We are so excited to introduce Brown Sugar Sage & Biscotti in the Lindsay Letters shop! Lindsay created this gorgeous abstract duo with time around the table in mind. The colors are warm and delicious... brown sugar, cream, baked goods, herbs, spices. If you took all the sounds and scents that greet you when you show up for a special meal at a loved one's home (or one you prepare yourself), these paintings are meant to evoke those senses, by way of art! You can't enjoy a special meal every day, but you can always enjoy Brown Sugar Sage & Biscotti on your walls! You can find them in our Duos & Trios Collection, and in The Hygge Collection.

Brown Sugar Sage | 24x30 Canvas, Shaker Walnut Frame

Biscotti | 24x30 Canvas, Shaker Walnut Frame

Our friend Kendra at @homepsuncottage saw these early and immediately ordered them for her cottage-inspired home. The colors in this duo will work with so many different palettes, but don't they look absolutely scrumptious against her cream walls? Hers are 24x30 Gallery Wrapped (unframed), and she styled them with a vintage wooden decorative piece on top — what a cool find!

You can find & customize Brown Sugar Sage & Biscotti (one, the other, or both!) in The Duos & Trios Collection, or The Hygge Collection.

Hi! It's birthday week at the Sherbondy house (that's right — both kids, the week before Thanksgiving (🥳🎉), and every around this time I love to do a little something in the LL shop in their honor. This year feels a little extra special, and it's with a very full and tender heart that I introduce you to Eva's Manifesto and the Bravery Manifesto.

First, the Bravery Manifesto. I wrote this piece in honor of my son Phoenix Brave, whose birthday is this very day! He’s such an amazing dude, and he has been through so much these last few years. (As with all kids through this pandemic.) I wrote these words after tucking him in one night while Eva was in the hospital, and I had this thought like: Phoenix would never call himself brave. I don’t think he realizes he is brave. But he’s making it through. And shining. And that is bravery. Moving forward, and making it through.

“Bravery isn’t a feeling, it’s a decision. It’s knowing what scares you, what the risks are, what’s at stake, what’s going to be difficult, and going anyway. Doing it anyway. Deciding anyway. Bravery is fear and worry deferred..." Read the rest, here →

I picture this piece on your kids' walls, as words to live by as they grow up. But I also created this piece with some super brave adults in mind! I hope that you can use this art as an inspiring gift to loved ones who might be walking through a challenging season. (Or even as a reminder to yourself!)

And now, Eva’s Manifesto!

So many of you have so graciously followed along with our family over these last few years. The prayers, the good vibes, the thoughtful comments, the cards, the drawings, the gifts, the stories from your kids – all of those have been lifelines for us. I thought and prayed about what she might say to all of you, if she could, and what came out was this:

“You are an amazing, wonderful, perfectly-made, beautiful, strong, heart and soul of a human. You probably do not even understand how incredible you are. But trust me! You are!” Read the rest →

(You can also read the blog post I wrote on Eva's birthday two days ago, about how I get to see her express and communicate love to others even now that she's non-verbal.)

And finally, birthday candles! We collaborated with Craft + Foster to add a Brave Candle (for Phoenix) to our popular Worthy of Love Candle (Eva’s candle). They each come with a mini-print, and they're available individually or as a gift set.

Lighting candles is my favorite act of self care, for me and for my family. It makes every day feel special! They each chose their signature candle scent – Phoenix chose Light Lemon Sugar (Brave Candle)… I think it smells like his favorite pound cake. It’s a very subtle, yummy scent. Eva chose Apricot Rose (Worthy of Love), and it makes her room smell like heaven. Both candles would make incredible gifts, alone or together!

Thank you for being part of my kids' lives over the years, through your support of my family and small business. Know that I am so incredibly honored to be part of your life and home, through my art. And know that you are braver than you feel, and more than enough. Just as you are. 💞

Ever since her accident, Eva has been non-verbal. That is to say, she can't speak in words. But she's incredibly communicative to those of us that know her. And, lucky for us, in the seven-and-a-half years that Eva was alive before the accident, she laid a legacy for herself. She paved a colorful, brick-laden path for the rest of her life with all the love and hugs and gushiness and togetherness and inclusiveness you could possibly pack into a lifetime.

Eva was born to love. She never met a stranger. She walked to the beat of her own drum. She can't tell us in words now, but we know this to be even more true now than it was then. How do we know? Because we know, undoubtedly, that she knows Jesus in an incredibly personal way now. And when you take Eva's love, plus the love of Jesus... well. That packs a punch.

Someone wrote me recently and asked, absurdly, why we allow her to go on like this. I'm not going to get into that now (or maybe ever), but here's what I know for sure: God has a plan and a purpose for her life. I'll be honest and say that I broke down crying in her bed last night. We usually try to keep it upbeat and encouraging for her. (Real, but positive). But last night when talking about her birthday plans, all I could manage to say was I am so sorry, and you deserve so much better than this. Period.

