2026 journaling pt 3
quick notes up top: I’ve added a tags page. Unfortunately I don’t have a good system in place that will automatically populate these things (post page and tag page) but idk it’s a minor inconvenience for now since I don't do too many tags.
ANYWAYS onwards to the topic: JOURNAL UPDATE
Journal post pt 3! I think I’m going to do a monthly ish check in for updates just to recap what’s still working/what I’ve abandoned.
So far my systems are really working for me!
MD Diary 2026
I usually end up playing catch up with these pages. The main reason is the format I set up these pages (the photos!!). I print 4-up on a 4x6 so I can only print photos in sets of 4.
For things I write - it’s usually the positive things I want to remember. Since I play catch up with these pages I use my Weeks, Photos, and Socials to try to remember the important details from the day-to-day.
I’m also still logging my OOTDs at the bottom - very casual and for the most part I’m just tracking my daily staples. I do need to purge my closet though (but it’s very hard to get rid of tees that my friends designed!!).
Hobonichi Weeks
Left side is my food + coffee log. I always tell people that this one has a cute exterior but very unaesthetic ugly interior. Right side logs my outfit (just in case I forget) and and notable events that I need to write about later. I've added more stickers in the interior cover(?) pages - mainly stickers from my friends. I've been doing a good job of logging things daily and I carry this one around me as much as I can.
Plotter (Personal/Bible Size)
I love that the plotter is thinner than my TN!
A list of what I currently have in here:
- My (art) business cards
- 1 page that has some word definitions from the books I am reading
- It feels “silly” (though it shouldn’t!!!) to write out a definition of a word, but doesn’t this help you remember? A lot of these words are ones that I have just been using context clues to understand, but it's nice to actually look it up.
- Words so far: Petrichor, Fallible, Metonymic (not really a word), Redolent
- To Be Read/To Be Watched - Also, folkmoss has a great blog post about outgrowing your TBR.
- I took notes while reading Filterworld. Saving quotes and practicing my penmanship and such.
- Blank sketch pages - recently I also saw Katsura Hoshino (D.Gray-man artist) do some sketches on plotter A5? sized paper. So cool! I used this to do an interior sketch
- Austin Stationery Club Attendance Tracker (I punched holes in it)
- Pouch for miscellaneous loose items that should be cleared out often.
- For the record - the sbux giftcard is something that my aunt got me for Christmas (not something I bought myself) - I usually go to local coffee spots 😭
A5 Notebook
I don’t regularly use this but it lives on my desk and is for any kind of stream of conscious writing I want to do.
Other stationery tools of note:
Classiky Toga Desk Tool box - all my washi is contained to this box!! I also challenge myself to liberally use my stickers and avoid scarcity mindset. You can definitely use different storage for stationery, like something from daiso, or danish cookie tin, or thrifting, or estate stale? Options are endless. But that said, the Classiky box is so nice and I'm glad I gifted it to myself.
When I take this box out to my desk it feels like the start of my "ritual" of journaling. So fun!!
I recently bought a Toyo small toolbox and A5 document container from Daiso - the intent for those is to have a curated set of washi/stickers that I can bring to share with others? Is the toyo toolbox excessive (YES) but did my money also go to a local Austin small business I like and support (YES).
Yuruliku Flat Pen Case - I heard this pen case can fit a Hobonichi weeks perfectly. I like that a lot! I also need to pare down the pens I take with me daily. This recently arrived this morning (I ordered this weeks ago and immediately told myself to forget about it)! The packaging was beautiful.
Home Photo printing - Canon Selphy 1300. I looked into this more and this prints with a dye sublimation technology. The replacement kits are 1:1 (ink to photo paper) which makes me think the process is something like this:
Cartridge & Photo Paper are sold as sets. I think there is a film that rolls out as the CMYK print happens.
The film probably has the Yellow Layer, Magenta Layer, Cyan layer, and Black Layer + Final coating to protect the ink. IDK where the black gets printed, seems like its during the cyan layer because the last pass looks like it’s a final top coat layer?
So once the 4 colors are processed that ink is “used up”.
Simulated digitally below. I split CMYK channels in evil to test (thank you to my basic screen separation lessons).
And actual pics of printing here:
I also learned that some people peel the back layer off to make the print thinner (otherwise your journal becomes thicker way faster). Also I have a Polaroid Hi-Print which I haven't used since the Selphy. I think the hi-print is better as a portable option. It also has a sticker backing I thiiink.