Capturing the Magic of Summer: The July 'Natsu Matsuri' Collage Kit

Hello friends! Summer is in full swing, and there is nothing quite like the warm breeze, vibrant celebrations, and nostalgic magic of the season. For July, our monthly collage kit embraces one of my absolute favorite summer traditions: Natsu Matsuri (Japanese Summer Festival).

Just a quick update to let you know that all of our wonderful subscribers have successfully received their July kits in the mail! I hope opening up your 'Natsu Matsuri' packages brings so much joy and inspiration to your summer journaling.

What is a Natsu Matsuri?

In Japan, Natsu Matsuri refers to the traditional summer festivals held across the country, especially during the warmer months. Steeped in history and community spirit, these lively celebrations light up towns with colorful paper lanterns (chochin), traditional street food like shaved ice (kakigori), breathtaking fireworks displays (hanabi), and people donning traditional summer kimonos (yukata). It is a time for joy, connection, and celebrating the vibrant energy of the season.

Inside the July 'Natsu Matsuri' Kit

We poured so much love into curating and designing every single piece for this month's collection to bring that festive, heartwarming festival feeling right to your journals. Here is everything tucked inside:

• The Main Sticker Sheet & Matching Layering Sheet: Featuring illustrations of festival foods, glowing lanterns, and our signature playful onigiri characters enjoying the festivities. The kit includes a matching sticker sheet specifically designed for easy layering behind your main designs.

• Sunflower Polaroid: A physical, beautiful polaroid captured straight from a sunflower farm in Nozaki. Fun fact: the farmer grows these gorgeous blooms to harvest them for their seeds!

• Hand-Drawn Onigiri Furin Memo Sheets: Decorated with lovely sunflowers and an adorable onigiri dressed as a wind chime (furin), perfect for jotting down your summer notes and memories.

• Handmade Layering Transparent Papers: A set of translucent papers custom-dyed in warm, dreamy summer color tones to add depth and texture to your journal spreads.

• Cute Little Bookmark: A sweet, practical companion featuring our little character to keep your place in your current read or journal.

• Mini Print-Out: A miniature art print showcasing a charming Natsu Matsuri scene.

• Bonus Postcard: An extra special art postcard included exclusively for the first 5 new subscribers!

  
  

Packaging Note: All of these paper cuties are lovingly packed inside a decorated vellum envelope and hand-sealed using a special sewing method for that extra tactile, handcrafted touch. As a fun little detail, the soft blue background on the 'Summer Fun' sticker was actually repurposed from an ANA shopping wrap!🧵💛

Journal Inspiration: Kakigori Sweetness 🍧

To help spark your creativity, I put together a sample journal spread using elements from this month's kit. For this layout, I focused heavily on the delicious kakigori (Japanese shaved ice) stickers from the main sheet, pairing them with the transparent layering papers and memo sheets to create a cool, refreshing summer vibe on the page.

Whether you are documenting your own festival memories, quiet summer moments, or simply enjoying the ritual of crafting, I hope this kit brings a little extra sunshine and joy to your creative space.

Thank you so much for supporting my small shop and sharing this creative journey with me. Until next month's kit, happy journaling!