We have progress to share…

A big step forward

One of the biggest milestones lately is that the Sue’s Secrets website is now officially set up with membership payment links. That feels pretty exciting! After a couple months of dreaming, planning, designing, and figuring things out, we can actually start welcoming people into the recipe mail club and building our little membership community.

Reaching these milestones feels pretty amazing, especially when I think about how much I’ve learned—or at least figured out—that wasn’t even on my radar before Sue’s Secrets came along. Apparently, when you decide to start a recipe mail club, there’s a lot to learn! There’s still plenty I’d like to improve, but at some point you just have to say, “Okay, I think we’re ready enough!” and keep going—learning and adapting as you go.

I also spent quite a bit of time thinking about the pricing. I wanted it to feel fair and accessible, while reflecting what will actually arrive in the mailbox. Our packages are larger and allow for heavier envelopes than many typical snail mail offerings, so that was a factor. I’ve also come to appreciate just how much love, time, and effort goes into these little snail mail businesses. Now that I’ve had a chance to work on Sue’s Secrets, I have an even greater appreciation for the heart that goes into making something special each month.

Right now there’s a monthly membership and an annual membership, with a little savings for those who choose the yearly option. I also just had the thought to offer a one-time option for anyone who would simply like to give Sue’s Secrets a one-month try without signing up for a recurring membership—there are some people out there who are afraid of commitment, haha

There’s still a bit of mystery around exactly what will arrive in that envelope, and I think that’s partly because I haven’t shown enough of it yet! I’m going to be working on that more over the next little while because I’d love for people to be able to picture the whole experience before they decide to join.

Behind the scenes

I’ve also been spending a lot of time working on, not just the recipes themselves, but the print layout and how they will actually look when they arrive in someone’s hands and then are tucked safely into a pretty binder.

You know how sometimes you spend too much time testing fonts? We all do it! Haha 😆

Needless to say, I’ve been playing around with layouts, fonts, little details and ways to give each of the Sue’s Secrets collections a distinctive touch while still making everything feel cohesive.

This has actually been one of my favourite parts of the project, even though I’m finding it surprisingly hard to settle on the final look. Every time I think, “Okay, THIS is it,” I see another possibility and start wondering if I should change something. This is why I have enlisted some help. I’ve sent a few designs along to friends for some honest feedback. I think having a fresh set of eyes will be really helpful before I settle on the final look.

I’m also realizing that my home printer probably isn’t quite going to give me the finished quality I’m looking for on the recipe pages, so I’m going to visit a few local printers and see what options are available. I can still put my own printer to good use for the letters and some of the other pieces.

And then there’s the really fun part: putting the package together.

I’ve been playing with envelopes, stamps, vellum, stickers, and all the little decorative details that will make the mailing feel special when it arrives. I love this part too. There’s something about all those little touches, knowing that someone will get to open it and enjoy something tangible and special.

I want it to feel like a little gift from one kitchen friend to another—not something that simply showed up in the mailbox. 💌

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be bringing all those pieces together and writing the personal letter that will go into the October package.

Getting ready for October

And that brings me to the part I’m probably most excited about: I would really love to have some members to send these first packages to in October.

We don’t have any members signed up just yet, but I’m feeling hopeful and optimistic. I know that building something new takes time, and it may take a few months to find the right people and grow our little community.

In the meantime, I’ll keep sharing what I’m working on and trying to get the word out through social media. I especially want to show more of what Sue’s Secrets actually looks like, because I think it’s hard to know whether you’d like something when you can’t quite picture it yet!

After putting so much time and heart into this project, it would be pretty wonderful to have a stack of Sue’s Secrets envelopes sitting on my table, each one with a name and address on it, ready to make its way into wonderful people’s kitchens and homes.

I’m hoping we get there in October. And if it takes a little longer, we’ll keep going until we do.

I’d also really love for this journal to become more of a conversation as Sue’s Secrets grows. If there’s something you’d like to know, something you’d like me to write about, or you have a question or idea, please feel free to leave a note here.

This project started because I wanted to get my mom’s recipes and kitchen wisdom down on paper. I’m hoping it can become something more—a little community of people who want to connect over their love of good food, cooking and baking, family recipes, stories, with a few laughs along the way.

For now, I’m just going to keep working away at all the little pieces and see where this takes us.

Your friends in the kitchen

❤️

Sheila & Sue