In this issue you’ll find a rating of my 2026 Journaling Ecosystem. Plus, I attempt to figure out what I want for 2027. Read in your Substack app for best ~experience~.

“I just don’t think I’ll ever be a person who has multiple journals.”

-Me, 18 months ago, naive and wrong.

In case you missed it, I came into the year with a plan for 7-ish different books. I wrote about them back in December and you can read that here:

I would consider myself a person that finds something and sticks with it. I don’t like doing research. It’s half the reason I only just started experimenting with different brands of journals. I don’t know all the girls (brands) and I hate having to learn them and the specs of what they offer. What do I think about the Hobonichi reveals so far? Nothing. I’m not watching. It’s perhaps a self preservation technique. How will I cope when the item I REALLY want sells out in an instance? Not well, bitch!1 But I just can’t get caught up in it.

And don’t get me started on the Aura Estelle discourse. It’s boring (what is the problem, exactly?) and weird (are people just mad AE has a influencer gifting budget? Are they mad at who is being chosen?), but again, I’m not doing any research so I could be off base. Feel free to educate me in the comments but please don’t send me a Tik Tok because I am off the app because I had a Problem.

Okay, the point at the beginning of that paragraph that I abandoned to complain (I’m sorry) was this: I find what works and I stick with it until it doesn’t work. So, let’s rate how each of the books from my 2026 Journaling Ecosystem is working. If you want a closer look into one of these books, please let me know!

Leave a comment

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In this issue you’ll find a listicle (is that still a word) of all the things I loved and got up to in July! Birthday! Pool Reading! DQ Blizzards! Let’s get into it! Editor’s note: read this in the substack app for its full glory. Some links are affiliate links. Thank you!

July, or Joo-LIE with my accent, is my second January. I love the rebirth of a birthday, and with mine falling halfway-ish into the year, I get the chance to become someone new, 6 months at a time. I’m not sure I’m very different than I was in January, or even last July, but I like myself and my life a lot, and that’s enough for me.

Here’s a list of 36 things that made me happy in the month of July.

1. Glitter in my coffee

This is a silly tradition I started a few years ago thanks to friend sending me Fancy Sprinkles Glitter in the mail when I was going through a big dessert biscuit phase. My favorite glitter blend is Moonstone because it mixes perfectly into my coffee, making a starry spiral of joy, whereas some of the colored glitters aren’t as legible in the coffee and can come across as, “Is there something floating in my coffee??”

2. Playing Mahjong with friends

My friend McKenzie is a Mahj Hound and bugs the group chat every few days to play Mahjong, so we’ve set up a reoccurring Thursday game. Admittedly, my brain is a little too tired by Thursday evening to be any good, but it’s nice to reguarly see friends, old and new. My Mahjong set is from Sam’s Club and it’s SO cool. It’s circus themed and I’m in love with it- and the price.

3. I stayed inside all fourth of July and ate Zaxbys

and I regret nothing. It was exactly the day I wanted to have even if I’m too old to be consuming that many fried chicken fingers and fries. I worked in my Hobonichi too, catching up on THIRTY ONE pages of missed dailies. A few aren’t my best, but done is better than “This is worthy of posting on Instagram!” lol.

4. The World Cup

and all the reading I got done during it. We posted up primarily at our local spot and I was content to sit at the bar for a few hours with my Kindle. It was nice to be apart of something so big, but my disposition is too delicate for the losing team’s devastated faces.

5. Wasp’s Nest by Kat Stoddard

I requested Wasp’s Nest on Netgalley after reading only half of the description and it did not disappoint. This is my favorite kind of book- character driven but still with a plot, written almost as a play. There were so many sentences that surprised me, not in a shocking way. In, like, a way where the sentence starts somewhere and ends in a place I didn’t expect. Or like, in a way where she detailed an action that could have been left off the page entirely but it added to the understanding of the character completely. Below is an example. She didn’t need to mention the smoker’s tradition of flipping the last cigarette over for luck, but the detail instantly told me who Mitch was.

Additionally, for my film lovers, this book is inspired by The Philadelphia Story and it was really nice to watch the movie when I finished the book. The Mid-Atlantic accents! The impossibly tiny waists! The hair! Wow.

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In this issue you’ll get the first look at my brand new pocket sized Paper Republic! FYI Some links may be affiliate. Thank you! ETA: In the 10ish days it’s taken me to get this written, I have placed another order with Paper Republic. IT’S BIRTHDAY MONTH, BABY!

I know what you’re thinking. We’ve lost another soldier to the Luxury Leather Journal Cover War. And it is a war, isn’t it? There are so many conversations around people (women) buying high ticket stationery items, with overconsumption being the hottest topic. I do agree it’s a little much to have 10+ leather journal covers, especially when I know how much each costs. But at the same time, if that’s how your productivity and joy shines, then buy on, girlfriend. None of my business.1

If you are unfamiliar, Paper Republic is an Austrian stationery brand that makes gorgeous refillable leather journals, notebooks, planners, and accessories. Do one quick search on Instagram and just TRY not to place an order. I check the website every day looking for my preferred color (red) in the Le Portfolio to replace my much loved and well worn Hobonichi cover on cover I use to house my work notebook/daily carry. ETA: lol

This year I’ve noticed a lot about what is working for me and what is not, and I’m already thinking about my 2027 journal ecosystem. This is something I’ve never done before. I’m more of a mix between buying what works (Happy Planner, Hobonichi Cousin, and now, Hobonichi Weeks) and letting myself get influenced closer to the end of the year to try something new (this is how I’ve ended up with Sterling Inks and Wonderland 222s as my work notebooks). I’ll get into this more in an upcoming newsletter, where I share an update on my current ecosystem.

A couple of months ago I noticed a hole in my organization. I use my Classic Happy Planner to schedule my work and life tasks, adding in weekly to dos and snippets from the week. My Work Notebook (an A5 Wonderland222) is as important as my right arm. It’s where I keep track of literally everything in my work life- project development, tasks, meeting notes, color schemes, monthly recaps and plans- it is how my business stays organized. Both books are large-ish, requiring a backpack to lug them around with my computer. Speaking of my computer, I do use Google and iCal to schedule myself. This is so helpful because my email addresses are attached and any meeting or appointment confirmed in my email shows up on these calendars.

So while those things work well for me, when they are not with me I lose all control. I’ve been double booking myself constantly this year because my paper and digital calendars aren’t synched. I have genius thoughts that get lost because there is nowhere to write them down (I’m not a Notes app girl? It’s just not satisfying to use). I’m always looking for places to stash bits of ephemera while I’m out. The need for a pocket journal has been obvious to me for quite some time but I was holding off on the chance I’d be back in Paris this year and could grab an Ernest from Louise Carmen.2

I have been deeply, deeply influenced by Mady (@mostly_mady), Melissa (@realdesertgypsy), and Sam (@peaceluvoatmilk) and finally pulled the trigger on my very own Grand Voyager Pocket in June. Let’s get into it!

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In this issue, you’ll hear how this first year has gone and get access to 5 previously paywalled newsletters! tldr; I’m keeping the Substack going and lowering the price from $8/month to $5/month! Scroll to the bottom to find the free newsletters!

A little over a year ago, I found myself bored with Instagram and missing a tighter knit community where I could be a little messier and go a little deeper. I’d tried Patreon a few years prior and failed pretty miserably at it, but I thought, I don’t know, maybe if I came back with what I know now, it would be easier1.

Many of my friends were on Substack and I loved reading their newsletters and getting a closer look into their lives. It is so intimate to read your friends thoughts, and I’ve come to really enjoy the time spent with this type of content.

I decided to move forward with Substack but I was scared. I booked a coaching call with my friend Marisa and I remember feeling so frustrated because I wanted her to tell me exactly how to do it, what to write about, when to send- all of it. I also really wanted it to be plug and play. I wanted an outline that was repeatable so this wouldn’t be as hard for me to slot into my schedule. But that’s just not how it works, obviously.

I've learned a lot over the past year about what I want this space to be and I want to share that with you as well as some updates.

I thought it all had to be academic(ish) articles

My introduction to Substack was through people writing long essays of social commentary or deep dives on topics that intimidated me. I’d always had an email marketing platform (that I largely ignore, lol, sorry!) and I knew the role of that platform (selling) but I couldn’t figure out how a normal person used this platform. Could the content be personal updates? Pictures from life and my journal? Could the content be kinda stupid? The answer is: duh, absolutely yes.

It took a bit to find my stride, but the newsletters I enjoy writing the most are monthly recaps where I get to sit with all the good (and bad) of my month, acknowledge moments of success (and failure), and probably complain a little bit.2

That being said,

I think mine are a little too long

What can I say, I’ve got a lot on my mind. Sometimes I’ll finish a monthly recap and the app tells me it’ll take 18 minutes to read. Yikes. I’m trying to make the newsletters a little more digestible and maybe send a part 1 and part 2. Is that annoying? Let me know. I was talking to recently about how no one really comments on our Substack so it can feel like we’re writing into the void, so maybe shortening them will help. Or maybe telling you that I want you to comment on my Substacks will help. Ha!

I really like writing

This Substack was built off the backs of my Live Journal and Xanga, so sitting down at my desk with my mechanical keyboard to tap out my little thoughts feels very nostalgic. I do a lot of processing through writing (which I think is why they’re so long) and it helps me not feel like time is passing by too quickly. I love having this record of my life and snapshot of where I am right now.

It’s hard to maintain during busy season

Something I hope to figure out this year is how to keep the Substack consistent during the busy season. I don’t want to fall off because there is a lot happening that I want to tell you about but I’m so tired that it can be hard to sit down to write with a good attitude. So maybe we’ll explore video diaries or audio only entires.

