Hello friend!

I’m actually writing this on Halloween, so it feels a bit weird to be writing about handmade gifts. This half term we’ve had a lot of family descend, the clocks have gone back making it get darker earlier, and I’ve eaten and drank a lot of alcohol to counteract the stress of visitors which has actually put me into a weird festive mood and I think I could happily skip the rest of the year and go straight into Christmas!

Housekeeping: Please note this post is long and filled with pictures and might not show up fully if you’re reading via email. Please click the title to read the full thing!

Anyway. I’m a crafty girl. I’m time poor and cash poor. I’m also averse to making something shit and hoping people like it, so I normally give handmade gifts to family/friends who are also crafty or I know appreciate handmade things. My in-laws are in awe of my knitting which makes me feel superhuman. I don’t think they know it’s actually a coping method...

So today I’ve assembled a load of quick, easy and cheap handmade gifts. Many of which you don’t need any skill, and you could probably manage halfway through a bottle of Baileys.

Frames

Oooh I love a good dig around in the charity shop for picture frames. I recently massively got the ick over all the IKEA frames in my house and went around replacing them with second hand frames and they look so much better!

I even had a phase this year of framing art prints from books and reselling them on Vinted and it was very good. Step aside Alan Sugar…
…Anyway, here’s some suggestions.

Painted Frames

All you need for this is quite a flat frame, a steady hand and some paints.

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Even something really straight-forward like the below image really packs some punch, not much skill required.

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Painted Mounts

Or! You could keep the frame bare and paint the mount!

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I like how the above one has used a stamp to eradicate any wobbly hand actions. It would be super quick to make.

Gathering/curated gifts

Framed scrapbook style collage

I love the idea of making a framed collage for a close friend or family member. How lovely is this:

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This is a cheap and fun to make gift - you could easily thrift the frame and use up paper scraps for the background.

Blind Date with a Book

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The perfect gift for the reader in your life! Keep it cheap/personal by regifting a book you’ve read and you know they’d love, or you could browse the charity shops. It’s also a fun way of using up paper scraps and playing around with decorating the gift.

Locket with photo

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Maybe you could stumble across a locket in a charity shop and add a photo for a super special gift for a close friend or family member.

Knitting

I’d suggest if you can knit and purl then these gifts would be fine for you to make. I wouldn’t recommend trying to learn to knit and then create gifts as it would probably add more stress than you need.

The Sophie Scarf

Let’s get started with The Sophie Scarf, because if I didn’t mention it I think some kind of knitting demon would chase me down and poke my eyes out with knitting needles.

Pattern here

It’s iconic. It’s famous for a reason. It suits everyone. It’s easy, it’s fun to knit and it’ll take approximately three evenings of telly watching to make it, using one ball of wool. The pattern is £6 ish and you can use it again and again to keep rattling out these lovely scarfs.

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Dishcloths

These aren’t very exciting, but they knit up quick, they’re a good stash buster, you can give them to absolutely ANYONE and it gets rid of the “oh Christ - she’s made me something and now I’m obliged to wear it” dread.

Plus, the pattern is free! Available here

Scrunchie

Eeeee this one’s cool! Fast, fun. You just need scrap yarn and some elastic to go inside.

And the pattern is free! Available here

Paper goodies

Tiny collage art

If you like making collages, a tiny collage would make a lovely and quick gift. You could pop it in a frame! These caught my eye:

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Wouldn’t they be lovely framed as a single card? Or I like them as a big group too (wanders off and starts rummaging through paper scraps)

Handmade Christmas Cards

It would be weird if I didn’t mention making your own cards. How beautiful is this one?

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I like the way the vintage elements have been made to feel more modern by using collage to break them up.

A quick Pinterest dive will give you loads of ideas. Also don’t forget:

Creative wrapping

Such a fun way of making your presents look exciting!

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Stitching

Paper Embroidery

I invite you to fall down the paper embroidery rabbit hole with me. I’ve been really enjoying this craft recently. You need some embroidery thread, and an awl and that’s about it!

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Embroidered Bookmarks

These are cute, they don’t need to be perfect and would surely delight any readers in your life.

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Christmas Decorations

Of course, let’s not forget the obvious! Here’s a few ideas.

Tree topper

Ohmygodi’mobsessed with this one! It looks like you could easily use up some scraps, and the messier the more Molly Weasley Christmas the better!

Tin Ornaments

I made these with my friend last year using tubes from tomato puree - it was so quick and fun.

I hope this post has given you some ideas! Thank you for reading.

I have a confession to make: I collect scraps of paper, little bits of fabric and bits and bobs a bit like a Victorian lady preparing for the apocalypse.

Free magazine? Yes please. Nice label? Snaffled. Piece of packaging from some food my kids enjoyed? Into the pile(s)

The trouble is, these little collections of treasures is taking over the house and I’m starting to feel like I’m drowning. I’m paralysed by the choice of what to make next, to the point where I’m not really making anything other than a mess.

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This is what it’s like to be in my brain on any given day.

• ooh what about those journal covers made out of a document wallet? looks for wallets and makes a big mess… finds one Oh wait! I need elastic! looks for elastic - can’t find elastic maybe a ribbon could work? Roots through ribbon box, finds something suitable, adds to the pile. Oh but wait I need a notebook that fits!? Gives up - pile of crap dumped onto the dining table.

  5 minutes later…

• Oh! I like this colour pallette on pinterest. Maybe I could use this for a painting in my sketchbook. Searches for sketchbook - locates - looks for gouache paint set - can’t find - discovers water colour set. Maybe I’ll try watercolours. Wait! How do I mix burgundy paint? Googles how to mix burgundy paint. Realises I don’t have Prussian Blue - tries mixing another blue but to no luck. Oooh I need a different paintbrush? Starts looking for paintbrushes - gives up. Adds wet sketchbook with weird purple colour onto the pile of crap on the dining table.

This continues ad infinitum until I get interrupted by life/a child/needing to go to work and the I sit and wonder how my house became so messy and why I feel frustrated all the time.

I’ve had this David Shrigley tea towel for years. It really sums up my house. I was mortified when my six year old slowly read it outloud the other day.

I wanted to write today about how I plan to move through this, and hopefully help you to do the same.

Welcome to:

The Great Paper Scraps Challenge.

Here are the rules:

• Grab a container, go around the house and gather up any paper scraps and put them all together

• Use these for the following projects

• Make something small

• Don’t worry about it being perfect

• Have fun!

Without further ado: here are five ideas for using up paper scraps.

Paper embroidery

I stumbled across this idea on Pinterest the other day and over the past three evenings I’ve made this:

I’m so pleased with how she turned out! I used a Hokusai postcard I’ve had in my stash for ages. I glued it onto a magazine page, and then searched for “cross stitch patterns” on pinterest until I found one I liked. I printed this off, and laid it across the image, taping it down with washi tape on the back.

I then used an awl to make holes in each corner of the squares which had a stitch on, then embroidered it using some red embroidery thread. If this tickles your fancy, here’s a few others: I’m itching to do more!

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This was a really quick way of using up some paper scraps, and I also think these would make really nice Christmas gifts. I’m going to try doing some photographs next.

Hello lovely members of The Journal Club, thank you so much for being here!

The next idea is really good for using up those tiny bits that you can’t bear to chuck out but you’re unsure what to do with.

Scrap roll

Simply lay out some packing tape sticky side up and add all your little scraps.

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This can then be chopped up and used to brighten up journal spreads, or to make tags and pockets to decorate your pages.

The next one has become somewhat of an obsession recently

Tape transfers

click this link for instructions

This is such a fun way of creating collage fodder in a really quick and accesible way. It really adds pops to your journals. Here’s some in my art journal:

Above, the chair, the David Hockney horizontal strips and the “Hansom Couple” are all tape transfers I took from magazine pages.

Collage

I’ve recently started using this ring bound sketchbook with multicoloured pages as a dedicated collage book:

I find collaging so quick and satisfying. If you’d like a free collage sheet you can find it below - if you missed it!

Art journal/collage

I’ve also been working recently in my art journal. I find I need three separate books.

1. sketchbook, where I am creating my own drawings and paintings.

2. collage book - purely for cutting and sticking

3. art journal - where I combine cutting and sticking and art.

I don’t know why but separating the three helps my brain to get over the paralysis of figuring out which art form I want to do. Anyway, here’s a few art journal pages which I’ve recently completed that used up lots of scraps:

Thank you so much for being here. If you make anything inspired by this post, please do share, I’d love to see it!

Hello and welcome to the sixth issue of The Creative Spark!

This newsletter is a microcosm of what Heppy’s Journal is all about. Chasing little tiny sparks of creativity and using them to turn into bursts of inspiration. I want to inspire you to plan your next project, have an experiment, make a mess, and imbue a bit of joyful creativity into your one wild and precious life.

Housekeeping: If you’ve opened this post from your email it might be too long to read. If this is the case just click the title to read on Substack.

Okay let’s jump straight in with what I’ve been making this month.

This month I’ve been focusing on my travelling journal club!

Last week I launched my new club, and I’m delighted to announce that two groups have already started working on their journals. I can’t tell you how chuffed this has made me. I wasn’t sure if anyone would want to sign up and I’m so so pleased that they have!

