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Jenna O'Brien's avatar

GROUP PROJECTS!

1. Do you have a signature scent?! What is it, and what does it smell like?

2. Does anyone have some super peaceful, cozy fiction books they love? I'd love to put a list together!

Jess's avatar

1. Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt is my newly adopted signature!! Really fresh while a little grounded, like a grove of trees by the ocean (shocking given the name, no? 🙃)

2. Not fiction but my go-to cozy read is A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle. For fiction I love Japanese novels featuring cats hehe a recent favorite is We’ll Prescribe You a Cat

Talia's avatar

I have “we’ll prescribe you a cat” on my up next list on story graph!!

jules.clement's avatar

Tales From the Café is another Japanese series similar to the We'll Prescribe You a Cat. Perfect for reading in bed!

Lani‘s.loveletters's avatar

1. I recently loved all things pomegranate to a point where everyone associates them with me 😅 The pomegranate perfume from adopt (a French shop) smells sooooo good

2. The Legends and Latte series has some super relaxing novels. They basically revolve around a cafe set in a fantasy world ✨

Corinthia Clayborn's avatar

What you are looking for is in the library - Michiko Aoyama

amelie's avatar

This is the book I’ve been reading lately, I went to the comments to recommend it and it’s so funny that yours is the first comment I see! Great minds think alike haha(:

Chelsea's avatar

House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

sisi's avatar

my signature scent is chloe eau de parfum, it’s so light & fresh but so comforting to smell

val's avatar

1. A peaches and cream olipop candle purchased from a small business :3 so good! 2. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sandi Mandanna - top tier cozy vibes

Diana's avatar

Hello! I'm new to substack and stumbled across your wonderful post! I love all the advice here. I have yet to find a signature scent but i love anything that has salt or sage in it - scents that make you feel like you're living in a cottage by the sea.

For cosy books I would recommend Frail Little Embers by Fija Callaghan; a book of 21 short stories that weaves in folklore and magic.

alyssa cantu's avatar

A fantastic book that I read recently was The Village Beyond the Mist by Sachiko Kashiwaba. It's the novel that inspired Hayao Miyazaki to make Spirited Away!

Talia's avatar

Blood orange & mint candles from Often Wander. I’m very sensitive to candles and these are the very best ones. They smell like home 🥰🥰

Andrea's avatar

Theo of Golden is an excellent read!!

Tina's avatar

1. Libre by YSL is my signature, but mostly because it just reminds me of me (very warm scent)

2. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a great cozy read before bed

lara mia soleil's avatar

2. If cats disappeared from the world by Genki Kawamura,

A man called Ove by Fredrik Backman

The Bad Review of Books's avatar

No signature scent at the moment, but if I could provide those regularly it would be one from le labo.

Natalie's avatar

Still Life by Sarah Winman is a beautiful book!

My signature scent is L’interdit (rouge ultime EDP) by Givenchy and I don’t know how to describe it!

My favourite scent in the home is orange and cinnamon, but also love pear!

Paty Shep's avatar

Louise Penny's books are a cozy mystery series, set in a cute village in Canada, with lovable quirky characters. Highly recommend!

bella k's avatar

2. Please please add the entire series of the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency to the list!! It’s absolutely balm for the soul. It’s slow moving, full of tea, full of wholesomeness, and set in Botswana so you get a wonderful taste of a world we don’t get to see much of. What more could you want??

jada's avatar

2. The spellshop & the enchanted greenhouse by sarah beth durst

Heidi Singfield's avatar

I found something to add here today when I was out walking the neighborhood with a friend. Someone had left out a beach bucket filled with various colors of sidewalk chalk. There was an invitation written on the driveway to create some art for yourself. We both grabbed some chalk and took several minutes drawing some pictures and a thank you. This really changed the tenor of my day! It’s amazing how the smallest thing can make a big difference!

Jenna O'Brien's avatar

I love this! No one ever outgrows the joy of chalk - or blowing some bubbles! I love that they had it out for anyone to use.

adrienneep's avatar

Now we’re talking. Gotta find my favorite book of jump rope rhymes.

adrienneep's avatar

How about putting down a hopscotch too?

Heidi Singfield's avatar

Yes!!!! And double Dutch jump rope😃

Erin Easter's avatar

I love this! I moved onto a sailboat with my family seven months ago and we are currently traveling the Caribbean. It’s a dream come true but more work than I could have ever imagined. Sometimes I wonder how long I’ll be able to continue. Reading this was a good check in for me to remember my life is already super whimsical (we live very seasonally, walk everywhere, and are constantly meeting new people!), and now I’m thinking of how I can make even the hard, unglamorous parts (hauling groceries, cleaning and organizing) more whimsical. Thank you 💕

Nina P.'s avatar

Seasonal! Be still my heart. But yes, seasonal without ALL THAT STUFF. :o)

Signature scent--Philosophy Amazing Grace.

Game I'm awesome at--Euchre (MIDWESTERN ORIGINS)

Jenna O'Brien's avatar

Oooo I am very intrigued with your game! I need to check it out!

Ellie DuHadway Goings's avatar

Euchre is SO fun. Easy to learn, hard to become an expert at, high stakes and low stakes at the same time!

Henry's avatar

Can't believe I have found another Euchre enthusiast! I never heard of it until I joined my wife's family. They are obsessed with it. We have a major Euchre tournament every summer at the family reunion.

Brittany's avatar

Oh gosh I’ve loved Amazing Grace since college!! Such a great scent!

Dana Derchin's avatar

Every month, I cook using a different cookbook. 😃

Amy Wright's avatar

What a wonderful list, thank you! I’ve saved it for when I forget how to find the joy 🪄

Jenna O'Brien's avatar

I’m so glad you liked it :) I’ll have to make more!

Jessica Alice, DipCouns.'s avatar

Of course you are a Christian! - I knew there was something different about you. Gospel truth all the way baby 👌🏻

olana's avatar

This article was right on time! As I was reading it, I was like why am I happy rn? 😆 It literally brought joy to my heart to read this! Keep writing! 🤍

Pahuna's avatar

These tips are so good. I love how much colour how you have in your life!

carla's avatar

LOVE the home restaurant idea!! I would like to add to the menu baking a cake/pie/any pastry or sweets really weekly/every two weeks to have as a little treat! I've really found a love for baking recently and trying to perfect recipes as I go

Cindy Rodriguez's avatar

Btw! Happy to see you talking more about the true source of joy! :)

Kayla's avatar

This is literally EXACTLY the type of content I want to be reading!

Talia's avatar

You’ve solved a problem I’ve been noodling over! I won’t go into it but the answer is different perfumes for different seasons. Thank you so much!

Izzy Dunn's avatar

I love this. I love the idea of reframing the things that we don’t want to do, for example treating laundry like a hotel service to myself. It makes every moment feel very meaningful ✨

In The Making's avatar

Wow I love this. I would love to hear about what a day in your life looks like. A whimsical day filled with these little tips

Heather Epstein's avatar

My neighborhood has a rock garden that someone set up with a bunch of painted rocks, and blank rocks to add to the garden. Committing to painting a rock to add to the collection this summer!