laptop Archives - Journeys Are My Diary

Short but Sweet update!

February 16, 2017 by Bel Leave a Comment

Over the last few months my laptop has been slowly but surely dying! As such, blogging has become harder and more time consuming and often I’ve turned on my computer to write a post but given up due to how long it’s taking to do everything. So last week, I reformatted my laptop. It took several attempts as Windows 10 simply refused to let me restart, giving me an error every time I tried, so in the end I went old school and did it via bios and a disk. Unfortunately this has meant reverting to Windows 7 as that’s what my laptop originally came with but I have to admit that its much faster and my laptop doesn’t seem to be overheating and switching itself off now either.

Anyway, this evening I have spent my time re-installing everything back onto the laptop, like Microsoft Office, Paint Shop Pro etc. as well as importing my bookmarks, sorting out all my saved files into a neat place and really just making my laptop feel useable again. I definitely hope this means I will be back to blogging more often as I have movie updates about “Sing” and “The Lego Batman Movie” to make, as well as what we did for Valentine’s Day as a family AND some chocolate recipes that Lily and I will be working on tomorrow. So really I just wanted to add a quick update to apologise for the silence here on my blog and to assure you that it was just temporary and I hope to be back more often now!

Wednesday Wishlist – Small appliances

September 14, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

Its been a while since I did an appliances wish-list which includes steam iron or dry iron and so I figured with the change in weather (believe it or not, many of my items are weather connected) I would share a few of the items I’m really wishing I had right now. None of them are really things that I want enough to go out and grab right now, but many are items that if someone just happened to gift me with, I’d be exceptionally grateful! Groupon Goods are a really great thing to check out if you’re looking for ideas too. I’m a huge fan of groupon in general (we’ve had many a holiday and spa trip thanks to them) but their goods are fab too. The fresh pasta maker in my selection is actually from Groupon!

Small Appliances Wish List

If you hadn’t guessed, my kitchen appliances are red! I have white cabinets and black work surfaces, so all my appliances are red (or at least I’m attempting to have it that way). Because of that, the slow cooker, soup maker, bread maker and pasta maker would all be in red ideally. To be honest, past the colour, I don’t have an awful lot of preference when it comes to a make or brand – just a good price. Believe it or not, I’ve had a slow cooker a couple of times and always ditch it, but this year I think it would be handy for making dinners, especially since I always feel too busy to cook. The soup maker is a similar concept, only I love the idea that it broils the onions (or whatever), then cooks with liquid over time and then you can even blend from chunky to smooth – all with one appliance. The bread maker is something I have already, but sadly mine is broken. I can’t say I’ve missed it massively but it would be nice to replace it. That leaves just the pasta maker and I feel sure this would be yet another fad of mine (especially since I mentioned how I always feel busy so I doubt I would be making pasta) but I would love to give it a go – even just once.

Then I’m sure there is no surprise that two other items are sewing related. Ever since starting Closet Geek, I’ve lusted over new sewing machines and especially embroidery machines. After watching the Great British Sewing Bee I started to fancy an overlocker. I’m pretty sure I would have no idea how to use it (but that’s what YouTube is for right?) but I’d like to give it a go. I would also love to be able to add embroidery to my sewing designs and so a machine that not only sews but also embroiders would be an absolute dream to own.

Finally that leaves the laptop which you may be wondering if I intend to keep in the kitchen – since it’s red. The answer is no but red is my favourite colour and it’s been a while since my laptop was the colour so it would be fun to go back to that. To be truthful I have no real preference over a new laptop I just know that my current one is dying a death. I’ve had it over 4 years (which is a long time for me) and it has keys come loose and a broken screen on one edge. There’s definitely no rush until it actually dies, but it would be a lovely luxury to upgrade and get a new one.

So these are my small appliances desires. I probably have more to be honest. Next time I might do a large appliances one – especially since our Washing Machine died this week!

Lets Go Paperless

August 23, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

With how much more focused we are on the environment these days, being green and going paperless is not a new concept. My HSBC bank account is green by name, something I opted into almost ten years ago, meaning it would be paperless completely. I don’t get bank statements or letters (unless important), everything is done with secure online messages. In fact, the other day I was contacted to say that the account would no longer be called green, since all their accounts these days are green.

While I love getting post, I hate getting bills and I have to admit that these are largely limited these days. Most online accounts and bills I have, message me via email and then I pay online – meaning no need for statements and bills in the post. In fact, even some of the people I buy things from on Ebay, opt to send receipts and invoices via email, rather than print and enclose with the actual item.

Sadly I don’t believe I could go completely paperless in my office, but I do know that I limit it a lot more than I used to. My printer is even set to a 50 page limit each month (I use HP instant ink). Also with things like laptops, tablets and smart phones, being paperless is so much easier these days. In collaboration with IDBS and their electronic laboratory notebook, I wanted to share my top 5 tips for going paperless in the workplace.

