Using the Rest & Renewed Self-Care Box
Hi friend! Elizabeth from @thejoyfulsojourn on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, to share some examples of how you can use the limited edition self-care box, themed “Rest & Renew”!
Unlike the seasonal subscription box and monthly kit club, this box is a single-purchase themed box, with 5 beautiful exclusive items in rich peacock and gold, embellished with lotus flowers. With a theme of self-care and mindfulness, you have everything you need to rest and renew through creativity: an A5 notebook, gold ink pen, stamp set, decorative tape set, and mindfulness prompt cards.
Supplies
If you decide to pick up this box, or any other items from the Archer & Olive site, be sure to use the discount code "JOYFUL10" at checkout to receive a discount! Other creative items to use during these reflective activities include:
- New Archer and Olive Self Care Box
- Any sized journal or planner
- Pens! I'm partial to the calliographs because of their water reactivity.
- Stamps – Mix that media baby!
- Tools! My personal favorite is the ruler/stencil – I use it every single day! Scissors and tweezers also make the creative process more enjoyable and effective.
Daily Planning Page with Journal Reflection Element
As an avid planner who frequently creates daily layouts with hourly time-blocking, I was curious to see how this box may equip me to incorporate mindfulness amidst the busy plans and to-do's of my day. Here is a daily layout page that hits the mark! I used a lotus stamp and box stamp to create structure for a washi tape prompt, which aids in a mindful reflection of the day (without sacrificing space for my planning needs).
The circular lotus stamp in the set is perfect for dating your dailies! I love how it frames the date. The bullet task list stamp is a great way to create your own hourly layout. Here I stamped the list 3 times, giving me an hourly schedule from 6am-8pm. All of the task list stamps in this set align perfectly with Archer & Olive notebooks!
And lastly, I added washi tape for some extra texture and color to the upper left corner, and used the box's gold inked pen to fill in the lotus flowers and add my hours to the bullets.
Intentional Reflection Activity
This activity asks you to write down an encouraging letter to yourself, which can be read any time you're feeling down and dismayed. I appreciate this activity so much because it's "hard to see the forest through the trees".
Taking the time to write with clarity who we are, what we're capable of, and what our gifts and talents are, is worth it when the time comes that we've forgotten it all amidst a sea of pain, suffering, loss, grief, anger, etc. Write it now, while of sound mind, for the day when you need it most.
Because this activity encourages us to keep the letter and read it whenever we need a boost, I created a pocket using kit club paper, decorating it with washi tape and additional stamps.
To create a pocket like this in your journal, cut a piece of paper down to size, and place a thin line of glue along the bottom and run it up along the left and right sides (as close to the edge as possible. Allow to dry completely before placing your letter in the pocket.
After placing my letter in the pocket, I stamped the word "Strength" at the top of the page, and filled it in with the gold inked pen. That header is a great reminder to open the letter when I feel like I need a dose of just that!
I hope it was helpful to see how the rest & renew box can be integrated into your daily life! Whether that means taking a few minutes to reflect at the end of your busy day in your planner or bullet journal, or taking 30 minutes to slow the pace and complete an activity, you can find space for mindfulness, gratitude, and reflection.
Check out my corresponding YouTube video below, which goes into greater detail about the box, and where you can see me assemble the daily planner page and complete the mindfulness activity!
Below you'll find a coloring page printable of a lotus flower, for when you need a mental break! Put on some music (or don't if you're always surrounded with noise), and color in with your favorite supplies! Try shading, using a darker color at the base of the petal, and blending out to a lighter color at the tip of the petal. The calliograph Pens are great for this, as they perform like water color.
Looking for more tips and inspo? Be sure to follow me over at @thejoyfulsojourn on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, and if you have additional ideas for mindfulness activities, be sure to tag me and archer & olive using: @archerandolive @thejoyfulsojourn @archerandolive.community #AOShare #archerandolive