Beautiful Home: Make a meaningful cushion cover (for busy women)

One of the beauties of living is that we can continually reinvent ourselves and our surroundings to better reflect who and what we are in that moment.

 They say a change is as good as a holiday, right?

I was bored of my couch cushions and looking for an update. I found I need not look further then my cupboard. Inside was an old torn sarong, gifted by a past lover. The affair was fleeting but the sarong has been hanging around for almost 12 years. Its purples and blues have faded beautifully, and the texture so soft and perfect for resting a weary head.

I wrapped an existing cushion and was pleased with the way it perched on my couch, oh so hip. For the next couple of weeks I continued to wrap the cushion, remaking the couch daily and also adjusting other various throws and pillows, all of which my husband would swipe into the corner nightly as he settled in for some TV time.

This would not do. I was tired of picking up and re-wrapping cushions. This sarong needed to become the cushion cover it was pretending to be, for real.

So this is the busy mamas guide to whipping up a slap-dash cushion cover that looks super cool like it cost at least $89.95.

You need:

• A cushion you would like to recover. If you don’t have one try an op-shop, or inserts can be purchased from fabric and ‘haberdashery’ stores.

• Fabric: Use anything that is cushion appropriate as long as you have enough fabric to cover it, like your baby’s clothes that no longer fit, an old dress, anything beautiful that catches your eye. You know what you want in your home, seek it out.

• Sewing pins, sewing scissors, a sewing machine, thread.

• A zip that is slightly smaller then one side of the cushion. You may need to measure this with a ruler or measuring tape.

Instructions:

Remove current cushion cover.

Pin cover to fabric.

Cut a around three edges of the cushion cover leaving about an inch (2.5cm) leeway for hemming. No need for measurements here, you have eyes after all.

This is the hard part: You need to unpin the cushion cover and then flip it over ON THE SIDE THAT YOU HAVE NOT YET CUT. Don’t bother about the inch hem allowance for the edge you have just flipped over, because you don’t need it.

Pin the cushion cover down again, and cut around the other three edges, leaving the inch allowance for the hem on these outer edges.

You should now have a rectangular cutting that is twice the length of the cushion cover.

Decide which side is the ‘right' side meaning the side that needs to be on the outside of the finished product, and then fold the fabric so the right sides are facing each other. To repeat that again, face the right sides inwards.

Pin two edges together, and sew them, Use up most of your inch for the hem, but not the full inch. I’ll let you be the judge.

Stitch down the sides again for a doubly strong cushion (if you care for such formalities, If you’re too busy, bah).

Ok this is where we attach the zip. You will have one side of the cushion that is completely open. Turn down each raw edge 1cm, pin and and sew. This will make it look nice and neat when you attach the zip.

Unzip the zip, and pin one side of the zip to one of the edges, taking care to place the zip exactly where you would like your zip to be.

Use the zip foot of your sewing machine. Sew that side of the zip that is pinned. Good Ok, now you need to pin the other side of the zip, When you pin, pin from the base of the zip to ensure the zip is flat once you have finished sewing. If you pin from the top of the zip your cushion zipper could get a bit bunched up and bubbly.

With the cushion inside out, make sure all edges are finished up, snip away excess threads, turn out the right way, insert your insert, close your zipper and viola! Throw it on the couch and admire your good work.

You’re gorgeous, and so is your home.

PS. My husband blew his nose of the fabric scraps and gave me the idea of turning the remainder of the sarong into hankies. Genius.

Follow your heart and everything gets better

  If you told me two weeks ago my life would take this twist I wouldn't have believed you.

A couple of weeks ago I was reflecting on the spring equinox as a time for releasing the old and letting go of what no longer serves you. I didn’t expect the old to release quite so quickly and in such an unintentional manner.

Through a sequence of happenings that began on the day of the spring equinox, the celebration of new life,  it became obvious a position I thought I needed didn’t truly reflect how I wanted to feel or the lifestyle I wanted to lead.

Nature shifted, the planets aligned, the stormy weather began.

I realised, after several days of deliberation and meditating with a monkey mind, that I wasn’t being true to myself or what I truly wanted.

