In the last five years or so I’ve become a firm believer in naps. (A fact that baffles my parents who vividly remember pleading with their 3-year-old daughter to come inside for “quiet time”, so-called because the word nap sent me into a fit.)

Maybe it’s my busy schedule or dare I say my age, but a new-found love of naps has awoken in me. Not the 2-hour, wake up feeling cranky and groggy kind of nap, but rather the quick, 30 minute cat-like nap that leaves me rejuvenated and refreshed. This type of nap requires calm and quiet and darkness, not always accessible during the daylight hours.

My solution is one of these lovely, lavender-filled eye pillows by artist Katie Hays. Made of satin brocade fabric and filled with certified organic lavender and flax seed, they are calming to the senses. Each pillow comes wrapped in a glossy black pouch tied with a satin ribbon, and at $18 a piece they make the perfect gift for all the nap lovers in your life. There are over a dozen delightful prints ranging from woodland themes to Asian-inspired to sweetly floral. Everyone needs a little “quiet time”.

Image: Katie Hays