Kingdom Of Style

A new ring in the City of Kings...

The lovely Stacey from Lapisette wrote to tell me about their new concept collection 'Form'
Each month they will create a new ring representing their idea of form and nature as one solid piece, combining intricate, organic shapes found in nature with solid sterling silver. The ring captures a stone's pure silhouette with an uninterrupted material and finish.

This is FORM ONE which will cost $275

For some reason this ring makes me think of the white city of Minas Tirith in The Lord of The Rings

Which would make it perfect for The King of Men and A Queen of the Kingdom of Style

Queen Marie

Everything starts with tea...

Let's be honest, The Kingdom is awash with tea.
We drink it all day. We drink it all night. Endless endless cups of tea. It is what keeps The Kingdom running.
And best of all, now it seems as if it is good for us too -

If you drink three or more cups of tea a day you might be doing your health more good than drinking plain water, say researchers from King's College, London, UK. This new study found, among other things, that the urban myth that tea dehydrates could not be further from the truth - tea hydrates as well as water does, say the researchers.

Not only will tea rehydrate you, it may also protect you from developing heart disease, and even cancer. Apparently, three or more cups a day may also protect your teeth and strengthen your bones. The researchers say they are not sure why, but believe that flavonoids, polyphenol antioxidants, which are found in abundance in tea, may play a major role. Flavonoids help prevent cell damage.

Hooray!
Then the lovely Sophie wrote to me earlier in the week, to say she thought I might like these.
Sophie,I LOVE them...

The charming enamel cups and teapots are available from BudDug
Would I pay £30, I rather think I might...

Queen Marie

Young and old...

Living in a box
Living in a cardboard box...

Well living in an acrylic box to be precise.

The jeweller Anne Gericke, kidnapps people old and young, shrinks them until they are very small and then captures them forever inside silver cased little boxes with acrylic windows.
These two below, form part of her snapshot series and to be honest, kind of freak me out. You couldn't pay me the $465 to wear little people around my neck. A crochet apple- yes, little tiny trapped people-no!

Bonnie and Hugh at Unica find the best things and you can find them all on their wonderful site.

Queen Marie

Oye Pretty!

I accidentally came upon online boutique Oye Modern and was pleased to discover it has a superb selection of mega cute jewellery. I am loving the decks and headphones necklaces. Queen Marie would like bracelet made from recycled camera lens parts, and I reckon Drusilla would be loving the silver sneakers necklace.

Queen Michelle

5 a day, you say...

We are all encouraged to eat 5 portions of fruit or veg a day.

They say- Fruit and vegetables help set you up for a healthier lifestyle. Best of all, there is so much variety to choose from, all year long, there's enough to keep even the fussiest eaters happy.

I say - Imagine that...

Maybe start with a banana.
Nice with cereal or on your toast.
Or even better - a banana split (£12)

Or maybe a nice juicy apple.
Filled with vitamin C
Even better if it's knitted (£12)

Sod it! who am I kidding, fruit and veg, I think not.
Are biscuits a food group. I'm sure they are. They should be. They form a stable part of my diet.

A cheeky wee custard cream -yum
Even more delicous with pearls (£13)

One for Queen Michelle
Pink wafer perfection (£12)

And then a little gem to finish.
An iced gem ring. Yummy (£7)

You can find them all and lots of other delicious treats here

Queen Marie

Wear And Tear Is Good

I was exceptionally excited to see the accessories creations by the ultra-talented Cheung Lik, designer behind Wear and Tear. She graduated with a BA degree in fashion design from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and went on to work with Daydream Nation designing jewellery and handbags for the label's tradeshow in Paris, before launching Wear and Tear this year.

The reason Wear and Tear appeals so much to me is the unusual juxtaposition of materials she uses such as crochet and lace with worn metal. To me, these look like ancient treasures which have been unearthed, cleaned up and given a new lease of life. Her crochet and metal designs are actually part of a project called Socially Yours where products are designed utilising local craft industries. The mailbox bag is superb.

Queen Michelle

Anna Tascha

I completely adore the humour in Swedish jewellery designer Anna Tascha's work. For example, taking the ubiquitous iPod earphones, which seem to be surgically attached to many people nowadays, and recreating them in gold and silver then turning them into necklaces is a much better way to have them hanging round your neck.