If you missed the post, I’ll summarise by explaining that this is a collaborative art project working in small groups of around six people. Each person starts a journal, with a few collaborative spreads and pages about themselves. They pop it in the post to the next member once a month, and in turn receive another journal to work on. You continue until your journal returns home with lots of lovely additions and hopefully you’ll have made some new friends whilst creating together.

If that sounds like something you’d like to join, you’ll be pleased to know it’s evergreen, there will be more people ready to go soon, so please read the post below if you’d like some more information.

Introducing: The Substackhood of the Travelling Journal

Please click the above link - for some reason I can’t get it to imbed properly.

I finished a jigsaw

Does completing a jigsaw count as making something? I’m saying yes! I treated myself to this Moomin jigsaw and set it up on the coffee table and got cracking each time my kids were watching something inane on the telly. It’s a win win as it was a bit of mindfulness for me (I totally got into a flow state) and I could also hang with my kids without being driven insane by Spidey and His Amazing Twats Friends and resorting to doomscrolling.

I took the jigsaw to the next level by framing it and then amusing myself by taking selfies with it. 10/10 would recommend.

I’m still knitting the bloody jumper

The jumper is taking forever. The body is done. Half a sleeve is done. I’m just really struggling to motivate myself to finish. She’s so pretty though - look!

I’m hoping that in sharing this I will feel held accountable and get it finished. I also really really want to start knitting a baby jumper for my friend who is pregnant - due in December… eeeesh! Writing that has really made me want to crack on!

I’m working on an art journal

I’ve started a new art journal. Here’s a taster to whet your whistle.

I hope you’re enjoying this post! To see more, please subscribe if you haven’t already to continue reading below the free wall.

Read more

Hello friend!

I hope all is well with you, and you’re enjoying this kind of burrowing season.

I’ve started rereading Katherine May’s Wintering and I’m fully embracing my crafting, working on knitting my jumper and! I’ve started a brand new art journal that I’m pretty obsessed with.

I wanted to write today about something I feel very passionate about.

Pockets.

I feel strongly about pockets. I think most women I know do. (and men too) I want pockets in my clothes. I want pockets in my pyjamas (which arguably I wear more than clothes) I want pockets in my dressing gown.

But most of all…

I want pockets in my journals.

I will argue my case… now.

The humble journal pocket: an introduction

There’s something very nice about pockets. Firstly, you don’t have to spend the day yelling WHERE’S MY PHONE, HAS ANYONE SEEN MY PHONE. and there’s a deep comfort to be found in that.

Aside from phones, there’s nothing I love more than popping a little treasure inside my pocket. I’m a big collector of good stones, nice leaves, business cards, labels with good graphic design and colourful bits of packaging that I squirrel away for my journals.

But, clothes shouldn’t get to have all the fun! Our journals need places to keep their treasures too.

What exactly goes inside a journal pocket?

A journal pocket is there to give all those little things you collect a place to live until you decide what to do with them.

There are many lovely bits and bobs you can save from your days and pop inside a journal pocket.

• A receipt from a lovely bookshop or coffee date

• A ticket from a cinema trip or gig

• The label from something delicious, or maybe you just liked the packaging

• Drawings your kids made

• Interesting postcards and magazine clippings

• Paint swatch cards

• Photographs that haven’t quite got a home yet

I think the magic is that you can decide to keep little bits of ephemera from your life. Collecting these items reminds us that the little things are actually the big things. You don’t have to make a whole journal page from these things, sometimes just keeping them and declaring them special enough to be saved is enough.

Paid subscribers to Heppy’s Journal become members of The Journal Club. You’ll receive one post a week just for club members. Posts include collage sheets, creative journal kits, journal prompts, creative newsletters and the main character challenge. My aim with my newsletter is to help my readers feel creative, make stuff and find their way back home to themselves.

A cheeky video tour of some of my pockets (sounds rude but it’s not)

click this link to watch a very haphazard video

Not all pockets are created equal

Now, I want to give some visual examples of different styles of pocket you could consider adding to your journal.

1. The folded pocket

   Sometimes I like to impress myself by following origami tutorials and adding them to my journal and then instantly forgetting how I did them. Here’s an example:

   

   This is a teeny pocket I made from a book page. I’m afraid I have absolutely no idea how I did it. I tried looking on youtube but I then spent ages looking down the rabbithole of tutorials and reader, I nearly didn’t return.

2. The envelope pocket

   I’m going to whisper you a little secret here… guess what…

   An envelope is just a pocket made out of paper.

   Did you realise that?

   I’m being facetious but please don’t overlook the humble envelope as the easiest pocket you can add to your journal. Just glue it down! It can be closed and sealed for private treasures, or you can stick it in open, if it has a pretty lining like the one below.

   

3. The tuck spot

   A tuck spot is just a nice piece of paper attached at two edges, allowing you to tuck things underneath. This is a really good paper stash buster.

   

4. A see-through pocket

   Ooooh I love a vellum or a glassine pocket. The fun bit is you get the extra treat of a little peak of what is inside.

   Below I made a see through pocket using some packaging that has a fun iridescent quality. The little guy holding a fish is actually a sticker. I love his attitude. I didn’t want him hidden away so I’m glad this pocket lets me keep him in view.

   Below you can see two teeny pockets in one teeny journal!

   To the left is a little velum window pocket that I tucked a fabric butterfly embelishment inside, and then to the left is a little pocket waiting for something to be tucked in.

   

   Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.

   This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Hello friend and happy Sunday!

I’ve been thinking recently about how I’m so passionate about journaling but it is, by nature, such an inward facing and solitary hobby. It is my dream to engage more with the journaling community and bring lots of groups of journal lovers together internationally to create something really special.

Housekeeping: Please note, if you’ve opened this post via email it may be too long to view properly, please click the title and you’ll be taken through to Substack where you can read the whole thing.

What is the Substackhood of the Travelling Journal?

Have you heard of The Sisterhood of the Travelling Journal?

If not, it’s a collaborative journaling project where each member adds personal touches to a journal before passing it to the the next member. If you’d like to watch a visual representation I found this video quite a good example.

Well this is the same thing! This is a collaboration project. I changed the name to be a bit more inclusive, and a bit more Substack-themed. I’ve also rejigged the concept so that each member ends up with a journal.

Personally, I will be creating a small group of around six members, based in the UK (in order to keep postage costs down for the group) I’ll encourage many other groups to start, internationally, and I hope to help members find each other.

If this sounds like something you’d like to join, please comment on this post, and I will help you to find a group!

Okay - tell me more….

It starts with a journal, it ends with connection.

Okay I’m interested, how do I get started?

Step 1: Establish your group members

Please comment on this post if you’re interested and say where you are based. Personally, I’m going to be capping my own group at six members, and it will be UK only to save on postage costs for everybody. Please comment with your location to find a group local to you.

I want to post the journal once a month (I have kids/busy life etc and I need time to work on the journal) I’ll discuss this with the group. This means I’ll get my journal back in six months. I won’t be waiting forever for it to circle round a massive group. Of course, you can have more members, and you can post every two weeks etc, it’s entirely up to you, I just thought I’d explain my reasoning.

Step 2: Create a group chat. Establish your guidelines/rules

How’s it going to work? You will need to decide:

1. How often will you send the journals? You could post them on the first day of each month, or every two weeks if you’re all keen.

2. Decide on journal type: this is pretty loose, but I’d recommend A5 as big enough to work in but not too big as to make postage expensive. Hardback is probably a good idea for durability.

3. How are you going to post the journals? (For my group, I will be asking you to post tracked with Royal Mail, as I can’t bear the thought of any journals going walkabout.)

4. Share when you have posted the journal, with tracking details

5. Agree what happens if life gets in the way. I think if disaster strikes - the best thing to do is just skip a month and send the journal on, so the circle doesn’t break.

6. Remember communication is key -if you’re struggling let the group know.

Step 3: Everyone in the group starts a journal

Month one: everyone is working on their own journal, sorting out some bits, making the cover look nice etc.

Make an about me page

Start a few collaborative spreads (I’ll be sharing a post on these soon!)

Step 4: Once a month (or every two weeks if that’s what you’ve decided) - send the journals

Step 5: Your next journal arrives

Add to any collaborative pages you fancy. Start a few new ones. (note - don’t start collaborative pages if you’re coming to the end of the cycle - that would be silly!)

You can add also add some fun spreads that don’t require collaboration, more on that soon.

Step 6: Your journal returns home.

After a few month your beautiful journal will return, filled with love and treasure and a few new friends.

Wait! How exactly does the circle work though? Do I need to give out my address to loads of strangers?

Allow me to use the celebrity traitors to illustrate how this all works.

On the agreed day of the month: I post my journal to Rob Beckett (now there’s a sentence I never imagined writing!)

On the same day, Rob Beckett posts his journal to Miranda. Miranda posts hers to Romesh, Romesh to Bella, Bella to Richard and Richard to me (do you like this fantasy world I’ve created? I then work on the journal I’ve received from Richard until it’s time to post again, and off it goes to Rob Beckett.

Okay okay this is very silly, but what I’m trying to demonstrate is that you will be posting a journal to the same person in the circle each time. And in turn, you only give your address to the person before you in the circle.

I suggest you have a trusted person “in charge” of the group, who you send your address to. The person in charge then sends the details to each member of the person ahead of them in the chain. So, I would give Rob Beckett Miranda’s address, and Miranda would be given Romesh’s address etc.

