The Note That Found Me This Week
The Note That Found Me This Week
(And why it reminded me of everything Tinges of Hope is about)
It arrived on an ordinary Wednesday.
No email notification. No ping. Just a small envelope tucked between a bill and junk mail — and my name, written by hand, on the front.
It was from Heather.
Heather and I were neighbors once, a lifetime ago, when we were young. Then she moved away, and we did what people did before texts and social media made staying connected effortless: we wrote letters. Real ones, in envelopes, with stamps. Back then, long-distance phone calls were expensive — and letters were how you said, I'm thinking of you. (I know — I'm dating myself here.)
Eventually we lost touch. Life moved fast, the way it does.
But some friendships are built on something deeper than proximity. Heather and I share a love of art, of stories, of the beautiful things that make everyday life feel more alive. That common ground has held us together across decades and distance. And Heather, bless her, has never stopped sending notes.
I'll be honest with you — she is significantly better at this than I am. Her notes arrive more frequently than mine, with a warmth I genuinely admire, and they're often hand-painted. She puts something of herself into every single one.
I am, as I like to say, a work in progress. I believe deeply in the power of a handwritten note. I just don't always get there as often as I mean to. (Sound familiar? You're not alone.)
But when a note from Heather arrives...I smile every single time. Every. Single. Time.
That feeling is exactly what Tinges of Hope is built around.
The mission here has always been meaningful connection — the kind that happens when you slow down, pick up a pen, and take a moment to share something with someone you love. A story. A memory. A simple, heartfelt "I was thinking of you today".
In a world that moves at the speed of a scroll, that kind of intentional pause is almost sacred. A notecard is a small, beautiful act of presence. It says: you matter enough for me to stop. To write. To send.
That is why notecards are at the heart of everything we make at Tinges of Hope. They are the bridge between the connection we feel and the person we want to reach.
Which brings me to something I'm incredibly excited to share. Meet Poppy & Finn.
Poppy & Finn is the very first kit in the Tinges of Wonder Kids Collection, and it is everything I have ever believed about connection — written for the youngest among us.
Poppy and Finn are two friends who discover their shared world through imagination and adventure. Their bond deepens through the stories they explore together, the creative moments they share, the joy of finding someone who sees the world the way you do. That is the foundation of their friendship — and it is the same foundation Heather and I have stood on for a lifetime.
What does meaningful connection look like for children? It looks like this: a shared adventure, a creative moment, a story that becomes yours together. Poppy & Finn gives little ones the language for that — and the tools to celebrate it.
The kit includes the illustrated book, a canvas pencil pouch, colored pencils, sticker sheets, a color-in bookmark, and a muslin bag — everything a child needs to dive into a story and make something beautiful alongside a friend they love.
Pre-orders are open now through March 18th. If there is a little one in your life who loves stories and creating — or you want to give a gift that plants the seed of something truly lasting — this is it.
And for the grown-ups? You'll find the notecards waiting for you too. Because the mission doesn't change with age. It just finds new ways to show up.
And Heather — if you're reading this — thank you. For the art, the stories, the memories, and every hand-painted card that finds me on an ordinary day and reminds me that some friendships are simply forever. You are the living proof of why all of this matters.
#SendANoteSaturday | #ShareATinge | #TingesOfWonder