Honouring The Past In The Present

This is a place for people
who enjoy reading, dreaming
and making things by hand.

A House With Many Rooms

I think of this place as a house with lots of rooms.

One of the rooms is The 'Dear Viv' Letters.

Other rooms are about making.

I'm interested in older ways of doing things; sewing, embroidery, cooking, painting, wreaths using old jewellery and using what's already been loved. I share what I'm working on as I go.

Not everything here is finished. Some of it is still taking shape, and that's how I like it. Organic and meaningful.

WHERE TO FROM HERE

THE 'DEAR VIV' LETTERS

The 'Dear Viv' Letters is a 12-month story told by post. Each month, a new letter from a 1950s Queensland guest house arrives in the mail, with a card featuring my artwork.

SEE THE 'DEAR VIV' LETTERS

VINTAGE STORIES

Notes and reflections from the world behind the letters. The 1950s details, the characters, the places, and the things that make their way into my work.

READ THE VINTAGE STORIES

KYM HUGHES ART

Watercolours, greeting cards, vintage finds, and handmade projects from my studio.

SEE WHAT I'M MAKING

The 'Dear Viv' Letters

I created The 'Dear Viv' Letters, as an ongoing story told through letters between two sisters, set in a beachside boarding house in 1950s Australia.

Through the letters, you get to know the people who come and go, and the secrets they carry with them.

Each letter arrives by mail with a specially designed envelope and a greeting card featuring my own hand-painted florals.

You receive the story as it unfolds. One letter each month for 12 months.

The 'Dear Viv' Letters is always open to join from the beginning.

READ ABOUT THE 'DEAR VIV' LETTERS

Why did I create the letters?

I started writing these letters for my Mum.

As she got older, her world became smaller. She felt cut off from the outside, and computers were never her thing. But she could open a letter and read it in her own time.

So I began sending her chapters of a story, written as letters, with names and places she remembered from a time when life felt more familiar.

She loved receiving them each month. They gave her a little escape, and they gave us something new to talk about besides health worries and appointments.

Later, we gave the letters to another elderly aunt as a birthday gift. She loved them too.

That’s how The Dear Viv Letters began. As something personal, written for someone I loved.

A Little Bit About Me.

I've always liked working with my hands and learning new techniques. I'm interested in how things are made, not just how they look when they're finished. I work slowly, try things out, and let ideas take shape over time.

I collect vintage china, linens, aprons, and bits of everyday history because they still feel useful and full of character. They're objects that women either made or used every day and rarely gave it a second thought.

It's nice to have you here.

If You're Curious

If you’d like to hear when new letters, stories, artwork, or handmade pieces are added, you’re welcome to join my email list.

No rush, no fuss, just the occasional note from my studio.

If you'd like to hear when new letters arrive, see new projects take shape, or something from the collection catches your eye, you're welcome to join my list.

JOIN THE LIST