We can’t believe that summer is coming to an end in just a few days. It always feels like this season wraps up the quickest!
But the end of summer also gives us the chance to do one of our favorite things — reflect on and feel grateful for the good times. Below is a recap of our favorite memories from this last few months.
We hope you enjoy the walk down memory lane with us!
1. Exploring Arts + Crafts Markets
Summer is always packed with the best arts + crafts markets. It’s our favorite way to make the most out of sunny weather!
The very first market we attended was back in June, held by Meals for Unity in Chinatown. The market had a wonderful mission to deliver free meals to Asian seniors in need, while supporting local merchants — a two-fold mission that we love.
We were excited to debut our Sparks of Courage inspirational card deck at a booth managed by Olala, our partner that curates goods by AAPI creatives around the world.
Later that month, we stopped by FAD Market at Governors Island. You wouldn’t believe how windy it was that day! Fickle weather aside though, both of us were incredibly excited to show up to support our friends (like The Boba Family), discover new creative goods, and to meet other artists.
2. Community at Chinatown Night Market
One of the most memorable moments this summer was attending Think!Chinatown‘s summer night market in July.
We enjoyed winding through and exploring the many booths at the iconic gateway of the Manhattan Bridge. I picked up a gorgeous collage print from an AAPI creators table. We caught the ending of a beautiful live folk dance with ribbons, made even more magical by sparkling soap bubbles playfully blowing in the air.
We especially were captivated by the surrounding traditional arts in action, from sugar painting (it was so cute seeing kids squeal when receiving their freshly-hot candies) to paper portrait cutting.
Most of all though, we felt swept up by music, the bustling crowd and the feeling of excitement in the air. A normal weekday night felt absolutely transformed by the lights, conversation and activity of the market.
To us, this summer night felt like community at its best!
3. Language Meetup in the Park
This past summer, we’ve also been making an effort to attend Chinese language meetups.
Cat already is enviably fluent in Mandarin. Me? Ehh, not so much (oh, how futile those Chinese school years were!). But while Cat doesn’t necessarily need the language practice, we love language meetups for the same reason: getting the chance to speak with and meet different folks.
We always have such a great time talking with people from all backgrounds at these events. Some are drawn to Chinese culture and language and have been diving deep for years, doing everything from studying and living abroad to making their way through the best Chinese eats in the city (a worthy goal!).
In other instances, there are those, like us, finding ways as second-generation Asian-Americans, looking to their cultural heritage as an entry point to exploring their self-identity.
Whatever their reasons are, we find that these language meetups bring together fascinating folks from all walks of life, all united by an eagerness for new experiences.
4. Celebrating Our #SummerOfJoy Giveaway
We teamed up with our friends Olala and The Boba Family to celebrate the spirit of summer.
Over the past couple of years, between the pandemic, politics and other difficult news, it’s been, needless to say, a lot for everyone. All three of our teams wanted to find a way to make people smile– even if it was just over the course of seven days.
So we came up with #SummerOfJoy, inviting others to participate by sharing with us the things that they were most grateful for this past summer. We received tons of amazing answers from folks! They ranged from the appreciation of friends and family to finishing a graduate thesis to finding important solo time to focus on one’s art.
At the end of the week, we got together over delicious boba tea drinks to randomly choose three winners, who would receive a collection of favorite products from each of our shops.
All in all, it was a packed but exciting week, one that achieved our original goal — finding a way to reflect on and appreciate the little things in our lives that bring us joy!
5. Launching New Postcards
Earlier this month, we were excited to launch our first set of postcards, featuring the most popular five designs from our Sparks of Courage card deck.
This collection was brought to life after we were asked by folks to release versions of the Sparks of Courage designs in postcard form. As devout lovers of stationery ourselves, Cat and I couldn’t resist the call to do so!
We think these postcards are a fun and colorful gift of inspiration for anyone who needs a pick-me-up or is excited to learn about new cultures.
Curious to learn more about our Sparks of Courage postcard collection? You can visit our latest news update for details or explore our Little Fires Co. shop to take a look for yourself.
6. Being Creative Together
Last but never least, this summer marks another milestone of our creative partnership since our official launch in April this year.
We’ve had many thoughtful conversations about this — again and again, we recognize that Little Fires Co. is our way of meaningfully connecting to the things that bring the most joy.
Cat and I both see designing, illustrating and making art as ways we can contribute towards what we care about the most — building community, nurturing friendships, and encouraging cultural acceptance.
As ever, I feel so honored for Cat to have invited me on this exciting journey with her since the inception of Little Fires Co. I remain always inspired by her talents and creativity, and our creative work together (which comes with all the bad puns and plenty of good laughs)!
With the next chapter on the horizon, we’re excited to keep on doing what we’ve been doing, and as always, we are so extra thankful for your support. Looking forward to our next seasonal recap of memories to come!