I sometimes find it hard to make sense of things in a written format (if that isn’t already obvious) so please just comment if I can help clarify anything!

What should each journal include?

It’s entirely up to you, but I do have a few suggestions:

• I’d start with a little welcome letter, and any guidelines/things that you’d like your journal buddies to add to your book. For example, I’ll be asking my circle to complete an “about me” page in my book, so I can learn a bit about my new friends. I’ll also be asking them to add a few pages of their own to the book. More on this later.

  

  Above is my first page, I’ll be writing a little welcome letter in the flip down bit on the left of the image.

• I’d then recommend adding a guest check in page, so each person can write their names and the date they received the journal. Here’s mine:

  

  I’ve included a UK map. Here I’m going to put a little sticker on Leeds and draw a dotty line to the next member of the group and then ask the others to do the same. I think it’ll be such a cute way to track the journey!

• Definitely do an about me page for yourself so your group members can get to know you a bit more and have an idea of your interests, this page will hopefully inspire them with some spread ideas.

  

  For example, from my About Me page, a group member might think “ohh okay, she likes music, I could do a favourite song lyric spread..” or “she’s into witchy stuff, so lets do a star sign spread” etc.

• Also a think about what you’d like to get from your travelling journal experience, and use this to create spreads. I know this sounds odd, but I - for example, am interested in getting to know my journal members, and learn more about them, so I’ll make spreads to encourage them to share in a fun way.

  And from a selfish point of view, I’d like to get some book/film/podcast/tv show/Substack recommendations so I’ll definitely include some collaborative spreads asking my group to share those.

What do you mean by collaborative spreads?

- Oh I thought you’d never ask! Let me give you some ideas!

Swaps

I’m imagining most folk who are into this kind of project are also into collecting hoarding stickers, so I’ve set up this spread where you can take some stickers and add some in for the other group members. This was quite an easy one - I just stuck down two envelopes to make pockets to hold the stickers.

This could also work with postcards, paper scraps, ephemera etc.

Build a Quilt

Speaking of paper scraps - this is such a cute idea:

image from pinterest

I’d be tempted to paper clip a little square template to this page, so that the group members can draw around it to quickly create squares of the right size. I want all my pages that I’m asking for collaboration on to feel fun and easy - so think of ways to help your members out!

This or That

This is a silly but fun one:

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Each member chooses a sticker colour, and adds their name to the key and then votes on this or that.

Instead of this or that, I’m more tempted by an unhinged version of “would you rather”….

…would you rather have no teeth or no hair?

(lol - just a little taster of what you’re getting yourself in for if you join my group.)

Add your favourite…

This is a big wide one: Here’s an example from my journal:

Other favourites ideas: favourite films, comfort food, podcasts, TV shows, comfort watches, poems, rabbit holes, cartoon characters, TV show from childhood, recipes, youtube creators, quotes, self care activities.

Pet page

I will definitely be encouraging members to add to the pet gallery

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I looooove the idea of seeing everyone’s pets hanging out together in a little gallery! If a group member doesn’t have pets they can just skip this page.

Sticker dump pages

A really quick, easy and fun spread is to dedicate a few pages to stickers/images of a specific colour. So you could add a green background and few green stickers and encourage the group to add to it:

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This is a really quick one to set up and a quick one to contribute to.

I’m tempted to start a page dedicated to weird stickers. You know those ones with funny spellings or you’re just like what the hell is that sticker? I know you’ve all got a few of those tucked away!

Washi Tape Page

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Another fun one, I’m sure most people could whack some washi in there, and if you don’t have washi tape just skip this one.

Dump Pages

A large part of me shudders over the word “dump”, I need to find an alternative. But this is another dead easy spread - a stamp page:

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I’ve seen this done well with fruit stickers, junk spreads, and favourite comfort food wrappers.

Puzzle Page

Possibly the easiest one to do - chuck a wordsearch, a sudoku or even a colouring page in for the group to work on together.

Please do comment on this post if you’d like to join. There are still spots in my UK group at time of posting!

Hello friend and happy Wednesday,

It’s definitely getting a bit gloomier and chiller up here in Leeds, West Yorkshire UK.

I often struggle with the winter seasons as I get hit hard with SAD and feel very low on energy. When I’m feeling really zapped I find that journal prompts are a good way of keeping up with my journaling practise and taking away that decision of thinking of something to write about when I’m low on energy.

To help you do the same, here are 25 journal prompts. They are centred around my theme for October, which is

Making ordinary days feel special

There’s also some little spooky/Halloweeny ones thrown in too…

Ta Da!

Here are your prompts for October. I’ve made these into a visual format hoping that you’d like to print/chop it up/get creative with it.

For those of you who want to copy/paste and use digitally:

1. Write a list of five little things you could enjoy today.

2. What is something you’re looking forward to this week?

3. Write about an ordinary moment from today that you’d like to remember.

4. What small things make your home feel like home?

5. Make a list of your favourite rituals.

6. Which item of clothing makes you feel like yourself? Why?

I hope you found these prompts inspiring. For paid subscribers, there are 19 more prompts below the paywall. Please consider upgrading your subscription to have a look - your journal will thank you!

Alongside monthly journal prompts like these, paid subscribers join The Journal Club, membership includes:

𖤓 The Creative Spark 𖤓 My monthly personal letter about books, creativity, making stuff, motherhood, and whatever is currently catching my imagination and curiosity.

𖤓 The Main Character Challenge 𖤓 Little adventures and prompts to make ordinary life feel more exciting and help you return home to yourself.

𖤓 Seasonal Journal Kits 𖤓 Four times a year you will receive a bigger bumper pack filled with creative resources.

𖤓 A Creative Extra 𖤓 Once a month I’ll be sending you some extra goodies such as printables, journal pages, collage sheets, mini zines and other paper treats.

All subscribers (including unpaid) will continue to receive a post each week covering journaling, slow living, creativity, identity and motherhood.

Helloo beautiful members of The Journal Club!

Please enjoy the rest of your prompts below.

7. Write about a beautiful thing you saw today.

8. What is your favourite part of the day and why?

9. Make a “romanticise my day” plan for tomorrow.

10. What will you remember about this season of life?

11. Write a love letter to your future self.

12. How can you make the evenings feel cosy and special?

13. Describe you memories from Halloween as a child.

14. What are your thoughts on celebrating Halloween as an adult, or with your own children?

15. Do you decorate your home for autumn/Halloween? Why/why not?

16. What would your younger self find magical about your everyday life today?

17. If you could change your name, what would you pick?

18. Do you like horror films? Which one is your favourite?

    

19. Do you have a favourite spooky book?

20. Pick a spooky/seasonal read from your TBR and write about why you chose it.

21. Write about a small adventure you could have without going very far.

22. What is something you usually do on autopilot that you could be present for today.

23. What are your favourite autumnal colours? Make a spread using them.

24. What could you collect from your day and add to your journal?

25. Finish this sentence: One day, I might look back on these ordinary days and realise…

Thank you so much for your continued support. It means the world to me!

Hello friend and happy Sunday!

Quick housekeeping: If you’ve opened this post via email it might be too long to read fully. If so, please click the title and it’ll take you through to read it on Substack.

I’ve been thinking recently about how I motivate myself to journal each day, and how I make it fun even on days when I’m completely pooped and I feel like I’ve got nothing interesting to write.

I realised I do something I like to call journal prepping. I don’t know if I came up with this idea or if I absorbed it via osmosis from somewhere else?

Have you heard of meal prepping? I’m sure you have. Personally I have never done it because I can’t be arsed but the idea is that you plan and make loads of healthy meals on a Sunday for the week ahead.

I don’t meal prep. I mainly eat chocolate and drink mochas and wine but I DO journal prep.

Side note - I DEFINITELY look just like The Rock when I’m journal prepping.

But what the heck is journal prep?

So, taking the meal prepping metaphor and running with it, I love to journal prep when I am feeling buzzy and creative and like I want to MAKE STUFF. But I don’t start mass chopping vegetables, instead, I prepare a few days, weeks, or even a month’s worth of journal pages in advance. I want to show you the process which I hope will result in you having a more fun and creative experience whilst journaling.

But why?

Journal prep means you don’t have to wait until you feel creative and in the mood and ready to journal. When your brain is tired, you’ve been through the equivalent of the Battle of the Somme trying to get the kids to bed the last thing you want to do is try to make your journal pages look beautiful. Then you’re left with a page of just writing (or ranting haha) and it looks a bit crap and in turn doesn’t inspire you to keep up your daily journaling habit.

The Recipe

Serves: One tired journaler

Prep time: 30-60 minutes

Difficulty: Easy….and fun!

Best enjoyed: on a day when you feel like making stuff

Ingredients

• Your journal

• Favourite pens

• Glue and scissors

• Some stickers you’ve been saving for best hoarding.

• Washi tape

• Bits of paper/that little pile of ephemera I know you have

• Cute images (seasonal ones are fun)

• A few journal prompts

This is a clearing out the fridge recipe - use what you’ve got kicking about

If you’d like to make it super easy for yourself, all the images I’ve used in this post are available in my bumper autumn journal pack here:

Method

Now this is where we go a bit crazy with it. I like to do double page spreads as it pleases me to have two pages that link together visually.

Add your base

Step 1) Add a date image to each page - this is a quick and fun way to shove a quick pop of colour on each page.

