Carrie's Handmade Essentials

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.

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.

Join the Course Library

🌿 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 on Substack

Download from my Pensight Page