July 2026 Newsletter: What's Growing

July is here, and so much has happened since last month.

June was full. My birthday month always is. But this year felt different, more intentional, more alive. I turned my birthday into a mini vendor fair (more on that below), shipped the June newsletter, and kept showing up even when it was hard.

This month I want to talk about what's growing. Not just in the garden or the studio, but in me, as an artist and as a founder. It's been a year of learning what "good enough" really means, and I have thoughts. 🌿

🎨 Art Tip #5: How to Store Your Finished Artwork

This one surprised me. I learned something new while researching it.

If you make art at any level, you need a portfolio binder with archival sleeves. Not a portfolio case (those are great for transport, but long-term pressure can warp your paper). A binder. With acid-free sleeves. And if you work large like I do, up to 18x24, a glassine roll for interleaving is a game changer I just discovered myself.

Watch Art Tip #5 here → Protecting and Organizing Your Work 

Everything I use is linked in my Amazon Idea List → Protecting and Organizing Your Artwork

🌿 What's Growing

I've been thinking a lot about growth lately, not the metrics kind, but the internal kind.

A year into building MyLittleFe, I've had to ask myself some uncomfortable questions. Am I doing enough? Is what I'm making good enough? And the harder question underneath that: what does "good enough" even mean for someone who is still learning, still becoming?

I wrote about it. It got long. It became a blog post.

Read it here → "One Shot at a Time"

🏡 New This Month: The Shed

I just published a piece about the backyard shed that became my creative studio. It is where the birthday pop-up happened, where I make the art, and where a lot of the magic of MyLittleFe quietly takes place.

Read it here → The Shed: My Little Creative Studio

🏞️ National Parks: A Story I've Been Wanting to Tell

You may have noticed the National Parks collection in my shop. What you might not know is why it exists, and what I'm doing with it.

For every National Park-inspired design I sell, I donate $1 to support the National Park Service. August 25th is the NPS 110th Anniversary, and I'll be sharing the full donation total then. But I wanted to start telling this story now, because it matters to me.

How did the obsession start? A blog is coming this month. Stay tuned. 🌿

Browse the National Parks Collection → mylittlefe.com/collections/national-parks

🌈 Spread Kindness

This month I also created a design for Pride. Kindness is something I believe in year-round, and the Spread Kindness line is my small way of showing up for that.

Browse the Be Kind Collection → mylittlefe.com/collections/be-kind

🎂 June Highlight

June 13th was a good day. I turned my birthday into a mini vendor fair at home, friends, family, food, my cousin Basil on the decks, and my shed transformed into a little store. The support was real. And I sold my first original piece, to a friend who wanted it more than I expected anyone ever would. Weird feeling, letting it go. A good one. I am eternally grateful for all that made it in person and for everyone that was there in spirit. 🌿

📅 Events This Summer

• Concord Juneteenth Festival, June 27 | Todos Santos Plaza, 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Free event, everyone welcome.
• Castro Valley Pride, July 18 | Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave, Castro Valley, CA. 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Come find me there! 🌈

🛍️ From the Shop

Explore new designs added to the store → Fresh from the Shed

Or explore everything at → mylittlefe.com

Thank you for being here. For reading. For showing up in my corner of the internet every month.

Keep creating. Keep growing. 🌿

— Marife

MyLittleFe | mylittlefe.com