the pen pal program is back

and other ways I'm upgrading keepsake

Hi friends,

It’s been a while since I’ve touched base in a casual way! Summer has been such a whirlwind for me, but as it’s finally slowing down again I’ve begun to think of all the fun ways I want to re-energize keepsake. Obviously the first thing that needs to happen is the return of the pen pal program.

If you missed it, I launched a pen pal program last December to connect keepsake readers all over the world. It was incredibly successful, so successful that it would take me hours every night to comb through the responses and match people up with someone they’d like writing to. It was a pet project turned massive to do list and sadly I stopped accepting responses because I couldn’t quite keep up with it.

I’ve decided to bring it back as an option for paid subscribers, along with a bunch of other fun initiatives as I build out my bonus content on keepsake! I appreciate each and every one of you so much, and I understand becoming a paid subscriber is not always an option, but it makes the most sense for me at this moment as the extra source of income will help offset the time devoted to it.

It’s one of a few ways I want to make things happen in the real world for all my digital friends out there, so if you’re looking for extra features from keepsake do read on and see all I’ve got planned going forward for paid subscribers.

1. The Keepsake Pen Pal Program

I know we’re all hardcore fans of snail mail, so what better way is there for us to flex our cute stationery and pens? When you become a paid subscriber you will automatically be sent an email on how to join. *Already a paid subscriber and looking for the link? It’s at the bottom of this email.

2. Astrology Readings

I’ve been doing birth chart readings for my friends again, something I used to do on Instagram during the pandemic. I love digging into someone’s chart and creating a cute, easy-to-read PDF to go along with it, and I figured you might like that kind of thing too! Once a month I’ll randomly select a paid subscriber and offer a custom birth chart reading. The reading will include:

• An overview of your personal planets (Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Mercury, Mars, and Venus) with specifics on how they interact with the house they reside in and other points in your birth chart.

• Information on places of tension or harmony within your birth chart, decoding Trines and Conjunctions and all the other little things that make up your destiny.

• Guidance on your past wounds and trajectory for your future (Chiron, North Node, and Midheaven) with specific advice on how to tackle it.

• A PDF with a color palette that suits your aesthetic and a digital collage.

At this time this is only a lottery offering— if you’d like to request a commission for a birthday or special occasion send me an email at keepsakesubstack@gmail.com

3. Dinner Party Gossip

I had this idea on a park bench with my friend when she began telling me about Henry David Thoreau and I realized just how little I knew on the subject. It was a good story compellingly told (my favorite kind) and it felt like just the sort of thing you could whip out at the dinner table and impress a new group of friends at a party. Everybody has a few topics like that, ones they’ve dedicated college essays or at least Wikipedia deep dives to over the years, and I realized I’d like to start collecting them.

Coming soon to your inbox: Dinner Party Gossip, a once monthly feature on the interesting stories and well-researched topics that could earn you a gold star in your next conversational hang.

If you’re interested in sharing your Dinner Party Gossip email me a pitch at keepsakesubstack@gmail.com and we’ll see if it’s fit to feature!

4. Club Keepsake

Paid subscribers already know, but in case you don’t, it's a monthly email that goes out with prompts for what you should make, write, and do to cultivate a creative life. It’s an extension of the monthly intentions series that brings our community a little bit closer, with features like a bulletin board where you can submit anything you’re working on or want to share with the group, and a curated list of inspo from across the internet that keeps me inspired.

It also includes a link to our shared Pinterest board, where we all collectively save bits and bobs that make us think or say wow. If you want to catch up on the last one before the next one goes out, take a peek down here:

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So that’s what’s been on my mind lately. I really can’t wait to bring some of these things to life, and don’t worry, there will still be plenty of free content available in the meantime. I will also share that if you’re local to NYC, I’m planning an event on August 27th, the details of which will be revealed very soon. This is your early bird notice to save the date as I plan my first (hopefully of many) keepsake IRL event :)

Thank you so much for reading it truly means the world to me keepsake is the coolest thing I’ve ever done and it’s thanks to all of you. More info on the pen pal program below!

xo,

Julianna