Last month was my birthday and I got so many fun new accessories I thought I should share with you all an updated What’s In My Bag to show you how things have changed since my birthday!
The Bag
My everyday bag is still my favorite Rebecca Minkoff Cupid in Pale Grey. Although I switch between a few RM bags frequently, this one is my go to catch all bag that never fails to disappoint.
The New Additions
1. The most obvious new addition to my everyday bag is not exactly what it seems. I am of course referring to the laptop- that’s not a MacBook Air, but instead its my iPad 3rd generation in its new ClamCase Pro Keyboard case. I wrote about this nifty case on The Pink Mac, and made a video review if you care to check it out in greater detail!
2. My new wallet. I am now carrying around a Tory Burch Robinson Smartphone Wallet. This compact case has enough room for cash, change, my important ID’s and credit cards, as well as a special slot for my iPhone. I love this wallet because it doubles as a clutch when I need it to with its removable wristlet.
3. Kate Spade Pavilion Black and White Polka Dot iPhone 4 Case. I love updating my iPhone case and this is one I have been eyeing for a long time. I think the polka dots are fun for spring and the case is very protective, I know my iPhone is secure in it!
4. Grey and Black Skull Scarf. I am very into scarves, but this one is so chic and edgy I feel like a complete rock star whenever I wear it. The pattern is similar to the Alexander McQueen Skull Scarves but this one was so much more affordable off Amazon for under $20 and I get so many compliments whenever I wear it! Now to pin, 1001 ways to wear a scarf…
5. The final new addition to my bag are my wonderful new Sunnies from Warby Parker! Yes, they are prescription sunglasses, which is awesome because I have never owned a pair before and they make a world of difference while driving during the day. This style is the Jules in Stripped Evergreen and I think they are a neutral yet chic addition to my day to day wardrobe!
I hope you enjoyed taking a peek into my bag! What’s new in your bag this season? Share with us in the comments below!
As I am now using my ClamCase Pro keyboard and iPad full time as my portable writers desk, I have been working on finding a solution that will complete the loop of writing between my iPad and MacBook Pro. When I first received the ClamCase Pro, I was using a multipart system, using the PlainText app on my iPad to write, then using Notational Velocity on my Macbook to sync with my PlainText documents and finally, moving the files over to Scrivener on my Mac where I organize all my writing. It was a reliable system thanks to Dropbox, and it worked, but it was only a one way street. It was a great way for me to import documents I wrote on my iPad back to my Mac, but I could not call up existing files sitting in my Scrivener project back to my iPad to be completed. I suddenly realized that my ClamCase Pro was so powerful that I did not need the crutch of my Mac to assist my writing, instead what I needed was complete access to my Scrivener project files in an infinite loop between my Mac, Dropbox, and iPad, then back to the Mac.
So, I started looking into alternatives for how to Sync my Scrivener folder with my iPad, because ultimately that is what I want and need. I do love Scrivener because its organizational ability is outstanding and if it had an iPad app that mirrored my Mac and my iPad that would be ideal! Sadly, it does not currently as I am writing this, perhaps in the future it may, but I won't hold my breathe in the meantime. Scrivener does, however, sync to Dropbox, also to a few iOS apps, and has built in functionality to work with SimpleNote- but I don't use SimpleNote. I know many people like it, but once I found PlainText I was in love and really don't want to keep switching around between iOS apps.
Luckily, in my research I did find a way to make my Scrivener/PlainText relationship work. Scrivener has an option to “Sync to Folder.” This option allows the user to sync all or some of the files in your Scrivener project to a specific folder and if I were to sync to my PlainText folder within Dropbox, well then, that may actually solve all my problems! So, I gave it a try and I am glad to say it actually works! On the iPad's end, its not the prettiest sight, but the files did show up in the order they appear in my Scrivener file, so I am now able to reference back to previous articles or in progress works between my iPad and Mac. If I create new documents on my iPad, it syncs those back as well and although they fall into a catchall folder, all I need to do is drop them in the correct place to remain organized (upon syncing Scrivener the document then falls into the correct order on my iPad.)