Queen Marie would be loving her silver bow necklaces, whilst I would opt for the dripping tar.

I would love to go dancing wearing the big smiley face necklace! Genius!

Queen Michelle

Bite Me...

Both the Count and I agree, we would say 'fangs a lot' for this little number...

This is the 'Kiss of Death' necklace from the witty and wonderful Made by White
It costs Aus $55 and for some reason makes me laugh out loud.
Loving it lots.

Queen Marie

Flower Power...

Trust Marni to make a cuff so wonderful that I want to swoon!

Oh I wish they could be mine...

Queen Marie

Totally precious...

Now while I wouldn't say no to a ring made with precious stones ( i.e. diamond, ruby, emerald), my heart really belongs to semi-precious gemstones! Aquamarine, Citrine, Prasiolite, Yellow Quartz, Russian Diopside, Blue Topaz, to name just a few - yum yum yum.
A few weeks ago,Olive pointed me in the direction of Lapisette which is a wonderful site where you can basically build a gemstone ring just the way you like it. I know the stones there have been cut and polished but somehow they seem so delicious, organic and wholesome.

For when you feel a little 'Smallville', this pyrite ring would look like a little meteor on your hand ($105)

Some sunshine on your finger with this yellow quartz number ($105)

Twice as lovely, light and dark amythest ($125)

Queen Marie

Some girls will, some girls won't...

It all depends how bad the girl wants the shoes!

Chris from Lochers reminded me that our 'foul mouthed friends' had just launched their spring/summer range.
Go look and laugh...

Queen Marie

Sweet sweet sui...

How stunning are these mesh and crystal belts from Anna Sui?

If you are super swift, you could scoop one up for the staggering price of £20. Yes really £20!!!! . Find them here

Queen Marie

Saintly Jewels Fit For A Queen

When I was at the Exhibition at London Fashion Week, just as I was heading out I was stopped in my tracks by some seriously shiny jewellery.

Queen Marie and I are both prone to statement jewellery. With me it's the general size - big is always better - and with her it's jewels and general shininess. So when I saw these incredible necklaces by St Erasmus that combined both, well, suffice to say I was a wee bit startled - quite literally! These pieces are not for the wallflowers among us, with their heavily jewelled intricate designs, they are big, shining statements in block capitals.

Whilst they say they reference Africa, I personally see something much more Elizabethan. I can imagine Queen Elizabeth I wearing one of these over her heavily detailed brocade gown, with her whitened face and shock of red hair. The most obvious thing to do with pieces like this is to wear them with a plain outfit and let the jewellery speak for itself, but I'd go far down the opposite way and channel Queen Elizabeth I and combine it with as many ornate fabrics as I could get my paws on.

Very fit for these Queens methinks.

Queen Michelle

A charm a day, keeps the tossers away...

When I saw this - 'The Liberty Charm' Necklace

I immediately thought it would be perfect for darling LLG to banish her toxic commentators and keep her happy and safe in NYC.
It is £190 and is available from Browns

Queen Marie
x

Make it precious please...

In true Princess and The Pea fashion* I can only have precious metals next to my skin.
Any base metal will play havoc with my skin. It will cause itches and blisters and most dramatically of all it will turn my skin green. Sometimes I forget until I take the offending item off.

Last night I popped down to the club for Subcultures 14th Birthday (Happy Birthday x) and when I got home and took off my 'gold' choker I looked like someone had tried to throttle me. The jolly green giant perhaps...

Just as well I have a palace full of scarfs, this will take about three days to fade.
Bah!

Your Green Queen

*The Princess and the Pea
Once upon a time, a handsome prince decided it was time to take a wife. But only a real princess could marry him. He travels about the world searching for a real princess but returns home disappointed. One evening, a young woman claiming to be a real princess seeks shelter from a storm in the prince's castle. The Queen Mother decides to test the validity of her claim by placing a single pea on a bedstead and piling twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds atop it. There, the young woman spends the night. In the morning, she tells her hosts she endured a sleepless night, being kept awake by something hard in the bed. The prince rejoices. Only a real princess possesses the delicacy to feel a pea through twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds. The two are married, and live happily ever after.

A fine romance...

