How many times during the day do you take a break simply to rub your eyes? Whether to help relieve stress or induce relaxation, our eyes are vital parts to our well-being but, like our feet, are often ignore. A consistent yoga practice can easily bring your entire body into a pleasurable state.

During the final element of each practice, while in Corpse Pose, the opportunity to pamper our eyes presents itself. By using an eye pillow during Savasana, you block out nearly all light along with adding a gentle pressure to the area around the eyes, which helps to relieving tension and calm active muscles. Eye pillows are also often used to help people with chronic headaches.

So, eye pillows are great … but why buy one? In my second appearance within the pages of Yoga Journal Magazine (my first was in the September 2007 issue), I present readers with simple step-by-step instructions on how to make your own eye pillow (June 2008 issue; page 28), including how to customize the filling to your scent preferences. Not a superior sewer? No need to be! This is a beginner pattern that anyone can make.

Random note: the three eye pillows at the bottom of page 28 were made by yours truly out of HarmonyArt organic cotton fabric (specifically the Pink Moon, Let it Grow, and Graceland prints)! I also made an eye pillow for myself, from the Whispering Grass print, that I use during my daily yoga practice.

That’s right! I’m one step closer to my 2008 goal of breaking into 3 major newsstand magazines - one down, two to go.

My first piece for ReadyMade Magazine appears on page 17 of their April/May 2008 issue, which is all about Green Design. There is also a nice picture and short bio about me on their contributors’ page (page 87).

The issue just hit newsstands in the past few days, so head out and pick up a copy! If you already have a subscription, then keep your eyes open for your issue.

My other favorite articles & projects in the issue: Planet’s Porch (page 39); Bin There, Recycled That (page 40); Deep-Sea LEDs (page 50); Home Spa (page 52); Buying A Better Tomorrow (page 63)

As you can see, this is one kick ass issue!

If you don’t read the Indie Fixx blog yet, you are missing out on some great stuff! The Indie Fixx blog is an extension of the Indie Fixx online store, started by Jen Wallace and full of “indie goodies from the whimsical to the practical.”

After three years of writing the blog herself, Jen has recruited fellow bloggers to write weekly columns for Indie Fixx.

Guess who got tapped to write the Fashionably Indie column, posted every Friday? Um, yeah … me! (I know, I’m shocked too)

Check out my first post in this ongoing series - I’ve already got over 30 brands to feature, so you’ll be seeing a lot of me on Indie Fixx each Friday from now on.

Know of a small, independent clothing brand that deserves some praise? Leave a comment here or send me an e-mail with their info. If I post about them in my Fashionably Indie column, I’ll give you a mention (and link to your site/blog, if you have one).

Just who is that guest? Me!

Maureen, founder and fantastic writer of the green blog Alternative Consumer, asked if I would be interested in being a guest blogger. Two words: hell yeah! With a barrel full of ideas, my first post for AC went live today.

Head on over to Alternative Consumer and let me know what you think. While you’re there, make sure to browse through the rest of the many entries that Maureen has written over the past year and a half.

Know of a great eco-conscious product for sale either online or in stores? Feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me directly about it. If I feature it in my next Alternative Consumer guest post, I’ll give you credit in the entry - woohoo.

My writing hits the Most Huggable list again! This time, my entry on the Poppytalk Handmade marketplace from Crafting a Green World. If you haven’t heard of Poppytalk Handmade, now is the time to check it out because this month’s theme (March 10th to April 11th) is all about green.

Already mentioned on Etsy.com’s Storque blog, the latest issue of Venus Magazine (Spring 2008) features a swank and informative section about the Business of DIY: We can’t tell you everything you need to know to run your own business. But we can give you a few tips, tricks of the trade, and a little advice to help you achieve your goals.

I’m honored to say that I contributed a full page to this awesome collection of articles. On page 78, you’ll find three interviews that I did with successful, entrepreneurial women from three very different crafty fields:

+ Cathie Filian: Emmy-nominated executive producer, creator, and co-host of the crafty lifestyle show Creative Juice on the DIY Network and HGTV.
+ Josie Maran: actress, model, mother, and founder of eco-friendly line Josie Maran Cosmetics.
+ Juli Novotny: founder and president of Kookie Karma, a gourmet and healthy snack food company.

The Spring 2008 issue of Venus Magazine is already on newsstands, so head out and grab yourself a copy!

I recently began posting a variety of my blog entires on Treehugger’s Hugg.com again. After just a day, my review for thepurplebook Green Edition made it onto the Most Huggable series on Treehugger.com. Not only did the book review get mentioned, it is the first blog entry to be mentioned - that’s a first!

I’m all over the place these days! After a nasty sinus cold over the weekend, I’m back in action and working harder than ever. Upon my return to my laptop, I was delighted to see that two of my favorite websites have featured my work!

First up is the interview that I did with Sustainable Table’s The Daily Table blog. Home to the infamous online series The Meatrix and an extensive online directory of sustainable products in North America called the Eat Well Guide, Sustainable Table’s blog features a wide range of info, updates and commentary about healthy food choices and various aspects of our agricultural system.

Head of the blog and Meatrix coordinator Dawn Brighid recently started a new series of posts called Platter Chatter, where she poses the same four foodie questions to a variety of eco bloggers and professionals. Entry number three in this ongoing collection of opinions features yours truly. Head over to The Daily Table to read my perspective on local, sustainable food; community; and an easy tip on how to be an involved part of both!