I tried it for a year

which was the promise I made to myself. Just one year of 2 newsletters a month (ish- see above paragraph 😅) and see how it feels. A year in and I’m feeling good about it and excited to write these. But there is an update!

The price is changing

I started the Substack behind a paywall ($8 a month) and many of you signed up without hesitation. I am so grateful for that blind trust. It helped me feel comfortable enough to share things that I wouldn’t just blurt out in my stories and it gave me some space to figure out the format of these newsletters. I’d like to focus on growing my subscribers, so the price is going down to $5 a month. I know how subscriptions can get away from you (I think I give Patreon and Substack something like $50 a month), so I wanted to make it a little less expensive in hopes you can support another person on the app.

Here are some of my favorites:

I have a lot of plans for Substack in the next year

that I’m really excited about, but don’t hesitate to request a topic. A subscriber recently asked me to explain how I decide what to do a journal page about, so that’s on the docket for the next few weeks. I want this space to work for me and you, so feel free to tell me what you’re looking for.

To celebrate one year on Substack, I’m un-paywalling 5 of the most popular newsletters. Enjoy!

Thank you for all my paid subscribers who have made this space possible! If you enjoyed this, please consider subscribing to access more content. Here’s to another year!

Ammie

Instagram | Youtube | Paper People Podcast

In this issue you’ll find what I got up to in June. WARNING WE ARE INSIDE BIRTHDAY MONTH SO ACT ACCORDINGLY!!! Also read this in the Substack app or on your browser because you already know it’s too damn big for your email.

Hello! I’m writing to you from the couch with Wimbledon on and my Doordash app open, monitoring the progress of my Chick-fil-a order. I am, let’s face it, violently hungover. Last night was our friend and favorite bartender’s last shift at our local bar before he moves away and we… drank our feelings. I am 35 (almost 36!) and cannot (and should not) drink like I used to, but last night I really threw caution to the wind (and later threw up in the bathroom) and mixed gin, beer, whiskey, and the devil’s liquor- Malort.

Let’s get into the month, shall we? The ibuprofen should kick in any moment. One of my favorite types of video content are monthly favorites, and while putting together my own list, I realized what a full month I had. There were emotional breakdowns and stress induced freak outs for sure, but in-between the rage naps and lashing out at Elaine, there was a lot of joy.

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In this issue you’ll get a close look at the expenses it takes to run my small creative business! Transparency alert!

Hello! Inspired by my friends and sharing weekly spending recaps and monthly food budgets, respectfully, I thought it would be interesting to share what it takes to run my small art business. I haven’t pulled the numbers yet for May, so I’ll be learning along side of you. Yikes!

During my 2025 Y’all Retreat, I did a huge deep dive on my finances, actually learning what it costs the business to run. I spent a few days auditing and cancelling subscriptions and services, and I made targets for the upcoming year. I should really do this again because things have changed so much since that time- my rent has increased, along with supply costs constantly changing to reflect tariffs, health insurance jumped way up, and just, you know, the general cost of existing in America.

I’m going to break this spending recap up into sections- Recurring Costs, Event Costs, Living Spending, and Special Spending.

Disclaimer: I am not looking for feedback on budgeting, cutting costs (unless it’s genuinely helpful), comments on what I spend on my manicure, or in general, pocket watching. But please feel free to leave versions of: “Wow! That is a lot!” “No wonder you work so hard!” “You’re so pretty!” I’m doing this simply as an exercise for those curious about what it costs to run a business and those nosy about mine in particular. I love reading these recaps and hope you do too!

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In this issue you’ll find my feelings about Memorial Day, stuff I’ve bought and loved (and a couple I’m questioning), a bff trip, and which journal I’d rather be playing in the most. Break this suck up into two reads because it’s hefty! Read in the app or on your browser because Substack is telling me this issue is too large for your email to support and it may explode trying.

I used to teach summer art camp at the pottery studio I worked at for a decade, did you know that? My job title was Creative Director but that didn’t begin to cover all the responsibilities of being high up in a small business, but that’s a different story for another time. Every Summer and federal holiday for 8 years, I was teaching art camp. Out of the three locations my bosses owned, I somehow ended up teaching at the one in Sandy Springs, 30 miles (and 45-90 minutes in beautiful Atlanta traffic) away from my house. If I even left 5 minutes after the time I was supposed to, it would add 30 minutes to my commute1. I loved the kids (mostly- remind me to tell you about Courtney and Kate one day) but the commute was killer and I was too exhausted to go out with friends after work (not that that stopped me very much. Have you ever taught fused glass to 7 year olds while violently hungover? I have, and never once learned my lesson, by the way.)

I’m telling you all of this because I used to dread Memorial Day. It signaled the kick off of Summer Camp and the end of my lax-work-from-home(ish)-freedom until September. As the years piled up, I would cry and cry before Memorial Day weekend, knowing the Summer was about to eat me alive.

I’m very grateful for that job at the pottery studio. It taught me so much, it launched a career I never thought I could have, it taught me how to work and manage myself and others (somewhat toxically, if I’m being honest). But, boy, is it sweet to look forward to a summer, to dream up a bucket list that may actually get completed, to wake up at an ungodly hour on Memorial Day- not to start a miserable commute to the suburbs to teach 6-13 year olds how to build a clay axolotl, but to board a plane and visit my best friends.

If you’re spending your summer doing something you resent, I hope you can carve out some pockets of joy along the way. Like when the kids would help me find my iced coffee everyday, when I’d inevitably set it down on some shelf and instantly forget about it. Or when Sophia (8) made me matching friendship bracelets in our combined favorite colors. Or that summer Jordan (11) baked me a whole ass birthday cake for my 23rd birthday. Or when Erin’s (13) mom wrote me a card about how spending the summer with me helped Erin come out of her shell and create things she was so proud of. Or when we’d have time after cleaning up to do Blind Contour Drawings and we’d take turns standing in a chair and modeling a silly pose for 30 seconds. I’ll always be proud to be Ms. Ammie and I hope they think of me as fondly as I do them! (Except Courtney and Kate, of course) 💝

Arizona

Elaine and I just got back from seeing our long distance best friends , MJ and Liz, in Pheonix. We bopped around Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler, and some other places I’ve already forgotten. Admittedly, I was stressed leading up to the trip. I’m in the middle of a few big projects and feel like there are a lot of plates spinning in the air, but we missed our annual March trip together because of the government shut down and I knew the trip would be good for all of us.

We stayed with MJ, in her spare room that she decorated with fresh flowers and photos of us over the years. She cooked us homemade beef and noodles while Liz taught us Mahjong (I won three times). We played pool and drank beer at Jester’s (I won zero times). We had incredible tacos at Taco Chelo and a stunning Banana Date Matcha at Laymoon Cafe. We laughed so much and cried a little (blame the martinis at Buck and Rider) and it is all worth the cost, in dollars and in time. It is so easy to get stuck in my day to day, to worry about not responding to the email fast enough, the deadline that is rapidly approaching, or the bank account that feels like it could (and should) be bigger, but the feeling of lightness, love, support, and rest I have right now is priceless. So, call the friend, book the trip, come back better.

Reading

May has been a slow reading month for me because of travel, mid books, and close reading a classic with Elaine and our friend, Sam. I’m trying not to sweat it, but I know I could be reading more instead of watching Reels so I’m trying to change that in June.

The Names, Florence Knapp- This is a book written for book clubs. It’s emotional, it’s touching, it’s uncomfortable, it’s teaching you a lesson while sort of tricking you into thinking it’s groundbreaking content. Do you get what I mean? It’s easy to devour, there is sensitive material happening on the page (tw: domestic violence), the structure of the book is surprising- it’s all the makings of a viral book. Yet, something rubbed me the wrong way. I enjoyed the alternate timelines, when I wasn’t confused about the plot of the timeline I was currently in. I, of course, love a girl figuring out her sexuality. I loved the relationship between the siblings in every timeline, even the sad ones. I didn’t catch this while listening to the audiobook, but the physical copy includes a name guide that explains the symbolism behind each name used in the book. I can’t tell if that’s annoying me because it’s heavy-handed or if I’m frustrated I didn’t catch all of that myself.

Katie, our host, made amazing cauliflower tacos (it was Cinco de Mayo) and printed place cards with the meaning and origin of our names. What a touch!

In What World, Bridget Morrissey- Do I want to tell you that this enemies-to-lovers lesbian time travel to save their beloved high school drama teacher was incredible, just in time for Pride Month? Of COURSE I do. Can I do that? I think you know the answer. Admittedly, I am never, ever pleased with sapphic romances (the sex is bad, the lesbian stereotypes are out of control, there is always a I’m-Teaching-You-Something-About-Queerness that I understand is important/impactful for baby queers, or people who have never seen themselves on a page, but it is always done so blatantly that it feels like a caricature of queerness or transness or gender queerness, or even neurodivergence. These days2 , every queer main character also has ADHD. My god. I could go on, maybe I will later, idk. I’m not saying that we don’t need representation in books, obviously. You know that. I just want that representation to feel real and not like the author is checking a diversity box and getting all their info from Wikipedia, you know?