On this Easter Sunday, let's start with some little things that are as sweet as chocolate but a lot less fattening from the lovely Helpless Romantic

Let's go fly a kite (£18)

The key to your heart (£20)
(I have thrown the key to mine away)

Flutter fly fly away (only £10, I know, it's a freakin steal!)

The venus boy trap, taking cute to a new height (£30)

Yummy...

Queen Marie

Mad as a March Hare...

After talking of moonlight, it seemed only natural to talk of hares...
You will have to run as fast as one to get your hands on these

These wonderful hare earrings by pipnstuff cost an unbelieveable £15 from the wonderful allthingsoriginal
Hop on...

Queen Marie

Size Matters

When I was a kid I was completely obsessed by doll houses. I avidly collected the most beautiful furniture to decorate my miniature home. Lamps that actually lit up, teeny metal pots and pans, floral sofa's and display cabinets which held perfectly formed miniature china plates. My doll house was my pride and joy.

Last year for my birthday Queen Marie bought me a doll house. Unfortunately I currently have no where to put it so it lies in it's box as yet unbuilt. One day though I shall have a home where I can erect the doll house and have it on display filled with beautiful little furniture.

It's for this reason things in miniature rather intrigue me. So I was really excited to find Miss Bibi. Her jewellery is an exploration of everyday objects made tiny and turned into necklaces, brooches, earrings and pins. I of course favour the little knives, saws and guns, which somehow seem all the more sinister when shrunk to such tiny proportions. Queen Marie would like the chandeliers, the chair, the book and the mirror.

All are silver and/or gold plated, and for anyone with happy memories of their doll's houses then these are the perfect for you.

Queen Michelle

Off the cuff...

This is the cuff bracelet by Wang Yiyang for his label, CHAGANG.
It is being sold exclusively by The V&A Shop as part of the China Design Now exhibition. The bracelet has been created along Yiyang's personal design principles, determined to create a new Chinese style avoiding both the indiscriminate use of foreign influences, and the superficial copy of Chinese tradition.
Wang Yiyang (b. 1970) graduated in 1992 from the Fashion Institute of Design at Dong Hua University, Shanghai. In 2002 he established the multi award winning design brand, ZUCZUG which now has retail stores in major Chinese cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wuhan, and Hong Kong, and is now distributed internationally. 2004 saw Wang Yiyang's cross over into fashion with his creation of independent label, "CHAGANG".

It costs £65, and you can find it here, along with further examples of his work.
I am quite taken with this scarf, but under no circumstances would I part with £185!!!

Queen Marie

Ooooh Cheeky!

I must confess I do like a bit of cheekiness! These big chunky bangles by Jessica K. Cushman which declare "Ripped Off By Chanel" have cheek in a large dose. Although at £100 a pop I'm wondering who's ripping off who?

They are available from UK site BunnyHug. In spite of it's vom inducing name, it's actually a great wee site for pressie buying. Have a peek and you'll find lots of US based brands that can be difficult to track down in the UK, such as recently relaunched jeans brand Ditto.

I am particularly partial to these candy striped glasses by AM.

Go hug a bunny!

Queen Michelle

Atishoo Atishoo...

Ring a Ring O' Roses,
A pocketful of posies,
Atishoo! Atishoo!
We all fall down!

Poor General Ape, as well as suffering from slight red/green colour blindness, he also suffers from
Photic Sneezing Basically it means that he sneezes with sudden exposure to bright light
It is also referred to as photic sneeze response, sun sneezing and photogenic sneezing. It occurs in about 10% of the population. This condition means that he cannot be a fighter pilot! but other than that, it is more of an annoyance than anything.

In olden times, it was believed that sneezing was one of the first symptoms of plague, and when people fell down, they fell down dead.
To make sure I don't send you all to bed on a downer, I give you some pretty rose and flower rings...
This stunning silver wreath of roses is available from Alex Monroe

Or how about these pretty rings from Soremi
Made with vintage linen, antique lace and old buttons, they are a total scoop at only £12!

Goodnight and God Bless...
Queen Marie
x

doe a deer, a female deer...

ray, a drop of golden sun
me, a name I call myself
far, a long long way to run

Sorry! I couldn't resist that. *cackle*

As promised, here are some of my beloved little deers...

Leaping lucite brooch, vintage bavarian brooch, moss mills silver ring ( I also have the matching necklace but it seems to have gone awol!) shiny shiny high street deer.

