Hi friends,
I’m the owner of Scatter Your Sunshine and want to welcome you to my little shop of sun-soaked nostalgia.
I thought up the concept for Scatter Your Sunshine back in 2017 while on a solo road trip to Big Bend National Park. Maybe it was the heat of the sun, maybe it was the mental clarity that comes with quality alone-time, or the pure fun I was having, but I knew I wanted to help create moments of happiness in our everyday lives.
Although SYS has grown into different things as I’ve grown, the overall purpose has always remained the same. Share your kindness and happiness with everyone whose path crosses yours.
The doozy of a year that was 2020 is what led Scatter Your Sunshine to finally take shape. Instead of mental clarity, during this time, it felt a little more like insanity and a real craving for connection and kindness.
The thing is, I moved nearly 2,000 miles less than a year prior leaving my comfort zone and a lot of amazing friends behind. I was excited to start a new career and to finally close the gap on my long-distance relationship. Suddenly, the pandemic hit, my new career was gone and the year I had deemed “the year of making friends in my new city” dwindled away.
During this time, I understood more than ever that the smallest of gestures can really make a giant impact on a person’s day.
With a lot of extra time on my hands, eight years of creative marketing experience and a deep desire for community, I turned to the concept I thought up in 2017 and started to make it a reality.
My main goal was to provide a smile to those who were far away. There are so many moments we miss in our loved one’s lives from the loss of beloved fur babies, the purchase of first homes, new kiddos, unexpected illnesses, weddings and everyday just because moments, but no matter the distance I wanted an avenue to provide them with something thoughtful and happy to remind folks "I’m there," even when we can’t be.
Showing love doesn't always come in the form of a tangible gift. The thought is genuinely what matters most and a nice text can brighten someone’s day too, but I truly appreciate the art of receiving an unexpected piece of happy mail.
I have always been a big fan of good old fashioned snail mail and never really got behind the digital card phase that sparked up, so I wanted to offer something tangible that ignited happy thoughts. Nostalgia enters the chat.
Nostalgic memories are generally our cherished memories and have been known to boost self-esteem and optimism. They can remind us of the best parts of our lives. For me, it looks like seeing an old tea pitcher that my grandmother used to make sweet tea. It takes me back to those happy moments in her kitchen when I was kid and my list of worries consisted of nothing more than how late I could stay out and dance in the sun.
I knew I had to incorporate the feeling of nostalgia in the shop and that is what started the curation of our vintage and pre-loved collection. As part of SYS’s effort to reduce its environmental impact, bringing pre-loved items back to life was a perfect fit. Plus, I love that these items meant something to someone and carry stories with them.
In 2020, SYS was solely curating vintage items, but I felt like something was missing. I wanted to provide something that was the epitome of thoughtful. For me, these are the gifts that bring happy tears to my eyes and when I open them I think, “Wow, life is so busy and they truly put time into thinking about this gift for me. How special is that.”
My home is covered in art that my friends have made or commissioned others to make for me as gifts throughout my life. Each time I see these pieces in my home, I’m reminded of happy moments with people that I love and that’s the goal here at SYS. With that thought in mind, our handmade collection was launched and now we offer options for customizations on many of our hand crafted pieces. Plus, I would love to include handwritten messages with any gifts you’re sending!
Scatter Your Sunshine is all about happiness and sharing it with others. A lot of love has gone into making and curating our products, and I can only hope that comes through from the moment you receive your package in the mail.
I’m still navigating ways to make connections stronger, rekindle old connections and make new ones, so come back here to our Happy Mail to learn about my personal experiences, tips, gift-guides, how-tos, making connections and so much more.
To quote the great Dolly Parton, “If you see someone without a smile, give them yours.”
Together, I hope to fill our little world with smiles – they’re as good as sunshine.
XOXO,
Jules
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Takeaways:
- If you haven’t experienced a solo trip, this is your sign to try it out!
- Bring back the lost art of snail mail. 🐌
- Scatter your own sunshine with someone today.
- Ask your loved ones for their address so you can send them surprise happy mail whenever you want. 📬