Happy Halloween

The Alice books hold a strong appeal to those who enjoy the dark and gothic, so what better time than Halloween to explore some items which have a touch of the night about them...

Not sure if this is a raven or a crow, but it is certainly monstrous and is bound to terrify Tweedledum and Tweedledee and distract them from any quarrels they may have.

More terrifying than terrified, this fantastic doll, inspired by American Mcgee's Alice, is made by Tattered Rags.

Sadly she has already been sold, but Jodi Cain, who made her, says she will happily make you another. Or perhaps you'd prefer a copy of her Alice and Mad Hatter dolls.

If you would like some grisly Alice art to adorn your walls then this 3D shadowbox featuring a genuine rabbit skull should fit the bill nicely. (Well, maybe not nicely...)

Or if decapitation tickles your fancy, then this ever-so-slightly gruesome portrait of the Queen of Hearts may be for you.

It seems her executioner has already encountered the mouse from the Pool of Tears. And the poor old March Hare has met not only her executioner, but her taxidermist as well.



Well, we're off trick or treating...

Hope you have a safe and happy Halloween.

Jam Tomorrow

`The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday -- but never jam to-day.'

`It must come sometimes to "jam do-day,"' Alice objected.
`No, it can't,' said the Queen. `It's jam every other day: to-day isn't any other day, you know.'

All of which begs the question, "what shall I have on my toast today?"

During her fall down the rabbit hole, Alice discovers a jar of marmalade but is disappointed to discover that it is empty. There is a story that Lorina Liddell (mother of  Alice Liddell, who inspired the original tale) was well known for her home-made marmalade, and that it was her recipe used in the production of Frank Cooper's famous Oxford Marmalade.

The Dormouse seems rather fixated with treacle, famously recounting the story of the three girls who live in a treacle well at the mad tea party and then raising the topic again during the trial of the Knave of Hearts, where he asserts that it is the principal ingredient of tarts. Treacle is a sweet, sticky spread made of sugar and is often compared to molasses. We think it's delicious, and Lyles Black Treacle comes in a rather spiffing tin, in which you could keep all manner of things.

In Through the Looking Glass, Alice sees some elephants bustling about making honey. She is keen to try it but put off by the thought of being teased by the enormous pachyderms. The White Knight has no luck obtaining honey either. He has a bee hive strapped to his horse, but it is never visited by any bees.

And you will just have to keep your jam till tomorrow.

Upsy Daisy

Early in the first book Alice wonders whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain is worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, so we've combed through Etsy to pick some for you (in case you're feeling too hot and sleepy to bother.)

Alice must have a head-band and we think this daisychain from BlushingDoveBoutique is perfect.

There is an amazing selection of vintage/retro daisy-themed jewellery on Etsy; below are a few choice pieces.

Fun Retro White Daisy Flower Enamel Brooch Pin

lovely retro 1950s WHITE DAISIES brooch

Vintage 1969 Sarah Coventry Light N Bright Gold Daisy Flower Pin Brooch

Bliss Bobby Pin Set- Daisy, white, yellow, flower

There is also a huge amount of vintage homewares, which would assist in putting the kitsch into your kitchen.

1) Vintage Ingraham Retro Daisy Clock 2) 1970's Daisy Canisters 

3) CRAZY DAISY RETRO GLASS SALT and PEPPER SHAKERS 4) Vintage 70s Metal DAISY Napkin or Letter Holder

 5) Set of 4 Perfect 1960's Daisy Tumblers 6) Vintage Daisy Ice Bucket 

7) Vintage Daisy Beverage Pitcher 8) Vintage Green Daisy Metal Trash Can



There is now no excuse for being half crazy for daisies, remember, we're all mad here!

Fur and Whiskers

Bored of our blue dress, we have paid a visit to Topshop, where we have managed to acquire (almost) everything we need to dress in another Wonderland inspired outfit. On our way home, we popped in to River Island, to pick up the final, all important detail, although we struggled to choose between the pink and the black.

Tweed Blazer, Three Button Blazer, Horn Button Trousers, Check Trousers, Black Lace Up Boots, Chocolate Lace Up Boots

Equipped with our white kid gloves, pocketwatch and fan, we think we'll cut a dash at all our important appointments (punctuality notwithstanding.)

The Elusive Denby

Did you know that you can enjoy your Wonderland soup from a dedicated Wonderland soup bowl?

The Denby Pottery Company manufactured 'Denby Wonderland' from 1976 to 1977 and we would certainly like to see it gracing our table come tea time. However, we can only assume that this service was not one of Denby's greatest hits as locating items from it is something of a challenge and, for the most part, it appears to be available only in the USA. There is but a small selection of china replacement websites offering an even smaller selection of pieces, but we would love to get our hands on this whimsical floral tableware.

Fragments of the service are currently available at Tabletops Etc, Chinasearch, Denby Replacement Service Ltd, Dinnerware Replacements, Replacements Ltd, and Ebay (of course.)

Wonderful Wonderful Etsy

Described by Wikipedia as a "social commerce site," Etsy is effectively an enormous online craft and collectors' fair and is a remarkable source of Wonderlandian goodies. Type "Alice in Wonderland" into the search box and you are presented with an embarrassment of riches. Jewellery, clothing, craft items and ornaments comprise just a few of the Alice treasures available and many a happy hour can be wasted simply browsing the wealth of merchandise. Below are just a few examples.

This charming print is produced by JunkerJane and is available in her delightful shop.

UntamedMenagerie's shop will make you one of these fantastic Alice quote necklaces and has many other items ideal for the dedicated Wonderlander.

These technicolour mushrooms come from Stemellina Supplies.

We think these Alice and Mad Hatter shadow puppets from IsabellasArt are gorgeous (and we want to play with them.)

The Mad Tea-Party Text Block is very stylish and TheAviary has several different Alice designs to choose from.

We are captivated by this insane looking Cheshire Mohawk Cat (as well as all the other crazy creatures at Zeropumpkin Studio.)

Etsy provides an amazing platform for individual craftswomen and men across the globe and, in a world of industrialised mass production and homogeneity, is surely deserving of our support. And whether you are shopping or just browsing, it is a never-ending source of wonder and delight.

Tea Lights

These fantastic lights are what inspired the creation of this blog. They would be perfect in your looking glass house or wonderland home and would happily illuminate any mad tea party.

They are designed by Gregory Bonasera whose website you can see here.