CDFC
Stress
Relief
Kit.
150 handcrafted wellness kits — designed, assembled, and distributed to families. Proof that thoughtful design doesn't need a big budget to make a big impact.
150 handcrafted wellness kits — designed, assembled, and distributed to families. Proof that thoughtful design doesn't need a big budget to make a big impact.
The Design
The complete kit — every element together
Contents — tea, roll-on, pouch
The tin — sunflower + affirmation quote
Project Overview
When the Child Development and Family Center asked for something to support family wellness, the brief was simple but the challenge was real: create something meaningful, 150 times over, without breaking the budget.
The answer was a hand-assembled stress relief kit — every piece chosen intentionally, every element designed to help families pause, breathe, and reset. Repurposed silverware tins were redesigned with sunflower motifs and a handwritten affirmation, then filled with four carefully chosen wellness items.
But this project went deeper than aesthetics. Each tin also included a feelings scale inside the lid — a simple tool to help children name their emotions and open conversations with the adults in their lives.
The Hidden Detail
Inside the lid — a feelings scale from red to green
Why This Matters
Inside every tin lid, a color-coded feelings scale — five faces moving from distressed red to calm green. It wasn't just decoration. It was a conversation starter.
For families with young children, naming emotions is hard. This simple tool gave kids a visual language to point to and say "I feel like this" — and gave adults a way in.
The scale turned a wellness kit into a communication tool — something that could sit on a kitchen counter and do quiet, meaningful work every day.
The Kit in Detail
The sage green tin, sunflower illustration, and handwritten affirmation set the tone before the lid even opens. Inside: a peppermint roll-on, herbal tea, a topical pen, and a teal organza pouch — everything arranged to feel like a gift, not a handout.
Open tin — organza pouch nestled inside
Overhead — all elements visible
Contents — ready for distribution
What's Inside
Affirmation Quote
"Today start your day with a smile, calmness, and a heart filled with gratitude" — printed on the outside of the tin, the first thing you read.
Feelings Scale
Inside the lid — a red-to-green emotion faces scale to help children identify and communicate how they feel, fostering connection between kids and caregivers.
Peppermint Roll-On
100% pure peppermint essential oil, hand-filled into glass roller bottles with gold caps. Grounding and portable — a sensory reset in your pocket.
Triple Stress Relief Tea
Bravo Tea — caffeine-free, non-GMO, vegan herbal tea. A warm, intentional pause in a hard day. Simple and genuinely calming.
Behind the Scenes
This is what 150 kits looks like before they're packed. Stacks of pastel tins — green, pink, blue, lavender — each fitted with a sunflower insert and affirmation. Then came the essential oil filling: 150 roller bottles, one dropper at a time. The unglamorous, essential labor that makes the beautiful thing possible.
150 tins — printed, stacked, ready to fill
Process
Started with the question: what actually helps families reset? Not what looks good — what genuinely works. That led to the kit formula: affirmation, emotion tool, scent, and warmth. Each element chosen for function and feeling.
Repurposed silverware tins in multiple pastel colors were cleaned and fitted with custom inserts. Peppermint oil sourced in bulk. Glass rollers, organza pouches, and herbal tea selected for quality — not just cost.
Each tin was redesigned with a sunflower exterior, handwritten affirmation, and a feelings scale inside the lid. The visual language — warm, grounding, colorful — was designed to feel like a gift from someone who cared.
With CDFC staff, all 150 kits were assembled by hand — every roller filled, every tin packed, every pouch tied. Distributed at a community wellness event where families received them with genuine joy.
Impact
Families told us the details mattered. They commented on the handwritten quote, the feeling scale, the gold-capped bottles. Some said they hadn't received something that felt so personal in years.
150
Kits Hand-Assembled
& Distributed
5
Design Elements
Per Kit
2
Audiences Served —
Kids & Caregivers
∞
Families Who Felt
Genuinely Seen
Reflection
"Design doesn't always have to be flashy to be powerful. With a little creativity and a lot of heart, you can turn everyday objects into something memorable, beautiful, and healing."
— Gabriella Kersey · Lead Designer & Producer
What This Project Taught Me
Constraints are creative fuel. A limited budget didn't shrink this project — it focused it. Every decision mattered more because resources were finite. And the most powerful design decision wasn't the sunflower or the gold cap — it was the quiet feelings scale inside the lid. The best design solves a problem you didn't even know you had to name.
