Good afternoon, friend

This week I’ve been thinking about the word balance. It was my word of the year last year. Do you do that? My counter is cluttered. Frankly It’s always cluttered. Today it’s with herbs, teacups, and notebooks.

There’s something steady in the rhythm of preparing tea, tending skin, and pausing to breathe. Balance doesn’t always mean tidy or perfect—it often looks like small choices that bring us back to center. That’s what today’s podcast is all about.

New for Members of The Course Library
I’m so excited to share something special with you—each week, I’ll be creating a Skincare & Soul Care Herbal Guide. These guides are designed to nourish both your skin and your spirit. Inside, you’ll find an herb spotlight with skin + self-care benefits, a simple recipe, creative ways to use the herb, and a reflection with scripture and journaling prompts. Think of it as a little companion for your weekly rituals—a gift of beauty, wisdom, and pause. This week’s guide is all about aloe. 

🎙️ New Podcast Episode

Ayurveda & Aging Gracefully | Daily Rituals for Balance & Radiance

https://youtu.be/RLro7unO-fg?si=dsvVo59aqwpPbqVD

What if aging wasn’t a battle, but a balance? In this week’s episode of Plants, Flowers, Oils & Whimsy, I explore how Ayurveda, the ancient system of holistic health, offers wisdom for embracing aging with ease and radiance.

We’ll talk about shifting doshas (especially Vata), daily rituals for grounding, digestion, sleep, and skincare, and how we can reframe aging as a gentle process of balance, not something to fight.

🌸 Skincare Recipe of the Week

Rose & Aloe Hydrating Gel

• 2 tbsp pure aloe vera gel

• 1 tbsp rose hydrosol (or rosewater)

• ½ tsp vegetable glycerin

• Optional: 1 drop lavender essential oil

Mix together and store in a small jar in the fridge. Smooth onto skin after cleansing for cooling hydration—especially lovely for mature skin that feels dry or sensitive.

🌿 Ink & Wildflowers

Word of the Week: Balance

Word Garden: steady • center • rhythm • harmony • grounding

Scripture:
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.” — Isaiah 46:4

Quote:
“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” — Thomas Merton

Creative Journaling Ideas:

• Balance Spread: Divide a page into two halves. On one side, write things that drain your balance. On the other, list what restores it.

• Draw Your Rhythm: Instead of words, sketch lines, waves, or shapes that represent how balanced (or unbalanced) you feel right now.

• Tea Meditation: While sipping a warm cup of tea, jot down three words that describe how it feels to pause.

✨ Radiant Things I’m Loving

A weekly invitation to live more slowly and notice beauty.

This week, my radiant practice has been stepping outside at dusk. The light softens, the air cools, and for a few minutes the world feels perfectly balanced. I invite you to try this—leave your phone behind, breathe deeply, and let the fading light remind you that beauty is always shifting, always present.

With warmth,
Carrie 🌸

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Why Listen: Pumpkin Face Mask for Glowing Skin Over 40

As crisp air sets in, mature skin often feels dry and dull. In this month’s podcast, I share a simple, at-home DIY pumpkin face mask recipe made with fresh ingredients that revives, softens, and brightens mature skin—perfect for that autumn glow.

👉 Listen to Pumpkin Face Mask for Glowing Skin Over 40 now to get your skin glowing just in time for sweater season.

https://youtu.be/mrMAPUwu8ag?si=iimlNuCVCJAXbNZC

DIY Recipe: Autumn Glow Facial Steam

Invite cozy hydration back into your skin with this warming facial steam—perfect when your skin needs a mid-season reset:

• 1 cup hot (not boiling) water

• 1 tbsp chamomile flowers

• 1 tsp honey (anti-inflammatory & hydrating)

• 1 drop rose geranium essential oil (or substitute lavender if sensitive)

How to use:

1. Pour hot water into a heat-safe bowl.

2. Stir in chamomile and honey until dissolved.

3. Place a towel over your head and lean over the bowl—breathe deeply, steam for 5–7 minutes.

4. Finish with a fall-inspired moisture layer—your skin will feel deeply soothed and radiant.

Moments of Light — September Issue: Reset

As summer fades into fall, Moments of Light invites you to press pause and reset your rhythms. Inside this month’s issue, you’ll find:

• Body Oil Ritual for slowing down and grounding

• The Quiet Work of Daily Prayer—finding peace in stillness

• Ways to Use Your Journal for clarity and renewal

• Cozy DIYs like Spiced Autumn Body Oil and a Skincare Reset

• Word Garden Practice: Prepare—rooted in what lies ahead

• Lifts for your week: Whimsical Midday Breaks, a Fall Sabbath, and Essential Oils for Reset

This issue gently nudges you to breathe, release, and consciously prepare for the season ahead as autumn unfolds.
👉 Access September’s Issue Here

🌿 Ink & Wildflowers — Word Garden

This week’s word: Prepare 🌸

Use the word “prepare” as a seed word and let your thoughts branch out like a word garden.