1950's babychamesque enamel , modern jewel encrusted cutie

A selection of precious deers that were gifts from Queen Michelle
This years birthday deer in fuzzy felt, glittery hair clasp and my beloved mirrored Steven Shein necklace

All of them are dear to me (groan) and I couldn't really choose a favourite, but this little fellow from tatty devine, holds a special place in my heart. I love the juxtoposition of his little wooden form with the cold white china beads.
I love him x

Queen Marie

Edit: I meant to say, deer treasures when you find them are usually brooches or 'pins', as I believe you say across the ocean. I always turn them into necklaces by simply attaching them to some grosgrain ribbon.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Crowning glory...

I'm not going to lie!
One of the best things about being a Queen is - The Crown Jewels!

But tiaras are so last season darlings, I am thinking I need some serious new crown action for spring...

For daytime...

For evening...

For very special occasions...

Everyone deserves to feel this special. I have therefore passed a Royal Decree that all subjects of The Kingdom are entitled to wear a crown whenever they freakin' feel like it!!!

Queen Marie

Enchanted By Grisgris Cheris

I don't speak French, or any language other than Scottish, but this is a case of a picture speaking more than a thousand words. Well, picture postcards actually.

These absolutely delightful pendants depicting vintage images from old postcards are so joyful! The site itself is beautifully designed to compliment the jewellery.

I can't tell you anything about who designs them, so lots of images instead. But in this case that really isn't a bad thing since these are sure to make you smile.

And my personal favourite - the first ever girl DJ?!

I think I'll wear a pink dress next time I DJ!!

Queen Michelle

three times a charm...

Take it from me dear chums! you won't be able to stop at three...

When you visit the wonderland that is my vintage charms
you will be lucky to stop at thirty three!

This glorious little treasure of a site is packed to the very brim with trinkets and charms.
What is it about charms that delight us so? They are like little bundles of instant happiness!
Behold some of my favourites...

Ah yes, something a little Royal to start before we go straight to a very special big eared friend...

There is a whole world of Alice and the Looking Glass charms, from the more traditional to my favourite, a selection of a 60's vibe Alice. This is Alice as a louche party girl. If she was to meet Dennis Hopper instead of the White Rabbit, I wouldn't be in the least surprised...

It will come as no surpise that I love love love all the religous and day of the dead charms. But I couldn't resist these ones and snaffled all six of them...

You may think this is a tad excessive and I am spending like a Queen gone mad but the most wonderful and astonishing thing is the price of the charms. They are super super affordable, many are only £1 or a couple of pounds. Especially pleasing is that they ship worldwide, with sensible delivery charges. They will even deliver postage free if your order is over a certain amount.

I can't wait for mine to come. Not even sure what I am going to create yet, but they will speak to me when they come.
I did have one moment of slight extravagance, but they were so charming, I could not resist, I am a Lady...

If I was you, I would stop by sooner rather than later and start collecting your own little treasures ( before I buy the whole site from under your little noses) *evil cackle*

Queen Marie

Is it a cat? Is it a bear?

I honestly don't know.
I just know I like it...

made by designer Sabrina Dehoff in 23ct (???) gold, it is a tad expensive at $274 but it has a whimsical strange charm. You can find it at the wonderful creatures of comfort

Queen Marie

Say hi to Hoolala...

The site all things original is kind of like a smaller UK version of etsy featuring the work of UK designers.
It is full of little treasures.
The little necklaces by Hoolala make me smile...

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date

Hello sailor

Queen marie

'where art thou'...

This is the 'where art thou' bracelet. Very fitting for the Sunday before Christmas...

This charming little religious charm bracelet is a one off, like all the other creations available at Malaya.
The site is small but charming in a kind of sickly way. The way she has of photographing things reminds me of our dear friend Ambika at The Fray. The difference being that when Ambika does it it looks fresh and loving but here it looks a bit twee and forced.

Queen Marie

One for a Good Queen and one for an Evil Queen...

Deep in the enchanted forest both Queens looked into their enchanted rings...

The Good Queen gazed deep into the depths of the violet agate*. Like a magic mirror it showed all her friends playing by the lake, laughing and having fun...

Meanwhile, far away at the other end of the forest, the Evil Queen gazed deep into the murky depths of her amethyst and garnet ring and conjured up wind and rain and her wicked forest sprites to find and capture the unsuspecting Good Queen...

