I look forward to September every single year—it’s basically the official kickoff to holiday magic! 🍁🎃🦃🎄⛄️
From now until Christmas, all those little seasonal moments make life extra cozy and fun. Honestly, I think these weeks might just be the best days of the year! Full of pumpkin spice, twinkly lights, and all the good vibes in between. Even if I’m not into Pumpkin flavor anything at all!
My excitement for this time of year is just as strong as ever! This summer started off so easy and breezy—mild temps, sunshine! It was amzing and, for once, no California fires wreaking havoc like in past years.
But, of course, August had to make up for it. We got hit with rolling heat waves and a few fires pretty close to home. Definitely not the greatest end to summer—but hey, it makes the start of September feel even sweeter. 🍂
Since my creative mojo apparently packed its bags and went on a solo summer vacation, I decided the only way to get it back was to bribe it… with crafty shopping. Spoiler: it’s working.
This year, I’ve been exploring new ways to be creative—stretching beyond my Project Life albums. Don’t get me wrong, my PL albums are still going strong, and I love them even more than ever. But I also want to play around with other creative outlet. Partly because I have way too many supplies I’ve been collecting over the years, and they deserve some love too. 😉
It’s fun to shake things up, experiment just a little. Remind myself that creativity doesn’t have to live in one box (even if that box is filled with pocket pages and journaling cards).
I’ve spent so much time creating in ways and spaces that didn’t always feel truly “me.” It feels so good to explore creativity through projects that do feel authentic. Projects that, for me, always center around memory-keeping.
Welcome to my Creative Journaling Space!
As I mentioned in my video, I feel like I’ve officially “broken up” with the Erin Condren brand. 💔
I’ve switched all my planners over to Hobonichi, and while I wouldn’t say I’ll never buy another EC product, at the moment. They’re just not working for me.
This isn’t about the brand itself! They of course have their own quirks, and I’m sure everyone is aware of them. This is really just about what works (or doesn’t) for me right now. Honestly, it’s a whole separate issue for me. If you want, I can dive deeper with a dedicated video all about it.
There are two different products pictured above. The larger items are both Hobonochi Cousins, these are both 2025 editions. Since I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this brand I didn’t want to drop $70 or more dollars only to find out later it didn’t work. Instead I purchased them on Amazon close to the launch of the 2026 line up which meant that I got both of these Hobo Cousins for $20.
I will redate the ones I have, and be able to try them to find out if I really like them. Honestly I am already loving them.
The second product is a smaller Hobonochi in a A6 size which currently I can not find on Amazon. You may want to wait a few months before purchasing these as the yearly launch just happened today, which means everything is very expensive.
I’ve also started using a Midori MD Notebook in the A5 size for both my goal tracking and my faith journaling. With their slimmer, lighter design, both the Hobonichi and Midori notebooks are just easier to carry and work with. Honestly, that was a huge part of why I decided to make the switch in the first place—because life is too short for heavy, bulky notebooks!
That is a current look at my planners, and journals along with my current set up. I hope you have enjoyed seeing these items and if you want a dedicated video of these products, and my process please leave a comment below!
