Collecting

The next topic is Collecting and we are supposed to talk about the things we collect. Well sad to say, I am a total hoarder and always have been. When I was a child I always had at least 4 or 5 different collections on the go, Dolphins, My Little Ponies, books, Tigers, little horse ornaments and god knows what else and my room was pretty hard to move around in or find anything because of all the stuff I used to collect and keep. Now I'm older I have had to try and keep my hoarding instincts under control so that my house won't be completely swamped with things!! I still permit myself a few things though, because at the end of the day they make me happy and it would be a sad world if I deprived myself completely! One thing I have collected for years is paper weights. I have about 30 of them dotted around the house and they are beautiful. But my main thing is...

Make up and nail polish!

I'm sure it is no surprise to anybody who knows me or who has been reading this blog for any length of time, that my main collection is nail polish. I also collect lipsticks and eyeshadows (the picture above is my eyeshadow collection). It may, however, be a surprise to some of you that there is a really good reason WHY I collect these things. When my son was born, for the first three years of his life I suffered from severe post natal depression and post natal psychosis. Life was very dark and hopeless back then, since I hid my condition and it went undiagnosed and untreated for a very long time and I didn't get any help until the child was three years old. Nail polish, and then make up, was actually what saved me in the end, or at least it was the first step in my recovery. My sister in law was staying with us, and one day she painted her nails, then offered me the bottle to do mine too. I had not worn even a scrap of make up for longer than I could remember - but out of politeness I took the bottle and painted my toenails. It felt so weird having something about me feel pretty for once. But it also felt good. So the next day I did my fingernails too. And then I tried a little make up, and then I did something with my hair for a change, and then I bought some new clothes and suddenly I felt like a human being again for the first time in three long years. I have collected nail polish, and to a lesser extent make up, ever since then - and I always will, because it reminds me that I am important too and deserve to look nice and have nice things. Nearly all of my stash is drugstore or mid range; I have very little high end stuff because as nice as it is to have a drawer full of Chanel or Dior, I find it hard to justify the amount they cost when finances are tight.
 I have two Helmers, one for polish, the other for make up, and I spend soooo much time just rearranging the things in them, taking them out, looking at them, having a little play with this colour and that, it's so therapeutic and it makes me really happy.

What about you - what do you collect and why?