Posted on Oct 22, 2015 in All Blog Posts, Calendar

She once again thought about how badly she wanted to crawl back beneath the mound of already cooling blankets that covered her bed like an inviting nest.”

Kimberly Derting, The Body Finder

As Daylight Savings bids adieu, we lament the loss of long twilights, and bristle at the jolting arrival of dark wintry daybreaks.  For many, the struggle to recapture lost sleep takes weeks, as the Sand Man ignores our plea for blissful slumber.

If you’re lucky, the condition is temporary, but for many, insomnia is a 24/7 unwelcome houseguest. From warm milk to warm baths, counting sheep to white noise machines, to Chinese herbs, those who roam the halls at night will try just about any remedy.  The subject of sleeping and dreaming, or lack thereof, has captured the imagination of many a handkerchief artist.  Most adopt a humorous approach and take the devil insomnolence in stride.  So for the drained and drowsy, the fagged and fatigued, this one’s for you 🙂

This terrific candlestick bordered hankie takes a lighthearted approach to pay tribute to the truly tired.

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 image004 It’s jam packed with with helpful suggestions for rest and repose – except for reading a murder mystery – what’s up with that?

“Always wear cute pyjamas to bed,
you never know who you will meet in your dreams.”

Joel Madden

 

In the scalloped bordered version,  a few more suggestions to beckon the gods of calm and quietude, as our hapless insomniacs soldier on….

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These nursery rhyme handkerchiefs also carry inferences to rest and sleep – one extols the beauty of a starry night, the other, the bliss of sleeping in broad daylight.

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“Sometimes at night I would sleep open-eyed underneath a sky dripping with stars. I was alive then.”

Albert Camus

 

Check out poor Little Boy Blue.
The kid is zonked like a freshman
after a frat party.

 image012 This mother resorts to cold water in the face for a son who can siesta through a jangling alarm clock.  I’ve learned you can find just about any image on children’s handkerchiefs.image014

 

Perhaps the most famous dozing diva was Sleeping Beauty, victim of a spell cast by a disgruntled fairy who had not been invited to her christening.

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Eventually the spell was broken, thanks to a kiss from handsome Prince Phillip, but not before all subjects in the kingdom had been put under a powerful deep sleep spell until the Princess could be rescued.   Here we find everyone in the castle tower snoozing away.  The little mouse should thank his lucky stars, as his feline predator fell under the sleeping spell mid-grab. Whew!

What a charming rendition of the story.

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“I dream my painting and I paint my dream.”
Vincent van Gogh

 

The sleeper most envied by insomniacs, however, must be Snow White, who, in some versions of the fairy tale slept for 100 years.  Here she appears in a glass coffin where the dwarves placed her, mistakenly believing she has died from the Queen’s poisoned apple. (Some fairy tales are so dark it’s a wonder any child could go to sleep…)

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“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep
because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

Dr. Seuss

As you know from the blog on Santa’s reindeer Rudolph  I love to find hankies with mistakes or quirks in them.  Can you find the error is this one? (answer at the end)

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“I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting.”

Mark Twain

For those who can succumb to slumber, the world of dreams awaits.  This hankie interprets a wide spectrum of subject matter.  It almost reads more like a superstition hankie, as many things are described as either good luck or bad luck.  It’s fun nonetheless, and great for cocktail conversation.

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“I find out a lot about myself by sleeping.
Dreams, they are who I am when I’m too tired to be me.”

Jarod Kintz, This Book is Not for Sale

 

For those who dream en Français, ici est la clef des songes (Aren’t the 50’s fashions fabulous?)

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When Morpheus, the God of Dreams, does pay a visit, all manner of interesting things can transpire. This trio of children’s hankies reveals what’s on the mind of a sleeping kitten, squirrel, and hen. Apparently, it’s mostly food!   Love the curled ribbon metaphor for the mind which swirls and twirls around the dreams. 🙂

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“I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart for so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can be together all the time.”

A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

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I cannot get to sleep tonight.
I toss and turn and flop.
I try to count some fluffy sheep
while o’er a fence they hop.
I try to think of pleasant dreams
of places really cool.
I don’t know why I cannot sleep
I slept just fine at school.”

Kathy Kenney-Marshall 

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Who among us hasn’t been spooked by our own shadow when we were a child? Such sudden frights keep you surreptitiously peeping over your shoulder and sleeping with one eye open, as this charming children’s hankie reminds us. (note his hair standing on end)

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It brings to mind the wonderful shadow painting by Lithuanian street artist Morfi, whose creative imagination enhanced the sculpture of a sower with an added dimension. Fanciful wall art by day, it transforms into a powerful burst of shadow art by night.

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Note what the sower is seeding – suns, moons and stars, indeed “such stuff as dreams are made on.” It’s a fanciful, wondrous gift from the artist, and only available to those who roam the streets by moonlight…

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We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”

William Shakespeare, The Tempest

 

Just for Fun

 Tossing and Turning by Bobby Lewis 1961

httpa://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRe9WS2Ag_c

The softest ever version of Sleepy Time Gal  sung by Dinah Shore

httpa://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTuOep3e3sY
 

Quiz

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Bonjour means Hello. The hankie should read Bonne Nuit.

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