Catarina + Journaling = a love affair and a workshop

This girl writing to you is a lover of books, reading, and writing — but you’ve probably guessed that already from the simple fact that I opened a bookshop café with my husband. This is Story Owl, the place whose website you’re now exploring.

What you might not know is that I’m also a bit of a journaling queen — completely in love with the practice of journaling and the many benefits it brings to mental health. And, well, I also adore the creative side that can (or doesn’t have to) come with keeping a journal.

I grew up writing in journals — which, let’s face it, is just the cool word for “diaries” these days. If memory serves me right, I got my first diary when I was seven. I filled it from start to finish, as I did with the two that followed. The three “volumes” you see in this photo witnessed my growth from age seven to fifteen. And oh, how much can change in eight years! I can’t tell you how much fun it is to reread them when nostalgia strikes.

Beyond the childish problems, the teenage growing pains, and the documentation of first loves, it’s also funny to see how my handwriting evolved over time. It still changes to this day. Everything changes; nothing stays the same. But memory can be tricky — sometimes it hides the funny or defining moments of our lives. That’s where our diaries come in — those little repositories of memory, like Dumbledore’s Pensieve in Harry Potter.

After I turned fifteen, the kind of diary writing I used to do faded away. For years, I thought I had stopped journaling altogether. But looking back, I see that it never really left — it just changed shape.
I had the phase of dramatic teenage blogs, and later, notebooks filled with a mix of personal reflections, made-up song lyrics, poems, collages, and even a few doodles. Whether on paper or online, writing in this way has always been part of my life.

And although I’ve had several blogs since I was fifteen, it was at twenty-one that I created the one I still keep to this day — Joan of July — where I share personal stories, meaningful moments, deeper reflections, and the occasional heartfelt vent.

But in 2019, something shifted. I still loved my little corner of the web, but I began to crave something more private — something just mine, away from the eyes of others. That need surfaced around the time I had a serious accident during a teambuilding activity, which left me with a fractured ankle, two surgeries, and dozens of physiotherapy sessions. To top it off, that same year brought a painful breakup after a very long relationship — and a divorce only four months after getting married.

Who wouldn’t feel the urge to pour their heart out after all that, right? The truth is, that urge had been growing even before the accident, but of course, the whole experience amplified it.

At that stage of my life, journaling became not just about writing — but also about revisiting what I’d already written. In a time when I felt anything but cheerful or optimistic, rereading my words reminded me of the good things 2019 had given me. That’s when an idea sparked: I wanted to make memory a more visual part of my journaling practice.

If I went to an unforgettable play, I’d paste the ticket into my journal.
A movie outing with someone special? That ticket too.
A concert? Definitely.
A long walk in nature on a day that filled me with inspiration? Why not add a few pressed leaves?

These are just small examples of how we can make our journals more visually rich, more emotional even — but there’s so much more we can do, and it can get even more creative!

My love for journaling eventually grew into a project — a brand — called Blume Creativity. Through it, I create and sell decks of cards that work as prompts, meditations, and challenges to help people start or deepen their journaling practice, while also boosting self-esteem and well-being.
Some of these decks are available on the Blume Creativity website and in the physical Story Owl shop.

And now that I have Story Owl, I want to fill it with the things that move me — to turn this place into a well of endless inspiration. That’s exactly how the idea for our Creative Journaling Workshop was born. It will take place here at Story Owl on October 17, and it came from sharing this passion with my dear friend Tânia Carvalho.

Tânia is a photographer, specialising in weddings and couple photography, but she’s a creative soul that transcends any single field — and everyone who joins our workshop will see that for themselves.

Would you like to rediscover with us the magic of writing by hand in a journal?
Let’s meet, create, and find words that mean something — adding a touch of art that delights us and fills our hearts at the same time.