If you’d like to get your hands on these date number images for your own journal, they’re right here in my autumn journal pack:

Step 2) Work on the borders. Add some pattern to your edges - washi/ torn patterned papers/doodles and images work well. This makes for a nicely decorated page with lots of space left for writing.

Side note I find it’s best to stick papers/stickers at the edges of pages rather than the centre as this stops your journal from getting too bulky.

Step 3) Box it up. On a few of the pages, add a tonne of boxes. It’s fun to play around with they layout, and pretend your journal is a newspaper and it also breaks up any fear of the blank page for those super low energy days.

You may spot I’ve popped a few journal prompts in the above spread.

Add some flavourings

Step 1) Add a scattering of journal prompts throughout your pages. This is a no nonsense way of giving future you something to write about. And if you don’t fancy that prompt on the given day you can either leave it blank and return to it, or just whack a sticker or some washi tape over it - no biggy.

If you’d like a load of autumnal prompts, there’s 25 of them in this post:

Above is a double spread with one prompt added. Tell me you wouldn’t find this inviting at the end of a long day!

Step 2) Add lyrics, text, thoughts, musings. When I was journal prepping I was listening to Awake my Soul by Mumford and Sons, and it made its way into my pages:

I think adding the songs you like is a fun way of remembering where your brain was at during the period of writing.

Step 3) My latest obsession: turning the quotes on the bottom of the Hobonichi page into blackout poetry. (I realise this is very niche.)

Don’t forget - Snacks!

Okay, last thing before I exhaust this metaphor and myself completely - I like to cut out a load of images and gather some stickers and pop them in the pocket in the back of my journal.

Then you’ve got a nice little stash of bits that you can use to make your journal look pretty that you can just grab and stick in on a low energy without having to rifle through your paper stash and start making more mess.

Serve

I hope that the above post has inspired you to get journal prepping and make future you a lovely creative place to land. Here’s a final pick of a fully journal prepped page I made back in March:

I think you’ll agree it’s much more fun to look at than a page of writing (which is fine too of course)

Hello friend and happy Wednesday!

I’m trying to get into a rhythm of posting on the same day each week, so going forward, Wednesdays will be a paid post (with bits that are readable to everyone) and Sunday will be a free post.

In case you’re new - hi! I’m Heppy, and I write about making stuff, nurturing your creativity, journaling, noticing the little things and popping them in your journal, then using your pages to follow the wiggly road back home to yourself.

Today I must admit I’m rather bouncy because it’s time for your big seasonal journal pack!! There will be four of these each year, including lots of goodies for you to print and use in your journal.

I’m a firm believer in journal prepping which I think (?) I came up with?

The ideas is like meal planning - when you’ve got energy, you’re going to sit down and get a load of pages ready for your journal days when you’re knackered and can’t be arsed to make it pretty. The autumn journal pack is designed to help you do just that.

I’ll be writing a post about journal prepping soon, watch this space.

Anyway, back to your autumn journal pack: you’ll be treated to lots of images, including Halloween and spooky season goodies, cute backgrounds, currently lists, frames, and hand drawn illustrations.

I am especially pleased with these little date boxes, if I may indulge you in a sneak peak:

Okay, hopefully that has whetted your whistle appropriately. Here is the first page of The Journal Club’s Autumn Journal pack…. drumroll please….

TA DA!

I hope you like it! Please do print it out and chop it up and use it to make your journal (and hopefully you) happy. And please do share, that would make me very happy indeed.

You’ve got the weekdays and autumn months to use as titles in your journal.

Shout out to any cheapskates like me and using the 2025 Hobonichi this year, and therefore all the days are out of sync. GOD IT’S SO ANNOYING AND CONFUSING. There you go, solved it for you, you can thank me later! There’s also a habit tracker. Maybe you could award yourself one of those gold stars for being good?

This is but a mere taster of the ten page pack that is below the paywall.

Hellooo to you lovely Journal Club Members! I can’t explain how happy it makes me to see you here. Please download the PDF below and you’ll be able to access the full autumnal journal pack. This is the first time I’ve made one, so please don’t hesitate to message me if anything looks a bit wonky. Also, I’d love to hear any suggestions for what you’d like to see in future packs.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

17MB ∙ PDF file

Download

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With all my love, conkers, crunchy leaves and crunchie bars (yassss)

Hello friends, and happy Saturday!

Today’s post is all about the things I collect for my autumn journal.

Housekeeping: If you’re reading this post via email, it might be too long to display properly. If this is the case, please click the title to be taken through to Substack where you can read the whole thing.

I’m a bit like a squirrel, or some might say - a Womble. I have always collected little treasures, bits and bobs, but there’s something about autumn that makes me go full Uncle Bulgaria. They’re not especially expensive, or useful things that I#m drawn to. In fact, many of of the bits I collect I’ve picked up for free or found lying about on the ground.

Now that I’ve got you mumbling the song (I’m showing my age here lol) let’s get cracking with some little treasures for your journal.

🍂Fallen Leaves🍂

It would basically be illegal to not include some leaves in your autumn journals.

I found a really good leaf on my run last week and I’ve basically been insufferable ever since.

BUT HOW DO I ADD IT TO MY JOURNAL???

Well… you could scan the excellent leaf in. Or photograph it on a white background if you don’t have a scanner.

Then you can print as many versions and in as many sizes as you like and stick them where you jolly well please.

You can even add the actual leaf to your pages too

1. Leave it to dry out for a few days. It needs to feel dry but not crunchy.

2. Make a layer of sellotape, sticky side up. The fat packing tape is best/easiest but use what you have - I only had the thin stuff.

3. Flatten the leaf down, then cover it on top with another layer of sellotape so it is sealed inside. This will stop it making your journal damp or dirty and will help preserve it. It’ll continue to change colour, which makes it an even more fun addition to your autumn pages.

I haven’t fully decided where mine is going yet, but for now she’s chilling and flattening out a bit in this sketchbook page:

Napkins and Fabric Scraps

Are you the kind of person who loves nothing more than digging about in charity shops? Me too! Recently I found some lovely embroidered napkins which I’ve been scanning in and using to decorate pages.

I also love to throw fabric scraps that have an autumnal colour pallette in the scanner and use them too. I love how the texture comes through and you’re left with something much richer looking than a flat paper background.

The above fabrics are from my best shop (sostrene grene) They’d make a fantastic background.

Here’s a quick October ten list spread I put together using the above scans. I hope it inspires you to do the same!

I often use the actual fabric in my junk journals too. I do find that fabric quickly bulks up a page, but I like my junk journals chunky!

Autumn Colours

Ooooh now this is a fun spread idea. Have a dig through your paper scraps and old magazines and choose an autumnal colour… might I suggest:

• Burgundy

• Chocolate brown

• Ochre

• Moss green

• Rust

• Cream

Once you’ve chosen you’re favourite, go treasure hunting and collect and cut out all the little bits that are that colour and make yourself a little colour palette page. This is a really fun, and quickly rewarding journal spread that you can knock out whilst watching a cosy film in the evening. Here’s my burgundy page:

Song lists and other things my kids are currently into

Right now I can’t imagine a time in the future where the school run isn’t made 100% more stressful by having to listen to the bloody Pokémon Rap at full volume. But maybe one day I’ll look back on that memory and laugh? If I’m not too traumatised?

I know for a fact that one day I’ll forget the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle obsession and how I learnt the names of the fantastic four aged 36.

So, I beg you, write the little things down, future you will thank you!

If you don’t have kids, make a little time capsule for future you by listing the books, tv shows, films, podcasts etc that you’re enjoying this month.

Autumn Journal Challenge

So, I thought I’d round this post off with a little call to action to inspire you to make something. Remember the making is the important bit.

For the next seven days I challenge you to collect an item each day, and at the end of the week, use them to make a journal spread.

I saw a really cool idea: use a stamp shaped paper cutter (or any shape you like) to make your daily ephemera a uniform size and then stick them down. I found an inspiration pic on Pinterest so you can see what I’m waffling on about.

source

Kelly Russo, collage artist here on Substack uses a circle punch. I find this so pleasing to look at and it strikes me as such a quick and fun way of organising paper scraps without it looking scrappy.

Well, that’s all folks! I hope you enjoyed this post and I’d love to see any pages it inspired you to make. Please consider upgrading your subscription if you can, or if that isn’t possible, a share makes a huge difference to me too. Thank you!

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Until next time ❤️

Hello friend and a pinch punch first of the month happy Thursday!

Today is the first edition of the Main Character Challenge.

Every month I’ll give you one tiny challenge designed to help you notice your life, write about it, make room for joy and become a little more yourself.

This month’s challenge is:

The Curiosity Challenge

Housekeeping: Please note that if you’ve opened this post via email it may be too long to read through to the end. If this is the case please click the title and it’ll take you through to Substack where you can catch the whole thing.

The Curiosity Challenge

What on earth is the curiosity challenge, I hear you cry?

Well. I am going to be giving you some mini challenges to help you chase your curiosity. You’ll follow the things that fascinate you down the rabbit hole. Whilst digging about in your rabbit warren of interest, you won’t mind the dirt under your fingernails when you realise that your tunnel connects to millions of other interesting tunnels. My hope is that when you pop back above ground you’re in a different place entirely with no doomscrolling thumbs to be seen.