Step-By-Step Guide to Syncing Scrivener with PlainText on the iPad
Step 1: Make sure all your connections are in place. In order for this to work, you need to be syncing PlainText to DropBox. This means your PlainText Files are actually stored in your DropBox file. Even if you do not sync your PlainText across numerous devices, this is necessary. Simply open the system preferences (the cog wheel) within PlainText and use the DropBox option to sync to your DropBox account. You can verify that this has happened by opening up your DropBox folder and seeing the PlainText folder inside. If you open this folder it will show plain text documents of any documents you have created within the app. I suggest creating a folder called “Scrivener” or some equivalent within the PlainText folder so that you have your Scrivener documents separated from your other PlainText documents.
Step 2: Select the Scrivener project you would like to sync. With this process you can only sync one .scriv file at a time to your PlainText, so open up the project of your choice. Give it a once over and make sure that all your text documents and folders are organized the way you want them. This will dictate the order in which the files will appear in your PlainText folder.
Step 3: Getting to the Sync with External Folder Option. From your File Menu hover over the Sync option and then choose with External Folder. See image for details.
Navigate to the Sync with External Folder option from the File menu.
Step 4: Set up your External Folder Options.Within the dialog box that appears, you must first choose the shared folder you would like to sync to. In this option you are going to navigate to your DropBox folder and open the PlainText file that you have stored there and finally select the “Scrivener” file you created in Step 1. By doing this you will have a separate space for your Scrivener documents, which will come in handy for organizing all your PlainText documents. Once your shared folder is selected, I recommend using the settings I have selected as illustrated in the below image. If you are using PlainText you need to make sure your files are formatted as Plain Text files instead of the default Rich Text.
Choose your options in the Sync with External Folder dialog box.
Step 5: Sync. Once everything is set properly, you can select the Sync option. Once the sync is complete you should be able to turn on your iPad, open PlainText and see a new folder called Scrivener organized amongst your documents. If you navigate into this folder you will then seen a subfolder called Drafts and another called Notes. Open the Drafts folder to see your Scrivener writing project laid out in the order in which they appear in your Scrivener file. Folders will be empty documents (this is for organization) but text documents will show content so long as their had been content in the files on your computer.
Upon Syncing you will find the Scrivener file among your other files and folders in PlainText.
Navigate through the files Scrivener > Drafts until you come to your Scrivener files organized in their original order.
Now you are free to continue writing and editing your Scrivener project on your iPad. PlainText automatically syncs back to your DropBox folder when changed are made to your documents so the next time you open your Scrivener project on your computer it will ask you to sync and it will import all the changes made through your iPad. Because your iPad does have complete control over your Scrivener file, I suggest that you keep your project backed up in case you delete something important from your iPad. The Automatic back up options are found in the File Tab under Back Up for your reference.
If you enjoyed this post, I suggest also reading my previous article on How I use Scrivener to Organize my writing for a short overview on organizing files within Scrivener. Enjoy!
You Missed a Spot is a new Spring Cleaning feature for the month of April focusing on the not so obvious places you will want to tidy up for the season! Each Thursday visit us for a new installment that goes beyond the how to’s of vacuuming, window washing and laundry!
{Organize your Lingerie Drawer}
Your lingerie or underwear drawer is probably the last place you would think to organize, so I figured we should start there! Its not uncommon for people to hoard bras and panties thinking, ‘you can never have too many’ but the truth is, you should be filtering through your underclothing at least twice a year.
Bra’s: You should get fitted annually to make sure you are the correct size or anytime your weight changes significantly. Since we wear bra’s daily for hours at a time, they wear out quicker than you would expect, and you need to know what to look for in order to determine if you should keep or toss one!
Signs you need to toss your bra
Warped or protruding under wire
Limp appearance to cups
Stretched out straps and elastic
Rough or matted appearance to fabric
Panties: Like bra’s your panties are worn everyday (hopefully!) and worn for nearly 24 hours in most cases! You should make sure to regularly check your underwear to make sure it is in good condition and immediately toss any undesirable pairs and replace them with a few new ones.
Signs you need to toss your panties
Excessive stains (blood, sweat, etc)
Stretched out
Holes or runs
Lining in crotch is ripping
Stockings: Stockings may not be worn as often as your bra’s or panties, but they are significantly more delicate in most cases. Its not rare for someone to put a run or a hole in a pair of sheer stockings the moment they put them on, which is pretty upsetting because no one wants to toss something that’s new, but keeping stockings with imperfections, especially those in visible areas, is just not good sense.
Signs you need to toss your stockings
Ill fitting, either too loose or tight
Holes, runs, tears, etc
Fabric is matting up
Discoloration from stains or sweat
I guess you’ll want to get to work now! Good luck and happy cleaning!
