Bookmarks for Summer
Printable bookmarks to enhance your beach read, a story of resilience regarding greeting cards, make your own punch cards, and further suggested reading.
Happy Monday to you! This newsletter was especially crafted to leave you feeling lighter than it found you. Please make a delicious up of tea and dig right in!
Back in December, I announced I would be starting a greeting card company called Feeling! Press this year. Starting a small business is tough work in any circumstance (hello, New York self-employment tax, city tax, and state tax) but this decision comes with a loaded bag of emotions, too. I’ve shared before that I previously owned a stationery store that was lost in the collateral of the pandemic and personal loss. Closing my store had a deep effect on my mental and physical being. Like you may have experienced before, it was one of those seasons where absolutely everything felt like it was on fire and I got some third degree burns on my heart.
So, last year, to even utter out loud that I was longing to do something with greeting cards again…wanting to be self-employed and take a risk on my creativity once more was truly like re-entering the belly of the beast. I’ve put on mental Joan-of-Arc-esque armor on to move towards this dream I thought had died, which sounds as dramatic as it feels. I fought the desire for a while, shushing the thoughts with fears disguised as noble self-preservation.
In midst of deciding whether or not to go forward with my dream, wrestling with the really practical aspects of the decision, I discovered some unexpected assurance.
I sat in the lobby of my grandmother’s nursing home with her while Christmas music chimed in the background and a decorated faux tree sat in the lobby aglow. A woman with a walker and a bright red jacket had just sang a bar of Elvis’ “Burning Love” to me for an unknown and unprompted reason. I turned back to my Grandma, who smiled at me. I reminded her I lived in New York now. She remarked I must be very cold up there. She remembers the snow was freezing.
Her family had moved away from New York shortly after her birth, but I realized I had no idea why they were there in the first place. Often, her long-term memory surprises us, so I thought I’d give it a try.
“Grandma, do you remember what your dad did for work?”
A pause.
“He sold greeting cards in New York City,” she said.
I went home and did some digging and found out that yes, my great grandfather was a greeting card salesman in the Big Apple, but further, he grew up in the Brooklyn county I am currently living in. We had no idea.
I found out he worked for Gartner and Bender Inc.
I found a brochure from their company on eBay and for $18, got an original copy that I will frame in our apartment.
Some things are really meant to be.
I am excited to share that I will be opening the online store for Feeling! Press in August, which is rapidly approaching.
My hope is to make a brand that brings back the magic of the written word, drawing us together with intentional connection in a time when optimization and modernity isolate us.
Feeling! Press will merge my illustrated card designs with cinematic story-telling and some creative world-building. Many of the card designs will be accompanied by short films and mini documentaries. If you’d like to be an early supporter, please consider giving the Instagram page a follow. Mini movies will be filling it soon!
I feel proud of the first collection of cards, and am eager to show you soon.
Truthfully, Substack (i.e. you) was a turning point for me in this process. I write because I love to write, but your encouragement, support, and kindness helped aid in the reversal of a slew of negative thoughts I had acquired such as, “no one care about what I make,” or, “my work is not serious enough to matter.”
A true and earnest thank you for your support of this publication. You’ve gifted me a second wind to make something I believe is really important in this cultural moment and is, apparently, in my blood to do!
An Update on the Summer Reading Challenge:
If you are just joining us, welcome! In May, I declared that I missed the Scholastic Book fair and summer reading programs of elementary school and decided to start my own. Over 1,000 of you joined the challenge!
The premise is simple: read 15 fictional books by July 31st. Sign up here, fill out the form below, and then send me an email (jenna@feelingpress.com) with your completed list.
Anyone who completes the challenge and emails it to me before the 31st of July will be entered to win a big prize! One person will win the grand prize. And five additional readers will receive another memorable gift at your doorstep.
The prizes will be special, but the goal is to do something that promotes joy, sticker usage, and imaginative reading which always contributes to our own creativity. Reading gets off of our phones, engaging empathetically, learning through others experiences, and of course stretching brains.
For a boost of reading motivation, I’ve designed you some printable bookmarks! Print the PDF and have access to all the designs. I hope it feels at least a little like going to the treasure box. Feel free to share and make some for your friends too.
I’ve also put together some suggested bookmark pairings and reads, in case you need help deciding on your next book.
I Cheerfully Refuse paired with a classic blue stripe.
