too.

I like to keep it at two days to a page — vertically, of course. I record my tasks/events at the top, meals at the bottom, and notes from the day in the middle of the column.

My new bullet is all prepped for August! I keep a small calendar of the previous month as well as the following three months where I can record future events for those months. Kinda like a mini-future log. I do keep a bigger future log at the back of my bullet.

The dailies are two to a page in vertical columns.

For my new Bullet, I was hoping to find page tabs that were all one colour unlike the multi-coloured tabs in the pic above. Unfortunately, I had no luck at Officeworks or elsewhere. So, I was considering cutting off the thin colour strip at the edge of the tabs until I had a brainwave.  I just painted over the coloured edges with a Posca acrylic paint marker. Worked a treat! Now, the tabs match my bullet journal — I love it!

For digital planning, I use the 2Do app for tasks, Google Keep for my lists, and Samsung/Google calendars for events and reminders too. I also use the Five Minute Journal app for daily gratitude.

Do you use a Bullet Journal?  Digital journals/planners? Or both, like me?

Bullet journaling and calendar sketches

Can you believe it's April already?! 

My birthday month (March) flew by 

before I could blink.  WHOOSH!!!! 

I have been a busy bee.

I set up my bullet journal for April. 

I'm not sure if I have mentioned my bullet journal before 

but I started my first one in January of 2015 

and I've been an addict ever since. 

It's the only journal/planner that I haven't given up on.

 If you haven't heard of the bullet journaling system before, 

do check out the video below by Ryder Carroll, it's creator. 

I love the bullet journal system because it's so flexible. 

You can make it completely your own 

and it's so easy to use. 

My favourite part is the daily task lists 

because they help me to stay focused in the present. 

Kara at Boho Berry has some great videos on her YouTube channel 

if you are interested, check out more of them HERE. 

I've also set up an April calendar page 

in my Moleskine sketchbook. 

I figure I can manage a tiny sketch/doodle each day.  

No daily theme/prompt, 

just whatever I feel like sketching that day.

Above - A pic of the calendar and BuJo together. 

April 1st is my brother's birthday 

hence the cupcake. 

I figure these teeny calendar sketches will be suitable for Sunday Sketches. 

You can check out the other participants HERE.

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I have also joined the #RockYourHandwriting challenge

on Facebook and Instagram. 

We are given daily prompts each month and 

we practise and develop our handwriting skills. 

Not sure if I'll stay with this one 

but I do love putting pen to paper.

You can check out more details on this challenge 

at the following links - 

Kara at Boho Berry

Kim at Tiny Ray of Sunshine

Dee at Decade Thirty 

Jessica at Pretty Prints and Paper

Happy Sunday to you all!