You’ll Love It Here, Natalie Sue- I was a I Hope This Finds You Well stan and was excited to get the ARC of her sophomore novel. IHTFYW was uncomfortable and dark, often causing me so much anxiety I had to skim ahead paragraphs to learn the resolution so I could make it through the conflict. I loved it. For a book to make you feel sick to your stomach? I mean, that rules! You’ll Love It Here is hard to put a finger on. There was uncomfortable conflict and darkness (alcoholic dead dad) but the overall arc of the book was so wholesome I felt confused. Mona lives in a dumpy independently owned apartment building and temporarily becomes the super when her elderly landlord is ill. She secretly works with the landlord’s corporate evil niece to get the building ready to sell, securing her a better apartment and Mean Niece as a client at her marketing firm. Surprise, she comes to know the tenants and the cast of weirdos become her friends and she falls for the hot diner owner next door. See what I mean?? Wholesome! I can’t tell how to rate this book because I know I’m letting the love of I Hope This Finds You Well cloud my rating. So, I leave you with this- I was disappointed but couldn’t put it down.

Watching

A couple weeks ago, I went to the movies 3 times in 4 days, which is my ideal amount of times. I am an AMC A-List evangelist (even though 2 of those 3 movies were at local, non AMC theaters. Fine by me, because you can still get physical tickets at these local theaters- journal life!- and the popcorn is better.) and I will go to the movies whenever you want. I’ll bring my homemade seasoning but leave my popcorn bowl at home as I’m told that it’s a little embarrassing. It’s just that the seasoning mixes better in a bowl!

What I Saw:

The Devil Wears Prada 2- A fun sequel to an iconic movie. It was never going to be perfect because it has too much to live up to. That being said, I really enjoyed it and thought they did some interesting things. I was surprised by a couple plot points and felt giddy watching Meryl do Taking Off Glasses acting and Hands Touching Hair acting. She really is amazing and so beautiful. I thought they put Anne in too much cerulean (we get it!) and could have used more Caleb Hearon always. Final rating: had fun, will never watch it again.

Erupjca- Sweaty and weird and sapphic- just my vibe. We saw this in a tiny room at The Plaza Theater with one other person in the crowd and it was the loudest movie I’ve ever sat through. I’m sure that was an oversight by the projection guy who I think was also working the concession stand and ticketing booth, but it kinda added to the anxiety of the film, so I liked it. Elaine didn’t care for the dialogue but it felt very Right For The Characters to me, but what do I know. Film critique was never my strong suit. Jeremy O. Harris is so smart and cool- I just want to be near him. And Charli, come on! Final rating: really liked it, would like to see it again a little quieter and maybe watch some interviews with Pete Ohs, the director.

Project Hail Mary- I skimmed through the end/DNF’d this book for Book Club a few years ago because I don’t like how that man talks to me. Something about the way Andy Weir explains science feels very condescending. I could be projecting because I famously signed up for an Astronomy class in college thinking it was Astrology, who’s to say! BUT, I loved the movie. Can’t wait to see it again as I was pretty distracted by how smoking hot Ryan Gosling is. Like, wow! He really has it all, huh? Final rating: loved, movie is better than the book, I do not ever want to go to space

Home Box Office:

• Based on a rec from my close personal friends, Kate Berlant and Jacqueline Novak of the Poog Podcast, I rented Age of Disclosure on Amazon and watched while journaling last weekend. Where do I stand on aliens? Well, I do truly believe I’ve seen a ship (Are you laughing at me? You legally have to tell me) once while on a drive back to Atlanta, but I don’t have it all figured out. I can’t imagine we’re ~alone~ but I can’t tell you what they’re up to. Also, I’m not fully sold on them potentially living at the bottom of the ocean, but I’m scared of ocean too, so I’m gonna leave that up to someone else to figure out. Also, I love a conspiracy theory. And can I just say, Aliens, if you’re reading this? You look amazing. Let’s just stay long distance friends for a while until I’m ready to take this to the next level of our friendship. Thanks!

• Scrubs reruns on Comedy Central were huge for me in high school.3 Over the years I’ve done a few re-watches and for some reason, I got the urge and started the series up again last year. I’m having the best time as I make my way to the reboot that came out earlier this year. As A Garden State Girl, I’ll always have a soft spot for Zach Braff4 no matter how annoying he is, plus he looks SO hot in Season 8 that it should be studied.

• Jeopardy of some form is always playing at our house. The recent Celebrity season was full of surprises!

• The most “Really? Y’all watch that?” of our shows is definitely Sheriff Country. I don’t know what to tell you, but we’re addicted. High drama, a decent amount of yearn, an odd pony tail5. Highly suggest. Which then, of course, leads to the Holy Trinity: Elsbeth, High Potential, and Will Trent.

Shopping

It’s funny how the less money I have, the higher the impulse to shop. Seems to be y’all are feeling it too based on a story I posted last week. I got a good list from that ask box, by the way, if you’re interested. Feel free to add in the comments.

Here’s a list of things I’ve bought lately that I don’t regret (but a few I’m questioning):

These KEEN Women's Hyperport H2 Sandals (or Fuck Ass Shoes-shout out Claire and Sam) that makes people go, “Oh!” when they see them, but then “Ooooh” when they realize they’re actually fashion and cool (don’t burst my bubble yet ok lol)

This Rhode Blush (in Sun Soak) and Ilia Lip Crayon (in Deco but my fave is Kiln) after 2 martinis and a dozen oysters with my friends. Peak girlhood. I also got this Salt and Stone (in Black Rose and Oud) deodorant and Huda Blush (in Ube Cream) and I’m not sure how I feel about them yet. The deo smells amazing but I’ve been using Secret Clinical Gel for a long time and the adjustment has been…noticeable. I love lilac blush for looking like I just ran through a meadow with my lover, but the Huda cream blush formula is feeling like face paint. And the smell! Do you have either? Talk to me.

This Y Not Bag from Why Not San Francisco thanks to an Instagram Ad served to me not long after I posted the above story. The bag is beautiful and washable but I wish the handles were a smidge bigger. Thicc Wrist Girls where you at?

Sleep can be hard for me, so when Joy mentioned her favorite Sleep Gummies at Book Club, I asked to sample one and snapped a pic in case I need to buy. Giiiiiiiirl! I was out like a light and no hangover the next day (sometimes melatonin and/or CBD does that to me). You can take half if you’re sensitive. I’m sure the THC ones rule but Georgia will not allow me to partake in those.

A subscription to Minute Cryptic so I can play the archives. Last year I fell down a rabbit hole of watching people on YouTube solve Cryptic Crosswords and promptly ordered a book for beginners. I got the book, grabbed a pen, cracked that sucker open, and almost instantly started crying. You guys, they’re so hard. I have since practiced more and still can get stumped to the point of throwing my phone across the room, but when you solve one, it’s Heaven. By the way, y’all playing the NYT Midi Crossword? They’re doing some amazing stuff in that space.

Are these glasses cute on me? I have lost the plot and truly can’t tell. Anyway, they’re from Zenni Optical and while they were cheaper than my faves Warby Parker, they’re not that much cheaper.

Pockets of Joy From May

• Bringing cupcakes and a tiny cowboy hat to the gym to celebrate my favorite coach’s (and friend!!) birthday.

• A server at hometown Cracker Barrel telling me she thought I was so pretty and cool and Jase leaning over and saying, “She’s just being nice.”

• Laughing with my mama, Jase, and Kohen while we played the Don’t Spit Out the Water game.

• Seeing so many people utilize To Do List Bingo

• Happy Planner sending me some goodies!

• Getting new gym shoes

• A hike (it was pitched to me as a walk) with my gym friends

• A facial and a lash lift with Kelly at Creature (if you’re local!)

• Mentioning DQ on my Instagram stories and sending everyone I know into a Blizzard Fury (a disease in which you must stop what you’re doing a get a blizzard)

• 53 lbs on Floor Press and 70 lbs Farmer’s Carry both getting me a “Wow, that’s heavy!” from fellow gym goers. Honorable mention to Bestie Brad for hitting me with a “Your range of motion is insane!” during a hip opener exercise.

• Journaling at the cafe before meeting up with friend and fellow Tombow Creator Crew, Lexi, for a chat because I’ve been feeling so lonely in creative entrepreneurship lately.

• Launching Word of the Year Mugs (FINALLY)

• Being served a reel that says “teenage me would have reblogged adult me on tumblr” and realizing it’s true

• Staying too late at the bar before an early flight to spend more time with our favorite bartender before he moves (cue Trisha Yearwood “How Do I Live") (yes I prefer Trisha’s to LeAnn’s)

Journaling

Out of my (mostly still accurate) Journaling Ecosystem, three journals are duking it out for the coveted spot of Journal I Want to Be In Most Right Now. They are:

Health and Fitness Journal | Hobonichi Weeks

ICYMI, I changed the way I was using my Weeks, where I track my workouts/feelings/body stuff, which was pretty boring, just pen to paper vibes. Now it’s an explosion of color and I’m only a little embarrassed to grab it to reference during workouts lest my fellow gym members think I’m Doing Too Much (I am, but still). I don’t know what magic Hobonichi puts in the Weeks, but it’s addictive. It is SO fun to work in there. I sit down a few times a week and update it, always sticking to a color palette I choose at the beginning of the week. Tombow makes a lot of great 6 and 10 color sets that I’m often pulling from. Tropical is always my favorite but Tea Time (below) is great too. If I’m feeling monochrome, I just grab all the markers I have in that color and go to town.

