If I Were A Rich (Wo)Man: Alice Inspired

This week's (late) If I Were A Rich Woman post is inspired by my Alice in Wonderland Tattoo Trends post from earlier this week. So expect, rabbits, teacups and clocks galore.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - www.art.co.uk

I love the colours in this Alice's Adventures in Wonderland print, the teal and burgundy work well together. This would look very nice on my wall but at £99 it won't be there any time soon.

Next up, an Alice in Wonderland classic symbol, a pocket watch. I've wanted one for ages, I'm not really sure why as it's much easier to have one on your wrist, but there's something rather dapper about a pocket watch, especially this Gold Plated Mechanical Double Hunter Pocket Watch.

Gold Plated Mechanical Double Hunter Pocket Watch - www.pocketwatch.co.uk

I love that you can see the clock work, the watch is traditional with a surreal edge.

Gold Plated Mechanical Double Hunter Pocket Watch - www.pocketwatch.co.uk

£94.80, it's probably quite good for a watch but out of my league.


Teacup Tea Light Burners for a tea party, these would look lovely dotted around the garden.

Teacup Tea Light Burners - Not On The High Street

£14 quid each though, that's going to cost a lot of money to decorate my garden.
Surely there must be some DIY for this on Pinterest.

Teacup Tea Light Burners - Not On The High Street

Last but not least, and still in the tea party theme, is this lovely Alice's Teapot Necklace from By Emily.

Alice's Teapot Necklace - By Emily

I love the burnished metal and the dainty detail.

Alice's Teapot Necklace - By Emily

There's also a tiny silver door mouse hiding inside.

Alice's Teapot Necklace - By Emily

That Emily is one talented lady.

That's all for this week, hope you've enjoyed the Alice-themed items.

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Give Me Liberty...Fabrics

New Season Liberty Fabrics

For all you fabric freaks out there Liberty London has just launched its new season A/W 13 range. Liberty Art Fabrics are always beautiful but this collection seems to be taking a different turn to the usual ditsy florals. It is inspired by the epic poem The Earthly Paradise by William Morris, the prologue is below.

OF Heaven or Hell I have no power to sing,
I cannot ease the burden of your fears,
Or make quick-coming death a little thing,
Or bring again the pleasure of past years,
Nor for my words shall ye forget your tears,	5
Or hope again for aught that I can say,
The idle singer of an empty day.
But rather, when aweary of your mirth,
From full hearts still unsatisfied ye sigh,
And, feeling kindly unto all the earth,	10
Grudge every minute as it passes by,
Made the more mindful that the sweet days die—
—Remember me a little then I pray,
The idle singer of an empty day.
The heavy trouble, the bewildering care	15
That weighs us down who live and earn our bread,
These idle verses have no power to bear;
So let me sing of names remembered,
Because they, living not, can ne’er be dead,
Or long time take their memory quite away	20
From us poor singers of an empty day.
Dreamer of dreams, born out of my due time,
Why should I strive to set the crooked straight?
Let it suffice me that my murmuring rhyme
Beats with light wing against the ivory gate,	25
Telling a tale not too importunate
To those who in the sleepy region stay,
Lulled by the singer of an empty day.
Folk say, a wizard to a northern king
At Christmas-tide such wondrous things did show,	30
That through one window men beheld the spring,
And through another saw the summer glow,
And through a third the fruited vines a-row,
While still, unheard, but in its wonted way,
Piped the drear wind of that December day.	35
So with this Earthly Paradise it is,
If ye will read aright, and pardon me,
Who strive to build a shadowy isle of bliss
Midmost the beating of the steely sea,
Where tossed about all hearts of men must be;	40
Whose ravening monsters mighty men shall slay,
Not the poor singer of an empty day.

Morris' episodic poem shows fairy tale and ancient mythology inspiration. This influence can be seen in a lot of the fabric prints.

Branch Flower D - Liberty Art Fabrics

Not so much in others.

Hunter Trunk A - Liberty Art fabrics

Not sure how many trucks there were in Ancient Greece.

Still, it's nice to see Liberty mixing it up a bit. As well as The Earthly Paradise, the designers of the fabric also took influence from "Icelandic adventures, audio prints, tattoos on Tana Lawn, almost edible conversationals and fragrant florals." A pretty eclectic mix but then this is an eclectic collection, ranging from detailed peacocks to colour block houses.

