beautiful remarkable things
offerings for all seasons
Hello friends.
The holiday season is here. A time when we all might feel a bit more nostalgic.
I am reminded of home and growing up in New England—playing outside until suppertime, the leaves (oh, how many times had we leapt from tire swing to leaf pile, reconstructed the pile and started all over again), breathing in the cool, crisp air…
…and Mom.
Mom loved to write, especially poetry, and she (so) loved to send a card. She was old fashioned that way. She would keep an assortment in her bedside table at the ready, and she never missed a birthday or a Christmas.
Ever.
I am an October baby, and this year, I celebrated turning sixty.
It is bittersweet.
Mom would have made a big deal of this fact, and If I could be sure of one thing, it would be that I could have expected her beautifully handwritten, heartfelt card in my mailbox.
It would truly have meant so much.
A few months back, while in the waiting area for an appointment, I was mid-scroll on Instagram when a video caught the whimsical dreamy side of me—I was instantly transported to another place and time—to an old printing press whirring in motion… the autumn leaves rustling in a soft whisper through the trees… and a slow drifting stream flowing along the riverbank…
I was swept away by the melancholic rhythm of the music…
… when suddenly, I hear my name, and abruptly snap back to reality.
I stand and follow the nurse.
As I lift my readers to the top of my head and put my phone to sleep, it dawns on me as I mutter “oh shoot” (well, I actually whisper the naughty version of the word, but this is a family friendly post, so a little white lie is ok here)—“Now how the heck am I going to find that video again?”
Here’s the thing. I understood it wasn’t the end of the world if I didn’t. But I was picking up some warm and fuzzy Hallmark-ish (and perhaps Little House on the Prairie) vibes and I really wanted to see the video through to its end and learn how that old printing press came into play.
Once I returned home and had the chance to get my scroll back on, I had hoped the Instagram algorithm elves would work their magic to help me find my answers. Unfortunately, the elves must have been on overtime at the North Pole working their toy magic, because they certainly were not in the control room at Instagram pushing my long lost video into my feed. Day turned to night, and still, I had nothin’.
The next morning came and went.
No video.
I was on my lunch break at work and had a few minutes. I finished Wordle and did a quick scroll through my Instagram stories when I stopped and moved one frame back. I tapped the screen…
…and there in a pinned post was the video.
The stars had aligned.
By the video’s end, I wanted to pack my overalls and apron, crawl through the screen and teleport myself to California and report for letterpress and paper making duty at once.
I was enchanted and so very curious.
I reached out and sent a message to them—would they be willing to let me tell their backstory, answer a few questions and share the love with my community. I was thrilled (giddy even) when they accepted.
This is Farmette. A true labor of love.
“The labor of one’s own hand translates to the heart.”
Farmette is a handmade paper and letterpress studio (hence “Fiona,” the old printing press we saw in the video), located just down from the hobby farm in Northern California where it’s founder, Loren, lives. Each and every one of the ”deckle edge”** papers is made and botanically dyed by hand.
“My small team and I dream up, write, design, botanically dye, hand-make, fold and letterpress print each card that we offer. They truly are a “farm to card” labor of love and we hope they bring you joy!” - Loren Profit Smith, Founder
**Deckle edges are the natural edges from the papermaking process instead of trimmed edges to showcase the handmade nature of the paper.
I wanted to actually see and feel the paper in my hands so I placed my initial order of a sampling of their Christmas cards (similar to those in the image below)—and if I am honest, once I opened the package, I knew I was going to have a difficult time parting with any one of them come Christmastime. They were as vintage… and beautiful… and authentic as they appeared in the picture…
And now to the backstory and questionnaire with Loren…
I first started the business 8 years ago, with the goal to have slow made paper invites to savor natural beauty, and thoughtful connections in all the rhythms of life. I think a part of what makes our interaction with goods pleasurable and meaningful is knowing who made them—that connection brings joy.
The pleasure of knowing the long process and actual human hands that made them, connecting with the care and passion that went in to creating.
Recently, we just took a big step of moving our business off of our little farm into a building in our small rural town, and as part of that we'll be opening a proper brick and mortar shop stocked with goods made by other artisans, many of whom I'm actively collaborating with design wise to create something really sweet, aligned, pretty things.
A big part of why my husband and I chose the entrepreneurial path over "normal jobs" is because we wanted to have more time or at least flexible time to be with our kids. Also we made a deal when we got married that we would figure out a way for both of us to work part time, stay at home parent part time, because I wanted to have meaningful work in addition to mommying, and he wanted to be around to see his kids grow up. It's always a work in progress, but I love the little life we that were continuing to build. I've faced many ups and downs, adding two babies to total 4, two moves, and more soul expanding, sometimes excruciating, learning than I ever thought something as "simple" as making paper could bring to my life. I'm so grateful for to those who have been along for the journey, and all the support means more than you know. In addition to cards, art prints, we now have affirmation cards meant as encouragement to see yourself, accept yourself, look at and come to terms with your mistakes, and soak in the peace of letting love in to the whole of your story." -Loren
What is your favorite season and why?
I love the autumn! Enjoying the fruits of the labor of the spring and summer, the crisp air, cozy nights with candles and firelight, the sense of natural things slowing down and settling in for winter, feeling inspired to be in the kitchen cooking and baking again, the rains returning and the earth exhaling a sigh of relief. Summers where I live are very hot and dry, so when late autumn arrives it feels like we’ve made it through.
Favorite color?
Green! I love trees and growing things, and the sense of life that green imparts any time it’s included in a palette.
Since we are talking farmette, what animals live there on her farm and could we have their names?
We have a troupe of ducks who managed to hatch out one duckling this year and love to swim in our little pond - the tall, skinny runner is called “Luiga” and the rest are just collectively called by their breed: the Pekins (it kind of sounds like a band name: Luiga and the Pekins); five hens and a rooster who, sadly, have no names because over the years we have lost too many chickens; a flock of sheep, our favorites are Lady and her lambs, Sugar and Buddy, and their dad, Abraram. We’re going to look at a pair of mini cows (mini meaning they are about as tall as a four year-old) this weekend - I can’t even imagine how cute a baby mini cow will be!
Coffee or tea?
Matcha everyday! I love the taste of coffee but it makes me very excited and then very, very grumpy for a whole day. I’ve decided to spare my sweet husband and stick to tea.
In your spare time, what do you do for pleasure?
I love to learn new ways to make things with my hands. Right now I’m (very slowly) studying natural perfumery, and I’d like to dabble with pottery next.
Mountains or beach?
Ah so hard to choose but I’d have to say mountains! Growing up, Lake Tahoe was my parents’ favorite place and some of my best memories are there. I love the crisp mountain air and the smell of the sugar pines.
Favorite part of the business side of Farmette?
I’m really drawn to systems but for a long time, operating farmette honestly felt a bit chaotic as we were growing and evolving! In this season, I’m really loving getting clear and consistent systems in place that make things feel peaceful for me and my team, and deliver a delightful experience for our customers. That’s the goal. :)
Favorite part of the creative side of Farmette?
Natural dyes! I love working with plant colors and never cease to be amazed at the beautiful hues we can make with botanicals. I also have a few projects in the works collaborating with other artisans on some new kinds of products, and I am often moved to tears at their joy and pride in their craft - I love seeing others create beautiful things.
Thank you for being here.
xo Char
My mom loves sending cards too. I might need to send her one today now that I’ve read this 🥲