Putting a modern twist on the centuries-old art of hand marbling, Lake Tahoe artist Melissa Michelsen creates one-of-one designs on organic cotton, turning them into heart-shaped weighted Eye Love Pillows filled with flaxseed, lavender, and raw silk backing that make soothing, beautiful, and meaningful gifts of rest.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif., Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Love Mert, the Lake Tahoe-based brand founded by third-generation artist Melissa Michelsen, is reimagining the traditional rectangular weighted eye pillow with its signature $34 Eye Love Pillow, a one-of-a-kind, heart-shaped design made from fabric Michelsen individually hand-marbles by painting on water. Filled with organic flaxseed and lavender, the weighted pillow rests over the eyes for sleep, relaxation, yoga and meditation, bringing Michelsen's background in art, fashion and textiles into everyday wellness.

The Eye Love Pillow is Love Mert's best-selling product, with tens of thousands sold. Today, Love Mert products are now carried by more than 500 retailers worldwide across the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe.

As wellness increasingly intersects with fashion and art, consumers are looking beyond purely functional self-care products toward objects that also reflect personal style and feel meaningful enough to give. Love Mert sits at that intersection, turning a familiar relaxation and sleep accessory into functional textile art designed to be used, displayed, and gifted.

At the center of each Eye Love Pillow is a centuries-old process rarely associated with modern wellness products. Michelsen paints directly on water, moving the colors across the surface before laying cotton onto it to capture the design. Because the paint moves differently each time, the pattern cannot be exactly repeated, making every Eye Love Pillow one of a kind.

Unlike a traditional rectangular eye pillow or strapped sleep mask, the Eye Love Pillow's heart shape gently contours across the eyes and face without a strap. Made from 100% toxin-free, organic, and natural materials, the pillow is filled with organic flaxseed and lavender and can be used for sleep, relaxation, meditation, yoga and savasana, travel or anytime someone wants to close their eyes and rest. It can also be warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds or chilled in the freezer for a cooling experience.

For Michelsen, who began sewing around age six and selling her creations by age 11 before founding Love Mert in 2001, the Eye Love Pillow brings together a lifelong background in art, fashion and textiles with the everyday rituals of wellness.

"I love taking something familiar and making it feel special," said Michelsen. "The heart shape, the colors and the hand marbling make every one different, but it's still something people can actually use to rest and relax. And because it's a heart, people connect with it as a gift—they give it when they want to send someone a little comfort or love."

The heart shape has also made the Eye Love Pillow a popular gift beyond traditional sleep and wellness use. Customers return to buy them for birthdays, holidays, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day, as well as for teachers, hosts, friends and loved ones going through a difficult time. Each $34 Eye Love Pillow arrives in gift-ready packaging with instructions, offering a handmade, reusable alternative to sending flowers.

Its price point, function and heart-shaped design also make the Eye Love Pillow suited for holiday gift guides, stocking stuffers, gifts under $50, handmade gifts, wellness and self-care gifts, relaxation and sleep gifts, spa gifts, gifts for women and moms, yoga and meditation gifts, teacher and hostess gifts, Valentine's Day gifts and Mother's Day gifts.

The Eye Love Pillow has been featured by TODAY and The New York Times Wirecutter.

Building on the success of its best-selling Eye Love Pillow, Love Mert plans to expand its wellness collection with additional heart-shaped products that continue to bring together art, gifting and everyday wellness.

The Love Mert Eye Love Pillow retails for $34 and is available in one-of-a-kind hand-marbled designs at LoveMert.com.

About Love Mert

Founded in 2001 by third-generation artist Melissa Michelsen, Love Mert is a Lake Tahoe-based accessories and wellness brand known for its hand-marbled textiles and handmade products made from organic, natural, repurposed, mill-end and thoughtfully sourced materials.

Media Contact
Melissa Michelsen
424688@email4pr.com
+1 (530) 318-1612

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SOURCE Love Mert