In my opinion, Scrivener is the best software available on Mac or PC for writers, both professional and otherwise, or those who need to organize writing projects of any size for school. I began using Scrivener in 2009 as part of my first adventure with NaNoWriMo {National Novel Writing Month}. Since then, I have used Scrivener to write most of three books, organize and plan out numerous others, and most recently, to organize all my writing for my two blogs and digital magazine. I wish that Scrivener had been around when I was in high school and college, because I know it would have done wonders with organizing my research papers, response essays and such. You see, that is really where Scrivener shines. It is an excellent tool to organize writing, research, information, ideas and so much more associated with writing.
To illustrate the usefulness of the software and how it helps the user organize their writing so that they are almost focused against it, I have decided to give you a peak inside my current Scrivener project where I organize all my writing for the web. Within this project, I manage the content for thepinkmac.blogspot.com, strangeandcharmed.blogspot.com and Strange & Charmed Magazine. As you can see in this first image, each of these websites is a folder and inside those are subfolders that organize my content by month or issue number. In those subfolders you will find the actual text documents broken down by subject or article, a nice high level view where you can see how everything is organized and make sure all items are in their correct place.
Next, you can see how I have files for images and also research. A majority of my blog posts will always have at least one image. Sometimes I use found images online, but many times I need to create the images myself. Once I have my images selected or created, I will drop them into this file and mark them by article so that I know which images will go with a particular post. The same thing goes with my magazine articles, these also need images and I treat them in the same way. Once images are created or selected for publication they are saved directly inside my Scrivener project for organization. Research as well is saved in my project. Scrivener allows you to simply drag and drop different file types like text and pdf files and organize them in your project as well so that all your information is available at your fingertips.
Scrivener has a few alternate views with some extra tools to help you stay organized. In the cork board view you get another high level look at your project broken down by text documents shown as index cards. Here you can add text to explain what each document is about or will be about. This is a great way to use Scrivener to plan out your ideas and what you want to write about. Once you have your ideas all laid out in this cork board view, you have a constant reference guide for your writing that makes it easy for you to jump around between documents without getting lost.
The last alternate view I would like to show you is the split screen mode where you can open two files or documents at once. Here you can see I have a text document open on top and an image file open on the bottom. This is a great way to use your reference tools to aid you in your writing because you have your active text area and another piece of information you can refer back to without switching between documents and loosing your place.
Scrivener is filled with a variety of tools, most of which I did not even touch on. The great thing about Scrivener is that you can use as much or as little of its features as you want. If you want to keep it simple like me, understanding the basic controls and options will definitely give you a great start in organizing your writing and making you feel so much more on task, and for me, personally, that makes me more productive. The Literature and Latte website is a great resource explaining in more depth the advanced tools of the software. There you can find tutorials that walk you step by step through the software so that you can take advantage of all that Scrivener has to offer.
If you enjoyed this post, stay tuned for my update on Syncing Scrivener to PlainText on the iPad for continuous access to your Scrivener files on the go!
April Fools Day is synonymous with pranks, but as much as we all enjoy getting a rise out of a friend or loved one, I prefer the harmless type of joking to the annoying. Really, who has the time to cover a co-workers office furniture in jello? And who has time to clean up the mess? So, today I am sharing with you a few simple but delicious April Fools Day meal pranks that will turn heads and leave your pranking victim feeling more amused than agitated!
I hope you all enjoyed my written review of the ClamCase Pro! In case you are interested, here is the video unboxing and mini review I did for my YouTube Channel {youtube.com/MissTrenchcoat}. I really do love this case, I definitely prefer it to most other iPad keyboards for a few reasons.
It connects completely to the keyboard to make a faux laptop: I do not like some other keyboard cases where the iPad sits freely in a cut out space on the top of the keyboard because that means you have to be sitting at a desk or table to use it and I do much of my writing in bed or laying on the couch.
The keys replicate the MacBook style keyboard: The keys on any keyboard can really make it or break it and the fact that this case replicated the MacBook Air to the best of its ability means that typing on it feels familiar to me. Yes, the keyboard is slightly smaller, however, this is probably one of the best external keyboards I have ever seen for any device.
Hot Keys: The Hot Keys on the top bar are absolutely on point and extremely helpful. I know some other keyboard cases that are missing hot keys or don’t make the best use of them and all I can say is these are exactly what I need and as an added bonus, no regular keys on the keyboard have been removed to make room (I have seen some others that remove extra “return/enter” keys or some of the lesser used punctuation marks to make room for additional keys- not cool!)
