Finding Peace In Our Day/Eye Pillow Tutorial

In times like these...a statement that I have heard my entire life. But, in light of the horrific tragedy in Las Vegas, I think we are all wondering what our world is coming to. There are so many questions of why, a question that will never really be answered. It is simply senseless. 

When I was growing up, at any given moment, I knew where a gun was. My grandfather kept a gun in his dresser drawer. I knew better than to even open the drawer, much less take it out and look at it. There were hunting rifles on the wall in every house of every friend and neighbor. No one ever took a gun to school, no one ever shot another. It was unheard of. The worst that ever happened was when a young man in our community shot a hole in his foot while deer hunting. Thankfully, his foot was saved. 

So what has changed? I don't know. I think we all wish the answer were easy. If we only knew, we could stop the senseless violence and the loss of so many innocent lives. 

A few weeks ago, I posted my covered journal and the eye pillows that I made out of silk scraps and said that if you would like a tutorial, just let me know. While I was more than happy to do the tutorials, I thought for sure no one would respond. Well...to my surprise, many of you wanted tutorials for both! So, I took a little time and put together a quick video on making the eye pillow. The journal will follow soon.

The little eye pillows are so easy to make and are wonderful gifts. The holidays ARE coming!!! They would make a great stocking stuffer, or just a sweet little "I was thinking of you" unexpected gift for a friend or co-worker. 

All of my eye pillows have been made out of left over silk that was used to make ties, so they feel quite luxurious on the face. But they can also be made out of left over quilting cotton. Make a tiny little quilt out of your scraps and the eye pillow will be all the more special.

Below is my video tutorial. After I listened to the video, I could hear how tired my voice sounds. I'm not a big talker, and after 3 days of talking all day at the sewing expo last week, my voice almost gave out. So I apologize for the weak voice. The video is just a little over 5 minutes long, so it won't take much time :)

You can find the Mountain Rose Herbs website HERE. I love the quality of their herbs! If by chance you don't care for lavender, there are lots and lots of other herbs you can choose from. Or if you wish, just fill the bags with rice. They will still be wonderfully relaxing.

I hope that you can find a little time to relax, maybe take a walk, or go take that yoga class that you been intending to try. 

May you find peace in your day.
Rhonda

Live Well/Live Beautiful

I am an early riser. Usually up at 5, I love the peace and quiet of the early morning. My day begins by going downstairs to make a big cup of tea. I then head back upstairs to my husband's office where I crawl into my favorite chair and then spend the next 30 to 40 minutes writing. It is by far my favorite part of my entire day. It's my time to dream, plan, and get out my frustrations.

I'm a big believer in making life as beautiful and peaceful as possible. For years, my writing has been done in a basic spiral bound notebook. One day it occurred to me that this special part of my day should be a little nicer, so I decided to make a cover for my notebook. Bright and pretty, in my favorite colors, my little book cover makes me smile :)

It's just a simple little book cover, with piping around the edge.

I love my cover, but I have found that I can make it even better. The book below was given to me. I love the addition of the elastic band to hold the book shut, as well as the ribbon place finder. My next cover will have both as well as a place to hold my pen. 

This past weekend, the Haute Couture Club of Chicago was invited to a wonderful sale given by the Illinois Institute of Art. The school had been given over 500 brand new patterns, many of which were Vogue designer patterns. They also had fabric, trims and thread. They decided to offer almost everything to us at $1.00 per piece. What a deal!!! The proceeds of the sale went to their scholarship fund, so a win-win for us all. And even at just a dollar per item, I think they did quite well as our ladies devoured everything ;)

I made a beeline for the fabrics and trims and found 2 packages of silk remnants. Beautiful pieces that were left over from making ties. I didn't even think twice, and snatched them up!   

Most Monday evenings, you will now find me at a restorative yoga class. Just the absolute best way to begin my week. The studio has eye pillows available to use and they also have tissue so you can cover them, but I decided it would be best to have my own. The scraps are now becoming these sweet eye pillows.

  

Last night I heated my pillow in the microwave for just about 30 seconds, went upstairs, laid down and drifted blissfully off to sleep.

My pillows are stuffed with brown rice and lavender flowers. I found a wonderful resource in Oregon that sells organic herbs, tea, oils, and even natural pet care products. You can find the Mountain Rose  Herbs website HERE. I ordered a number of herbs as well as some green tea and I have been especially pleased.

If by chance you would like a tutorial on the notebook cover, or the eye pillows,or both :), just let me know and I'll be happy to do a post. 

I remember going to my grandmother's house and looking through all of the lovely linens that she had lovingly embroidered and edged with her tatting. All kept in her cedar chest, waiting for that special occasion to be used, that special occasion that never came. Many of those pieces now belong to me, and they are used, and even worn out in some cases. Life is just far too short not to enjoy and have lovely things to make us smile, even if it's just a simple little notebook cover :)