Your Missions

In this section I’m going to give you a few suggestions for your month of chasing curiosities. Perhaps you could…

1. Write down your curiosities

An obvious place to start, I know. Is your phone full of screenshots of stuff you’ve found fascinating and then you haven’t got any further? Well might I suggest that you need a special space in your journal dedicated to thoughts and ideas. A space where absolutely no memory keeping/to do lists allowed, this is just a space for the things that you want to explore. I stumbled across this idea in Erin Ware’s youtube video which is well worth checking out.

It seems so obvious, but for some reason I have never done this before. As you can see below, if I find something interesting I’ll make a quick note of it:

I then have separate journal pages titled:

• Fiction TBR

• Non/Fiction TBR

• Films to watch

• Documentaries to watch

• TV series to watch

• Commonplace topics

These are slowly getting filled up et voila I don’t think I have an excuse for doomscrolling ever again.

2. Start a tiny research project

Yay yay yay I find this so exciting to talk about.

Did you stumble across something that you want to explore further? I think having something to research is so much fun. I find it’s massively confidence boosting, if you like me, maybe left academia a long time ago, and perhaps have had children/grief/hard parts of life that make your adulting brain feel like porridge.

Enter: The personal research topic. This is lighter than a personal curriculum. You’re going to choose one topic, one thing that is really fun and fascinating and exciting to you and you’re going to do a deep dive.

If you need a bit of help finding a suitable topic, I discovered some amazing syllabus posts by A Delicate Reader here on substack which made me go: YES!! THAT’S MY TOPIC and she includes lots of quirky suggestions like milk studies, mushrooms, ice humanities, cute studies etc.

A Delicate Reader

I Made a Syllabus of the Weirdest Things Humans Study (Part 1)

One of the most common reactions I get when I tell people I studied food in fiction for my PhD is surprise. For some, it seems too mundane or too light to be the subject of serious scholarship (incidentally, even within academia, certain fields can still elicit the occasional arched eyebrow). And yet I personally think that the field of humanities is at…

Read more

4 months ago · 179 likes · 5 comments · Gema Ren Gonzales

Her posts include entry point and deep dive texts, books, movies, long and short reads on the topic, which for me takes away a lot of the “boring” bit and allows me to get stuck right in with the nitty gritty.

Anyway, for the foreseeable, I’ll be researching and writing about

Dark Tourism

Maybe it’s the cooling weather, maybe I’ve always had a fascination with the darker side of things, but this topic is endlessly fascinating to me! You can of course choose something a bit happier. Follow your curiosity!

3. Visit somewhere you’ve never been

This doesn’t seem like a biggie but I think a massive part of being the main character of your own life is making each day different, and a little bit memorable. This is how you end up with something different to write in your daily journal each day. I know being a grown up is quite tiresome but there’s nothing more depressing than sitting down at the end of each day and having absolutely nothing of note to write about.

This month, why not set aside a day of your weekend to plan a daytrip to somewhere new? Or closer to home, maybe there’s a new exhibit in your town you’d like to visit, a park you’d like to explore?

I decided to do something very small, that I almost feel silly writing about, but it felt very main character and it made a big difference to my day.

Every time I go for a run (thrice weekly at the moment) I always run up and down the wooded road by my house. It’s quite nice. It’s flat ish. It’s not too busy (the thought of running down a street filled with people is my idea of hell) Anyway. This week I decided to drop my kids off at school and do a lap of the lake in my local park and let me tell you it was bloody glorious! It’s a tiny thing but it gave me a boost of confidence:

I can run in the park and I won’t be in the way

I can explore a new route and not know if it’ll be muddy or hilly!

It’s so silly how much this boosted my mood. I even made a journal spread about it! (well of course I did)

The rest of this post continues below the paywall, please consider becoming a paid subscriber if you found the start of this post to be of value.

4. Read/watch/listen to something outside of your normal taste

We all know what we like. We like what we like. I can hear you sighing at the prospect of watching something you have the potential to dislike, but I urge you to escape your own algorithm and try something unexpected. How very main character of you!

It’s time to pick a film you’ve assumed you won’t enjoy, an album from an era you know nothing about, or a book that looks completely unlike anything on your bedside table. If this fills you with horror, why not borrow someone else’s taste? Ask someone you love:

• -What’s your favourite film?

  -Which album could you listen to forever?

  -What book changed you?

Of course, I encourage you to make a journal spread about it! See my Normal People spread below. I put off watching it for ages because I didn’t really like the book…

5. Start/or work on your commonplace book

I don’t know about you but I LOVE relaxing by watching journaling videos on youtube. Might I suggest a few of my favourites:

• Georgia Journals

• Bronte Swannick

• Erin Ware

The reason I’m directing you towards YouTube is because it’s such a fun visual place to find aesthetic inspiration for journaling. My own commonplace book is just literally pages and pages of writing, so it’s not very fun to look at but I will definitely show you some pics in the coming months. Pinterest is also a fun place to search for commonplace themes and ideas, but obviously it changes for each person’s taste and styles.

What is a commonplace book?

Simply put, a commonplace book is a notebook where the writer compiles quotes and ideas that they find interesting and useful. It’s a special place to store all those interesting things and file them in a way that you can return to them.

source

Put it in your journal

Of course, you won’t escape the Main Character Challenge without writing about it in your journal. Here are a few prompts to record your month of curiosity.

• Make a list of further topics that fascinate you, and you’d like to research further in your personal curriculum or commonplacing habit. Here’s a few I’m going to be tackling: moon phases, notes on books I’m reading, trees in my local area, local myths, favourite song lyrics.

• List the new places you’d like to go before Christmas 2026. It’s good to have a bit of a deadline. Maybe you can schedule a few in?

• What topic would I explore if nobody else ever had to see the result?

• If I followed my curiosity each time I felt tempted to doomscroll, what difference would it make to my life?

• What if curiosity was enough of a reason? What would I follow if I stopped asking whether it was productive, impressive or worthwhile?

  

  The main character moment

  Each month in the Main Character Challenge, I’m going to give you a challenge: one slightly brave or fun thing to do. This month, I want you to tell somebody about what you’ve learnt.

  Do you know that whole thing about how you don’t really know a topic until you explain it to something else? Well, give yourself the slightly scary challenge:

  tell someone about what you’ve learnt this month.

  I can guarantee an interesting (if slightly awkward) conversation will follow. How very main character of you!

  

  

  At the end of the month…

  It’s time for a reflection page in your journal - what did you notice? What surprised you about the challenge? Did it improve anything, or make the ordinary feel a bit more fun?

  What do you want to carry forward to the month ahead?

I really hope you enjoyed the first edition of the Main Character Challenge. Thank you so much for supporting me, it means the world to me.

Hello and happy Sunday friend!

I thought I’d treat you to a little visual round up of the things that have brought me joy this month.

Let’s get cracking!

Subscribe now

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing or upgrading to a paid subscription.

Paid subscribers receive:

𖤓 A creative journal prompt pack 𖤓 including 20-30 prompts for reflection, creativity and rediscovering yourself.

𖤓 The Creative Spark 𖤓 My monthly personal letter about books, creativity, making stuff, motherhood, and whatever is currently catching my imagination and curiosity.

𖤓 The Main Character Challenge 𖤓 Little adventures and prompts to make ordinary life feel more exciting and help you return home to yourself.

𖤓 Seasonal Journal Kits 𖤓 Four times a year you will receive a bigger bumper pack filled with creative resources.

𖤓 A Creative Extra 𖤓 Once a month I’ll be sending you some extra goodies such as printables, journal pages, collage sheets, mini zines and other paper treats.

All subscribers (including unpaid) will continue to receive a post like this each week covering slow living, creativity, identity and motherhood.

Subscribe now

Hello friend and happy Friday!

The Journal Club is officially opened its doors this week and it’s been a bloody delight (albeit a terrifying move) to open my paid subscriptions and start creating for this special bunch.

It’s scary when you make something you’ve been dreaming about for ages, and let it go off into the world…. It feels a bit like when we dropped off my firstborn son in the middle of lockdown into nursery….

OH MY GOD. Will they look after him? Will they like him? Will he be okay???

Admittedly there’s less at stake here, but I’ve dealt with my fare share of imposter syndrome this week. But, as we know from Little Miss Sunshine:

My first paid subscriber arrived and I yelled at my husband “I AM A PROFFESSIONAL WRITER” in a slightly manic way and then….

I popped onto Substack and saw THIS! Are we noticing the number 62 along with my 62% battery? That must mean something right?

Honestly. I’m delighted. Chuffed. I may need to buy myself some cake.

I have lots planned for The Journal Club! On Sunday all subscribers will receive my September List - a big visual treat of a post about the things that have brought me joy this month.

Then next week we will dive into the Main Character Challenge - designed to get you feeling like yourself again. Paid subscribers can also look forward to your bumper autumn journaling pack, and there will be plenty of things to read, little treats, and lots of excuses to make something just because you feel like it.

So, just a short post from me today, and above all, I want to say:

THANK YOU

Thank you for subscribing, sharing, chatting, following along and supporting me!

Hello friend and happy Wednesday!

Welcome to The Journal Club, and your first monthly instalment of journal prompts. Each month I’ll pick a theme and fire some ideas to get you writing and thinking. Free subscribers will get a lovely visual page with five prompts to get you going, and for paid subscribers, there are 25 further prompts below the paywall.