Reading Journal | Leuchtruum Notebook (120 gsm)

Last year I completed a campaign for Tombow to promote National Hobby Month. I combined my two favorites- reading and creative journaling- into a Reading Journal, a place I could log my books and have a little fun doing it. Once the content was edited and submitted, I largely forgot about it. A few times over the rest of the year I would update it, but it was such a pain to print the books and by the time I got to the monthly entries, I’d forgotten what some of the books were about. While I was cleaning up my desk recently, I started flipping through it and felt so inspired! I took an afternoon and finished up 2025 and spent a chunk of the next day starting 2026. It is SO cute. I still haven’t totally landed on what spreads I want (I have ABC challenge, a graveyard for DNFs, a gallery wall of frames for 5 stars, and a cozy book cafe illustration that will act as a tracker). I still haven’t decided how I want to include the covers. In the past, I have been strongly against using Canon Ivy paper for this project but to be honest, it’s so convenient. I just hate how thick the photos are. I am considering using my gifted Liene photo printer (shockingly good! My only gripe is the cartridge AND photo papers need to be replaced but that’s the price you pay for the crisp, color correct photos) but can’t pull the trigger on just deciding. Thoughts? Should I just keep printing them on my home printer? I did just spend $80 on ink.

Manifestation and Reading | Jenni Bick Leather Trifold

A couple months ago, Jenni Bick’s team reached out about launching their affiliate program. JB is a beloved stationery store in Washington DC and they seemed so kind and genuine that I thought, why not? I get very Stuck in leather journals- feeling like once an idea has been designated to my inserts, that's What The Journal Is For. This is just how my brain works, and also a great excuse to continue to buy new beautiful leather journals (Paper Republic, let’s chat!!! I am trying to buy one from you so bad). My Louise Carmen is spoken for, so when I got my Jenni Bick, I wasn’t totally sure what I wanted the inserts (Moleskines, by the way! Fountain pen friendly!) to be. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been feeling lonely in my work lately. My job is solitary and despite what my near constant Instagram stories may suggest, you are not my coworkers and we’re not talking by the water cooler. I talk about this feeling to my friend a fair amount and think about it even more. So, while waiting to meet up with Lexi, I cracked open my new journal and started writing. I wrote how I felt, what I want, what I can do about it, and why I might be feeling this way in the first place. I feel relatively plugged into the universe and felt like I was putting a few too many anxieties out there, so I closed the entry with a manifestation/wish/prayer in the form of a “I have” gratitude statement. Sometimes I do this as “I love my” and fill in the blank with things I want. I love my early morning ritual of reading a book with coffee. I love my clean, organized, cozy home. I make money joyfully and easily. My relationship is loving and supportive6. That kinda stuff.

I’ve continued the practice of writing a shortish passage (best not to dwell) about my anxieties or stressors and finishing it with a manifestation. It feels really, really nice.

The other insert is for writing notes about what I’m reading. I’m a huge annotator and Kindle reader, which does not go hand in hand. I’m making my way through Rachel Kong’s short story collection My Dear You and I’m breaking after each story to summarize it and write what I think it was really about, what stuck with me, what didn’t work. It’s really, really, fun.

And now, the discount code! You can use AMMIEYALL to snag anything (I think!) from Jenni Bick. Definitely more affordable than some other brands, all hand made by Jenni herself. You can feel the care in the journal and the quality is lovely. I have the Pueblo Luxury Tri-Fold Refillable Leather Journal in Yellow, and Honestly? I regret not getting the Montana in Navy. It’s less expensive ($80 vs $120) and the leather looks smoother out of the gate, where mine is more textured, almost suede feeling. Just wanted to share in case you’re considering!

It was a busy month and I don’t even think I scratched the surface but I have really maxed out this issue. Please, tell me how you are feeling and if you made any wishes by the Blood Moon. There’s still time!

Love you! Happy Summer! Eat some melon this week!

Ammie

Instagram | Youtube | Paper People Podcast

P.s. Here are some past issues that may enhance the pleasure of this one! I’m sorry I said pleasure!

In this issue you’ll get a video tutorial of how I break down items into…

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In this issue you’ll hear about how April went!

Hello! Happy first of the month. I wish the first was less Don’t Forget to Pay Rent and more Goal Making- alas, I can only do one. April was packed. I got a haircut, hosted book club, changed my mind about a journal, went on a family vacation, and got haunted by a child ghost who is good at possessing electronics. Let’s get into it!

🖇️Paper People Podcast

Paper People Season 2 premiered this month and I’m so glad it’s back! The podcast takes a ton of work, from scheduling, editing, and promoting it. There is so much producing that I sometimes forget I actually have to sit down with the guest and talk. I’m often super tired and a little grumpy before recordings but the second the guest comes on screen, my mood totally shifts. It’s a privilege to sit with these amazing artists and creators and talk about stationery, ideas, and practices. What a joy.

Season 2 kicked off with my old friend Abby. We get into how fandom led her back to journaling, the LiveJournal years, One Direction fan fiction, Hobonichi life, commonplace books, traveler’s notebooks, and why journaling finally clicked when she stopped trying to do it “right.” We also talk about growing up online, letting yourself be silly, making art as an adult, and what changes when you stop trying to be cool on the internet.

The second episode dropped today and it’s with a newer friend of mine, Gracie Tecala. Gracie is on the Tombow Creator Crew with me this year and I love sneaking peeks at her content in the portal where we submit our work. She’s super talented and you’ll leave the episode ready to sit down in your journals and spend a little too much time.

🖌️Work

I’ve finally cracked the code on Word of the Year Mugs. I know you’re holding your calendar and side eyeing me from, well, May, but I can explain.

Word of the Year Mugs (WOYM) were born from an intense Rainbow Mug burnout. I knew I needed to switch gears, away from how long Rainbows take, but wanted to stay in the custom space. I pulled this project from an old design I’d done in 2015 when I first heard about Ali Edwards’s tradition of the One Little Word.

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In this issue, you’ll find some dreaming and scheming and joy planning out-loud, something I’m trying to do more of.

Every first of the month, the Substack algorithm pushes Julianna Salguero’s Monthly Ten list to me on my Notes feed. I always check the date and think, “I want to do that” and promptly forget as I scroll away. When it’s served to me again later, I see even more days have passed and I resign to try again the next month and, you guessed it, forget instantly as I scroll. Repeat the pattern indefinitely.

So, today, on April 16th (Editor’s Note: lol, okay, April 20th), when her article was served to me, I said, that’s it, I’m writing one today.

keepsake

you need to be making monthly 10 lists

It is not groundbreaking to make little lists of things. People have been doing it for centuries. There are so many iconic variations on the form: pro and con lists, grocery lists, the classic ‘to do’. What makes a 10 list so special though, is that it isn’t something you…

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5 months ago · 714 likes · 27 comments · Julianna Salguero

If you’re unfamiliar, it’s pretty simple. Julianna creates a list at the beginning of the month of things she wants to accomplish, if she feels like it, with zero consequences if she doesn’t. She keeps it in the Notes app on her phone, and the whole thing is so straightforward, fun, and attainable that there’s really no reason not to do this for myself every month, or hey, even every week.

I could, and probably will, write something larger about this soon, but I’m feeling stuck with goal setting lately. Everything I want feels too big to ask for, much less to write down on a page with gulp…action items. I get overwhelmed and close the notebook, notes app, or Substack article I’m writing. (You should see my Drafts.)

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It’s hard to believe March has come to a close. Historically this is a pretty busy month for me with a pottery conference, sprinting to get my accountant everything she needs for taxes (kill me), and working on new designs for my bisque line.

This year I was delighted to incorporate Chicago Stationery Fest into the schedule and I had the absolute best time. I give you the full run down of the trip in a recent issue, so if you want to hear more about it, check that out below.

Work

I just got back from Ceramajam, an annual ceramic conference put on by my besties Bisque Imports. This is my 10th year teaching at the conference, and for the last 5 or so, I’ve been teaching classes on my own bisque designs. I think this aspect of my job is a little confusing, so I’ll do my best to explain it here.

Bisque Imports manufactures and sells ready-to-glaze pottery (bisque) to paint-your-own-pottery studios across the world. I’ve been designing shapes with them since 2019. It’s such a cool process- pitching the designs, going back and forth with the factories, making edits, and finally being able to hold a piece in my hands that started in my brain (often over a year after the pitch. Manufacturing takes a long time!)

So, when I teach at these ceramic conferences, I’m often teaching a design to paint-your-own-pottery studio owners so they can bring it back to their studio and offer it to their customers as a workshop, finished piece for purchase, or as a sample to inspire. (This is also what my subscription service essentially is, and I’ve been offering that since 2020!)

This Ceramajam, I taught a Rhinestone Cowgirl design on my new Cowboy Hat Container. It was Chappell Roan meets Las Vegas Cool Girl Elopement. I loved it.

The event was Renaissance Fair/Game of Thrones themed and at the Monday night party, they brought in tons of amazing vendors to entertain and delight us. A Falconer, Henna artist, hair tinsler, reptile zoo (I HELD SNAKES!), axe throwing, and of course, a DJ. It was SO fun. I am currently obsessed with birds of prey and recently kept Elaine up way after bedtime explaining why owl’s ears are uneven, and why that falcon had a little hat on. I am still rocking the hair tinsel, which admittedly, is a little too whimsical for my day-to-day life, but it’s a reminder of a really great night with friends I don’t get to see often enough.

I just launched a new round of designs that may be available at your local Paint Your Own Pottery studio! You can always tell if it’s mine because there is an AY on the bottom. If you don’t see it on their shelves, you can always request it through the staff. It’s totally normal, but if you feel weird about it, I’m happy to do it for you. The industry is small and there is a large chance I know who owns your local shop. Isn’t that fun!

Below is a recent unboxing of some new items. Shockingly everything survived that box falling off my table, lol.

While I was in North Carolina for Ceramajam, I stopped into Good Postage and taught a class on Creative Journaling and Memory Keeping. I was prepared for 2 people to show up and was delighted to have around 35 (some snuck out before the group photo) and it was a freaking blast. Look for more info about that in an upcoming issue.

