Although spring officially began a few weeks ago, March weather is famously unpredictable and we like to welcome April as the start of the season that blooms within us. 

If you’re newly joining us here, our intention at plj is to share positivity and inspire a smile. We aim to inspire you to feel lighter and more invigorated after spending a little time with us each month. Cultivating joy and bringing out the goodness in each other is a wonderful way to enhance our community. 

And in April, we’re turning outward. With spring’s longer, warmer days in full swing, we have so much to look forward to! Garden planning, flowers galore, fresh fruits and vegetables, picnics and other wonderful occasions to celebrate with family and friends… We can’t wait! 

Refresh, Reset, and Renew

We love seasonal transitions simply because they are a perfect opportunity to reset and inspire renewal in our lives. Spring ushers in a change in mindset that can be good for us—especially if we focus on taking good care of ourselves and the people we love along the way. With that in mind, we’ve put together two wellness essentials checklists to use as a guide. These are our strategies for staying centered and energized as we spring forward into the bright warm months ahead.

Five Ways to Invigorate for Spring 

1. Exercise — Whatever it is you like to do, be active. Start or wind down your day with some kind of movement, or find a way to fit fitness into the middle of your day. It will really help to clear your mind and change your perspective on the day in a positive way. This is a great time to enhance our routines—try adding in extra time during your day to take a hike or walk along the beach and enjoy the beauty of nature in springtime. Physical activity + time spent outside in fresh air = the best way to boost energy and rejuvenate! 
2. Eat well — Energize your body with healthy food: plenty of leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and legumes. Be sure to hydrate often. Make water your beverage of choice, with anything else counting as a special treat. Just as an aside, we’ve got a favorite new infusion for you! Just blend fresh ginger with a few squeezed limes and top with sparkling water for a moment of pure refreshment (we like ours with extra ginger).
3. Spend time with friends and family — It’s so important to make plans to spend time with the people who matter to you. In our recent curiosity into Blue Zone secrets, we found that staying connected to others is one of the keys to longevity. Prioritize these moments: set a date and mark it on your calendar. You’ll feel so glad you did!
4. Self-care — Don’t forget to leave a little time for yourself too. Read a book, schedule a lesson or class, or spend time at a spa. Go for a walk or just enjoy a little time to just be. Get out of your comfort zone and do something you’ve always wanted to do but never made the time for. Remember, spring is about renewal…
5. Do good — Volunteer your time to help someone who needs it. Reach out to a struggling friend or find a cause whose mission resonates with you and get involved. Never underestimate the power of kind contact—and even the smallest gesture can brighten someone’s day immeasurably.  Doing our part to build a kind and caring community allows us to share the joy with others even beyond our reach.

With spring as our motivation to live well— we have some amazing new finds in our wellness collection— just in time to prioritize taking good care of our skin and focus on seasonal renewal. Shop our wellness collection

Six Essential Skin Care Tips for Spring

1. Drink water — Staying properly hydrated is key in all seasons. However as the weather gets warmer, remember to increase your water intake, and add electrolytes if needed. We love to start our day with a warm glass of lemon water. Pro tip: make a batch of ice cubes by placing one lemon wedge, a small piece of peeled fresh ginger, and a small peeled portion of turmeric root in each section of an ice tray, then cover with water and freeze (these ingredients can be blended prior to freezing as well). Greet your morning by simply putting one ice cube in a cup and add hot water. Let steep for a few minutes and enjoy this immunity infusion! 
2. Cleanse — Use a gentle cleanser on skin, morning and evening. Rinse your face thoroughly with tepid water and pat dry. If you tend to sweat during the day, you may also want to rinse your face with water or use our rose hydrating facial spritz after exercise. 
3. Exfoliate — Exfoliating your skin regularly is a great way to keep your complexion refreshed and bright. Exfoliation assists in removing the top layer of dead skin cells, preparing the way for renewal (our April theme, after all)… and lets your skin glow! Check out our shop for our newly sourced exfoliation aids: an agave cloth and an amazing Himalayan salt cleansing bar. 
4. Moisturize — Applying moisturizer both morning and evening will keep your skin hydrated. We’ve got rich, luxurious body butter in stock… Try adding a few drops of vitamin C serum for brightness and a hyaluronic acid serum for extra moisture. For moisturizing on the go, check out our velvety smooth lip balm in an adorable clear mini pouch, and make sure to keep our signature hand cream on hand.
5. Protect — Now that we’re spending more time outside, remember to use sunscreen, and remember to cover up with light layers, sunglasses and a hat. 
6. Breathe — Try to keep your stress levels in check. Mindful breathing is one of the easiest ways to help regulate stress without changing anything else in your life. And who knows, smiling more may even help to prevent those frown lines :) To calm us when we’re winding down at the end of a busy day, we’ve stocked a soothing lavender eye pillow, a magnesium bath salt soak and a wonderful sleep spray to mist on pillows and bed linens.

Spring Happenings

Host Spring’s First Garden Gathering

We love setting our first of many tables outdoors for the season. Keep your menu simple and bright—a fresh green salad with our truffle grilled brie cheese with fig and our lemon chicken orzo soup for lunch, a fresh spring twist on the classic soup. Or if weather permits, organize a first barbecue of the season. Sip our prosecco spritz or our fresh lime and ginger mocktail  and celebrate springtime. Hop over to our epicure for many more seasonal menu ideas. Even something as simple as a catch-up walk and tea or a turmeric latte with a friend is a great way to brighten the day! Let the sunshine inspire you to gather and enjoy these springtime moments together.

