| THE EPISTOLARIAN |

When I started Kathryn Hastings & Co. a little over five years ago, I kept returning to the metaphor of a garden. It felt like I was planting dozens of seeds, not knowing which would take root or how long it might be before anything pushed through the soil. I made a promise to myself not to judge too quickly and not to expect fruit before the season was right. I simply kept creating. I wrote, recorded podcasts, and shared glimpses of beauty on social media.

Over time, my art began to evolve, and slowly a community took shape. I often thought of flowers, and how we do not dig into the soil each day to measure their progress. We water. We wait. We trust. We tend.

For me, the artistic process is a kind of ripening. It is the quiet transformation of intention into truth, the gradual becoming of something once only imagined. It is about action, yes, but also about the patience to let things bloom in their own time.

In my life’s work through letters and seals, I hope to create a space where people can be gentle with themselves and with their creativity. A space where showing up is enough. Where effort does not need to be immediate or impressive to be worthwhile. Where the act of tending, quiet and steady and unseen, is recognized as its own kind of devotion. Where beauty and meaning are allowed to arrive on their own terms, not ours.

What, in your own life, is quietly ripening? And are you willing to wait for it, without disturbing the roots to be sure it is growing?

Seal of the Week: Promettre et tenir sont deux

This seal depicts a fruit tree with the inscription: “Promettre et tenir sont deux.” (To promise and to keep are two).

At first glance, the image seems simple: a tree heavy with fruit, its branches full. But the phrase around it asks us to look closer. It’s not enough for a tree to have leaves; for it to matter, it must bear fruit. And bearing fruit takes time, care, and follow-through.

The fruit-bearing tree is a metaphor for integrity—the idea that it's not what we say or intend that defines us, but what we actually produce through consistent action.

Color of the Week: Neptune (a new color!)

A color drawn from the depths. Neptune is a richly saturated green with blue undertones, deeper than Zephyr, more oceanic than Caledonia.

Named for the Roman god of the sea, Neptune is a symbol of intuition, imagination, and the dissolving of boundaries. In myth, he ruled not just the ocean, but the emotional undercurrents of the world. In wax, this shade invites the same: a sense of fluidity, inspiration, and creative surrender. It is ideal for sealing letters written in a dream-state or marking moments when something invisible becomes real.

Use Neptune when you are ready to cross thresholds. When what you are making is not entirely your own. When you trust the tides.

The First Edition: The Final Months

We are entering the final weeks of the first edition of the Hastings Étui. Once this edition is fully spoken for, there will be a pause before the second edition is introduced—likely a minimum of three months.

If you intend to collect from the inaugural edition, now is the time. The upcoming release will feature a slightly evolved design and a modest price increase to reflect rising production costs.

Each edition marks a distinct chapter in the life of the Étui. I would be honored if this first one found its place in your collection.

Rebus Penny Collect Here

Star & Memory Penny Collect Here

Fancy a Cuppa & Bay Leaf Penny Collect Here