Many apologies for the long break!

I've been cleaning! Big big feat for me. I can generally keep my room clean once it is clean, but the second I slip up it just goes downhill--fast. It doesn't help that I'm a college student and I've got roughly 2 1/2 rooms worth of stuff crammed into that room or that I'm a habitual shopper. As anyone who shops as much a I do knows, after a while you have to get rid of some stuff, so I've taken this as an opportunity to do just that. There's more to it than that though. In the past I've compared my room to my head, it's cluttered but it's full of wonderful things. As some of you know already, I'm in therapy right now, trying to straighten out my head. It's time I straighten out my room; really make the commitment. I can't take this on half-hearted. I haven't finished either yet but I'm working on it!

As my apology, please accept my gift of photos m(_ _)m
When ever I buy a new hanky, before it can be added to the collection it must be washed. I mean, it only makes since when you think of what they are used for! So I've had this pile of hankies waiting to be laundered that's been steadily growing since before spring break and I finally washed them yesterday. Before I did that though, I took some pictures.

This my most recent acquisition is a gift from my best friend Naomi. It is hand embroidered with an identical design on each corner. I have never seen embroidering like these flowers and a whole bucket of internets to anyone who can identify this stitch/technique. My favorite aspect of this hanky is the white tatting going around the edge. After I washed this one, I saw that some of the threads were poorly tied off and since this is such a large weave that means this will not be a hanky I can regularly use.

Normally, when I see that a hanky has staining or holes I put it back, no questions asked. However, I just kept going back to this one until I finally bought it. The discoloration around the sage colored stencil design seems to me to enhance rather than detract from this lovely piece.

There's not really much to say about this one. I am particularly fond of printed florals and this one just caught my eye.

A few weeks ago I had planned to give all of the cash I had in order to settle a debt with a person I had to sever ties with. I bought this because it was only a dollar and I figured if I was going to be made poor I should at least get something out of it. In the end, I didn't end up seeing him again and so I had an extra hanky that I only marginally liked with a rather painful memory attached to it. I probably won't use this one much either.

Purple is one of my favorite colors and it pairs nicely with the mint green that makes up the background. Florals are fairly common (read: VERY common) themes in vintage hankies but this colorway is pretty unusual. I like that the border for the checkerboard pattern is a chain of white flowers--baby's breath, I think. The little yellow flowers are a nice touch too.

Hankies with designs based solely in the center are quite unusual. This one doesn't even have tatting or pull-work around the edge. This simple floral design reminds me of a watercolor painting. When I saw this beauty at an antique mall in Bandera, Texas, I knew I had to have it. The design is really that light in real life.

It was because of Naomi and my mom that I began collecting hankies. My mom gave me several old hankies a few years ago that I liked but it wasn't until Naomi took my mom and I to her favorite antique store that the love took hold. Seeing what was out there, it made me want to see more. This hanky in particular is because of Naomi. Though I had many lovely hankies, when I saw Naomi's Valentine's Day themed hanky I was a little jealous! Finding this one made me so happy. I really got lucky.

Naomi and I went to a used clothing store together and when I asked if they had any hankies they initially said no. Then she remembered about this one, which was being used to put displays on top of! Apparently they didn't expect anyone to come looking for one. The moral of the story is it never hurts to ask!

This is a very tiny hanky--probably a child's hanky. The pull-work at the edges is a nice detail and the print reminds me of a Japanese print. Because this one is so small, I chose it to be the hanky I keep in my Travel Emergency Self-Care Kit (like a First Aid Kit for your head). When I had group therapy, we were assigned to put one together and bring it to group. I made two--a big one that I keep at home and a small one I keep in my purse to tide me over until I can get home. Along with this hanky, I included a lens cleaning cloth, my favorite chocolate, and the marbles I picked when I graduated from the group therapy (when you finish they give you marbles because "when you arrive, you've lost your marbles and when you finish, you've started to get them back"). I challenge anyone reading this to put together their own Emergency Self-Care Kit and, if you want to, post in the comments what you included inside. Have a wonderful week!