Housekeeping: If you’re opening this via email it might be too long to read, so please click the title to take you through to the substack app to read it all.

Drumroll please….. this month’s theme is….

Meeting Yourself Again

This is a big topic for me at the moment, and I’m sure many of you can relate. These are the questions to help you figure out who you really are behind the to-do list. What do you want from your life? What do you want to prioritise? What is important to your identity that you’ve maybe neglected recently?

I’ve scanned in little bits of scrappy paper and fabric to inspire you to do some gluing and sticking in your journal pages. I scanned this majestic leaf I found on my run - did you know you can scan leaves? Thank me later.

Please enjoy your visual prompt page below:

If you prefer to copy your prompts into your notes app and work on them there, here they are - for ease:

• What is something you thought about a lot as a child?

• What is something you want to achieve by the end of the year?

• How would you describe yourself in three words?

• What is something you’d love to be able to do?

• Write 5 things you can do to look after yourself this week?

I hope you enjoyed this month’s prompts. If you’d like three extra visual journal sheets and 25 extra prompts, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

What do I get if I sign up?

Each month, members of The Journal Club will receive:

𖤓 A creative journal prompt pack 𖤓 including 20-30 prompts for reflection, creativity and rediscovering yourself.

𖤓 The Creative Spark 𖤓 My monthly personal letter about books, creativity, making stuff, motherhood, and whatever is currently catching my imagination and curiosity.

𖤓 The Main Character Challenge 𖤓 Little adventures and prompts to make ordinary life feel more exciting and help you return home to yourself.

𖤓 Seasonal Journal Kits 𖤓 Four times a year you will receive a bigger bumper pack filled with creative resources.

𖤓 A Creative Extra 𖤓 Once a month I’ll be sending you some extra goodies such as printables, journal pages, collage sheets, mini zines and other paper treats.

All subscribers (including unpaid) will continue to receive a post each week covering slow living, creativity, identity and motherhood.

Subscribe now

And below the paywall, please find the rest of the prompts:

You could print these off and add them to your journal. I’ll also add them in a typed out version below if it’s easier to copy and paste into your notes app to work on these digitally.

• What quality do you admire in others?

• What quality do you dislike in others - do you ever see them mirrored in yourself?

• If you died tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?

• If money didn’t matter, what would you do?

• Describe your ideal day.

• If each day had an extra hour just for you, what would you do with it?

• What does being a succesful person mean to you?

• In which areas would you say you are successful?

• What do you look forward to each day?

• Write about three habits you’d like to form.

• How can you add a little joy to your daily life?

• What advice would you give yourself right now?

• Describe what you’d like to look like.

• Is appearance important? Do you worry about your own appearance?

• Which aspects of your life today would your childhood self be impressed by?

• What make you like someone immediately?

• What is your love language?

• How can you make a bit more space for the things you love?

• What was your favourite book as a child?

• What is your favourite book today?

• What is something that instantly inspires you?

• Write about something that you collect or would like to collect.

• What is your favourite colour. Do you have it in your home anywhere?

• Write a list of your favourite songs

• Share a happy memory from your childhood

I hope you found these insightful and chased away the fear of the blank page by giving you something to write about!

Thank you so much for joining me today, and for supporting my work. It honestly made me do a happy dance around my bathroom last night!

Hello friend and happy Monday!

Housekeeping: If you’ve opened this via your email it might be too long to see, please click the title to take you over to read the whole thing.

It is a happy Monday indeed. It was my 36th birthday yesterday! Unfortunately I was rather hungover for the day (it was my best friend’s wedding the day before!)

So instead of wallowing in the post-wedding-and-birthday blues I am delighted to announce that The Journal Club is open!

Hang on….what is The Journal Club?

The Journal Club is the paid tier of Heppy’s Journal. It is your little dose of creativity, inspiration, and main character energy. Think less another newsletter clogging up your inbox, and more you’ve just joined a fun creative club!

Who is it for?

The Journal Club is for anyone craving a life that feels a bit slower and a little more curious, and fun. It’s for people who want to focus on their creativity, become a little less dictated by their screens and able to notice more and feel a bit more like themselves again.

You don’t need to be “good” at art, or journaling, and you don’t need fancy notebooks or loads of spare time. You just need to want to make stuff, write it down, notice the little things and become the main character in your life.

What does signing up get me exactly?

Each month, members of The Journal Club will receive:

𖤓 A creative journal prompt pack 𖤓 including 20-30 prompts for reflection, creativity and rediscovering yourself.

𖤓 The Creative Spark 𖤓 My monthly personal letter about books, creativity, making stuff, motherhood, and whatever is currently catching my imagination and curiosity.

𖤓 The Main Character Challenge 𖤓 Little adventures and prompts to make ordinary life feel more exciting and help you return home to yourself.

𖤓 Seasonal Journal Kits 𖤓 Four times a year you will receive a bigger bumper pack filled with creative resources.

𖤓 A Creative Extra 𖤓 Once a month I’ll be sending you some extra goodies such as printables, journal pages, collage sheets, mini zines and other paper treats.

All subscribers (including unpaid) will continue to receive a post each week covering slow living, creativity, identity and motherhood.

How much is it?

• You can sign up for £6 per month (cancel any time)

• A year’s subscription is £60.

• Founding Member tier starts at £100 per year, and includes four snail mail packs of fun paper goodies sent to you throughout the year.

  NB if your currency isn’t GBP clicking the button below will show you the cost in your local currency.

  Subscribe now

If you’re wondering if The Journal Club is for you, here’s a few examples of my work for your perusal:

Thank you for reading!

Subscribers to The Journal Club will receive their first journal prompt pack on Wednesday!

Here’s a little sneak peak:

Hello friends and Happy Friday!

First of all: a little housekeeping - if you are reading this via email, this post might be too long for you to see all of it. Just click the title and it’ll take you to Substack where you can read the whole thing.

As you may know, I’m launching The Journal Club next week.

I want it to be a place where you can come when you need a little bit of inspiration to get making something. I’m aiming to make it as easy as possible for you to pop your phone down, get cracking and remember you can make things simply because it makes you happy.

You can read a bit more about The Journal Club here:

If you’re wondering why you might like to consider subscribing, here’s a few things you can expect from The Journal Club:

• Creative journaling inspiration

• Junk journal and collage tutorials

• Prompts and ideas for writing things down

• Main character energy and getting back to you

• Slowing down and living a bit more of an analog existence

• Rediscovering yourself

• Every day creative living

• Motherhood, art, music and the messy bits of life.

  Subscribe now

So as a little introduction, I’ve made you a little something…

A sheet of collage pieces to print off, cut up, draw all over, stick into your journal and generally have fun making a mess with.

The theme for September is transformation, and looking inward. Perhaps you could use your sheet to:

• Create a journal spread

• Decorate a notebook

• Make a vision board

• Journal around the pieces

• Use them for snail mail

• Cut individual elements out and use them as prompts

Okay okay I can tell you want to see the goods.

Here is your September collage sheet!

…And if you need some real life inspiration for how to use the sheet, maybe you could:

1. Cut out individual elements and add them to a junk journal spread.

2. Make journal clusters to brighten up your pages.

This is a good one for getting over the fear of the blank page and making your journal more aesthetic.

Here’s a little close up if you wanted to get a better view:

I like tearing up pieces of washi tape to add some texture to the clusters.

3.Make yourself a cute bookmark

This one is such a quick and helpful project. I stuck it to some thin card which doesn’t bulk up the journal and saves me flicking through for ages to find out where I am.

4. Add to a sketchbook page

5. Add to a collage

Is your collage page missing something? Why not use my printable to help finish it off?

This little collage sheet is just a taster of what I’m making for The Journal Club. Paid subscriptions will open next week!

Here’s to making stuff, writing it down, noticing your life and becoming the main character.

Hello friend, and happy Tuesday!

I’m feeling very bouncy today because I have an exciting announcement to make…

I’ve been thinking for a while about creating a little space for paid subscribers within Heppy’s Journal and it’ll be launching next week!

I’m calling it….

I’ll be letting you know a bit more over the next few days but I just thought I’d get the ball rolling today and give you a little bit of a taster.

Who is The Journal Club For?

The Journal Club is for people who want to make more, notice more, learn how to memory keep in a creative way and find their way back to themselves.

What is The Journal Club all about?

The Journal Club is about slowing down, taking the time to notice the little things, and then figuring out how to write it all down. It’s about prioritising creativity, following our curiosity, and most importantly, figuring out who we truely are.

What will the Journal Club include each month?

It’s not set in stone just yet, but I’m hoping to include (alongside other bits)

• Monthly and seasonal journal prompts

• A monthly main character challenge

• Creative newsletters

• Visual articles to inspire you to make something. These will include tutorials and examples.

• Occasional printables/creative downloads you can add to your own journal pages

• Subscriber conversations.

Most importantly, I want it to feel like joining a fun creative club rather than subscribing to another newsletter.

Your life is worth documenting. Let’s make something of it.

When I was pregnant with my first son in 2019 I couldn’t really fathom what being a mum would mean. I had a hazy picture of sleepless nights, stomping around with a pram, and changing nappies, the only thing I was certain about was that I wouldn’t let becoming a parent change me.

Ho ho ho.