Earth Day

On April 22nd this year, Earth Day is a special opportunity to celebrate nature and take joy in its beauty while renewing our commitment to preserving our ecosystems. Plant a garden or a new tree, hang a bird feeder, take a hike or pack a picnic and enjoy some time in a nearby nature reserve, national forest, or park. There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day—volunteer opportunities abound and most of them involve getting you and your family outside for some fun and fresh air while doing something good for the planet. 

A Shift in Mindset—Why Not Wednesdays

We’ve touched on this theme before, but it bears revisiting as spring lends itself to inspiring a shift in our mindset. Do the phases I wish I had more time or I’m just too busy for that sound familiar? It’s good to periodically take stock of how we prioritize our days. We know that time doesn’t stand still, and we lead busy lives with many responsibilities, so we tend to put off the activities that bring us joy, or schedule them later. At partager la joie we’ve been reflecting on this tendency to postpone and compartmentalize our joyous moments, which diminishes them—and us. Putting off things we love to do until someday… doesn’t really make sense, right? 

Renewal means creating balance in our lives and this is where our concept of Why Not Wednesdays comes in. It’s about setting aside some time now for an activity, a project, or some form of refresh—you decide what it is you need and go for it. And it doesn’t need to happen on a Wednesday, though setting a specific day of the week aside for balance and reprioritizing is a good strategy. It’s amazing how good it feels when you choose to prioritize the things that inspire you. In fact, we think you’ll find more pleasurable moments in the routine tasks you do as well. It is changing our mindset that makes the difference and learning to appreciate our time and the need to find joy in that time. So here’s our takeaway—find ways to deliberately or spontaneously make time for the things you really love. Give it a try—we know you’ll be happy you did!

Spring Design Notes 

Bring in the Spring Cheer 

April brings us an array of new blooms and tulips are one of our favorites. Whether cut fresh from the garden or sourced from your local market—a lovely way to bring a little spring into your home. Let your flower arrangements be inspired by what’s growing in your garden and on the branches overhead. Take advantage of those early-budding cherry branches or whatever is blooming outside near you. Place a blossoming branch or two in a tall vase indoors for a dramatic display! Layer in the spring green by treating your home space to a few new plants. Take a look at our Home collection for adorable new woven containers just right for the occasion. Pro tip: this is a beautiful season to capture family moments—freshly blooming branches make a wonderful backdrop for stunning photos and joyous memories.

Refresh your Outdoor Space 

With the planting season on the horizon, get a jump start by cleaning up your patio and outdoor spaces. Check your climate zones for planting times or start with planters that can be covered or brought indoors if cold temperatures/frost are possible. We love to plant a kitchen herb garden to add freshness to our spring recipes. This can be as simple as planting your favorite cooking herbs in a favorite container or arranging a few pots on your counter or perhaps you’re ready to go all out with a raised bed/ planters on your patio or creating a garden in your yard. 

Fresh spring air is invigorating and inspires us to change many of our routines. Depending on your climate it may be a little cool to enjoy an outdoor evening, but spring is prime time to begin the alfresco dining season. Create your own outdoor cafe terrace to enjoy lunch, brunch, or a morning coffee after an outdoor yoga class or bike ride. Don’t forget a few cozy, comfy throws to keep handy—remember, the only thing we can really count on with spring weather is its unpredictability! 

Set a Spring Table

Think simple and inviting when styling your table. Mix and match tableware— whites, patterns and light spring tones in fresh linens and cottons. Cluster vases of varying heights with bunches of daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths or create a spring tabletop garden with our woven planters filled with fragrant herbs or tiny plants—perfect to bring outside as the season warms.

Springtime means accessorizing your home with fresh, beautiful textiles. We’ve stocked up on many new linens and table accessories. Shop our new finds—olive-wood and woven trays, serving utensils, woven napkin rings and charger plates that perfectly complement a seasonal table. And our many new spring accessories—planters, bowls and baskets—will bring eye-catching accents to all your gatherings. Shop our home collection

Delightful Spring Styles

We’ve added adorable white cotton flowy beach pants and shorts along with super cute dresses, beach cover-ups, sarongs, and accessories to reset your spring style. Pair a fitted white linen blazer with your favorite denim or over a dress and accessorize with our woven totes, beach bags or seasonal jewelry and you’re set for the season. Shop our chic style collection

Epicure 

April’s menu is all about spring—seasonally zesty, refreshing, homemade, and locally sourced if possible. We love the start of alfresco dining, the thought of gathering under the growing sunlight inspires many of our recipes this month. Sharing plates, soups, seasonal sips, and make-ahead simple sweets are definitely putting a little spring in our step!

Quinoa Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Squash Blossoms

Spring Couscous

Greek Chicken Bowls

Bouillabaisse

Salmon Papillote

Truffle Grilled Cheese with Brie and Fig Jam

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Raspberry Bread Pudding

Prosecco Spritz

Lime Ginger Mocktai

Passion Fruit Sorbet

Let Spring Thinking Inspire You

April marks a full transition into a new season, one of optimism, inspiration, and cleansing renewal. We are looking at the meaning of the word inspiration this April—which is literally about breathing in and stimulating the creativity that lies within ourselves. So with hope and positivity as our guide, let’s capture the freshness of spring and take time to appreciate the way this deep breath brings out the bloom in us. We think you’ll find that joy will evolve from a fleeting moment to a way of thinking to a way of life—the joie de vivre we’re always searching for. So with spring as our start, let’s consciously widen our awareness of this inspiration and ground ourselves in  prioritizing taking good care of our planet, ourselves, and each other.