More and more I have come to appreciate the healing properties of aromatherapy. I have found them useful in child birth, in sickness, with headaches, when needing to calm my internal world. I also believe that aroma can aid one in creating a welcoming environment to a stranger or someone seeking peace and rest. Some of my favorites are peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary and lavender.

At my job as an oncology nurse, a patient long ago, brought us some warming packs—the kind you microwave in the oven and use to soothe aches and such. Well, they have come in handy in locating veins. You see, the warmer your extremities are the juicier your veins are (that’s the vampire in me talking). Think about when you are working out in the yard in heat of summer and you look down at your hands and forearms and you see your veins bulging out. Your body is attempting to cool your body by having your blood be as close to the surface as possible. But in winter time, in times of chilly air, your veins go hiding deep within so as to keep your blood warm underneath all your flesh. You get the idea.

So as oncology nurses, inserting intravenous catheters into cancer patients veins can sometimes be tricky. Chemotherapy can be really harsh and scarring on the veins, thus making it extra difficult to get a good IV in. So as a way to get around this cold vein problem, we have been using these warming packs to heat up people’s arms. Over time, these little packs have disappeared or got blood on them or soiled in some way. So we have been running low.

Many years ago I started making those relaxation pillows that go over your eyes and are filled with soothing contents like flax seed and such. Well, I have converted them from prayer pillows into aromatherapy pillows for my patients while their arms are being warmed up for us vampire nurses to come and stick, hopefully just once, right?

I made two more tonight. Flax seed is my filler of choice because it reminds me of water as it runs through the bag and has a very soothing property. It also doesn’t smell when you microwave it (like rice or corn). The sea green pillow has peppermint oil coating the flax seed, super calming and cooling. Did you know that the aroma of peppermint has properties that uplifts moods, helps relieve mental fatigue, improves mental clarity, alertness and memory. It has a reviving and refreshing quality that brings energy. The second pillow that is a creamy peach with lovely floral design has a combination of dried oranges, cloves, and cardamom. Not sure what the healing properties of this are but I find it to be comforting and at the same time refreshing.

Look what I made this afternoon. I am often called a “bag lady” for all the bags I carry—knitting bags, large tote bags, purses of every size and my big Coach leather satchel that my generous husband bought me. So when one receives a little nano ipod for Christmas from her previously mentioned generous husband, one must devise a system that it not get lost or smooshed in all those bags. I have all this wonderful bright and colorful flannel fabrics from a quilt I started, pieced together the top and then abandoned when I realized it looked horrible, absolutely horrible.

I am awfully proud of myself and am happy with how my little ipod holder turned out.

And this one was an oops but turned out to be a fabulous coaster for my diet coke.

*My dear friend, Kathleen, inspires me regularly to sew, be creative, think outside the box. I like her and so wished she lived closer. Here’s to you, Krafty Kathleen.