August 2026 Printable!

Guess what? My favorite pair of seasons are just around the corner (planner and autumn), and I am delighted. I will say that every single year I feel like summer never officially started before it’s over, and this summer is no different. Glad for fall and also how is summer almost over?? Perhaps next year we need to come up with a “Summer is Officially Open” ritual. And, I never go to the river as often as I would like. I can change that. I hope I do, and can’t tell you why I don’t.

During this season of the country I was born in, I remain heartbroken, rageful, betrayed, sorrowful, and also hopeful and amazed at the tenacity of the human spirit. I won’t dwell on everything that is hard, the amount of suffering that spills out every day and the absolute corruption cresting to new heights. You already know. I also can’t pretend like it’s not happening. It’s just not who I am. This hobby of ours, papercraft and journaling (it’s lifestyle, frankly) has always been a part of my support system: craft as resilience. It’s always been part escape and part “you can face it all.”

Yesterday I was doing dishes at the kitchen window, watching a gang of swallows flit around the bird feeder (one of my spouse’s hobbies - Ames - they are simply the best, and I wish you knew them). The afternoon light was filtering through the overhang of our neighbor’s bamboo from the other side of the fence and the new Phoebe Bridgers album was on. Because journaling is a lifestyle, when I felt a little surge of emotion about the beauty of this ordinary instant1, I immediately imagined how I might capture it on my pages. It was such a nice moment. Then I started thinking about what it means to live a relatively easy life. We have clean running water, a home we love, air conditioning for when wildfire smoke means we have to keep the windows closed, trees right outside, good food to eat, and generally a sense of personal safety as we drive to work or the grocery. I could go on. Next my thoughts shifted to how hard life is for far too many in this country, especially right now. How so many people don’t have even one thing on this list of what should be basic. To be gifted relative ease while so many are purposefully denied is complicated to feel “grateful” for. I am grateful for clean running water, and I shouldn’t have access to it over anyone else.

I do not share any of this to bring you down. I am always aware that I may lose people with my persistent refusal and inability to ignore the harshness of the world outside of pens and stamps and pastels and a great grid notebook. But to ignore it for palatability would be disingenuous, not me.

I laugh easily and often, and am not a mopey downer. I promise. And I still have so much hope that we can be better. I know we can. To face the depths and still know that is ultimately so incredibly life affirming. We are not actually cooked, and apathy only turns up the heat.

So let’s cut and paste like our life depends on it, and work to make life better for more people.

I am so glad you’re here, and I love us. Enjoy this month’s printable (preview below, PDF behind the paywall - paid subscribers gain access) xoxo

• every single day I check the hobonichi 2027 preview for updates, and there are already soooo many options that I am in love with. This planner season will be magnificent and also ROUGH.

• I probably shouldn’t point you to other places to spend stationery money when I myself sell stationery. And, I just am who I am. Revelling in all of this is part of the fun. But, I do newly offer free shipping on all US orders over $75 (can’t say the same for our beloved Hobonichi now can we?)

• I haven’t decided yet how in to Phoebe Bridgers new album I actually am. I need to listen a lot more, but it’s not an instant “love.” But that doesn’t mean I won’t come to love it. We’ll see.

• We are seeing The Breeders next week, which was a VERY important band to me and my bestie in high school. We are going together (also with Ames), and I just know we are going to have the best time. We used to drive around the forested hills and fog of our Humboldt County, CA (the emerald triangle for those who know) blasting Last Splash and smoking camel lights in between studying and landline prank phone calls.

• Apparently there’s some sort of silly, made up drama on planner tok about creators being gifted Aura Estelle (a planner company) items, and I find it hilarious and very absurd. If you don’t know what I am talking about, trust that you don’t need to know. I am not even on the clock app, but it trickled to insta. Do you follow me on insta? Let’s be friends.