Reading

March has been a strange reading month. I’m having to consult my Happy Planner for everything I read because I am having a hard time remembering. checks Reading Log Oh right. I’m rating it a C+.

I go into the top row more in depth in the recent Chicago issue (linked above) if you want to know more about those.

Listen For the Lie- I got this on audio for my road trip to North Carolina and only listened to about 30 minutes of it. And why is that? That’s right, loyal reader, it was because I cannot tear myself away from Charli xcx at the moment. I also sang along very loudly to MUNA and Damien Rice (I was down a nostalgia rabbit hole). I finished the audiobook this weekend while on a walk and then journaling. I enjoyed the experience and didn’t completely see the ending coming, so I rated it 4 stars, but I can’t think about it too hard or else I’ll find plot holes and confusing bits and drop the rating. Do you have a thriller you love? I love listening to thrillers on audio but haven’t been drawn to many lately.

Just Friends- I finished this yesterday and immediately needed to make a reel to process some of my feelings. I will upload the full version here soon- Instagram only gives you 3 minutes and my original rant was over 7 minutes, lol. TLDR; it was as expected, which is to say Not That Good, but everyone should calm down about it.

I host Book Club for April this week (we are all out of whack on our usual schedule this year) and I’m so exciteddddddd.

Journaling

In attempt to morph into the coolest person I know, Sam Voshall, I picked up a Hobonichi Original A6 at Chicago Stationery Fest. It’s an April start, so that means I get to officially crack into it tomorrow. Could I have used it before April 1? Of course!! But I’m too intimidated. I know how to use my Cousin, my Happy Planner, and my Weeks (though I am changing things up a bit in there- more on that later) and I have an idea how I WANT to use the A6, but that doesn’t always translate into actually how I might use it. Does that sentence even make sense? I know I just need to start, so if you use an A6, or if you know people who use theirs in an interesting way, please link them in the comments.

May we all embrace our Inner Sam.

Watching

I’ve been moving around too much to watch much of anything lately, but this weekend Elaine and I binged both seasons of Last One Laughing on Amazon Prime and laaaaaaaughed. Ten of the best UK comics are put into a house and for 6 hours, no one can laugh. You get one yellow card if you’re caught laughing or smiling once, and a red card if caught twice. Then you’re removed from the room and get to watch everyone else from the control room with the host, Jimmy Carr. Last one standing wins and it is so stupid and silly and joyful. When we realized the final ep of season 2 isn’t out yet, we went over to LOL Ireland and are having just as much fun. We recognize a lot of the comics from our Taskmaster addiction, as well as random UK quiz shows we find on Youtube. I could watch Bob Mortimer chase around Daisy May Cooper while singing his original songs all day.

When I logged into Youtube to get that clip for you, I saw Chris Fleming is back on Working On It and I can’t wait to watch. Chris is my special little boy and I love to see him getting the praise he deserves. Watch his specials!

That’s all for now. I have several Youtube videos to edit, including a February Flip Thru in my Cousin, a book vlog, and a couple travel vlogs. Filming will always be easier than editing, I tell you what.

Thanks for reading!

Chat soon!

Ammie

Instagram | Youtube | Paper People Podcast

P.s. this is the free issue of Ammie Annotated, something I’m trying out this year. If you liked it, you’ll love the stuff that’s behind the paywall, just saying! Also feel free to share with a friend who may enjoy this issue!

In this issue you’ll find a Chicago recap, book reviews, and pages from my Hobonichi. There are so many pictures in here so read this one in app or on your desktop! Click the voiceover to hear me read (ish- I go off on a few tangents) this newsletter.

Hello from my local co-working space, Switchyards! It is conveniently in the basement of my studio building so it makes it handy to nip down here and recalibrate my focus when the studio couch gets too cozy. Plus, I feel like I’m in a movie when I’m here. There’s mood lighting and free coffee. I’m maybe writing my novel. Someone probably has a crush on me and are sneaking glances across the room. Let me live in the fantasy, ok?

A Few Snippets from Chicago

I’m back at work after a very fun weekend in Chicago with many of my journaling friends at Chicago Stationery Fest. Like I told Claire (From Online) in a voice memo this morning, I’m still riding the high of this weekend. I’ve gotten so used to journaling being such a solitary affair that I forgot how nice it was to do it with people. I still don’t do my best journaling away from my desk, but the shaky pages are worth the time spent with and Sam, sharing stories and supplies over too many cups of coffee and one dry, but necessary cinnamon roll.

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In this issue you’ll find all the stuff I’ve been keeping closer to my chest lately and far away from my Instagram stories. Read in the app or on your desktop. It’s too much for your poor email to handle.

I got a haircut and I finally feel like myself again.

Week before last I booked a bored haircut despite declaring that was Out in 2026. And yes, I was bored with my shaggy thing (hair lingo isn’t my strong suit), but mostly I just didn’t feel like myself. I liked it when I looked in the mirror, but I would see pictures and video of me and think, “Who in the world is that?”.

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👩‍🎨 Creative

While January was about consuming art, February has been struggling to create it. I’m a couple weeks behind in my Hobonichi Cousin but I’m not too bothered. I’ll catch up this weekend. Or not! (Editor’s note, I did not.)

In 2023, I got really into puzzles, or at least, buying them. I thought I could just jump into 1,000 pieces and this puzzle in particular broke me. I’m still scared to get it out of the box. While on my Winter Break, puzzles started calling to me again and I wisely dipped my toe back in with a couple 500 piecers. I won’t let myself buy another puzzle until I finish a couple on my shelf, so I’ve been hacking away at Winner, Winner for a couple weeks now. It’s keeping me off my phone. It’s scratching that creative problem solving itch. It’s bringing me so much joy. I do worry our coffee table will just have a permanent puzzle attached to it, but as long as Elaine’s fine with it…!

I’m in that weird limbo between work trips where I feel like I can’t start a big project even though I absolutely can. It’s the same feeling of having a 3pm doctor’s appointment therefore you can’t make any plans or run any errands. You must simply sit at home and worry about being late to the appointment. That’s not just me, right? I have promised myself I will bring back Word of the Year mugs this month (but with a redesign) so that’s my main goal for February. Get that design nailed down and samples made so you can place an order!

What’s your word of the year?

Leave a comment

📚 Reading

I’ve only gotten 2 books down so far this year. One was great and one was boring. I just don’t enjoy old people main characters. I’m sorry! No Ove or Frederick Fife or Murder Clubs or Bright Creatures (though I did like that one) for me, please.

The book I read and loved so far this month was Unprecedented Times by Malavika Kannan and I have a whole reading vlog dedicated to it if you’re interested!

My book club read The Road to Tender Hearts this month and all in all, I really enjoyed it, despite what I just said about old people main characters. We also did our annual Book Swap/White Elephant- an old December tradition we moved to February so we could all have something to look forward to. I brought the latest Kevin Wilson, Run For The Hills (a 5 star read for me) and I left with Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Long Island Compromise. Fun fact, Fleishman is in Trouble is the first book I read after a stress induced month’s long reading slump in the early months of the pandemic. I think because of that, I’ve been looking forward to picking up Long Island Compromise but a little wary.

🍿 Watching

My Letterbox has been getting a workout this year. I love going to the movies or putting a movie on while I’m working on the couch and here’s a run down of what I’ve seen so far this year:

1. Sweethearts on HBO Max (5 stars)- I watched this movie at the end of December while I was home sick and editing a virtual workshop. I knew Elaine would love it, so I made her watch it on New Years while we were playing Rummikub. I’m a big fan of Caleb Hearon and Cranford, New Jersey and those two really shined in this movie. Bonus, watch Kiernan and Nico be charming and hot on So True.

2. Marty Supreme in theaters (4 stars)- My Letterbox review says “Timmy’s mouth is always a lil open”. Penn (of Teller) was great! I’m tired of Kevin O’Leary making the rounds on my podcasts! I want to have (biblically) and also be Odessa A’zion! I respect the color orange! That mostly sums up the movie for me. Glad we saw it, hope to never have to see it again.

3. Eternity in theaters (5 stars)- A delight! I have complicated feelings on Miles Teller (is he hot? I mean, of course he is, but is he Hot?) but I love Elizabeth Olson (see previous Odessa feelings) and I loved this purgatory love triangle. Plus, I’ll do anything for John Early and I hope Da’vine Joy Randolph gets everything she could possibly want in this world. I googled the English boy mid movie to find he’s Dula Peep’s betrothed. Cute!

4. Wake Up Dead Man on Netflix (3.5 stars)- My nail tech and friend, Paola, loves Josh O’Connor, and I admit, I first gave a very Arrested Development response to this info (“Her?”) but after a couple Youtube deep dives of this boy (he’s a journaler! He has a favorite glue!! He collects pottery!) I can firmly say I’m on the O’Connor train. Plus, I LOVED Challengers. I leaned over to Elaine during Challengers and said, “This is my favorite movie! Also, how does tennis work?” She smiled politely instead of telling me to stop talking during the movie. Oh, right, I’m supposed to be talking about Dead Man. Listen, I love a hot priest (I don’t have time to get started on Fleabag. Your browser/app/email/whatever you’re consuming this on will explode.) and a stacked cast and Rian Johnson, but I despite enjoying it, I will never remember this movie or probably watch it again.1 May I instead recommend my favorite, The Brother’s Bloom.2 Additionally, I wish they’d let actors keep their accents when it just doesn’t matter, re: Josh and Andrew Scott.

