The Journey of Penny Pages: How a Planner Became My Lifeline (and Our Top Seller!)
Ten years ago, I co-owned Aurora and Avalon Creations with my best friend Avalon Kisbey. Life was… intense. I had a baby who was just nine months old, plus three other kids, and I was navigating severe postpartum depression that seemed endless. I relied on medications to help, but there was something else that became my anchor: my planner.
During a therapy session, my therapist suggested a tiny but revolutionary change: swap “to-do lists” for “did lists.” At the time, I was so focused on everything I needed to do that I constantly felt like I was failing—both as a mom and as a human being. With a husband who worked out of town and four kids to care for, I felt trapped in this vicious cycle of guilt and self-doubt.
So, I tried her advice—and then took it a step further. I created the Daily with Journaling Planner in Traveler’s Notebook form. It came one month at a time, and I made it mine. I added fun stickers, organized things in the time column, and started recording simple victories:
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“Played Play-Doh with the kids”
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“Snuggled up and watched cartoons”
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“Went for a walk”
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“Did the dishes”
Slowly, I realized something amazing: when those familiar feelings of disappointment crept in, I could flip through my planner and see the truth. I had actually done all the things I thought I hadn’t. It was proof that I wasn’t failing, and that tiny shift in perspective changed everything.
Ten years later, that planner is still my go-to—and now, it’s our top-selling planner at Penny Pages! It’s more than just a planner. It’s your space for:
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Journaling
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Gratitude
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Time-blocking
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Stickers
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And everything in between
It’s available now in premium thick-paper planner, notebook planner, and digital formats, designed to meet you wherever you are. My hope is that our planners become more than just a way to organize your day—I hope they become your companion, your place to dream, your little space to celebrate the wins, big or small.
Because sometimes, the most powerful tool isn’t just the planner itself—it’s the reminder that you are doing enough.