To be continued...

Queen Marie

Violet Agate £1600, Amethyst £4540 - both can be found at Browns

We're off to see the Wizard again...

The Lady of The List often asks me where I 'find all that stuff' that I share with you at weekends.
I tell her that on the interweb, as in life, 'the stuff' finds me!
But some stuff, seems to keep finding me. I'm starting to wonder if the universe is trying to tell me something*, as once again this week, I find myself back on the yellow brick road!

First we had the Patrick Cox red glitter 'dorothy' shoes.
Then we had the Louboutin green glitter 'wicked witch of the west' shoes
Now we have something smaller but simply precious - The Dorothy Brooch

It is due to arrive at the very wonderful Lapin and me any day now, and joy of joys, it can be yours for a paltry £6.50!
Let's all get one...

Queen Marie

* maybe the lesson is that the biggest joy can be found in the smallest thing... x

I need another necklace like...

I need a hole in the head.
But I am always partial to a bit of Candace Ang and the heart wants what the heart wants...

You can find it here BUT BE WARNED! this website looks like it has been designed for pole dancers or strippers in training. A rethink of the colours used would make all the difference. Believe me, pink and black, it will always look 'slack'...

Queen Marie

I Choose Feathers

I have professed my love of feathers on here before, in particular the feathered headpieces we saw quite a lot of during the A/W shows. And when Queen Marie once posed the question "Ears or a tail. Which would you choose?". I chose neither. I chose a plumage of big feathers popping out of the top of my head! Which is why I loved this editorial with Tennessee Thomas in the latest issue of 10 Magazine. Oh how I NEED her feathered headpiece!

When I was young I really wanted a hat like Wayne Hussey from The Mission. I obsessed over that hat for ages, so every Monday when the Queen Mum would go into town I armed her with a photo of Wayne Hussey in said hat and made her trawl through all the charity shops looking for one just like it. I fully expected there to be one sitting somewhere amongst a pile of old lady berets and it would be quite easy to get. How wrong I was. She came back empty handed every week and every week my dream of being the female embodiment of Wayne Hussey got further away.

But the fantasy of unearthing some hidden treasure in a musty vintage shop has stayed with me, and this feathered headpiece is exactly the kind of thing that I imagine digging out. No such vintage shop exists of course, and even if it did it seems unlikely that a show girl headpiece would be what I'd find anyway, but a girl can dream...

Queen Michelle

Yeah yeah, but what freakin' time is it?

Dear Chums, I give you- 'The Zot-Zub Rubber Watch'

They say - "The nooka zot design displays the hours as a progression of 12 dots for a visual representation of time passage"

I say - " Yeah yeah, but what freakin' time is it?"

Queen Marie

'forget me knot'

Oh how I love this charming little ring by, Brooklyn based designer Kiel Mead.  A sterling silver string tied around your finger acts as a reminder for important thoughts or that special person.
Kiel casts these rings by hand using a master mold crafted from an actual tied piece of string.
They come in silver and gold and you can find them at the wonderful site elsewares

Again they are pretty inexpensive, only $60 for the sterling silver.

Queen Marie

Tea and Toast or Coffee and a Cigarette?

It has to be the tea and toast for me.
I don't smoke and I don't drink coffee but that doesn't stop me thinking that this ring by d-licious is pretty damm funny...
At only $60 it would be a wonderful gift for someone who did.

Tea for me said Queen Marie...

Barbie's been butchered!

And the crazy lady Margaux Lange, is making all her poor little body parts into jewelery.

She says - "I enjoy the funny juxtaposition of wearing the body, on the body. Barbie has become the accessory instead of being accessorized. I take pleasure in the contrast and contradiction of something mass-produced being transformed and revealed as a unique, handmade, wearable piece of art."

I say- Please don't sit beside me Miss Lange. Let me give you the number of someone who can help you...

A creeped out Queen Marie

I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay...

And I will be better than ok, in fact I will be just grand, if I can get my grubby paws on this whimsical twig and saw necklace by New York jewler Erica Weiner

I would also be as happy as a bear in the woods if I could have her 'Be prepared Bear' Necklace too!

You can find them both, as well as a whole host of other wonderful, magical things at