Fast forward to 2026, I now have two boys who I parented through the pandemic and the life changing grief of losing my own mum. I’m almost seven years into this motherhood gig. I didn’t prepare for MUM to become my entire identity.

My boys are now in school, and I’m using Substack to explore the next step. Here’s what I know for sure:

I want hobbies that aren’t productive and I want to become a beginner again

Growing up, my main hobbies were playing the flute and the piano. Evenings were spent in orchestral rehearsals, or with small paid gigs, accompanying local choirs and primary school nativities. I was one of those weird kids that had to be told to STOP PRACTISING because it was driving everyone insane. (I never said I was cool haha)

I went to music college, spent three years practising, got pretty good, graduated, and then became a professional musician and teacher. This is my work to this day. So, what I’m trying to say is I’m pretty good at turning my hobbies into a full vocation.

But, I didn’t stop there! Once I had kids, I decided I needed to make some extra cash by monetising my evenings and set up an Etsy page selling hand-knitted headbands. It was manic. Have you ever tried hand-knitting to order? Let me tell you it sucks out any kind of relaxation or joy from it.

Anyway. What I’m trying to say is that I really want to figure out how to be crap at something, and enjoy it without letting my inner perfectionist attack it (hello Virgo energy) and forcing it to be my income.

I want to go places simply because I’m curious

I’ve recently fallen into the trap of multi-tasking to the point where my daily walk becomes an attempt at getting 10,000 steps (seriously how do people do that?) where I’ll collect a parcel, send off two others, (something I’ve sold on vinted which of course, need dropping off at two different shops) and then I’ll go past the library and drop off some overdue books all whilst eating my lunch whilst walking and listening to an audiobook to keep up to date with the new releases, and typing stuff in on my notes app to keep track of all the things on my to do list.

Pause.

When did I become like this?

When did everything have to have a purpose? Why have I started trying to optimise every moment of every day?

I want to go for a wander with no purpose. I want to explore somewhere new, without it being on the way to somewhere else whilst accomplishing three other tasks.

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I want to find out what I like when I’m not choosing things based on whether my children will like them

Have you ever seen that film called Yes Day? My kids are obsessed with it. The basic premise is there is one day a year where the parents do everything the children want. Chaos ensures. My boys regularly ask me “When can we have YES DAY??!” To which I sarcastically reply “isn’t every day of your life yes day??”

Jokes aside, it made me pause and think. What would I choose to do if today was my yes day? And I really struggled to think of an answer. It would involve pottering. A charity shop or two. A book shop? Then I felt quite sad that I actually don’t know what I do for fun any more.

I desperately need to explore this.

I want to remember what makes me feel like me

Motherhood really changes your sense of self. You go from the starring main character in your life to the bottom of the pile. I got poorly after both of my babies were born and was diagnosed with post natal depression. Then I had another nasty depression during my mum’s sickness and death.

A symptom of depression is low self-esteem. I’m in recovery and I’m able to feel so much joy again which is incredible, but I’m still not my own biggest fan and this needs to change. In the immortal words of Ru Paul:

“If you can’t love yourself how in the hell are you gonna love anyone else!?”

This is my work. I want to love myself again. The path there is found by remembering who I am and the things that make me feel like me.

In summary, in this next era, I’m going to be chasing the things that make me happy. Following my curiosity, dressing weirdly, practising my instruments, making stuff, reading interesting books. I’m prioritising catching up with my friends. I’ll be out walking with my headphones on, listening to the audiobooks I haven’t had time for whilst I explore new places and find the things that make me feel human and like a whole person again.

Hello and welcome to the fifth issue of The Creative Spark!

This newsletter is a microcosm of what Heppy’s Journal is all about. Chasing little tiny sparks of creativity and using them to turn into bursts of inspiration. I want to inspire you to plan your next project, have an experiment, make a mess, and imbue a bit of joyful creativity into your one wild and precious life.

Housekeeping: If you’ve opened this post from your email it might be too long to read. If this is the case just click the title to read on Substack.

Without further ado, here’s what I’ve been making recently:

Hama Beads

If you grew up in the nineties I don’t think you would have got through the decade without having some HAMA bead time at some point.

My kids are 4&6 so they’re the perfect age for this activity. I found some ideas on Pinterest to copy and then the hyperfixation got me in its vice-like grip and didn’t let me go until I was exhausted.

One day we had some friends come over, who of course I was delighted to see and I was like “YAY MORE CHILDREN TO MAKE HAMA BEADS WITH” the kids loved it. An hour or two later I looked up and realised everyone was out in the garden and there I was… hunched over the beads.

Painting the Walls

I’m in the process of painting our new attic conversion which is taking a good old while. I’ve also started adding little whimsical touches to the house with my paintbrush: see below.

There’s something wonderfully liberating about the realisation that you’re a grown up and you can just… paint stuff on the walls? No one is going to bolluck you! And guess what, if it looks shit, you can just paint over it again!

Knitting News

And to update you on my progress of my Inge Sweater …..

Look at her!!

I’ve reached that delightful part of knitting the body where there’s no more increases to do, I’ve learnt the six stitch repeating pattern and I can just cheerfully knit away whilst watching Squid Games The Challenge to recover after putting my kids to bed. (I’m very late to the party with this show but it’s SO good.)

Here is the official pattern photo of the sweater so you can picture how it’ll look finished:

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I had the PINCH PUNCH feeling at the start of the month and made a list of ten nice things I want to do this month. Have you seen this trend? I discovered it via who shares a ten list each month. Anyway, here’s mine:

I really recommend doing this. It baffles me that it takes me quite a while to think of things I actually enjoy doing. I think this comes from years of writing endless to do lists that are full of errands and chores. This is far preferable!

Also in my sketchbook I’ve enjoyed sourcing images of models on pinterest and sketching them with my kids felt tips:

Might I suggest practising your doodling skills by simply drawing some bits and bobs from around your house? (Assuming your house is full of crap like mine)

Or perhaps you could sketch characters from a film you’ve seen recently? We finally saw The Magic Faraway Tree and I need to finish off these slightly dodgy guys:

I’ve also taken to illustrating little slogans and taking selfies with them to amuse myself…

Step aside Elizabeth Siddal!!

Welcome to Bits and Bobs where I’m going to share the little rabbitholes I’ve been going down and the cool stuff I’ve seen recently.

I will eternally be endlessly and forever obsessed with looking at other people’s sketchbooks. And would you just look at this:

This is what I aspire to be! Work by - please subscribe to her work. She also is doing some amazing stuff with her Hobonichi:

Above photos again by

I also want to share three of my absolute favourite newsletters here on Substack, just in case you don’t already subscribe to them.

Feeling A Bit Sh*t by Pip Lincolne

1. Pip’s newsletter hits every Sunday morning and I’m always like YES when I see it in my feed. It’s a weekly dose of inspiration, cheering finds, ideas, inspiration from Australia. Love her.

   wallflower cordial

   Feeling A Bit Sh*t #079

   Hello pals. So pleased to meet you back here, for a tiny pocket of time away from the often dark realities of the world. Just for a few minutes you can dip into some cheery stories, away from the algorithm of doom. I am so pleased to be your captain today. Let’s begin…

   Read more

   2 months ago · 26 likes · 13 comments · Pip Lincolne

   Joy Parade by Alex T. Smith

   Another brilliant Sunday morning delight which is jam-packed full of joy, overheard conversations, pet chickens and wonderful illustrations.

   Alex T Smith’s Pigeon Post

   JOY PARADE No.56

   Pssst! If you are reading this via an email, the JOY PARADE might be a smidge too long for you to see all of it. If so, just click the title and it’ll take you to where you can read the whole thing with your eyeballs online…

   Read more

   2 months ago · 603 likes · 82 comments · AlexTSmith

Journal Rash by Estee Zales

3. Her collages are ace, her mind is brilliant, her writing takes my breath away. I wish I could write like Estee does.

   Journal Rash

   The Grocery List Is Also Literature

   Give me the grocery list. The half-erased milk. The handwriting getting larger toward the bottom because you were in a hurry. Give me the voice memo of a dog losing its mind at a delivery truck: the dog, the stupid noise, the person laughing behind the phone, the truck idling at the curb, going nowhere, the whole event…

   Read more

   2 months ago · 116 likes · 20 comments · Estee Zales

Here’s a few journal prompts to inspire some September creativity:

• What is an artistic skill I’ve always wanted to learn? Write about what you’d like to make and create a plan for getting started. For example, I want to learn how to hand quilt. I have a book on this, which I need to locate, then gather some supplies and have a go on some scrappy fabric to see if I enjoy the process. If it’s fun, I’m going to plan a bigger project.

• What holds me back from being creative? How can I make the process as easy as possible? May I suggest taking the time to make crafting area in your home where you can keep supplies to hand.

• Why is prioritising making stuff important to me?

• How can I harness the cosy vibes of the autumnal season and make crafting more appealing to my brain than doomscrolling?

Thank you for reading my post today. I write about creativity, inspiration, and ideas to make the every day feel a bit more magical.

You might enjoy some of my other posts:

Happy Saturday friends!

I’m very much feeling this back to school urge to completely recreate myself. Mainly because school has started, my kids are out from under my feet, I’ve got some time to myself, and I also because I’m a Virgo and my birthday is coming up!

Housekeeping: this is a long one so click through to read on Substack if it isn’t showing up on email.