Growing Fonder B - Liberty Art Fabrics

Samols A - Liberty Art Fabrics

Rose A - Liberty Art Fabrics

Stanley B - Liberty Art Fabrics

Ranga C - Liberty Art Fabrics

I particularly like the open, natural prints.

Manning B - Liberty Art Fabrics

But I also like this simple horse print. It would make a lovely summer dress. If only I could sew.

Kussman A - Liberty Art Fabrics

Check out the new fabrics here.

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Tattoo Trends: Who The F*ck is Alice?

Image via Pinterest

Alice in Wonderland tattoos; every alternative wannabe and their dog has one nowadays.
However, there is a good reason; let's face it, the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass books are fantastic. Their continued popularity shows humanity's need for something nonsensical and out of the ordinary.

Alice tattoos seem to be split into four categories, firstly quotes. Alice in Wonderland has to be one of the most quoted books of all time, with phrases that have worked their way into our vocabulary. But with such great sentences, it's not a surprise.

Image via Pinterest

Image via Tattoo Ideas Central

Image via Otter1 on Deviant Art

Image via Pinterest

Some are more original than others, unfortunately 'We're All Mad Here' has been vastly over used.

Another popular Alice in Wonderland tattoo theme is the original drawings by Sir John Tenniel. These are my favourite type of Alice tattoos. You can't beat the original illustrations and I love the sketched style of the tattoos. It's a great way for tattoo artists to display their talent and, although as usual these are getting more popular, they are slightly more original than most.

Image via South Side Tattoo

Image via Pinterest

Image via Sarah B Bolen

Image via South Side Tattoo

The next trend in Alice in Wonderland tattoos is the art from the 1951 Disney film version. I have to admit this is one of my favourite films. Yes, they did Disneyfy the story a bit but they managed not to sugarcoat it too much and it keeps the surreal feeling of the book fairly well. I'm less fond of the tattoos as they tend towards the cutesy, but there are still some great ones out there.

Image via Gurl Gone Geek

Image via Photobucket

There are some also not so great Alice film tattoos...

Image via Tumblr

Close, but not quite there.

Finally, as you've probably guessed, is Tim Burton's 2010 Alice in Wonderland film. A combination of Tim Burton and Alice is just perfect really and provides surreal and sometimes disturbing art to base tattoos on.

Image via Pinterest

Image via Tumblr

This looks like a trend that shows no sign of dying out and demonstrates how the book has spawned a following that will most likely last far into the future. My only nit pick really is that Alice tattoos are so vastly copied and, I want to ask lots of the people who have them, have you actually read the book?

I know, I'm a book snob...and I like it.

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Children's Classics: Stories by Firelight

Stories by Firelight - Shirley Hughes

Shirley Hughes is one of the most talented and well known children's book authors and illustrators of the 20th century, maybe all time. Her stories illustrated my childhood and her characters, like Alfie and My Naughty Little Sister, became familiar faces.

My Naughty Little Sister - Shirley Hughes

One of my favourite books of hers is actually a collection of short stories and poems; Stories by Firelight. I was always drawn in by the warmth of the cover but the main reason I liked this book is that the stories were were a little bit different to her usual work, they had more bite.

Stories by Firelight - Shirley Hughes

Do you like my artfully placed coffee cup? Pity I didn't put any coffee in it.


One of my favourite stories from the book is Sea Singing, it's about a fisherman who falls in love with a Selkie (a seal who conveniently turns into a woman). It's being told to a young girl by her artist friend who lives by the sea, the illustrations of the water are a wonderful mix of the real and the fantastic. I always wanted to have dark hair like the little girl.

Sea Singing - Shirley Hughes

It's a story of love and, forgive me for getting deep here, the struggle of being who you are and getting what you want. Pretty intense for a kid's book.

Sea Singing - Shirley Hughes

These illustrations are so expressive of the man's need and the woman's sadness. Shirley Hughes combines adult emotions with the innocence of a child's imagination.

