Your Gentle Guide to a Week of Self-Care & Simple Pleasures
Your Gentle Guide to a Week of Self-Care & Simple Pleasures
Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying the end of summer. My oldest is now a freshman in college and we’re getting him ready for the next exciting adventure. I’d love to hear about your summer adventures!
From the Podcast
🎙 Summer Skin Repair Rituals: Infused Oils + Exfoliation
After a summer of sunshine, swims, and barefoot days, your skin may be craving a little extra love. In this episode, I share two deeply restorative rituals:
- Herbal-infused oils to nourish and repair sun-kissed skin
- Gentle exfoliation to encourage fresh, glowing renewal
It’s like a summer sunset in skincare form — warm, calming, and full of promise for what’s ahead.
🎧 Listen Here on Substack , here on YouTube, or here on Spotify
Recipe of the Week
Calendula & Oat After-Sun Body Polish
For soft, soothed skin that’s ready to welcome autumn
Ingredients:
- ½ cup finely ground oats
- ½ cup sugar (or salt for a brisker scrub)
- ¼ cup calendula-infused oil
- 1 tsp raw honey
To Make: Mix all ingredients in a jar. In the shower, gently massage onto damp skin. Rinse well and pat dry.
Introducing: The Course Library
Want to create your own personalized herbal skincare rituals? Inside The Course Library, you’ll find my complete collection of DIY skincare courses — from essential oils for mature skin to building your own seasonal skincare ritual.
✨ Learn at your own pace.
🌿 Access all past and future courses.
🌿 Ink and Wildflowers: Word Garden
This week’s word is Renewal — like the soft unfolding of petals after the rain.
Scripture
"He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake." — Psalm 23:3
Quote
"And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings." — Meister Eckhart
Creative Invitation
In your journal, let “Renewal” be your seed word. Write about a time you felt restored — body, mind, or spirit. If words feel too heavy today, try sketching or painting your idea of renewal, or press a flower between the pages as a quiet reminder that beauty blooms again.
How to Create Your Own Word Garden
A word garden is like a little creative sanctuary—part poetry, part inspiration board, and part self-care ritual. Instead of growing flowers, you’re cultivating words that inspire, comfort, and delight you.
Whether you keep it in a notebook, on index cards, or as a collage on your wall, your word garden can be a beautiful place to visit when you need encouragement or fresh ideas.
Step 1: Gather Your “Seeds”
Your seeds are simply words and short phrases that you find beautiful, comforting, or inspiring.
You can collect them from:
- Books you’re reading
- Scripture or devotionals
- Favorite poems
- Lines from songs
- A conversation that lingered in your heart
- Words you make up yourself (Sure, why let Shakespeare have all the fun?)
Step 2: Choose Your “Garden Bed”
Decide where your words will live. A few ideas:
- A journal dedicated just to your word garden
- A bulletin board or magnetic board for rearranging words
- An envelope or box filled with slips of paper you can pull from like seeds
- A digital version in a notes app or Pinterest board
Step 3: Plant Your Words
Write your collected words down, one per card, sticky note, or journal line. Arrange them however feels natural—by theme, mood, or simply in the order you found them.
You can also pair words with pictures, pressed flowers, or colors that match the mood you want to create.
Step 4: Visit and Tend Your Garden
Your word garden is meant to be alive, so keep adding to it. Remove words that no longer feel like they belong, and make space for new ones.
You might “visit” your garden:
- In the morning, to start the day with inspiration
- Before journaling, to spark ideas
- As part of prayer or meditation time
- When you need comfort or clarity
Step 5: Let it Bloom in Your Life
Use your word garden to inspire:
- Journal entries
- Letters or cards to friends
- Creative writing or poetry
- Artwork or crafts
- Affirmations for your mirror or desk
Your word garden is more than a collection of words—it’s a living reflection of what’s beautiful and meaningful to you. Over time, it will grow into something uniquely yours, a quiet little haven you can return to again and again.
Here is a printable with this info for you to download:
Download from my Pensight Page
Radiant things I’m loving
A week’s worth of gentle, soul-nourishing ideas to make your days sparkle.
Sip
- A warm cup of chamomile-lavender tea before bed
- A refreshing glass of lemon-mint water in the afternoon
Soothe
- A calendula + aloe hand massage
- Ten slow, deep breaths while listening to soft music
Savor
- Reading a chapter of a favorite book under a cozy blanket
- Enjoying a slice of seasonal fruit, noticing the color and taste
Stretch
- Gentle morning stretch
- A sunset walk to unwind from the day
Scent
- Diffuse sweet orange + frankincense for an uplifting evening atmosphere
- Dab rose hydrosol on your wrists for a midday refresh
Create
- Press wildflowers between the pages of an old book
- Write a short poem or three sentences about today’s beauty
Let me know if you try the recipe—or if you start your own Word Garden. I’d love to hear what words you come up with this week.
Have a lovely week!
Carrie 🌼
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