So, with my soul purpose to help our community heal close to my heart,

I chose to take a leap into spaciousness.

My gut was telling me go, to follow the beat of my own drum and practice Shiatsu and Naturopathy in a way that truly serves my clients and makes my heart sing.

To write that I wasn’t bummed out would be a lie. I was completely bummed out that the path I'd been walking had come to somewhat of a stand still. But this didn't last long, and the beautiful, gentle sunshine weather this week helps affirm my intuition that I've course corrected in the right direction. My happy heart leaves me secure in knowing I’ve definitely made the right choice. The support and encouragement from my friends and family have been outstanding.

Change is necessary for improvement.

On the other side of my amicable resignation meeting is freedom, and the knowledge that my practice is once again entirely in my hands. This is both daunting and exhilarating.

Divine timing reaches a graceful and loving hand,

and I find, like always, the universe provides. The week when things were looking chaotic and totalled, not one but two amazing opportunities present them selves. Yes the universe definitely has my back.

My wind chimes sing under the olive tree. My garden grows green, my clients show up, and I go about being my own boss once more.

It’s scary leaving a comfortable position into the unknown. At the age of 24 I first received guidance through my meditation practice to leave an office job and practise shiatsu full time.

I ignored my gut and stayed with the job. I was fearful, and studying, and things felt uncertain.

Eventually I did follow that guidance, albeit 5 years later, and took the leap into self employment. Since then my life has been a sequence of miracles and self-discovery. Everything career wise, heck everything life-wise is WAY better, even if the pay is yet to catch up.

I often wonder what would have happened, where I’d be now, if I’d taken that leap at 24 rather then at 29.

Time is our most precious commodity and we can’t afford to waste it on unsatisfactory living.

So yes, I’m a seasoned job leaver, love seeker. Sharing my story, and hoping you too will follow your heart.

Why your goldfish can teach you how to eat + Winter foods

The discovery of hundreds of happy little mosquito larvae wriggling around in my backyard pond caused me substantial alarm. To counteract this direct threat to backyard safety and comfort I brought home 5 sweet and beautiful little goldfish. I had gone to the aquarium store with the mind to get some of these mosquito-eating machines, not really considering that they would become part of the family, but once they were bagged up and looking at me adorably through the clear plastic goldfish bag, my heart filled with warmth and opened up for new pet-love, they had me 100%. I gently placed their aquarium bags in the water, praying they would survive, gradually adding pond water to their plastic bag to acclimatise them as the hours passed. They were psyched to be there, they could see all the wrigglers floating around freely available and were keen to start eating.

This morning I was thrilled to find them still living and I let them fully integrate into the water. They were cautious at first, but I can see it is a goldfish paradise for them, complete with live food to chase, plenty of natural sunlight,  and aquatic plants to hide amongst and chew. Inside that pond they are 100% free to be themselves and express their personalities fully, I'm happy for them. They bring mega positive feng shui vibes through the back yard …I’ll take a goldfish pond over a mosquito farm any day.

I’d been concerned for their survival due to the reputation goldfish have for kicking the bucket. They’re sensitive little beings. I’m also aware that often a goldfish may be brought home and added to a bowl, or tank, perhaps with no plants, no one else to play with and a set feeding time each night, quite unnatural for a fish, who likes to swim all day nibbling at pleasure and weaving through flora. If I was suddenly placed in a sterile boring unnatural environment, far removed from my internal yearnings, I might just die too.

These days of artificial light and artificial sweeteners and even artificial grass have us living further away from our forest dwelling ancestors then ever. We make our goldfish live in environments like ours. We give them a sterile house, artificial food and electric lights and wonder why they don’t thrive.

All night  entertainment from computers and tv, and shift style work schedules force us out of natural cycles. Is it really surprising that many of us feel out of touch with our own bodies?

Since the event of electricity in homes and the massive technological advances in the decades following, depression and mental illness have risen exponentially while male sperm counts have dropped by over 50%. Experts are pointing the finger at man-made chemical contamination and sedentary lifestyle as the major culprits (Sharpe, 2000) We’re unhappy and it seems our ability to reproduce healthily is suffering.