5. People We Meet On Vacation on Netflix (3 stars? 4?) I will never forget my reading experience of PWMOV. It was my second Emily Henry (A Million Junes was my first- read on the beach on my 30th birthday) and I was excited to continue the vacation reading vibe. It was 2021, I was in the pool at the Ace Palm Springs and when I realized the book was set in Palm Springs, I squealed.3 I reread the book last year in preparation of the movie, and I gotta say- I would have fared better not doing that. As a romcom, the movie is a solid 4. As a faithful adaptation, the movie is a 2.

6. The Housemaid in theaters (3 stars)- I read the book a few days before so I could see the movie and honestly, that book gets a lot of shit, and sure! It’s bad! But I’ve read so much worse. I thought the movie was fine but I felt like there were a lot of nods to things just mentioned in the book that probably didn’t make sense to someone who had not read it. For instance, she gets out of the room and says, “I need a fucking sandwich.” How amazing would it have been if they included like 3 seconds of her living out of her car lamenting how she could not eat another sandwich. I think I’m being too critical, but when in Rome (writing my own Substack).

7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in theaters (5 stars)- As you can imagine, this movie was huge for me from 2004-2009, so when The Plaza (the coolest, oldest theater in Atlanta) posted about showing it, I was sooooo ready. And extra excited because they offer a ton of popcorn seasoning for free at concessions, and that’s the easiest way to my heart. The movie is perfect: sad, weird, messy, funny, and heartbreaking. I think I smiled the whole time.

8. The Moment in theaters (5 stars)- Elaine and I continued our Friday afternoon Valentine’s date tradition at the movies and getting mall Chinese after. I LOVED Charli xcx’s fake-ish documentary about the brat tour. It’s so funny and cool and I didn’t know that guy was Alexander Skarsgård until the end. Bonus, one of my favorite comedians, Richard Perez, plays the gay assistant. The Moment has reignited brat for me, as well as playing party 4 u 2-29 times a day. You know what, let me go ahead and queue that up.

Lightning Round:

• Winner while working in my Hobonichi. Bit of a bummer!! America, please!! Zach Galifianakis, please!!

• Model Comedian, Caleb Hearon’s hour on HBO Max. I can listen to him talk about anything.

• A Sense of Urgency, George Civeris’s hour on Amazon. George is one of my best friends who only vaguely knows I exist. Add his podcast, Stratiolab, to your rotation.

• The Spectacular Now while puzzling. What was that? Okay…James? (Filmed in Athens, Georgia, though, so that ruled.)

🎧 Listening

When I’m not listening to party 4 u, I’m spending a lot of time with MUNA. They just released a new single that I looooove.

🍴 Eating

We’ve had a fun new change to our schedule kick in this week that has required going to the grocery store intentionally and, gulp, meal planning. Elaine made this on Sunday and it’s good! I don’t know if she doubled (tripled) the garlic or what, but if you make it, make sure you have some gum for any after lunch meetings.

We’re planning on making this tonight (I’ll report back):

And it’s on my list to make tuna salad once we run out of our other lunch. My tuna salad recipe is just vibes unfortunately. Kewpie mayo, mustard, onion, broccoli, red pepper, jalapeños, pickles, banana peppers. I’m sure there is something else I’m missing. I’ll also report back on that if you need me to, lol.

🛍️ Shopping

I’ve been trying not to mindlessly buy things lately (is that true??) but there are a few recommendations I’ve got plus a few things on my wish list. The Amazon links are affiliate but the Sephora ones aren’t because I simply have no idea how to do that.

Shocking no one, I’m about to talk about puzzles. I promise I am still cool. This lamp is super handy and this mat allows me to roll up and store WIP puzzles when Elaine needs our coffee table back. I got the 1,000 piece one (it’s kinda huge) and I have it sitting on top of an old puzzle board (glorified cardboard) so I can rotate it with ease. Don’t throw away that foam roll that it comes with. Ask me how I know! Oh, I also could not puzz without puzzle trays. I like these.

I’m dying for a trip to Sephora. I’m out of a lot of things and I really want some new blush, my favorite part of my makeup routine. I want to try the new Milk concealer (I’ve been using Dior Backstage for a few years and I’m ready for something lighter, though that concealer is gorgeous) and I need to re-buy this Nars liquid blush. The employee who suggested it to me described it as looking like you just ran through a meadow and I couldn’t agree more. It’s pretty sheer, so I add two dots per cheek and tap it in with my fingers instead of using a brush. I also love Sephora’s blush and Fascinated4 is my fave. It’s a bright orange that you think you can’t pull off but I think it’s super flattering. Also on sale! Do you have a contour you like? Let me know!

Lastly, I recently had my friend Gabi come to the studio and take some pictures for my upcoming rebrand and website overhaul. I got a lot of messages about my shoes so I’m linking them here! They are surprisingly comfortable.

✍️ Journaling

I’ve been away from my journal for a couple of weeks (I’m not going to say the p word!!) but I’m still loving the practice of balancing fun and mundanity in my weekly spreads and daily pages. A true creative diary and place to hold all my memories, even if it’s just an illustration of a conversation with my nephew where I tell him something and he responds, “oh durn”.

You can see January here:

Side note- do you like the dual camera view? I’m protective of this format because it’s how I first began sharing my journal and I don’t see others using it. I think it’s more engaging than hands-and-pans style, but it does take a while to edit. If you like it I’ll keep doing it. If you don’t care, I guess I’ll just keep the view mostly hands? Lemme know!

Okay, I’m off to edit Friday’s Youtube video where I go through my 2026 Journaling Ecosystem5. Hope you’re having a great day and taking care of yourself. Let’s both take a long sip of water right now….Did you do it?6

Talk soon!

Ammie

P.s. this is the free issue of Ammie Annotated, something I’m trying out this year. If you liked it, you’ll love the stuff that’s behind the paywall, just saying! Also feel free to share with a friend who may enjoy this issue!

In this issue you’ll find a wellness update, book club fun, a Jase bit, some plans for 2026, and more!

Hello! How are you! Does it smell like Spring outside where you are? Kinda wet and earthy but fresh, somehow? Or maybe it’s the sound. The Grackles are going wild over here and that always feels like they’re giving me a pep talk. I’ve been in hibernation mode and it’s been so hard to get out of it. I keep having false starts, work wise, making a deal with myself that tomorrow I’ll get back to it. By now you know I’m a little toxic about my work productivity, so of course, I’m still getting stuff done, but I’m working to reframe my daily to do lists. I’m no longer writing 20 things that feel like they need to be done immediately, and instead am focusing on 2-3 big things to tackle in one day. Managing expectations? How novel!

I did sit down last week and start my Y’all Retreat. Last year it was a 4 day ordeal, exhausting and eye opening (have you ever calculated how much you/your business spends in a month? Wow!) and I knew I didn’t have to go so hard this year. I downloaded The Calm Business Review and set up shop at my co-working space, Switchyards. The first half of the packet is a lot of review and journalling. I wrote about what went well, what didn’t, what felt good, and what felt hard. I listed people that inspired me, what qualities I admire most in them, and brainstormed how to bring those qualities into my business. I did a marketing review (I think I sent 2 please-buy-this newsletters in 2025? Oops!!) and a tech and subscription/software review and audit.

I have the packet I completed at my Retreat last year, so when it came time to tackle goals, energy drainers, and potential words of the year, I referenced the 2025 packet to see where my head was, and hoping I could find some inspiration. 2025 was a great year and I’m doing everything in my power to repeat it.

The packet asks you to list three people you admire and five qualities about each of them. Then you choose five qualities from that list of fifteen that you want to see in your business and write down ways to nurture them. As I read through it, one phrase kept standing out: “Find you in it.” I’ve been thinking a lot about what that meant to me then and what it means to me now.

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In this issue you’ll find the last of my 2024 recap! Read this one in the app or on your desktop because it is beefy.

Hello! I’m back! I gotta be honest, I’ve been putting off this final installment of the 2025 recap because I wasn’t ready to revisit the insanity that was the last few months of the year. It was a ton of work, stress, DoorDash, and more whiskey consumed than water. Let’s get into it!

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In this issue you get first dibs at my most recent flip thru in my 2025 Hobonichi Cousin! You’ll see some blank pages (shock!) and lots of travel spreads. Subscibers get access to videos like this early, fyi!

What was your favorite page? How do you feel about the blank pages? Are you mad at me! Let me know! ❤️

Ammie

Instagram | Youtube | Paper People Podcast

In this issue you’ll find mostly everything I got up to from May to July. You know the drill- read this in the app or on your desktop. This is part 2! If you missed part 1, here it is:

Hello, and welcome back to my accidental deep dive on 2025! I thought this would be a cute and casual Substack issue and here we are, already in part 2. I’m going to try to fit the rest of the year into this issue, so here we go! Editors note: this did not happen!

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In this issue you’ll find mostly everything I got up to from January to April. Turns out, it was a lot! Can you believe I thought I’d be able to fit the whole year in one issue? You’ll see delusion showing up as a major theme in 2025, I fear. Read this one in the app or on your desktop because it is beefy.

Happy New Year! I’ve been closing out 2025 projects since the end of the Y’alliday sales so I haven’t really wrapped my mind around it being 2026 yet. I haven’t set up my 2026 planner journals and my Hobonichi Cousin is holding more blank pages than it ever has, but more on that later.

Despite, ya know, The World, I had a really, really good year. I feel a little bit of guilt saying that based on general feedback from mutuals on their Weird Year, but the last several years were so depressingly hard that I’ll take the win.

You know the videos of accomplishment cakes? People are writing goals they met this year on flags and sticking them into a cake, sometimes alone, but sometimes with friends who cheer after each person goes. I’m addicted. I’m watching them all. I’m celebrating people I’ll never meet or really see again in my life. What a joy.