The multi view stand options: This case is not just a faux laptop, but also an excellent case for viewing media, and even reading. You can prop it up in a number of ways that really make it a completely functioning case.
So, do you have the ClamCase Pro? What are your thoughts? Feel free to leave any questions or comments below!
The ClamCase Pro is an iPad keyboard case that essentially turns your device into a MacBook Air. Your iPad sits safety in a hard shell attached by a 360 degree hinge to the keyboard and pairs to it via bluetooth. The MacBook style “chiclet” keyboard makes typing feel very familiar and fluid once your hands adjust to the slightly smaller layout. The keyboard itself is a gem, and although it is not full size, I have no problems adapting to the slightly smaller keys and have had very few typing errors thanks to the spacing of the keys from each other. The selection of Hot Keys on the top bar of the keyboard are also very useful. From within any app I can enter my home screen, search, cut, copy, paste, view my pictures, show or hide the onscreen keyboard, control video playback and audio controls, and finally, turn on and off the iPad.
The look and feel of the ClamCase Pro is excellent as well. The outer shell is a nice white polycarbonate and the interior hand rest and keyboard area is surrounded by the same aluminum you would find on your iPad or Mac. The experience of typing is actually so immersive that I often find myself attempting to navigate the screen via a non existent track pad before realizing that I am using my iPad and therefore must utilize the touchscreen. But it honestly hasn’t felt abnormal to me at all. Going from typing to selecting Hot Keys to on screen navigation feels pretty normal after about the first fifteen to twenty minutes of use and I can now actually write entire articles and edit them with ease from my iPad itself.
The only thing that feels a little off about the case itself is that its top heavy. The iPad is thicker and heavier than the keyboard which isn’t an issue if you are sitting at a desk or on a hard surface to type, but if you have the case on your lap sitting on a couch or in bed, at some screen angles if you lift your hands from the keyboard, the whole device falls backwards, so that is something to keep in mind.
Overall, the device is pretty spectacular, and for someone who was on the fence about purchasing a MacBook Air, I now see that I have no reason to buy one when my iPad + the ClamCase Pro = On the go writing solution similar to a MacBook Air. The ClamCase Pro retails for $169, however I was able to save $20 with a coupon code and you can too. Use the code Spring20 to save $20 off your purchase! Enjoy!
Conjuring your desires is a new weekly feature for the month of March that focuses on using your natural power and energy to bring yourself everything you are looking for in your life. Each Thursday visit back for a new installment covering the topics of talismans, love, money, and luck!
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Luck, is it fate or do you make your own? Well, I think its a little of both! So, I have put together a few tips on how to attract luck and opportunity your way.
Luck apparently can smell, because it happens to be attracted by strong, distinct scents.
Mint, ginger, pine and thyme all attract luck your way, so I suggest drinking strongly scented herbal teas and wearing a deep, musky perfume that mimics the odor of the forrest.
Birch, pine, elm, and other tree scents seem to have a way of bringing luck your way.
Luckily for you, April is an excellent month to attract luck and opportunity. Particularly during the Waxing Moon, which occurs during the 7-10th days after the New Moon.
I suggest making a nice little potpourri pocket filled with mint leaves, ginger root, paprika, thyme, and oregano and taking it to be blessed under the light of the Waxing Moon sometime in April.
Obviously, April is not the only time you can do this, but due to certain astrological forces, it does happen to be the best month of the year for this, however, you only have a three day window to take advantage of it!
Just make a little field trip to a quiet place outdoors with your scented pocket during sunset and simply wish on the Waxing Moon, asking for it to bring you whatever particular luck you are seeking.
Be sincere and honest with what you ask and take time to reflect. When you are done, keep your scented pocket in your room in a safe place where you can visit it daily.
With any luck (pun intended) you will attract some good fortune in no time! Make sure to be specific as possible with your intentions and make sure you keep a clear mind or else you may miss the chance to reap the rewards of what you have sewn, remember, opportunities come in many forms, some are not as attractive as others.
“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.”
Hey Everyone! Here is a video featuring my new Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote that is my official work bag! I hope you enjoy seeing the contents and what I carry around with me for work all day!
I just got a new Wacom Bamboo Tablet for photo editing and all that fun stuff! Here is my unboxing video in case you want to see what it was like! Enjoy!