It's not all big emotional themes like love and loss though; she begins the book with a poem indicating the coming of Winter and ends with one celebrating the onset of Spring. A bit of a religious theme creeps in with the poems Inside the Inn and First Light; not being a Christian these could be a bit much for me but Shirley Hughes writes them without lecturing and with a light sense of humour that shines through most of her work.

Another of my favourites from the book is A Midwinter Night's Dream, a story with no words, which is quite strange for me as I was, and am, an avid reader.

A Midwinter Night's Dream - Shirley Hughes

The tale follows a young boy who falls through a door in his otherwise normal house and travels through underground passages. The pictures tell a story of strange creatures and a fantastical world that is always out of the corner of his eye or hidden round a corner.
I suppose it appeals to me and others who hope there is something magical just round the corner, and one day we'll be quick enough to glimpse it.

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If I Were A Rich (Wo)Man: Eclectic Taste

Bit of a strange mix of items this week in my one day wish list.

Firstly, I've been admiring this Forest Friends range of homewares from Magpie.

Forest Friends from Magpie

I'm jumping the gun a bit as the collection is not actually out until September. I know woodland is a trend that has been done into the ground, but this has a fresh feeling to it and lovely illustrations.

I particularly like the mugs.

Forest Friends mugs from Magpie

Mugs are only £8.50 each, which is doable, but I sort of want the whole collection, which will empty my purse.

My next item is entirely different all together. Fashion designer Alice Temperley has just released her Pre-Fall collections fro Temperley London. In The Heron Maiden collection (good name) is this Long Cherry Blossom Dress.

Long Cherry Blossom Dress - Temperley London

Her clothes are always lovely, but I particularly like the cut of this dress and the embroidery teamed with 3-D applique. You wouldn't be able to walk normally wearing this dress; you'd have to waft.
I don't know how much this is but Temperley items aren't cheap, to be honest I don't really want to know.


Another fashion item: I've fallen in love with this Gold Crab Ring from Wons Upon A Time.

Gold Crab Ring - Wons Upon A Time

I don't really know why I like the crab design, I'm not a Cancer star sign, I just like the delicate and lifelike style and think it's quite a unique motif to see in jewellery design.
At £185 though I'm just going to have to dream.

Finally, and in a totally different direction, I want this Justonian Floorstanding Globe for my house.

Justonian Floorstanding Globe - Just Globes

I don't think it would even fit in my house but I still want it. I've wanted a globe for ages, I can while away hours spinning and pinning places to go. I love the antique look of this one.

Justonian Floorstanding Globe - Just Globes

At £595.95 though I think I'd be better off getting a blow up one.

That's all folks. Check back next Friday for some more unaffordable goodies with a vintage feel.

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Independence Day

Happy 4th of July American readers!

I suppose we Brits can be good sports about it.

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Tattoo Trends: Tentacles

Image via Very Best Pinterest Pins

The octopus seems to be growing in popularity as a tattoo motif. But it is not a new design; being a sea creature it featured heavily with tattooed sailors in the early 20th century. It was not quite as popular as ships and anchors but it still made an appearance.

Image via Tumblr

I'm not sure why it's suddenly spurted in popularity, maybe it's something to do with the meaning. Traditionally octopus tattoos are meant to signify regrowth; an octopus can grew its legs back (apparently) and so is a symbol for letting go of things causing you pain and new beginnings and all that jazz.

Image via Tattoo How

Octopus and tentacled creatures also denote mystery, especially the mysteries of the deep. So you may want to consider getting an octopus tattoo if you want to advertise your mysteriousness (surely reducing it in the process) or if you eject black ink when you get scared.

Image via Pinterest

Most octopus tattoos allow for a lot of detail and are a chance for an artist to shine. They range from the large and intricate...

Image via Tattoo Ideas Central

Image via nicejobhydrogenatom on Tumblr

To the small and simple.

Image via Flickr

Although they can go wrong and end up looking like ink splodges. An ink splodge with the wrong amount of legs.

Image via fyeahtattoos.com

I think octopus tattoos are an interesting mix of the traditional and contemporary and there are some amazing designs out there. Pity they're probably going to be so over done that they'll go the way of dolphins and anchors.

By the way, if you're too scared to get an octopus tattoo then you can always try out the trend with these Tattoo Socks.

Image via Tattoo Socks on Etsy

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