#ThisIsWhatWe’reLoving: Isa shares the things she’s been obsessed with this month

For Tucson residents looking for a few small ways to add creativity, flavor and personality to everyday life, Isabella Barron’s latest list of favorites offers a distinctly local mix. The This Is Tucson reporter’s current obsessions include a hands-on craft, a chilled dessert discovered on Fourth Avenue, a snack loaded with spice, two new tattoos from a Tucson artist and one water bottle that apparently goes everywhere. Rather than write a standard list, Barron gathered the ideas into a junk journal spread, turning her recommendations into a colorful record of what has been occupying her thoughts lately.

Junk journaling is the newest addition to that list. Barron describes it as a more relaxed and unstructured relative of scrapbooking, with no strict rules about what belongs on the page. Photos, stickers, receipts, ticket stubs, magazine pieces, product packaging and loose scraps of paper can all become part of a spread. For someone who enjoys stickers, colorful pens, cute paper and other craft supplies, the format offers a place to use the small objects that might otherwise be discarded or forgotten.

The appeal is partly in the freedom from perfection. Barron says she likes that a junk journal does not need to look polished or carefully coordinated. Layers, bright colors and visual clutter are part of the charm, allowing a page to become more personal as it grows busier. Her own spread includes the things she has been enjoying, making the journal both a creative project and a snapshot of her current interests. It also gives ordinary items, such as a receipt or an appealing piece of packaging, a second life.

One of those interests began with a case of social media induced fruit pastry FOMO. Barron had spent months seeing videos of people biting into hyper-realistic pastries shaped like fruit. The clips often highlighted the crisp sound of a chocolate shell breaking open, which left her curious to try one herself. The opportunity came while she and her boyfriend were walking along Fourth Avenue. When she noticed the pastries at Tucson Chocolate Factory, she chose the raspberry cheesecake version.

The pastry is designed to resemble a raspberry and combines cheesecake mousse with a raspberry compote center and a white chocolate coating. Barron found that the shell delivered the crunch she had seen online, while the filling balanced creamy, sweet and tart flavors without becoming too sugary. The pastry’s chilled temperature was an unexpected highlight. After spending time outside in Tucson’s humid summer weather, the cold center made the dessert feel almost refreshing. Her curiosity about the viral treat was satisfied, and her fruit pastry FOMO was officially over.

Her current savory snack favorite comes from Tanna’s Botannas, where the Puro Papitas mix brings together several crunchy, spicy and tangy ingredients. The combination includes Doritos, Hot Cheetos, Lay’s, Takis, Japanese peanuts, pickles and rielitos. The mixture is finished with chamoy, Valentina and lime, creating a snack that shifts in texture and flavor from one bite to the next. Barron especially enjoys the unpredictability of reaching into the container and finding something different each time. For a self-described lover of spicy snacks, it combines nearly everything she wants in one messy package.

The list also marks a return to tattoos after a two-year pause. Barron got her first tattoo in 2023, and that eventually became six tattoos, all completed by the same artist. After that artist moved away, Barron stopped adding to the collection and had not gotten another tattoo since 2024. Part of the delay came from feeling unsure about finding another tattoo artist she trusted. That changed after she became familiar with the work of Yvonne, the Tucson artist behind the Instagram account @vonsartistry.

Barron had seen Yvonne’s work at pop-ups held at Di Luna Candles and later followed her online, where Yvonne’s flash sheets appeared in her feed. When the artist announced an end-of-summer flash sale, Barron decided to return to the tattoo chair. She selected two designs, a sacred heart she had already been considering and a small chile pepper that fit naturally with her existing collection of small tattoos. The appointment was quicker than she expected, but she was pleased with the results and felt the new pieces blended well with the tattoos she already had. After the long break, she is already considering what Yvonne might create next.

Not every favorite needs to be a destination, purchase or major recommendation. Barron also gives an affectionate place on the list to her emotional support water bottle, which she says is rarely far away. It accompanies her to work, on errands and even while she is sitting close to the kitchen sink. Together, the journal, dessert, snack, tattoos and bottle create a portrait of ordinary pleasures rooted in Tucson routines. Barron’s spread is less about declaring the best things in town than preserving the small discoveries and dependable comforts that make up a month, with the possibility of another page when it is her turn to share again.