Yet, here we are. She's here. And she's determined to be here. I am aware that we can't always take credit for our own survival. We can't always will ourselves out of sickness. When I almost died of septic shock, I didn't awake from a coma because I'm “such a fighter.” I am a fighter, but it's hard to fight when you're in a coma. My organs bounced back because that's what God had for me. It had nothing to do with my will. But for Eva, I think something about her survival has been dependent on her will. I know she hasn't let go yet. She's had a lot of illnesses where she really could have given us any indication she was mentally done, that she just couldn’t do it anymore, but she didn't. She just didn't. If anything, she’d get a twinkle in her eye or crack a smile the literal moment I was crumbling to the ground. She's in it. For now, and hopefully for a long time. 

And so, why? Why would this little girl that was so full of life, who never sat still, who lost her mind any time she had to get one single shot, who knew not a personal spatial boundary or stranger... why would she want to stay here, on this earth? Like this? And the only conclusion we can come up with is because she knows that she is here for a reason. She was created to bring life and love. And she knows something we can all learn from her — that our circumstances aren't meant to inhibit our calling. Eva brings life and love differently now, but just as much. Arguably, she's got a broader reach from her wheelchair and bed than she had before.

Is it worth it? Gosh no. I told her last night I'd trade places with her in a second if I could. That I'd give anything for her to have a "regular kid" life. But it's just not how the cards fell. I'm not sure if God picked this for her… I don't know how that works. But I know that He allowed it. And I know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8). So yeah, she's here for a reason. She's here to love. I believe it's what keeps her going. It keeps us all going, too. Unfortunately, probably most of the time, our lives have very little to do with us. Eva gets it, and we are trying to learn from her every day.

There are so many of you that have so graciously followed along over these last few years. The prayers, the good vibes, the thoughtful comments, the cards, the drawings, the gifts, the stories from your kids (shoutout to Noah) – all of those have been lifelines for us! I look at many of them often, taped all over the walls of her room, and I think about all the kids out there that she'd give smothering hugs to if she could. But since she can't, I thought and prayed about what Eva might say, if she could. To all the kids that have prayed for her, made her feel welcome at school or church, sent her sweet notes and pictures... and to the kids she's never met, especially the ones that might be hurting. The ones with a diagnosis. The ones who don't know where they fit in. The ones who feel alone.

This is for them, and this is for ALL of you. With love, from Eva. 

“Hey, you! Yes, YOU! You are an amazing, wonderful, perfectly made, beautiful, strong, heart and soul of a human. 

You probably don't even understand how incredible you are.
BUT TRUST ME! – You are!

And also –
YOU are BEYOND WORTHY!
And
Your value in this world is immeasurable. (That's a LOT!)

On your best days
On the hard days
on every day.

You are enough. Just as you are.”

♡

Top to Bottom:

Space Cowgirl | Beach Holiday | Rainbow Checks | Plant Shop, Flower Stand, Fairy Garden | Norway Road No. 2, Obsidian, Green Marble, Moonstone No. 3

For the last several years, we've created a collection for you around the theme of water. Water can mean a lot of different things to people. You might hear "water" and think of the beach, the pool, a lake... you might think of the ocean, or a cold glass in your hand, or a refreshing shower, or even baptism. Water is essential for everyday life, and we also associate it with luxury and leisure. Because water does feel so meaningful, and maybe especially because (to my Midwestern heart) it signifies that SUMMER is here, I think it might be my favorite collection to create! I also love creating things I know you're going to like, and I know you're going to love this one!!!

This year's collection is a little more dialed in. The mood board that Laura created (below) before I started painting really helped us hone in on a color palette where everything truly does incorporate seamlessly together. It's meant to feel refreshing, cool, effortless, and happy. There are some warmer tones and neutrals mixed in with the blues, which feel easier to incorporate into a home year-round even if you don't live in a lake house or near an ocean! 

We try to be intentional about not depending on the architecture of a home to showcase Lindsay Letters artwork. We want these pieces to work for you whether you live in a dream home or a dorm room, a brownstone or builder grade... wherever! So we set up little scenes and change or paint a few backgrounds to create a sense of space. Throughout this shoot I kept thinking, I don't know where this is, but I know I want to be there...

... and that's the heart of what art is trying to do, right? It sets the tone for a space. It can transport you, it can calm you, it can make you more content within your own four walls. No matter what, it makes you feel something. And we hope you love the way the pieces from this collection make you feel. 

p.s. We just rolled out an exciting new feature on the website, currently available exclusively on The 2022 Water Collection! Now as you're shopping you can select your preferred view: styled (which is the default), simple, or art print. We think it's super fun and helpful, but we'd love to know what you think about it! Leave us a comment or drop us an email: hello@lindsayletters.co.

Check it out! →