• cultivate • ready • embrace • settle • nurture

Bible Verse:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

Quote:
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” — Albert Camus

Creative Journaling Prompt:
Open your journal and write about what you are preparing for this season—body, mind, or spirit.

• What do you need to let go of in order to prepare well?

• What rhythms or rituals will help you feel rooted and ready?

✨ Radiant Things I’m Loving

A weekly invitation to live more slowly and notice beauty.

Seasonal Simplicity

Notice the way morning light falls differently as the season shifts—find a patch of sunlight and sit in it for a moment.

Prepare a small bowl of apple slices with a dusting of cinnamon. Eat them slowly, one by one.

Write one line in your journal beginning with: “This week, I prepare by…”

As we step into autumn, may you prepare your skin, soul, and space with gentle rituals, cozy scents, and moments of reflection. Here’s to a radiant and restful September.

-Carrie

P.S. If you enjoyed this newsletter, would you mind sharing it with someone else who might like it?

Cozy Rituals, Chai Blends & a Touch of Creativity

If you missed this week’s podcast episode — Skin Rituals for Deep Self-Care — I shared how baths, oils, and gentle touch can become grounding rituals for slowing down and reconnecting with your body.

You can listen to it here:

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🌿 Skincare Recipe of the Week: Chai-Spiced Body Oil

Warm, comforting, and deeply soothing — this oil blend wraps your skin (and senses) in cozy autumn vibes.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup jojoba oil (or sweet almond oil)
• 2–3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tsp whole cloves
• 1 tsp cardamom pods (lightly crushed)
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1–2 star anise pods

Optional Essential Oils (per 2 oz strained oil):

• 1 drop cinnamon leaf
• 2 drops cardamom
• 2 drops vanilla oleoresin (or benzoin)

Instructions:

1. Add spices to a clean glass jar.
2. Pour in the carrier oil, covering completely.
3. Infuse for 1–2 weeks in a warm spot, shaking gently every day.
4. Strain and bottle. Add essential oils if desired.

Massage into damp skin after a bath for deep nourishment and the lingering scent of chai.

💌 Mini Workshop: Romantic Self-Care with Jane Austen

Have you ever wished you could step into a Jane Austen novel—if only for a quiet hour of tea, journaling, and self-care? This new mini workshop invites you to do just that.

In this mini workshop ($15), you’ll explore:
🌸 Six character-inspired essential oil blends (from Elizabeth’s spark to Darcy’s quiet strength)
🌸 Practical recipes for diffusers, rollers, or sprays
🌸 Journaling + reflection prompts in Austen’s timeless style
🌸 Cozy walking + beverage rituals to slow down and savor beauty
🌸 A printable “Self-Care Journey” worksheet to tie it all together

It’s a gentle, literary-inspired way to romanticize your everyday and create little moments of Regency magic in modern life.

→ Treat yourself—or gift it to a fellow Austen admirer. 💕​

Ink & Wildflowers

This month’s seasonal word garden is all about Autumn Glow. Think words like: harvest, golden, hearth, gather, whisper, twilight, ember. You can download my pdf on word gardens or create your own.

• Quote: “And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” – Oscar Wilde
• Scripture: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” – Ecclesiastes 3:11
• Prompt: What small rituals help you welcome the shift of seasons with peace?
• Creative Journaling Ideas:
  • Make a page filled with words that remind you of autumn light.
  • Press a leaf in your journal and write about what it represents to you.
  • Create a “ritual map” sketching your ideal cozy evening routine.

✨ Radiant Things I’m Loving: Chai-Inspired Edition ✨

Lately, I’ve been leaning into the warmth and spice of chai—it feels like the perfect companion to this season. Chai, to me, is more than a drink—it’s a mood, a ritual, a way of wrapping myself in comfort. Here are a few chai-inspired delights I’ve been enjoying (and you might too):

• Homemade Chai Body Scrub – A mix of sugar, coconut oil, cinnamon, cardamom, and a little vanilla feels both cozy and invigorating.
• Chai Tea Lattes at Home – Simmering black tea with cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, ginger, cloves, and a touch of honey—it’s ritual in a cup.
• Chai-Spiced Journal Time – Lighting a chai-scented candle while journaling makes even a 10-minute reflection feel more grounded.
• Chai-Inspired Bath Soak – Epsom salts with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and ginger root powder—warming, soothing, and deliciously fragrant.

