A Thoughtful Gift: The Beauty of Kindness and Connection
A few weeks ago, an unexpected package arrived from Australia. I paused, put on my glasses (because, let's be real, I can't read without them) and spotted the sender— Cathy Penton. ♡
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know Cathy is one of the loveliest humans.
I carefully opened the package, and oh my word…
The presentation was perfection—pinstriped paper, wax seal, ribbon, and a tiny tag... straight out of my paper-loving dreams. Each detail pure magic.
Inside was a perfect brown box with gold script that read: no risk, no story. And inside that? A brown linen journal with the same beautiful words, filled with dot grid pages just waiting for all the ideas and dreams to flow. (Definitely not a space for self-gatekeeping.)
Cathy had seen no risk, no story on my Cosmos and thought, I have to send Kim the Emma Kate journal. Now I understand her love for these—they're truly extraordinary.
Kindness has this way of finding us exactly when we need it most. And this gift? It's so much more than pretty paper and binding—it's Cathy's thoughtfulness wrapped up in the most beautiful way possible.
Thank you Cathy. Always.
xx
Kim
“Kindness is a gift everyone can afford to give.”
You might Also Enjoy:
What if instead of swapping phones, you handed someone a calling card instead. Simple. Handmade-feeling. Yours. This tutorial shows you exactly how I made mine, from AI line drawing to Cricut-cut calling card.
A step-by-step Cricut tutorial for making stencil word cards (perfect for photo styling) in a clean, minimalist style, including the simple bridging fix that keeps letters like A and R from falling apart.
A faux suede letter pouch cut with my Cricut. Three done… a few more to go. Come make one with me. (Step-by-Step Tutorial)
I told a friend I despise the thumbs up emoji. She said, 'me too.' So I went down a rabbit hole. Turns out this tiny yellow hand started a genuine cultural conversation, and somehow I'm on the wrong side of my own argument.
I'm deep in the journal-tok rabbit hole and I have zero regrets. This week's Studio Notes is a little bit of everything ⋯ favourite stamps, two staplers I genuinely love, elevated scrap paper, and two tutorials I think you'll want to bookmark.
This week…
From my desk… my story of falling in love with Japanese stationery and my current favourite journal as well.
This week…
Being a ‘generalist’, my journal ecosystem, a lovely new fountain pen, Photoshop share tip, Lr import preset with copyright and your brand keywords, reimagining your photos and building a Flodesk workflow.
Behind the scenes of running a creative business that values analog as much as digital. This week: goal punch cards, Flodesk tips, Squarespace tips and the loveliest paper things.
Step away from the screen and make something instead. A collection of free holiday printables—postcards, paper chains, vintage art cards—for a quieter kind of making this season.
Every detail in this image is intentional. The light, the smoke, the way the fabric drapes on the chairs. Small choices that create the feeling you see here. In this new series, I'm breaking down those choices ⋯ one image at a time.
If this can happen to me, it can happen to you. The simple diffusion filter that adds warmth and quietly saves lenses
The April 2026 Lightroom update added a direct path from your catalog to Firefly moodboards. No exporting your images. No extra steps. Just a simple, visual way to moodboard all your beautiful magic. ♡