.: Patchouli, Rose Petals, Chamomile, and Lavender--each dried from our gardens and enjoyed on this day :.
Our summer was infused with the incredible scents of herbs that generously graced our gardens. We lingered over their sweet perfumes as we walked past them. They scented our dreams as they lived in vases on our bedroom windowsills, full with the sweetness the gardens had to offer us!
.: The soothing scent of chamomile set out on our crafting table. A natural filler for our dream pillows :.
.: The spicy scent of aromatic cloves set out on our crafting table. A natural filler for our dream pillows :.
As we moved along deeper into summer, our herbs were harvested and hung to dry. Many will be vital ingredients for use in family recipes, and they too will continue to scent our days...
.: Each child brought out a wooden bowl to be filled with colorful scented herbs, as well as small treasures we have found in nature. In placing the materials out for our craft, we are adding beauty to our table :.
I appreciate finding beauty, meaning, and celebration in our every day life. On this day we moved our table alongside the gardens to enjoy a celebration of the Autumn harvest, enjoying crafting sweetly-scented pillows that will bring us extra warmth and love as we snuggle in a bit deeper under our blankets on these newly chilly days. Wooden bowls brim with lavender, rose petals, acorns, and wool. Our hand-crafted glass lanterns from years past were lit, and flowers were placed on the table as we began to imagine the creative work that was set before us.
.: With a disappearing-ink pen an image of a sun was drawn on felt to form an outline for colorful stitches :.
With our disappearing-ink pens, my children drew out their designs on a square piece of felt.
I then drew a border around this square of felt and they embroidered their design, stitching three sides of the square piece closed, leaving the top open to create the pocket to be filled with herbs and natural treasures of each child's choosing from the selection of treasures set out on our preparation table.
.: Lavender is paired with tiny seashells that we found this summer during our time spent on the island:.
.: Beautifully colored wool roving from the wool festival we attended, paired with sweet miniature pine cones that line the forest floor :.
On this day we made "Scented Dream Pillows" We chose from many different beautifully scented herbs and flowers. To add a special touch we decided to ornament our dreams by selecting personally meaningful natural treasures. Memories such as an acorn or mini pine cone found during a walk in the forest. A tiny seashell brought home with us on from a walk along the ocean. These treasured memories were tucked in our small pillows to mingle with the scents of our gardens. Pure wool roving from our time at the wool festival added an element of warmth and touch, as well as providing extra cushion for the ingredients that were inside them.
.: Choosing and adding the ingredients that will make up her dream pillow :.
.: A dream pillow halfway full, smelling of soothing Lavender and Chamomile herbs :.
.: A few tiny pine cones and a small shell was added into my daughter's dream pillow. She tucked the soft wool roving inside to complete the filling process :.
.: Happily presenting two of our finished dream pillows :.
My children took much joy in scooping up Lavender and pulling at the wool roving like so many pieces of colorful cotton candy. They were delighted to carefully choose each special treasure that made their pillow unique and special to them. It was a way to complete the circle for them of the process of tending the gardens and drying our herbs. They enjoyed the quiet meditation and the accomplishment of hands-on embroidery work, and most of all they were very excited for bedtime! They proudly carried their pillows around with them during the day and excitedly slipped them into their pillowcases at night. These many memories all stitched together into our pillows made for a very memorable day and very peaceful dreams...
