DIY Self Care Journal Cover

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TimeWithAveeno #CollectiveBias

As I age, taking care of myself has become more and more of a priority! I’m investing in my long term health and focusing on quality over quantity. That’s why I love getting my AVEENO® products for a little self care focused me time at Walmart!

I turned 34 recently. For some reason, this birthday hit me a little harder than usual. 34 means I’m almost 35, and almost 35 means officially being “middle age” and terrifyingly close to forty. I might have had a little meltdown and sobbed to my bestie that day. One of the things that came out of that conversation was a renewed determination to keep my priorities straight and to take care of myself so I can enjoy every last second of the life I have ahead of me.

I made a commitment that day to spend a BARE MINIMUM of 5 minutes on myself every day. So I stocked up on some of my favorite relaxation and skin care products. Having these on hand makes it much easier to spend a little time each day doing something a little nicer for myself.

My favorite way to practice self care lately? A nice hot, extra long shower! I love to light a couple candles, lock the furbabies out of the bathroom, and get things all steamy! My go to’s for in shower self care are AVEENO® Skin Relief Body Wash and AVEENO® POSITIVELY RADIANT® 60 SECOND IN-SHOWER FACIAL. I make sure I’m always stocked up on these essentials and grab them from Walmart whenever I start to run low!

I love AVEENO® Skin Relief Body Wash because the creamy goodness is gentle but effective and leaves any itchy, dry skin feeling soothed and moisturized. The unique formula is designed to work with your skin to remove dirt and impurities without disrupting skin’s natural moisture barrier for skin that is soft, smooth and healthy-looking. And there is nothing in the world as divine as AVEENO® POSITIVELY RADIANT® 60 SECOND IN-SHOWER FACIAL! This product works with the steam of your shower to deeply but gently exfoliate dirt, oil and dead skin. It only takes 1 minute to transform dull, tired-looking skin to brighter, more naturally radiant and velvety soft skin! (follow packing directions for best results) And isn’t velvety soft skin what every woman wants? I know I do.

I step out of the shower feeling like a new human. It’s GLORIOUS!

In addition to committing to a minimum of 5 minutes of self care daily, I also committed to starting a self care journal. But, it’s been a couple weeks and I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I find I get a little more excited about journaling when the notebook is extra pretty or special, so I decided to make myself a notebook cover with a special hand stitched message on the front to remind me to be a little nicer to myself! AND I’m sharing the stitching pattern I used so you can make your own self care journal cover!

To stitch this you’ll need…

embroidery hoop (to secure fabric for stitching)

fabric of your choice (contrasting solid to the fabric you’ll use for the cover part)

embroidery floss (contrasting color)

needle and scissors

light box (for pattern transfer)

fabric pen or marker

paper and printer for pattern

 

Print off the pattern in your desired size. I went with a 3.5 by 3.5 size. Transfer the pattern to your fabric using your lightbox (a window will work in a pinch too) and fabric pen/marker.

Secure your fabric in the embroidery hoop and get to stitching! There’s really no right or wrong way to use this pattern so stitch it up however you want!

Once it’s all stitched, iron it flat.

To make the notebook cover, you’ll need to check out this post for details and instructions. And instead of adding the letter, you’ll add your stitched piece.

So far, adding a pretty DIY Self Care Journal Cover to my notebook has definitely helped me keep up with my journaling commitment AND on track with daily self care. It’s actually starting to make a difference too! I find I am coping with stress better and maintaining a better focus on the task at hand! I can’t wait to see what the long term effects of practising daily self care will be!

What’s your favorite quick and easy way to practice self care?

Click here to download a coupon and save $2.00 on AVEENO® products!