I wanted to do a version of this in today’s issue and urge you to do the same. I’m going to go month by month, share some accomplishments, some photos, and a few extra bits that I feel inspired to tell you about. I hope you enjoy!

January

I usually take most of January off to recover from the gnarly season of Christmas production, but in hindsight, I didn’t get much of that break. I started my first official month with Tombow as a member of the Creator Crew, and the adjustment was difficult. (I’m notorious for adding something to my schedule without making room for it by removing what is no longer serving me. Maybe I’ll stop doing that this year.) I made a lot of things I’m proud of (and spent entirely too long on), started pushing myself further at the gym, made some vlogs, and did the bare minimum for my deliverables in the ceramic world (I really need a break from pottery after Christmas).

Tombow

These are the projects I made from Tombow this month and what the prompt was.

• Map It Out- Illustrated a map of Atlanta with all my favorite places highlighted

• Random Acts of Kindness Day- Drew a coloring book zine of all the things I love doing with Elaine and “gifted” it to her with a fresh pack of Dual Brush Pens

• National Hobby Month- Made a whole ass Reading Journal in a Youtube video (I’m really trying to do less in 2026)

• Tombow Birthday Month Challenge- Made an Elaine birthday garland with patterned paper I drew using DBP. This is my favorite project of the year.

Gym

I’m including this clip of tempo goblet squats solely because I think my butt looks nice.

Snow Day

Georgia got lots of snow (lots for us, okay!) and Dublin, my hometown in Middle Georgia, got even more than we did. We didn’t grocery shop appropriately. My sister--in-law sent me a video of my brother and the boys playing in the snow. My mom sent me a video of Jase catching snowflakes on his tongue. I cried because I wasn’t there. Sad snow days! Alert Joni Mitchell.

Ceramics

For some ungodly reason, I have a lot of due dates in January for events that happen throughout the rest of the year in my ceramics life. It makes me crazy. I’m so burnt out during this time that there is not a creative bone left in my body. Nevertheless I barely persist and turn in stuff that I tweak and make better months later, right before the event, which I’m sure is really annoying for the companies I’m working with.

Y’all Retreat

Every year I take myself on a Retreat to assess the previous year and plan my upcoming year. This is vital to my business, but I think it could be beneficial to anyone who wants to get serious about sharing online, has a family, wants to reach certain goals in 2026, or to someone who just feels a little swept up in their own life. I’d love to share this year’s Retreat with you if you’re interested, just let me know!

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For 2025’s Retreat, I stayed local and tried out a new workbook. It was intense, motivating, exhausting, exciting, and it set the tone for the rest of my year.

Youtube

I think I got some flip thrus out this month, but mostly I did a week in my life, which I loooooove doing. I don’t think that many people care but I love having this time documented as my own little capsule. I want to do more of this in 2026.

February

Pottery Camp

My first work event of the year is always Mayco’s Pottery Camp. Don’t tell the others, but it’s always my favorite. I love Mayco and I am always so impressed with the events they put on. Plus I get to see my work wife, Bre, and have a steak-and-two-martini-dinner which is usually paid for by someone else. Praise the lord. It was in Albuquerque, a place I cannot spell on my own, and I taught my Southwestern Snakes design to around 150 people. It was a lot of fun but I experienced more elevation sickness in ABQ than I did in Denver, which of course, tracks, but surprised me! I was also the driest I’ve ever been. I had to buy a $9 carmex from the hotel gift shop and it took me like 2 weeks to fully get my moisture right once I got home.

Book Club

In February we do a Book Swap, something we used to do in December but we started doing so many Book Club events during that month that we decided to move it. Now it’s more like a Valentine’s Day surprise instead of a Christmas gift and I like it a lot more. We wrap our book, put a quote on the outside, then play White Elephant style, letting the quote be how we choose. We’ve been doing this for so long, I’m realizing. That’s so fun. This year is our 10th year together and I’m just amazed by that. Anyway, some of us care more about this swap than others. I spend hours obsessing over my choice while others maybe grab something from the Little Free Library on their way. I’m not judging, but I’m also not picking that book on principle. You know who you are.1 I brought A Bit Much and left with Invisible Man. We all share and trade books over the year anyway which means we don’t do much stealing during the swap, which is also kinda cute.

Tombow

Tombow launched new brush pen packs based on coffee, tea, and cocktails and I got assigned maybe the most boring color scheme, but that’s okay! I also made some travel junk journal spreads in my Hobonichi for Tombow content that remain some of my favorite pages of the whole year.

Speed Round

• New samples from my bisque line that have been in the works for over a year made it over from China. They’re on the water for a minimum of 3 months, coming over on giant container ships, and it’s a real test in patience. Ask me how fun the Suez Canal blockage of 2021 was and for how many years that affected my bisque supply and subsequently, my income!

• I went home for a long weekend and had the best time with my nephews. There is vlog footage from this weekend I never edited. Oops!

• Elaine and I had a really nice Valentine’s Day which included a boozy lunch and a trip to the book store. Oh, and look at that sweet manicure. So cute!

• I got really, really, into yogurt bowls, despite the indigestion they cause me.

• Papz caught me again

Paper People

At the end of February, I launched my podcast Paper People. It had been in the works for 6 months and I am so proud of finally getting it off the ground. It has taught me so much in its first year and I’m excited to make it even better in 2026. We took an unplanned break (the woes of Elaine and me being the only employees at Y’all Inc.) but we’ve got two more episodes that will finish out season 1, then a short break, then season 2. Expect it around late February.

Anything in particular you want to see this year on Paper People? Let me know in the comments, please!

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Check out ’s episode and her Instagram and Substack!

March

Elaine’s Birthday

March 7th is the best day of the year because it’s the day Elaine was born. She is a lot more lowkey about birthdays than, say, me, so she wouldn’t let me throw her the party I think she deserves. Instead, we got away for the weekend to Chattanooga and had a really nice time. We drank cheap beer in dive bars (her favorite), ate some good food (my favorite), and went book shopping (our favorite). It looks like this year we’ll be celebrating her birthday in Chicago, but more on that later. :)

Elaine does so much for me and us and I want to celebrate her more in 2026.

We also went to Nashville at the end of the month to see Liza Treyger and stayed in The Dive Motel. It was a vibe, as seen by this video:

Youtube

I loved making this Romance Reading Vlog. Also more of this in 2026!

Mailchimp

Mailchimp brought me back, this time instead of doing pottery, I led an art journaling session. It was so much fun and I think we’ll do it again this month. Shout out Tombow for sponsoring the class- everyone left with packs of Dual Brush Pens. I love working with Mailchimp because the employees are so open minded, creative, and willing to try something new. I made a lot of friends at this event and I even gained a 13 year old pen pal. I really need to write her back…

Ceramajam

Every March I head up to Belmont, North Carolina to teach at Bisque Imports for Ceramajam. This is probably the 10th CJ I’ve taught at and it’s always a blast. This one was a little nerve wracking for me, as my ex-boss would be in attendance and I hadn’t seen her since she fired me. It was…fine. She was as I expected and I looked hot and did well during my class and that’s all that matters to me, lol. My besties from Phoenix (Liz and MJ) also teach at this event and for the last several years, they’ve been coming to Atlanta after to spend a few days with us. It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year.

I also get to see my friend Kathy at this event, though she usually flies in and out pretty quickly. She is the busiest person I’ve ever met. We said our goodbyes and she left for the airport and about 20 minutes later I started looking around for my phone. Realization dawned pretty quickly that she grabbed it by accident and I caught her just as she got to the airport to fly back to Phoenix. That could have been…very bad.

Speed Round

• Kohen, my youngest nephew learned how to Facetime and also learned that I would pick up no matter the time or what I was in the middle of. I regret nothing.

• Really felt like I hit my stride at the gym and reached for heavier weights more often than not.

• Brought the blunt bob back into rotation, and I liked it a lot, but honestly I miss all that hair and being able to put it in a ponytail. I was also at the end of my bleach grow out and boy do I miss the fun toners we used to do. The pink! The grey! So fab.

• Got a pretty gnarly cold in the week between Mailchimp and Ceramajam. I forgot colds could be bad (I’m also fighting one as I type- a Christmas tradition for me.)

• We saw Caleb Hearon at Buckhead Theater. He brought out that girl from The Carrie Diaries who is also on that one Garden show about murder or something. We watched a few eps but it stressed Elaine out so we stopped, lol.

• I finalized the second pottery project I was teaching in England in May.

• I made some stuff for Tombow- I was proud of this Sabalenka portrait, made for Women’s History Month.

April

April felt both like a marathon and a sprint. It was my last full month before we left for a 3 week long work/vacation trip to England and France. I had so much work to do in order to take that trip. I was often waking up in the middle of the night having a panic attack, needing Elaine to assure me of the date and that I had time to get everything done. I said no to every plan (but picked up all Kohen’s calls, of course) and got three months worth of Tombow deliverables finished, 100 Rainbow Mugs painted and sold, podcast episodes recorded and edited, merch dropped, booked Content Power Hours, DIY kits packed and sold, classes written for upcoming conferences, and taught at Pinners Conference in Atlanta. And my god, I had to prep for Go Wild in Indianapolis too. It was a really hard month but it showed me that I can do literally anything. Maybe kinda toxic, but still. And I still got in my 12 classes at the gym. I’m proud!