Today I wanted to write about how main character energy can help you embrace this new season and imbue some creative joy into the cooling days. I’m sure you’ve seen many a post about this topic, and it can seem frivolous when some days feel like a survival battle, but why not give it a go? What do we have to lose? In the words of Caleb Hearon:

So without further ado, here are 25 suggestions for your autumn.

1. Have time to yourself before picking up your phone in the morning.

   I know I know I know. Just try it. Pop your phone in the other room. Have a book or notepad ready in case you wake up before your alarm tells you to (or your children jumo on you). Do something calming or creative first thing and see if it changes how you feel.

2. Romanticise the setting to hell

   Watch the sunrise. Sip tea by a rainy window. Look for rainbows. Barf majestically.

3. Dress like you love yourself

   Have you, like me, settled into a comfy wardrobe you don’t even like and are you unsure where to go from here? How do we become ourselves again? Below is the main character energy I’m aiming for with my clothing this season:

   

   I want to wear the bold/patterned/bright clothes. I might even take outfit photos! I’m making a start by remembering outfits that have been complimented in the past and prioritising wearing those.

4. Light a candle

   Candles are a nice way to combat the dread of the darkening evenings. An pumpkin spice one would be a nice touch. An autumnal simmer pot is a non-toxic alternative.

5. Walk with confidence

   

   Do you remember that Hot Girl Walk trend from a few years ago? I challenge you to take a walk this week where you just think about how confident and cool you really are. Pretend you are Beyonce. See how you feel.

   

6. Buy yourself flowers

   Turns out Miley is right (well of course she is!) fresh flowers instantly lift your mood, chase away any premature winter blues by bringing the inside in, and buying yourself a bunch is very main character coded.

7. Tackle a home project

   Is there something in your home that’s been bugging you? Something you can do to brighten up your place? New art for the wall? Maybe you could MAKE the art!! Personally I’m on a rampage against any remaining white paint in our house. Next on my kill list is the doorframes, which I’m going to be painting a dreamy blue. I really want to buy some fancy schmancy light switches but I can’t afford them right now, so yesterday I did this to my light switch:

   

   (I used a cheeky Farrow and Ball test pot I had left over from another project)

8. Take yourself for out coffee. Take a book. Or a friend.

   No notes.

9. Organise your TBR

   Some suggestions:

   • start a note on your phone titled books I want to read

   • Look for any unread books in your house and put them all in one place/shelf

   • Donate any that you can’t see yourself reading

   • Pick a top 5 and put them on your bedside table. I can feel the anticipation from here.

10. Read somewhere beautiful

    Once you’ve done the above, grab a book, read somewhere lovely.

    

    

11. (Make a playlist for your autumn

    I’ve made myself a little playlist of new instrumental music that I have playing in the background whilst I work. It’ll shake up my habit of returning to old favourites and make autumn feel special.

    I’m thinking of making a more fun one for my hot girl walks. Update incoming!

12. Learn a new hairstyle

    I may be 35 but I really really really want to learn to do space buns and make it my signature style.

13. Spend ten minutes a day working on your dream life

    

    Ten minutes a day is BARE MINIMUM. Where are you going? What do you want to do? I want Substack to be my job so I’m treating it like it is until that dream becomes real.

14. Take photographs of an ordinary day

    In particular, photograph the rooms of your house in the state they’re in right now. It probably won’t be tidy but future you will be so happy you took the photos! One day you will look back and marvel at the time capsule of your perfect everyday life.

15. Have an artist date

    

    You don’t have to start and give up on The Artist’s Way (well I won’t stop you) Just take yourself somewhere nice, bring your sketchpad. Illustrate a quote that highlights where you are this season. Use Pinterest for quote ideas if you’re stuck.

    My next one is going to be:

    The Opposite of Lost

    

16. Go somewhere you’ve never been

    Shake up the everyday, go somewhere you’ve always meant to go or even just take a different route home from work. Stop every day feeling the same as the last.

17. New makeup

    You could try those terrifying Zendaya ghost lashes or you could… be like me and simply replace the mascara that was starting to smell like cheesy wotsits.

    

18. Cook new a new recipe and designate a cute place to store recipes

    Confession: I’m not very good at cooking.

    BUT! I’ve just realised that, being a visual learner, I’m muuuuch better if I watch a video of someone making a meal. I can easily picture the steps, and I don’t have to drive myself insane scrolling and looking up and down at a recipe whilst simultaneously trying not to burn the food.

    Anyway, I digress. I bought a really cute recipe tin, which I’m excited to start noting down my favourites. It’s even autumnal! I KNOW!

    

    I got it here. (not affiliate or anything- no idea how to do that- I just liked it.)

19. Plan your next (or first) tattoo

    Let me be the naughty older cousin and tell you that if you are waiting for your next tattoo or planning your first, this is your sign to book it in.

    Last week I got the below done:

    Big thank you to Fern at Leeds Tattoo Club who understood my vision perfectly and free-handed it straight onto my skin. I marvelled at her steady hand on the fine lines!

    I’m so pleased with my new tattoo. She’s my first decorative tattoo that has absolutely no meaning, she’s just pretty. I’ve been feeling a bit insecure about my upper arms recently and let me tell you, the tattoo has fixed that.

20. Craft

    Of course! You aren’t getting out of here without a crafting suggestion. If you have children may I suggest crafting alongside them, but making a grown up version?

    For example, my kids have recently got obsessed with HAMA beads. I’ve been on Pinterest and found some really cool designs to copy, which meant I made some fun things for the home and also really enjoyed a relaxing crafting session with the boys.

    

    My favourite villian. Maybe my next tattoo too…? Design here

    

    And I was really chuffed with this little folky red riding hood who filled the gap on my egg cup collection that for some reason fits no egg cup known to man.

    Subscribe now

    

21. Treat yourself to little gift

    No notes. You deserve it. Do it.

22. Start a new notebook

    YES YES YES this is always what I want to do. Who cares if you don’t stick with it. Just embrace the joy of starting a new sketchbook/journal/commonplace/media journal/ book journal.

    Here’s a post of mine on sketchbooks if you’d like some inspiration…

23. Declutter an area

    I’m about to share a photo of the DOOM SHELVES in our kitchen. Brace yourself.

    

    Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

    Just glancing at this photo I’ve spotted a fucking pokeball on the top shelf. Classic.

    My plan is to clear these shelves and pop some recipe books on there. This would also be a good place to keep the aforementioned recipe tin!

24. Notice your patterns

    I challenge you to make a journal entry, or just a list on your phone of all the things you love. Here’s mine:

    

    I noticed I’ve been collecting Russian dolls for years and dotting them around my house without really giving them a second thought. So I cajoled them all together, gave them a little wipe and popped them up on a weird little shelf above my stairs.

Joy abound!

This makes me so happy every time I head downstairs in my house now. Now I’m wondering what other habit/like/patterns I can notice and lean in to.

25. Call your best friend

    Or your mum or your dad. You won’t regret it.

    
    
    

    I hope this post gave you some fun ideas for autumn! You might like some of my other posts:

    If you enjoyed this post and would like to follow along with my journey, please consider subscribing.

    

Happy Wednesday friends!

It’s been (almost) seven years since I became a mother and this morning I dropped both of my children at school for the first time! It’s my youngest son’s first day in reception.

I’ve made a lot of jokes about how if there’s reports of a naked woman running around North Leeds it’ll be me.

I’ve now come home, opened my laptop and here we are. And who am I? And where do I go? And what do I do?!

Since my first son was born in 2019 I’ve had one or two babies at home with me in the mornings until the 1pm nursery drop off where I’d jump in the car, drive to various primary schools across Leeds, teach music (flute/singing/piano/recorder) then tear home at the end of school, to open my door to private flute and piano students who I teach until 6.30pm. By which time my family have returned home, I’d then crack on with tea/bath/bed then collapse in front of Netflix at around 8pm.

So to summarise, the past few years of my life have been spent either parenting or working.

We have no family nearby, so there’s been very little help with raising our kids.

I have loved having the time with my boys, I love being self-employed and I feel incredibly lucky to bend my work around my kids, but… I’m tired and…

…I’m not sure who I am anymore.

I feel like I’ve been looking after everyone for a long time and I haven’t been looking after myself.

I recently met a family member of my husband for the first time and she was desperately quizzing me about work/what I enjoy doing and I was exhausted making small talk. I wanted to make her feel comfortable but I just felt like I had nothing to say, nothing to add, I don’t want to talk about myself because I don’t entirely know who I am any more.

Here’s what I do know:

• I’m excited to explore some freedom now my children don’t need me quite so much.

• I don’t need to panic about money until about December. BECAUSE I’M NOT PAYING FOR NURSERY ANYMORE mwahahahahahahaha

• I can’t wait to rediscover or return to myself, now I’ve waded through the first stages of the grief of losing my mum and I’m through the trenches of early motherhood. I’m delighted to say I’m in recovery after depression.

• I want to spend my time making stuff, not doomscrolling.

• I want to write about art, music, creativity, home, rituals, collecting treasures, living slowly and seasonally.

• I want to devote my online writing to chasing that PING feeling of inspiration and helping others do the same.

• I want to find my personal style again, and I need to start liking myself again, even though I’m not entirely sure how to do this just yet.

  

  I’ve been thinking a lot about what this next chapter could look like and I think I’m going to explore it here on Substack.