What do you do when you are gifted a crochet magazine? Make note cards obviously.

The lilacs are in bloom. I inherited two in my yard: a rare white beauty and a light pinky purple. It is a sweet pleasure to take in the familiar but fleeting scent.

Is there anything more giving, more generous, than a tree full of BLOSSOMS?!?!? Behold… eye candy!

And it’s only the Saturday night before.

What you don’t realize is that she expects a Mother’s Day weekend. A husband sneaking off to the grocery store on Sunday morning to buy some last minute wilted chrysanthemums dyed in blue, yellow, and neon pink is not her definition of Cherished or Seeing What She Does For This Family.

Oh the poetic brooding of a rainy day. I am trying out my new fountain pen with the new ink. The kind of situation where there is old ink left in the ink and the new ink has yet to flow through. If my writing changes colour, will the mood change, too? Like a sort of mood ring? Going from calm blue ink to a confused purple and finally an angsty red? 

Let’s celebrate by going to a few stationery stores and running a contest. We are visiting Wonder Pens and Phidon Pens.

A letter falls out of a book from the book fair. And a love story starts.

This has always been my favourite holiday photo. To me it is everything beautiful about the life I lived in LA. To the side is Catherine O’Hara. In my world she wasn’t centre stage. She was just part of the same friend group.

This letter was sent out last January 2025. If you’d like to get fun letters in the mail, subscribe at the Etsy shop. Each letter comes with an art print.

A friend died too young. Snuffed out in his prime. I still can’t believe I won’t see him again. So of course, now he is everywhere.

I explore the quiet joy of making art by hand in an age when AI can mimic almost anything — except the human heart behind it. Discover why a simple “quiet hello” in the mail still matters, offering comfort, connection, and a small treat in a digital world. It’s a reflection on the value of handmade work and why our human impulses are more worth celebrating than ever.

Real letters are more than mail — they’re keepsakes, pauses, and tiny hugs in a fast-paced digital life. Rediscover the joy of real letters with Cottage Letters — each one a personal story, poem, and art print mailed just for you.

“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.”

Oh Oscar Wilde sure could whip up a nice quote.

This is my summer book haul from a recent trip to London.

Beautiful people everywhere.

We had local elections this week. I’ve worked at these elections before. Let me explain why it’s one of my favourite jobs ever. Enlightenment galore!

“Cottage Letters” by Janice MacLeod is a delightful monthly mail subscription that brings the charm of handwritten letters to your doorstep. Each month, receive an exquisitely crafted letter accompanied by unique ephemera, such as postcards, holiday cards, or bookmarks, all beautifully packaged to brighten your day. Themes explore life, the changing seasons, and gardening, cottagecore, and hygge.