Okay, admittedly, I thought I would be able to get all 2025 in one issue. That’s delusional on my part because I didn’t realize I did this much, and I also don’t think you want to read something that long. Also…Is this boring to you? I hope not! I’m going to keep going over the next few days and finish out the year but hopefully make it a little less…full. I’d also love to talk about New Years resolutions. Wow, I guess I have a lot to say. Prepare to be sick of me!

Love you and hope you’re having a really, really good New Year’s Day.

Ammie

Instagram | Youtube | Paper People Podcast

In this issue you’ll get first looks at what books I’m using to plan my life, work, and everything in between. Read this one on the Substack app-it’s too jam packed for your email!

Every journaling friend I have has been sharing their 2026 journaling ecosystem since, like, August, but I needed a little more time to cook. I knew some planners would be re-purchased for the new year, but couldn’t quite figure out what would replace the books and systems that stopped working for me this year. I don’t really believe in having a ton of planners (no shade, I just can’t manage that many books) so I do feel…daunted by how many I’ve ended up with, but isn’t that half the fun of all this?

I’d love to hear what books are in your 2026 line up in the comments! Or better yet, do you have a Substack/Instagram post/Tik Tok showing off your plan? Link that too!

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Work/Life Planner: Classic Vertical Custom Happy Planner

Mid 2024, I switched from a Hobonichi Weeks to a Happy Planner. I’d spent the last couple of years in a Weeks and as I explained to a friend, my dreams had outgrown the size of the book. I never really got the hang of planning in the Weeks- I struggled to fit meetings and due dates and to do lists- so when my friend Roxanne posted a Youtube video of her switch to Happy Planner, I wanted in immediately. I ordered 3 on super sale to really test what I wanted and I’ve never been happier.

ICYMI, I posted a click bait adjacent Youtube video of the process that actually made a lot of people mad! Oops!

But, it’s not all roses. The downside of Happy Planner for me will always be their design choices and launch schedule. They can never get it quite right. The designs are too Boss Bitch or Walt Disneyfied and many covers I can’t imagine spending the whole year with. Side note, this is also why I admire Roxanne so much. She is amazing at taking these things and gothing them up, making them perfect for her vibe and inspiring me to look past covers that boast statements about “Happy Plans” and “This Is Gonna Be My Year”.

Inexplicably, they seem to drop new planners in stages, starting in October with not great marketing. Or maybe I just unsubscribed from their emails because they come too often with deals I can’t quite pass up. I’m not above sneaking a new sticker book (or 7) into the house.

So, while I love the flexibility of the Happy Planner, I am often stuck with covers and themes I don’t care that much about. In order to take advantage of a recent sale, I had to make a custom planner, a new-ish feature for the company, and I chose the least annoying theme.

Unfortunately, they did get a “Happy Plans” on the cover right past me, but overall, I’m happy with the choice.

Work Notebook: Wonderland222 A5 All-In-One Unstacked Planer

I have always been a note taker, and once I worked up to senior management at my old job, I found myself always carrying a Work Notebook. It is something that is super special to me. I write meeting notes, plan designs, dream, test pens, write to do lists, and rage journal in my Work Notebook.

For several years, I used Paperage notebooks to keep myself organized in my small business. I would go through one a quarter and when I finished one, I would date the spine and archive it. It’s incredible helpful to have them around to reference glaze combinations, notes from events, and cost of goods.

Around March of this year, I hit a wall with the 4-book-a-year-system. I think I also was seeing a lot of people in the Sterling Ink Common Planner and I felt left out. I liked the idea of having quarterly planning pages for goals and wins and the Tomoe River Paper (TRP) was calling softly to me, thanks to my new fascination with fountain pens.

I got my Common Planner in April and honestly, I love it! But I didn’t use the front pages like I wanted to- mainly because it’s hard for me to set goals a quarter of the year in (unfortunately, I am all or nothing, and that is something I’m trying to work on).

I spent so long looking for this year’s Work Notebook. I wanted TRP (or something similar) but I wanted a new book. I didn’t love the layout of the Common Planner- monthlies, then weeklies, then daily pages. It reminded me too much of my Cousin, a book where I largely skip the month and weekly pages.

My friends at Good Postage shared a reel of the Wonderland 222 and a lightbulb went off.

The Wonderland 222 All-In-One has 376 undated pages, as well as grouped monthly and weekly pages. I am so looking forward to setting this up and getting started on my 2026 work plans and goals. More on this later.

Fitness Journal: Hobonichi Weeks

So, yes, I did just spend a couple paragraphs telling you why the Weeks no longer worked for me at work, but I’m hoping to employ this book as a Fitness tracker that can fit in my purse. This year I’ve made an effort to lift heavier at the gym and I often find it hard to remember what weights I’ve used for certain moves. I’m also having flair ups with some hip/back/butt pain and my periods are as unpredictable as ever, so I want to track these all in one place.

Mid year, I started using a Mini Happy Planner that was gifted to me at Go Wild, but the disc bound book could never really survive being tossed around in my bag.

I’ve done several Youtube and Instagram deep dives trying to find the perfect set up for this journal but I have yet to find something that inspires me. I find many people are tracking food and steps and those things don’t interest me. I have a history of disordered eating and a job that requires stillness, so I’m on the hunt for spreads that don’t prioritize those stats. My friend Kimberly suggested I put a call out to friends asking for some help designing this layout, so if that’s something that interests you, let me know! Additionally, if you see any Fitness/Wellness planners with layouts you find interesting, send them my way.

Creative Diary: Hobonichi A5 Cousin

I know I had a real will-they-won’t-they with the Avec this year, but at the end of the day, I know I can’t run from the Cousin. My thought process just didn’t make sense. Oh, I wanted a split year so it’s easier to travel with my journal the 2 times a year I do that? That convenience just doesn’t outweigh the joy of seeing that book bulk up over the year.

I’ll expand more on my plans for my 2026 Cousin, but until then, here’s a post I made after looking through my past Cousins and feeling inspired.

ICYMI, I posted a flip thru of my Hobonichi Cousin a couple weeks ago. Let me get through this last Christmas sale (Saturday! December 14th! 4pm est!) and I’m all yours, flip thru wise.

5 Year Journal: Hobonichi A5 5 Year Journal

2026 will be my third year in my 5 year journal and I’m more obsessed with it than ever. That is a literal statement because last year I largely ignored it when I hit my busy season. The only thing that has rekindled my excitement for this book is, I am not kidding, new fountain pens. Keeping a few pens beside my journal by my spot on the couch makes it really easy to journal about my day while we’re watching tv. Instagram stories, my camera roll, and my Happy Planner help me remember days I’ve skipped.

While I have many friends who use their five year journals creatively ( , , Roxanne), mine are simply dear diary vibes rehashing my day. The right hand page catches overflow when I have a lot to say about that day.

Honorable Mentions

Here is the overflow of my 2026 ecosystem. These are the books I haven’t really decided on, or the unglamorous things that keep my company running and myself relatively sane.

Reading Journal: Mini Happy Planner Reading Journal vs Leuchtturm

Back in January, I made a Reading Journal for a Tombow deliverable. It’s so cute and literally made for the sake of content.

I picked it up again a few months later to create another round of content for Tombow and thought, what the hell, maybe I’ll give this a go. Since it was set up quickly to meet the prompt, it’s not the most…thought out/functional, and while it is very charming, I haven’t kept up with it because printing out the little book covers and cutting and pasting them- my lord. All the energy is gone before I even put pen to paper.

So, when I was adding things to my Happy Planner cart to get free shipping (Girl Math), I threw in this cute pre-made book journal bundle. It’s a lower lift (no printing or monthly themes designed by me) so I’m looking forward to trying it out. Sure, it’s not as sweet as my homemade one, but what I really care about when it comes to a reading journal is remembering the book I read, and maybe the HP journal will do that for me. But ultimately, I’m not sure which one will secure a place in my 2026 line up yet, so stay tuned.

Side note, I am obsessed with my Book Daughters (Haley Pham, Sara Carolli, Destiny Sidwell) and their, I’m sorry to say, Ugly Reading Journals. It’s so refreshing to see the imperfect, mistake riddled, and just plain odd journals they keep. You can see Haley’s weirdo book starting around the 11 minute mark:

Email Binder

Earlier this year I shared my 2025 ecosystem and one book… er, binder, left many followers scratching their heads and making jokes in my dms.

May I present you with The Email Binder. TEB is a workhorse in my lineup, unsexy and a little silly, but irreplaceable, and frankly, doesn’t appreciate the jokes. In my business I’m juggling a lot of hats and wearing tons of plates. That little mix up was unintentional, by the way, but further punctuates how over-extended my schedule can get at times. I teach at several conferences a year and each of those have a specific timeline of deliverable due dates and shipping information. When I am most stressed, I struggle to read and comprehend an email on a screen. My anxiety also keeps me marking emails unread so I don’t forget about them, but when my inbox creeps close to 100 emails, panic sets in. The easiest and fastest way to alleviate this stress is printing out the fucking email. I know for many of you that is ridiculous (because you sent me a dm about it), but it works great for me. I can make notes on the page, cross out items I’ve finished, and throw the page away when I’m done. More importantly, I can mark the email as read and I can work towards Inbox Zero Peace and Enlightenment.

I got this practice from a finance guy at a company I freelance with, but he’s not smart enough to use a binder. Instead, he stacks these emails into specific piles across his office that make him look insane. But me? Cracking open my tabbed binder and heading straight to the email in question? Genius alert!

I have one more Y’alliday sale this season of lighted trees, votives, mugs, and more, and as soon we get everything shipped, I’ll send you another update with how exactly I’m using these books.

Wish me luck! Talk soon,

Ammie

Instagram | Youtube | Paper People Podcast