Time to Write
9.08.26
Dear Sunday Letter Writers,
This week, the prompt is: 'Today, as you go about your day, find opportunities to look closer. Insects, flowers, a weathered gate, the grain of wood… so much that we pass daily holds a world of wonder if we can take the time to examine them closely. Write a letter to a friend sharing your experience of a shifted world'
This week's prompt was totally inspired by some incredible insect talks we were lucky enough to visit last week at The Lost Gardens of Heligan with our daughters, where Riyadh Khalaf encouraged us all to 'look closer'… and wow! There really is an incredible, hidden world of insects right under our noses, and it's such a magical shift in how the world feels when you start to examine things a little bit more closely …
If insects aren't your thing (understandably!) then closely examining flowers or leaves is just as amazing. Bonus points if you can find a magnifying glass!
Until next week,
Rebecca & Karl
The Sunday Letter Project was started by Karl & I (Rebecca!) of Wildflower Illustration Co., a small stationery shop & studio based in Cheltenham, U.K.. It's always been really important to us that the project is open and free for all to take part in. However, supporting us via The Sunday Letter Project shop or Wildflower Illustration Co. helps us keep the project going.
IMPORTANT NOTE: WE ARE TAKING A STUDIO BREAK FROM 2ND AUGUST TO 18TH AUGUST. ORDERS PLACED IN THIS TIME WILL BE DISPATCHED FROM 20TH AUGUST ONWARDS. AS A THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, WE HAVE REDUCED OUR SHIPPING COSTS- FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY.
REDUCED SHIPPING COSTS DURING BREAK:
UK £5.95 OR FREE OVER £20
USA: $21 FLAT RATE OR FREE OVER £200
(does not apply to subscription)
10% off with code AUGUSTSUMMER26
WOULD YOU LIKE A PEN-PAL FROM THE PROJECT?
Our network of independent shops and cafes around the world act as Letter Keepers, meaning you can write to a pen-pal anywhere in the network without sharing your home address. Members write shop to shop, and you can have as many pen-pals as you like.
To find a pen-pal in one of the places below, you'll need a local Letter Keeper to use as your return address. Place their address on the back of your envelope rather than your own. Please don't include a personal home address on letters sent to the shops. This keeps your data private and means our Letter Keepers don't need to handle any personal information in the shop.
Check back into your local shop from time to time to see if you have received any replies!
NEW!! We recognise that not everyone feels happy to ask a potential Letter-Keeper themselves. We have therefore made a new form so that you can nominate a shop/cafe/museum/libary to act as a Letter-Keeper . We will contact them on your behalf and include all the details necessary for them to consider becoming a Letter-Keeper in our network. Please note that being a Letter Keeper carries a small monthly fee (from £5), which helps cover our admin time co-ordinating 200+ shops across the project. Shops have reported increased footfall as a result, which we hope makes it more than worthwhile.
Barn Owl Books
Barn Owl Books is an independent bookshop nestled in the historic hilltop town of Malmesbury on the edge of the Cotswolds, UK. Our bookshop is housed in a 400 year old building a short walk from the 12th century Malmesbury Abbey, the resting place of King Athelstan, the first King of England. In our shop you will find a warm welcome, beautifully curated books for all ages, a homely feel which encourages you to stay and browse in one of the many cosy corners and most importantly Amanda, Charlotte and Kirsty who can't wait to meet you and chat books!
Send your introductory letter here:
BARN OWL BOOKS
5 Oxford Street
Malmesbury
Wiltshire
SN16 9AX
Oh Crumbs! Bakery
Oh Crumbs! Bakery is based in the market town of Narberth, in beautiful Pembrokeshire.
We try to be a warm and welcoming place for the community to come and hang out with a cuppa and a slice of homemade cake and a good old chat if they want to. We make all our cakes, bread and savoury snacks by hand on site.
We are dog friendly, which I love because I am obsessed with dogs. We have lots of regular dogs who make a beeline for our place whenever they are town.
We host Saturday Socials on a Saturday evening where people can come along and do some crafting while chatting and connecting to other crafters or if you aren't into crafts we have a large selection of board games which people choose from.
As a business we have tried to do things as ethically as we can so make sure all our ingredients are organic and fair trade including our tea and coffee which both come from business who put back into the communities their products come from.
Send your Introductory Letter here:
Oh Crumbs! Bakery
Olive It
Olive It… is a floral & candy boutique located on Long Island in New York. We are a floral & candy shop selling mixed flower bouquets, giftware and international candy. We are celebrating our 3 year anniversary next month.
Send your Introductory Letter here:
Olive It Boutique
Catnap Books
We are a new and used English language bookshop in the town of Haarlem in the Netherlands. We have been open two years and carry mostly books but also other things such as cards, notebooks, puzzles and refillable pens. We are a family owned shop started by Selby (me). Recently my husband, Matt, joined the shop full time and we have a part-time employee named Monika. Our daughter also likes to contribute and share her opinion on what books and things we should carry. We are originally from the United States but have been living in Haarlem for five years now. We are excited to be part of the Sunday Letter Project and help connect people from around the world.
Send your introductory letter here:
Catnap Books