Chai Diffuser Blend​
Bring the cozy, spiced comfort of chai into your space with this warm and grounding diffuser blend:

• 3 drops Cinnamon
• 2 drops Cardamom
• 2 drops Clove
• 2 drops Ginger
• 1 drop Vanilla (or Benzoin for a similar sweet note)

This blend is grounding, uplifting, and perfect for creating a cozy atmosphere while journaling or winding down.

Sharing your light keeps this community growing! Reply with what’s bringing you joy this week—I read every note.

Have a wonderful weekend!,
Carrie
P.S.: Loved this newsletter? Share it with a friend or leave a podcast review—it helps other women discover natural, faith-filled self-care. ​To subscribe to this newsletter, click here.​

See you next week!

Gather Inspiration

Hi Friend,

I hope this week finds you well and savoring the shift from long summer days into the crisp beauty of fall. There’s something special about this time of year—it feels like a gentle invitation to slow down, release, and prepare for new rhythms.

This week on the podcast, Plants, Flowers, Oils, and Whimsy, I’m talking about Gentle Summer-to-Fall Exfoliants. Exfoliation is a lovely ritual during seasonal transitions, not just for skin but for the spirit. I share some of my favorite ingredients like honey (hydrating and antibacterial), clays (purifying yet soft), and ground herbs such as chamomile, oats, and rose petals (soothing, calming, and toning). Think of it as a way to shed what no longer serves you—both on the surface of your skin and within.

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A Gentle DIY Recipe: Honey & Chamomile Exfoliant

This simple recipe combines nourishment and gentle exfoliation.

You’ll need:

• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 1 teaspoon finely ground oats
• ½ teaspoon ground chamomile flowers (or use chamomile tea bag contents)

To use: Mix the ingredients together and apply to clean, damp skin. Massage lightly in circular motions, then leave on as a mask for 5 minutes before rinsing with warm water.

Your skin will feel soft, calm, and refreshed.

Before I go on, I want to invite you to join me in The Course Library—a cozy collection of my courses with recipes designed to help you build skincare rituals that nourish both your skin and soul. It’s where I share the step-by-step guidance for making skincare personal, simple, and effective.

​Explore The Course Library here​

Word of the Week: Gather

Gather reminds us to collect not just the harvest of the season, but also the small joys, the people, and the practices that nourish us.

Word Garden for Gather:

• Belonging
• Together
• Abundance
• Harvest
• Warmth
• Community
• Collection
• Gratitude
• Embrace

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” – Matthew 18:20

“The simple act of gathering is a way of celebrating what we already have.” – Unknown

Creative Journaling with Gather

1. Gathered Gratitude List​
   Instead of a plain list, draw a basket (or jar, leaf pile, or mug) on your journal page. Inside it, write words, names, or little sketches of things you’re grateful for this week.
2. Word Collage​
   On a blank page, write “Gather” in the center and then gather words around it—memories, places, people, and things you’d like to draw closer to yourself this season. Almost like making a cozy word mandala.
3. Photo/Memory Gathering​
   Gather one small photo, ticket stub, pressed leaf, or doodle that represents your week and paste/sketch it onto the page. Write a short reflection: What am I gathering in my life right now?
4. Recipe of Gathered Moments​
   Write a “recipe” for a cozy fall day. Example:
   • 1 mug of warm tea
   • A handful of leaves crunched underfoot
   • A bit of quiet journaling time
   • A sprinkle of laughter with a friend
5. Gather & Release​
   Divide a page into two halves:
   • What I want to gather this season (peace, strength, connection, rest)
   • What I want to release (stress, hurry, comparison, clutter)

Radiant Things I’m Loving

Gather Comfort​
• Fall Simmer Pot Recipe — Warm the heart and home:

• Apple slices
• Cinnamon sticks
• Star anise
• A few cloves
• Water simmered gently on the stovetop
  Let this scent fill your space as you close the windows, breathe deep, and rest.

Gather Inspiration​
• Podcast Pick: Hygge inspiration for a cozy welcoming peaceful home​

Gather Reflection​
• Journal Prompt: “What are the small comforts and gentle joys I’m gathering this season to hold close as days grow cooler?”

Sharing your light keeps this community growing! Reply with what’s bringing you joy this week—I read every note.

Free Gift: Subscribe to my newsletter from my homepage and I’ll send you my course Ageless Glow: Formulating Herbal Cleansers, Toners, and Moisturizers for Mature Skin Care.

Have a wonderful weekend!,
Carrie
Carrie’s Handmade Essentials

P.S.: Loved this newsletter? Share it with a friend or leave a podcast review—it helps other women discover natural, faith-filled self-care.

See you next week!