Introducing The Gathered Letter Club: A Little Something to Look Forward to in the Mail
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Written by Stacy Dykhuizen
Life moves so fast these days.
As I get older, and my kids are growing into teenagers and adults, I've found myself craving things that make life feel slower.
When I was a kid, summers seemed to last forever. We spent most days on our bikes, playing in the woods, building forts, and dreaming up various ways we were going to save the world someday. Now, it seems like time moves faster with every passing year. So many things demand our attention that it can be hard to slow down long enough to simply enjoy life.
This little dream of mine, to start a letter and art print club, began over a year ago.
I've always been creative in some way. Creativity is part of my soul and one of the things that makes me feel most like myself. I painted and drew as a kid and continued through my teenage years. And I've always loved to write.
After years of working as a registered nurse, I left my job to be a stay-at-home mom. That was absolutely one of the greatest blessings of my life. Around the same time, I began making jewelry and doing art fairs. Over the course of 15 years, I built a handmade jewelry business that I am so proud of.
But as my kids have grown and started going off to college, I've found myself craving both something new and a return to an old dream I'd never realized. I want to become an artist. I want to paint.
In January of 2025, I enrolled in an art school - without telling anyone but my mom and my husband. I wanted to learn the actual skills so I could paint and paint well.
Painting has always been so joyful for me. It quiets my brain, and I can completely lose myself in it. Over the last year and a half, I've learned so much and created so much work that I want to share. But putting yourself and your art out into the world can be scary.
And somewhere along the way, I had the idea to start a mail club.
Having a pen pal was one of my favorite things as a kid. I loved the excitement of finding a new letter in the mailbox from someone who lived on the other side of the world. I loved reading about their life, what they were doing, what they were interested in, and the things that brought them joy.
When the idea for a mail club came to me, I was immediately brought back to those feelings.
So much of our life happens on a screen now. I miss the days of getting "happy mail" - something tangible and personal. Something you could tuck away and save as a treasure. And I thought, why not start my own mail club? One where I could send a real letter along with a piece of my art and, hopefully, bring a little joy to someone's mailbox.
Of course, my creative dreams (and there have been a lot of them!) always seem to come with some sort of resistance.
This one was no exception.
Some of that resistance was website and technology related. Website building is not for the faint of heart, lol! Especially for those of us who are a little technology resistant.
But most of it was fear.
Fear kept trying to convince me that I wasn't ready. That I should wait until I was a more experienced artist. That maybe I needed just a little more time. That I was too old, not good enough, and my favorite one, who would actually care about all this anyway? Fear can be really awful.
I'm so glad I persevered, because this little mail club has already brought me so much joy and I haven't even sent out a single letter yet!
So, what is The Gathered Letter Club?
Each month, members of The Gathered Letter Club will receive a letter from me in their mailbox, along with a high-quality 5x7 print of my original artwork and a small extra surprise tucked inside.
I hope to write to you about the changing seasons, slowing down, home, creativity, recipes I'm enjoying, ordinary beauty, things I'm learning, and stories from my life. Each letter will also share the story behind that month's artwork, because every one of my paintings has a story.
The word gather means to bring people or things together into one place or group. I've always loved gathering.
I love gathering people around my old wooden table. Flowers from my yard. Memories I want to keep forever. And little things that bring me joy.
In a way, that's what I hope to do here too.
My hope is that this mail club brings you joy, inspires you to be creative in your own life, and encourages you to hold onto the things that make life feel a little slower.
I'd love for my letter to feel less like a newsletter and more like a letter from a friend - something you sit down to read with a cup of coffee.
I'd love for the art print to bring a little color to your kitchen, find its way into your journal, or sit in a simple thrifted frame somewhere you'll see it often.
I'm beginning to realize that slowing down doesn't always mean doing less. Sometimes it simply means paying attention. Noticing the flowers growing in the yard. Sitting a little longer over a cup of coffee. Making something with your hands. Sending a letter just because. Finding joy in the ordinary life that's already happening all around us.
Maybe a little piece of happy mail can be one small reminder to do just that.
And maybe, just maybe, receiving a letter will inspire you to write one of your own.
Each month's letter will include a QR code giving members access to a free printable stationery page featuring that month's artwork. You can print as many copies as you'd like, write a note to someone you love, and send a little happy mail of your own.
Let's bring back old-fashioned pen pals!
I have big dreams for this little mail club, but at the same time, I want to leave room to see how it naturally grows. I'm learning to step back, release control, and let God lead this adventure.
I don't know exactly where it will go yet. And I think that's part of the fun.
If you're craving a slower way of life too - if you miss tangible, personal connection and the simple excitement of finding something special in your mailbox - I would love to have you join me.
Welcome to The Gathered Letter Club. I'm so glad you're here.
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