Susy By My Side

Lately I've been experiencing a lack of motivation to work on the things I need to do when I actually need to be doing them. Blame it on the change in weather, the overwhelming holiday season, the amount of time I spend perfecting and procrastinating with Betty... I'm fairly certain it's in large part due to the fact that I haven't been keeping up with my lists.

I've been a pretty obsessive list maker my whole life. I love crossing things off and the feeling of accomplishment I get when I do so. I'm not exactly sure how I ever let that habit go for the past month or so, but this week I've gotten back on track and feel a little more at ease.

I always carry a planner with me so that I have a timeline, and I've been using the standard spiral bound calendar provided by the university for a while now. It does it's job, and my intern designed the cover!

As far as lists go, there's just not enough room in the planner for the amount of organizing I like to do. Enter SusyJack.

At first, I was just searching for a sketchbook when I was offered my current position. This proved to be a challenge, as I wanted something with A. a pretty cover. B. blank pages, no lines. C. no binding on the left, as I'm left handed and it gets in my way. and D. something that would like flat so I wouldn't loose my place if I moved away from my sketch.

I scoured Etsy, Ebay, Barnes and Noble, Hobby Lobby... you name it. I really don't remember how I happend upon SusyJack, but let me tell you, she's a lifesaver. I found exactly what I was looking for:


Pretty cover, with choices! Spiral bound, so it lays flat. Spiral at the top so there's a place for me to rest my hand as I draw. Not only has this become my go-to sketch book, I also include my lists inside so I can keep everything in once place. I have one for work (in dunes) and one for Betty/personal stuff (in forsythia) I feel another collection coming on...

Oh, and I can't forget to mention that Susy herself contacted me by email, and couldn't be more pleasant. Her shop is full of paper products, not just sketchbooks, and they are all printed in the U.S. with vegetable ink and 100% recycled paper. Did I mention the perfection SusyJack brings to my life? Long live lists!