Start a spiritually beneficial habit today with our Orthodox Commonplace Book Kits
Our OCB Kits have everything you and your family need to start a lifelong habit of creating specialized notebooks called Orthodox Commonplace Books (OCBs).
Inspired by Fr. Seraphim Rose, an OCB is filled and decorated with personally selected quotes, reflections, book reviews, poetry and beautiful illustrations (or stickers) that speak directly to your heart from your spiritual reading, Holy Scriptures, sermons, our Study Journals, and Divine Services.
“Do you have a notebook for taking down quotes from Holy Fathers in your reading? Do you always have a book of Holy Fathers that you are reading, and can turn to in a moment of gloom? Start now - this is essential.”
~Fr. Seraphim Rose to Fr. Alexei Young in Letters from Fr. Seraphim, pg. 143
com·mon·place book (noun)
/ˈkämənˌplās ˌbo͝ok/ plural noun: commonplace books
A book in which noteworthy quotations, passages, poems, comments, reflections, speeches etc., are written. It can also include the individual's own thoughts, reflections, and insights, such as annotations, commentary, and connections.
The habit of keeping an OCB has many benefits…
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Do you feel disheartened when you can’t recall a powerful sermon, profound passage, or a simple lesson from your Orthodox Christian studies when you need it most? We do too. That is why we love having an OCB as a personal crafted reference tool.
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An OCB is “not another workbook”. It is something deeply personal that you create based on what speaks your mind and heart when learning about your Orthodox Christian faith. Keeping an OCB is something you want to do and enjoy consistently doing.
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Whether you start as a middle schooler or high schooler or as an adult, keeping an OCB is a habit that cultivates a growth mindset of lifelong learning to help you learn the practice of being attentive towards your Orthodox Christian faith.
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Crafting personal OCBs as a family is an activity that puts your Orthodox Christian faith in practice. The OCB can help bridge discussions with your older children as they transition from childhood to adulthood.
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We need more screen-free quality activities. Many of us read, but OCBs help us take what we read and go a step further. Creating an OCB can be as simple as grabbing a beloved book and copying quotes and reflecting.
BUT getting started with a new habit is the hardest part….
Not with our OCB Kits
Our OCB Kits include everything you need to get started.
How our OCB Kits work
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A blank customizable OCB
Made in our own printshop, the OCB includes gold foiled linen cardstock cover with rounded corners. You select the color and design. Inside you will find 24lb white paper. The 5.4 x 8.4 size is the perfect size to intentionally focus each page and layout on a specific topic.
Sticker sheets
Designed and produced in-house in our studio, we include 3 sticker sheets in your kit: Arrows & Brackets, Washi Tape 1 and Borders. Our stickers are all matte and clear in order to blend in with your layouts.
NOTE: Our stickers require fine motor skills, so little hands will need additional support. Our Guide Book includes hacks to help.
A small notebook and dot stickers
It is important to find easy ways to track the quotes and passages you want to add to your OCB. So we included a small notebook as well as dot sticker to easily highlight the quotes you wish to copy from your spiritual literature.
Glue tape
We do not leave you hanging and include 1 glue tape roll in your kit.
Variety of decor paper
Don’t run to the craft store to cobble your own OCB Kit. We did it all for you. We include a variety of scrapbook paper that has a vintage style. We couldn’t source decor paper that was like church vestments, so we found paper with a related flavor. Styles will vary kit to kit.
A box to store everything
The box we use to ship the OCB Kit to you is also the storage box to keep all of you OCB items neatly together in one container.
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We don’t just send you a box and let you struggle and figure it out on your own….NO WAY!
Avoid blank page paralysis and discover your own style using our Guide Book. We include tips, tricks and several project ideas as well as prompts to keep you moving forward. Simply copy what you see or use the Guide Book as a launching pad for creativity. Go as minimal as you want with your OCB or get as crafty as you want. We provide everything you need for either style.
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Great Feast Add-Ons can show you how deep you can go with your OCB. They are the perfect complement to our Study Journals as well as expand the possibilities of what you can do with your OCB Kit.
We get every kit started with one Great Feast Add-On selected by you during the check out process. Each Add-On includes 3 more themed sticker sheets based on the feast you selected, an additional Great Feast specific Guide with layout ideas and prompts to dive deeper using our Study Journals and your OCB, pre-selected quotes printed on cardstock and a variety of decor paper to help with layout designs.
The corresponding Great Feast Study Journal is highly recommended for the Add-On as specific page numbers are referred to in the Guide.
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Do you love stickers? Then consider upgrading to our OCB Kit+ option which includes 3 more sticker sheets: Greenery 1, Florals 1 and Saints 1.
Do you love working with the Add-Ons and our Study Journals? You can purchase additional Add-Ons in our store as you move along.
Do you need to replenish any part of your OCB Kit? We provide most of the items a la carte in our Shop.
But, you may ask, what age kids are these kits for? Keep scrolling for FAQs!
OCB Kit Frequently Asked Questions
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Orthodox Commonplace Book
This idea was inspired by Fr. Seraphim Rose:
“Do you have a notebook for taking down quotes from Holy Fathers in your reading? Do you always have a book of Holy Fathers that you are reading, and can turn to in a moment of gloom? Start now - this is essential.”
~Fr. Seraphim Rose to Fr. Alexei Young in Letters from Fr. Seraphim, pg. 143
Definition of Commonplace Book:
A book in which noteworthy quotations, passages, poems, comments, reflections, speeches etc., are written. It can also include the individual's own thoughts, reflections, and insights, such as annotations, commentary, and connections.
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These kits are designed with middle and high schoolers in mind as well as adults and parents who want to start this habit. Middle school-aged children may benefit from guidance and support from a parent or older sibling. Adults will find the process of keeping an OCB very beneficial. We even recommend parents get their own kit to try this habit out themselves. It is edifying!
All Guides and the Guide Book are written at a middle school level and encourage an independent ownership of this habit.
Our stickers can be a bit tricky to peel, so small hands may struggle. We do include hacks and ideas to make stickers more usable for small hands in the back of the Guide Book in the Kit. Buying sticker sheets individually is a geat way to include younger kids in this habit, though they will need support.
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No. They are for dry use only. Our stickers are printed on matte clear sticker paper in order to easily blend into your layouts.
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No. They are illustrations intended for educational purposes to help with learning abut the Orthodox Christian Faith. The stickers are an extension of our Study Journals: illustrations created to help visual learners and create beauty in our personal OCBs.
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They are highly recommended and will streamline your experience. We want to say, yes, they are required; however, you can navigate without them with extra research and resources. It just is not the same experience we set up; however, we also want these kits to be adaptable to your needs too.
Our Great Feast Add-On Guides refer to specific page numbers in the Study Journals. Working with the Study Journal with the Add-Ons helps you dig deeply into spiritual literature to learn what to add to your OCB and learn to make it your own. It is also a great way to further engage with our Study Journals which have so much content to absorb. We sell both physical and digital Study Journals.
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We recommend you provide:
scissors/small paper cutter
colored pencils
a beloved pen for copy work
additional decorative sticker (check in our Shop as we are always adding more sticker sheets)
your favorite spiritual books and poetry
Not quite ready? Keep scrolling!