There’s plenty we can do to get back into nature, or feel ‘Earthed’ as I like to call it. One of the easiest and simplest ways to get in tune is with your food. Within the Eastern medicine and the Shiatsu world, eating with the seasons is vital for a vibrant circulation of body chi and good health.

When we consider mental illness such as depression is accompanied with disconnection from nature, eating with the seasons may have humongous positive impact.

Consciously eating in line with natural Earth rhythm is a great way to connect with your intuition and improve connection to nature. Eating whole natural, seasonal and locally produced foods prepared at home feels healthy, supports your community, is budget friendly and great for the environment too. Sounds like a recipe for good karma and happiness to me. Below is a list of winter produce in season for WA, add a few to your shopping list this week. If you read this from afar, google seasonal produce in your area to stay in the loop.

I’ll be sharing some wonderful winter warmer meal creations on the blog, so keep an eye out.

Winter blessings for you my friend x

Love Lib

De-cluttering made easy; Clear your space with heart

Next Tuesday I will officially become a homeowner :-) These past 11 years since I flew from my mothers nest have seen me in many different living arrangements, from tents, to couches, to rentals of various quality and ocean side holiday homes. Finally a true dream has come true. I have a place to call my own, to decorate as I desire, and best of all, an organic vegie garden with a beautiful healing studio perfect for shiatsu out the back.

So gearing up to next weeks ‘Big Move,’ I am taking this opportunity to clear as much stuff as possible from my possession. The thought of letting go to my much loved and hand picked clothes feels akin to letting go of the the hundreds of life experiences I associate with them.... Overwhelming to say the least.  I felt like I needed some serious help for this task. Fortunately, as if divinely timed, Leonie Allen’s Amazing Biz and Life Academy is running a space clearing e-course with inspiration and guided meditations to assist me on my de-cluttering journey.

I lit a candle and cuddled up with a blanket and pillow on the couch ready to go into space-clearing transformation. Leonie’s meditation has me standing in a spacious protective golden egg and pulling off parts of myself just for a little while so I can be free to be the whitelight fairy angel healing spirit that I am (on the inside).  I was pulling off my legs, my hair, my arms, my jewellery, all painlessly and with ease of course.  I hung out in that airy-free lightspace feeling safety in owning nothing but my essence.

At the end of the meditation I magically put all my body pieces back together, got up off the couch, moved my candle to the bedroom and put on some relaxing music.  After my golden egg freedom exercise I miraculously I found it much easier to go through my wardrobe and separate myself from my possessions. My inner voice (that fairy-angel-spirit voice) had told me whilst in meditation to trust my de-cluttering intuition.  Surprisingly and to my delight, my intuition allowed me to keep the things I was scared more sensible to part with (yeah so I haven’t worn it in 10 years but still worth keeping, apparently) and I was guided to donate some more recent items that I probably would have kept if I were making decisions from my head and not from my heart. I was relieved to find that I didn’t have to throw out anything I really liked. The whole process was not so psychologically impossible after all, and I came up with some new outfit combos I hadn’t thought of before, so ultimately I actually gained clothes to wear.

Plus inspired by the label on a cute top, I visited the company  website on my wardrobe-clearing break and found a gorgeous black velvet dress that completely reflects who I am and what I want to feel like – at half price!

By throwing out the old I had made room for something new, beautiful and perfect-for-right-now sent from heaven, with plenty of space for hanging!

I feel like it’s a responsibility of mine to keep things beautiful. Like regular body maintenance is required for a clear flow of chi through your energy meridians, clear physical space in your home is vital for positive chi in your environment. I can’t help but feel clear space helps you reach your higher potential and experience more wealth, joy, love, creativity, health and job satisfaction.  Isn’t everyone happier when the house looks good?

If you want to find out more about space clearing and other life improving e-courses at the Amazing Biz and Life academy I can hook you up, just comment below or email me.

Click here for some more  tips on getting your chi flowing. I wish you much love and I hope to see you for a Shiatsu soon, we’ll get some space cleared in your shoulders yo. Sign up here for newsletters with specials and wellness.

Peace Love and Healing Angels

Lib xxx