Hello and welcome to The Style Bee Newsletter’s new home on Substack. I’m thrilled to have you here for this next chapter and appreciate for your patience as I find my footing in a new space.
The primary reason I switched us over to Substack, after many years writing elsewhere, is because I’ve enjoyed the experience as a reader and supporter of other newsletters so much, I wanted my subscribers to have that too. I also believe it will help me grow my readership without the heavy reliance on social media that other platforms require.
AND Substack is unique in that it offers readers that value my work an opportunity to support me directly, rather than through affiliate links or via engagement with sponsored content. It feels radical and refreshing all at once. If you’re keen on that idea tap the button below, or feel free to carry on with the post!
This change is something I’ve been thinking about for a year now but just couldn’t muster the strength to make happen. I kept running out of time (read: wasting hours aimlessly scrolling), getting bogged down by the logistics (read: making excuses), but mostly I got stuck believing that my work wasn’t good enough to be on a platform for writers (read: imposter syndrome at its most insidious).
That is, until I took the summer off from Instagram, which freed up the creative energy I needed to tackle this particular goal.
I found myself reading more, writing more and discovering so much great content here on Substack that I decided it was finally time to make a move. So here we are!
The Friday Digest (formerly Some goodness from the world of Style Bee) will follow a similar format to what you’re used to, which typically looks like:
A personal note (which you’re about to finish)
A sentiment that spoke to me
Freshly picked internet wildflowers (formerly Links to Love)
Updates from my work elsewhere and for paid subscribers (more on that below)
A peek behind the scenes at Steep Hill Cottage or wherever I may find myself
So lets get into it shall we?
A Sentiment That Spoke To Me:
Going forward, I’m planning to share these weekly sentiments as a separate thread (in addition to the Friday Digest) for discussion amongst the Style Bee subscriber community. I think it’ll be a great opportunity to connect and cheer each other on.
This will usually be a feature for paid subscribers, but today it’s open to everyone. So come on over and let us know what it is that you’ve been putting off and would like to just get started on!
5 Freshly Picked Internet Wildflowers
(formerly Links to Love)
I’ve had a few requests for my Substack recommendations so I thought this would be a great opportunity to share 5 that I’ve been enjoying lately. Next week I’ll get back into a more eclectic medley of links for you (I’ve got some really good ones!).
1 -
Jessica Defino’s work is essentially a red pill for skincare and beauty culture.
2 -
I’m one of the readers/listeners that doesn’t have kids but still really enjoys the work. I personally love the monthly indulgence gospel (for paid subs).
3 -
This is one of the newer Substacks I’ve been reading and if you’ve enjoyed my gardener era endeavours, I think you’ll like this one too.
4 -
Elise has impeccable taste and I’ve enjoyed her Duende series where creative people share their treasures.
5 -
Lisa always has an ability to decode the way I’ve been feeling and probably how you’ve been feeling too.
Updates from Elsewhere
A long overdue closet sale is happening on Sunday, September 17th!
Mark your calendars for some serious second-hand gems from the likes of Jenni Kayne, The Curated, Everlane, Eileen Fisher and many more.
Sale will be held on my Depop storefront starting at 9 am ET.
Lately on the blog:
I shared a Late Summer Inspired Table & Menu with SÖMN, one of my favourite independent Canadian textile purveyors. There’s a discount code for those in the market for top quality home and table linens.
As fall approaches I suspect The Most Versatile Items In My Spring Closet will carry over with ease. Get some ideas in the post.
The latest from Steep Hill Cottage.
The Sleeping Cabin has a foundation! Dave and his associate John spent the last two weeks tirelessly mixing over 500 bags of cement and pouring them into ICF forms. Why you ask? Well, the access to our Sleeping Cabin is not ideal for a concrete truck, which makes it both wonderfully secluded and very tricky for this stage of the work. But they made it happen and the results are incredible. See Genie and me marvelling from the scaffold below:
It seems all my dahlia worries were in vain as the blooms continue to be bountiful!
Weird side note: as I was typing that I had the strongest sense of deja vu, which apparently means I’m on the right path.
Finally, For Your Consideration: A Paid Newsletter Subscription
As most of you will already know, The Style Bee Newsletter is an extension of the Style Bee Blog, started in 2013 by me, Lee the Bee. 10 years on, its latest iteration is here on Substack, a reader-supported space, which will remain ad and sponsor free.
If you enjoy the newsletter and would like to support me directly, you can upgrade to a paid subscription for just $5/month (Canadian). While the weekly digest will always be free, your support helps me bring this content to life and offer more ways to enrich this space with your most requested resources.
As a paid subscriber you’ll have access to:
All Friday Digest archives (they’re searchable for easy access to past content)
Community threads (a great place to connect with other subscribers and to help shape future content)
Subscriber-only posts (such as Q&As, personal essays & voice notes)
Special series* and events
& my deepest appreciation for your support!
*The first of these will be a series through which I revisit Style Bee’s Closet Mission archives from years ago, reexamining each step with fresh eyes (& a few extra years of style wisdom). This is going to be a great chance for folks to ask me questions about personal style and get individual advice that I’ve never offered before.
Thanks so much for your support, I can’t wait to offer so many exciting things to this special community!
If a paid subscription is not feasible right now, or you want to give it some thought, that’s okay too! You can support me and this space by sharing the newsletter with a friend you think will enjoy it:
Thanks for tuning into the inaugural issue of The *new* Style Bee Newsletter, it means so much to have you here for this next chapter.
For the best user experience, I definitely recommend the Substack app. You can download it below.
If you’ve got any post requests, questions for me, reasons to smile or just a good ole thumbs up to share, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Until next time!
Cheers,
Lee the Bee
Hi Lee, I "found" you some years back and felt an immediate connection to your style - all those gorgeous neutrals! I've also been inspired by the progress on your home and property since Day One. Thanks for your uplifting content - the world needs Lee the Bee! Big Congrats on this new adventure!
hi lee!!! welcome over to substack, and thank you so much for the kind words! and for sending over new subscribers! cannot wait to explore this space more. <3