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 1 with pink polka dots.
The Great Alone paired with a chocolate swirl.
The Houseguest paired with a burgundy and pink stripe.
The Sea of Tranquility paired with a lobster bookmark.
Crazy Rich Asians with a palm tree gingham.
The Maid with a red and sky blue stripe.
Theo of Golden with a homey gingham check.
The Mysterious Benedict Society with a red and seafoam stripe.
Small Things Like These with an arctic blue swirl.
Before we Forget Kindness with a chocolate and mint polka dot.
Piranesi with a cream (one could almost say marble) polka dot.
If you pair any bookmarks with a book, please post a note and tag me so I can include your pairings in a future post. Happy reading! I am so ready to give some of you the most nostalgic prize of all prizes.
✸ I’ve made a “summer camp” course (because summer camp has a wonderful balance of structure and fun) that teaches you how to live creatively with ease in every facet of life. After completing this series, you will find a personal creative practice you can actually maintain, a collection of very joyful completed projects, tools for moving through fears, and a community of people on the same journey. The first class is out now!
✸ If you are in the mood to really run up your colored printer, I have another page of fun for you to print! Here are blank punch card templates for summer motivation. Fill the top part with a goal, then punch out (or sticker) the blanks until the card is complete and you earn your prize. These are great for personal or family goals that could use a little sparkle magic.
✸ I wrote a straightforward list of eight ideas for making your house, whether its a one bedroom apartment or a two story full of little kids, feel like your summer home.
✸ Pretty much any time Hachi the dog is mentioned, tears fill my eyes preemptively. But I especially enjoyed reading the history within this article by Beauty is truth, which left me encouraged. History has a way of identifying the resiliency people possess in a way that relieves me.
✸ One of my favorites, Hannah Connolly, wrote a piece full of wonderful life-enhancing ideas that serve as a reference for reclaiming downtime.
✸ This is not a read, but a watch! I just watched Wall-E on a plane and had not seen that film in so long. I was astounded by how the message of the film seemed to predict the future. It made me tear up when one of the characters is shaken loose from her screen and remarks, “I didn’t know we had a pool!” and proceeds to splash in it. Last time I was on an international flight I watched Iron Claw and wept in a publicly noticeable way. Should I do Hamnet this time? Just clear out the sinuses?
Here are 7 Things I use, wear, and enjoy!
Terrazzo Cutting Board: If you are planning on hosting some summer dinner parties, this piece serves both as a cutting board and beautiful serving tray.
Red Mary Janes: It’s hard to beat a classic red ballet flat for summer. Perfect for bicycling, farmer’s market runs, and trips to new cities.
Elevated Chopsticks: Nothing like a pop of color to make your takeout run a sophisticated treat.
Perfect gold hoops: These small gold hoops with a little diamond at the bottom have been my favorite pair to wear this summer. As usual, BaubleBar is so affordable for the quality!
The breezy top of the summer: This white collared top is more breathable than a t-shirt, but looks so much more put together. Pair with denim shorts, a skort, linen pants, or a twirly skirt.
The best whipped body cream: RIP! I accidentally packed this whipped lavender body cream in my carry-on instead of my suitcase and it is now in a trashcan at the Dulles Airport. Will be getting again to replace my loss.
Leather bowler bag: Joyn really did make the easiest summer bag to tote around. Plus, it looks like a baguette, which is something I want to be seen carrying!
JOY-SCROLLING:
How to Make Things When Perfectionism Keeps Bubbling Up
This is the first edition of something I’ve been waiting to build for you. The Feeling! Summer Camp series is a multi-week course, exclusively for supporting subscribers.
Parties Need More Play
This is a new column about the parts of hosting that don’t go on a moodboard. Today, we focus on the social game as a tool for forming bonds that last. I’ve included my secret weapon games, which are tried and true dinner party winners.
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Working with brands and businesses helps me make this magazine dream come true! If I do work directly with a brand, I am very picky about it, and I disclose the partnership to you, my readers. A few of the links I included in this article are from ShopMy, which gives a small payment if someone buys a product from a recommendation. This helps fund future creative projects for this publication — thank you!
P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!
Just started reading Matilda by roald dahl:) thinking of re-reading all my childhood favs, would love more recommendations
GROUP PROJECT!
Summer reading check in! Will anyone their progress and favorite read so far?