I also had the honor of being asked to be a part of a special feature on the Nature Conservancy’s website, called Everyday Environmentalists: Remember when “environmentalist” meant…recycling? It’s not so simple anymore. Being an environmentalist today calls for a whole new level of greener thinking — from what you choose at the grocery store to how you commute to work every day. So check out these tips from Nature Conservancy staff and leading environment bloggers on how to make personal, science-based choices to help save the planet. Then tell us your ideas for becoming an everyday environmentalist!

My boss over at Green Options, Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, is also a part of this project along with a host of other green web greats whom, despite our online mini-celebrity, live normal lives just like all of our readers. Visit the Everyday Environmentalist feature and check out the simple tips we all offer - maybe you even have one or two of your own to add.

As one of the top independent shopping blogs online, Indie Fixx is one of the key players on my Google feed reader every morning. If you are a fan of indie shopping, then the Indie Fixx Shop is the place for you to be as well.

Run by Delaware-based Jen Wallace, the Indie Fixx blog has an ongoing Thursday post series called “Indie Reader Fixx Pixx” where Fixx fans can send in a list of any mix of their 5 to 10 favorite indie finds.

From the blog: Your list can be a shopping list wish list, the latest indie shops you’ve purchased from, a list of your favorite magazines or blogs, your favorite indie crafting tutorials, your favorite flickr groups or anything really as long as it’s in the spirit of indie. You can even come up with a theme for your list–like fashion, kitties, cute, guy stuff or whatever you can dream up.

I’m amped to say that this week’s Reader Fixx Pixx is brought to you by yours truly! The pictures to the left are a menagerie of the different sellers and creators that I picked for my list. Head on over to my Indie Reader Fixx Pixx post to check them all out and why I chose them.

Want to be a part of the weekly Indie Reader Fixx Pixx series? Check out the contributing info and join the club!

Though this news is two weeks old now, it is still pretty nifty. Having written two pieces for VenusZine (Katharine “E” Hamnett and Podcasts and Potions - Andrea Kane), I was recently featured as “Reader of the Week” in their newsletter - what a fun honor. I was hoping they would put in one of my quotes about the SF Craft Mafia as well, but they didn’t (dag nabit). On another note, a big woohoo for them choosing to use a picture from my very recent shoot with Sonya Yruel; I do love those organic carrots, especially with peanut butter.

Though this Hugg isn’t linked to something on my site, my 13th listing in Treehugger’s Most Huggable is a piece that I helped write.

If you haven’t read my holiday book suggestion, which I wrote for the great folks over at Eco-Libris, you can read the post on their blog and here on Victoria-E.com.

A big thank you to Treehugger for their continued love and support.

Welcome to part 3 of Eco-Libris blog’s green gift guide, the one that will help you find the best green books to give as gifts this holiday season.

Today I am very excited to bring you today the recommendation of Victoria E. For those of you who don’t know her, Victoria E is a creatively versatile eco-powerhouse: she is a freelance writer, life-long model, on-camera personality, official U.S. spokesperson for Twice Shy Clothing and founder of the San Francisco Craft Mafia - a classic Renaissance woman and mistress-of-all-trades.

Starting as an outlet for updates about her freelance writing and modeling, her official website at http://www.victoria-e.com/ has quickly grown into a dependable source for a variety of information on green, crafty, and DIY living. You’re welcome to check it out!

Victoria’s recommendation for this holiday’s gift is:

The Vegan Joy of Baking

Author: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Publisher: Fair Winds Press

Published in: 2007

What it is about + Why it’s a great gift: (more…)

Before I begin talking about how flabbergasted I am that I am on this list, I have to thank one of my favorite green guys, Lee Schnaiberg for telling me about this. I read all of the blogs on SEO 2.0’s “Best 10 Green Blogs“, and finding myself on that list is nothing short of an honor. As Lee pointed out, I’m also the only blog on the list that is written by a single person instead of a series of writers. Notably, I do write for Green Options and wrote for GroovyGreen in the past, both of which are great online eco-portals. Personally, I think they both should be above me on the list, but I’m not going to argue with Tadeusz Szewczyk (German author of SEO 2.0).

It’s here, it’s here, it’s here! Sorry, but can you tell that I’m a bit excited? Over a year ago, I agreed to write a few restaurant reviews for a San Francisco travel guide. Unfortunately, none of us contributors got paid (boo-hoo), but at least I can say that I have been published in a book (woot). On Friday, my copy of Hungry? San Francisco arrived in my mailbox; yup, a very good cause for a squeal. Here’s how Amazon.com describes the book:

Want to leave your heart in San Francisco, but keep your wallet? Hungry? San Francisco gives you the lowdown on the best meals and deals that can be found in the Bay Area for $15 or less. Hungry? features 500 entries—from out-of-the-way pizza parlors in Alameda and Indian adventures in Berkeley to trendy-on-a-budget secrets for Italian in North Beach to a homey bistro in Marin. Forget that other guide — this is the only resource you’ll ever need to navigate the culinary scene in SF.

Worth a celebration? You bet! I had a spectacular vegetarian burrito from Taqueria Zapata (which I review in the book, see page 69). It’s been at least two months since I last had one of their fresh concoctions - maybe that’s why I lost weight (haha). To check out all of my reviews (and one sidebar) in the book, flip to the following pages: 44, 48, 55, 65, 69, 110, and 114.