Homemade Lavender Pillows

Our neighbors used to have this amazing lilac bush. Every day, as my mom walked me to the bus stop, I would get a glorious whiff of these amazing flowers. I was always a little disappointed when the bush stopped flowering and the smell faded. Every now and again, I smell lilac in the air, and I'm right back at the location where I grew up, without a care in the world.

Lilac may not always be in season, but my other favorite calming 'L' fragrance can be: lavender. 

There are numerous lotions and potions and candles on the market with the smell of lavender to both calm the senses and to help you sleep. I decided to make my own little sleep pillow with dried lavender. You can too!

All you need is some leftover fabric, dried lavender, a funnel and some simple sewing skills. I machine-stitched a square with the right sides together, leaving a small hole open in the top. You can leave a bigger hole at the top to pour in the lavender. The bigger the hole, the easier it is to turn the fabric right side out (I don't know why I always forget this part, no matter what I'm sewing!)

Pour the lavender into the pillow. I used a chopstick to ease the lavender down, but a pencil or knife would also work.

Once the lavender is in the pillow, hand stitch the hole closed and you're done! 

Some people keep these under their pillows, or between the cover and the pillow itself. I keep mine on my nightstand and make sure to take a few deep breaths of lavender each night before I head off to dreamland.* 

These are fast and easy to whip up for yourself or as gifts for other people. Just be sure the lavender is kept away from the other spices. See the note below...

* In all honesty, I'm not so sure if my pillow actually works. Theoretically, it should though! You see, when I got the lavender, I purchased it in bulk with a bunch of other spices, including curry powder at a farmer's market during a trip over the holidays. The spices were in their own little plastic zip bags... and they stayed that way for about a week until I unpacked them at home. Spices have no scent boundaries... and I'm pretty sure I get a slight whiff of curry powder every time I inhale the lavender pillow. Next time, the spices do not get to mingle.