Track the amount of pages you print. For me, having my HP instant ink set to 50 pages, is a great way to know how much I’m printing each month. I get a warning when I get close to my usage and any unused pages get carried over to the following month. I always try to stay under 50 pages as this also keeps my monthly cost down.
Request paperless statements from banks, online store, catalogue accounts etc. Every month you are sent something on paper that you can easily see by logging in online and viewing your account. Save both paper and space in your recycle bin, by ticking the button for paperless in as many places as you can find.
Connected to the one above, pay bills online wherever possible – reducing the need for cheque books, paying-in slips and envelopes, etc. Pay friends and family via direct bank payments and use cards in stores. You can even say you don’t need a receipt (if you don’t!) and save a little more there.
Recycle any non-confidential paperwork and envelopes. Need to write a note for the kids, or perhaps a shopping list? Use the back of a used envelope or bill. Kids looking for paper to draw on? Nearly all letters and bills are only printed on one side so be sure to use the other.
Many of us find ourselves having ideas or thoughts outside of the house, outside of work etc. This means that often we carry notepads and pens to jot them down. Consider opening up a note on your phone or tablet and jotting it there. It’s quick and easy to do, often saves searching in the bottom of your bag for a pen and if you sync it up well, often transfers to your computer or email program automatically.

The truth is, I love reading proper paper books, way more than I enjoy reading ebooks on my kindle. I like to write down my orders and cross them out, to keep track on them. I scan and print the cover of each pattern I use, filing it in a poly pocket and then a binder. Although I try my best to be paperless, I don’t think I can go all the way. However with the use of my iPad, iPhone and Laptop, I definitely give it a good go.

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My Top Electrical Appliances

April 7, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

In this day and age, we take a lot of tech for granted. My phone is pretty much an extension of my hand and watching TV, playing on a console or even making a cup of tea, are all often taken for granted. As a celebration of all things electrical, I wanted to share my top 5 appliances that I use pretty much every day.

My Phone

As I mentioned, this is really an extension of me most days. While I hardly ever make or receive calls on it, I use it to text, check social media, play games and keep up to date with my Etsy Store (amoungst other things). I use it as my every day camera to take pictures of my work, the girls or even video the odd thing here and there. While I can’t always keep up to date with the latest iPhone make, I do try to. I’m currently on an iPhone 6 Plus.

My iPad and Laptop

Its a bit of a cheat lumping these together, though I actually put them all together with my phone anyway. I use my laptop to blog, to browse the internet, to fiddle around with photos and to update my listings on Etsy. Although all of those things are also possible on my iPad, I don’t tend to do them there. However I do use my iPad to browse Ebay, Etsy and Amazon as I like the apps. I also play games and stream TV pretty much constantly while I’m working.

The Kettle

There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t use the kettle (unless I’m not at home obviously). I don’t function well without my cup of tea first thing in the morning and to be honest if I’m around the house in the day, I drink tea every few hours. I recently got a new red kettle and it glows blue when its on. I think its the most favourite kettle I’ve ever owned.

My Sewing Machine

Considering I sew pretty much every day, it’s probably not too much of a surprise that I use my sewing machine a lot. Though there are days when it isn’t used, I often feel like I spend more time in the dining room than I do in any other room of my house (even my bedroom!). I bought a new sewing machine in the last year and it’s been an absolute dream to use. I often choose to sew, even when I don’t have any orders, just because I actually find it incredibly relaxing.

The Printer

Though many might have assumed the TV would be on my list, my printer definitely comes in ahead of the TV (partially because I watch a lot of programs on my iPad as I mentioned before). However I use my circuit maker for so many things in every day life, from printing out tickets, murder mystery parties, homework, sewing ideas, holiday planning and so much more. I bought my printer about 2 years ago from PC World and to be quite honest I was just looking for the cheapest portable printer scanner I could find. I settled on a HP Envy 4500 Series, partly because of its price but also because of HP Instant Ink. It doesn’t give you much of a warning when it runs out of ink or malfunctions, which is an issue if you were working on a big project. I visit alphaprint.ie and hire their assistance when the need arises, and would recommend you have a similar backup for yourself as well.

HP Instant Ink has been an absolute lifesaver for me. I always used to run out of ink cartridges at the worst possible times and I’ve had endless trips out at ridiculous times of day, just to buy the essential cartridges. That said I was also the person buying cheap replacement ink, as full price branded cartridges can work out so expensive. However not any more! Since getting my new printer, I signed up to HP Instant Ink. There are various plans and I tend to switch between £1.99 per month for 50 pages and £3.49 for 100 pages, depending on how much printing I have to do. When my cartridges get low, HP ship out cartridges for me in plenty of time and I can hand on heart say I have never run out of ink. Each month you can change your plan, or you can even just pay per 10 pages if you go over. Unused pages roll over to the next month and it really is a great system. If you’d like to know more, you can watch the video below or click here for more information.