Many of us are familiar with the tale most often called ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ a traditional fairy tale, adapted so often it has evolved in to quite a simple, sweet story which seems to have very little meaning that we can interpret from a modern perspective. In fact I think poor Briar Rose (as she is named in the Grimm version of the tale) is probably one of the most harshly criticised Fairytale Princesses, for she seems to have no power of her own. The little Princess is born in to a loving family, blessed with all the gifts she could ever wish for by the kindly godmothers; beauty, grace, wit and the ability to dance and sing and play music. When darkness comes in to her life it is through a curse and she herself walks innocently in to the trap, only to be rescued later by her Prince, love at first sight in its purist form. She is not exactly a feminist role model.

To me however, the story of the Sleeping Beauty in the Wood is about hope. It shows that even when the world seems to be against us, and there is no way to escape our destiny there is still a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. The seventh Fairy can not undo the evil, but she can find a way around it. Sleeping Beauty has to wait, not just for her Prince, but for an escape from the trap that is sleep. How many of us feel like we go through life sleeping sometimes? Only for something purely magical, like love, to awaken us from this apathy.

I’m glad that Princesses these days have the power to go after their dreams instead of sitting around passively, but I also believe patience is a lesson we must learn. There are times when you have to wait out the storm, and have just a little faith in the world that things will come right in the end.

There are many versions of the Sleeping Beauty tale, some like the version by Charles Perrault continue after the marriage of the Prince and Princess, and the story gets much darker from there. Others, such as the Grimm Brother’s Briar Rose have a sweeter ending. There have been some excellent modern retellings of the story, including Robin McKinley’s ‘Spindles End’ and Orson Scott Card’s ‘Enchantment.’ If you would like to read more about the history of the tale you may do so here.

The first release of Petit Miel goods is now available in my online store! Click the image to go right there. There are Strawberry Shortcake rings, which were very popular at the store debut last year, two heart shaped and two flower shaped rings are available.

Also I would like to introduce a new item, the Pearl Chandelier Bracelets are made of gorgeous glass pearls with brass accent beads and pretty little teardrops in pink or blue. They are the most detailed bracelets I’ve made yet and I was very tempted to keep one for myself. There are only five so get in fast!

Please keep your eyes out for more releases in the next two weeks, I have some phone charms and a beautiful headdress nearly ready for sale. Thank you for your patience and support of Petit Miel!

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of Victorian artists, poets, critics and writers who started as a rebellion towards the modern mechanistic style of art and shared a love for romantic symbolism and expressing nature and emotion through art. I was fortunate enough to see an exhibition of some of their most famous works a few years ago when it visited our local gallery. I was so enchanted by their style and the depth of their work that I have been a firm convert ever since.

Many of their paintings are quite easily recognised, but there are some treasures that are a little less well known but equally beautiful. I reccomend that if you ever get the chance to see one of these paintings in person, do not miss it! Prints and photos do not do them justice. Most of my favourites are by John Everett Millais and John William Waterhouse, who was heavily influenced by their themes but is sometimes classed a Neo-classical painter. Interestingly, I am not attracted to the works of Rossetti, amoung the most popular of the Pre-Raphaelite painters.

The movement wasn’t just about painting though, it inspired many creative people and spilled over in to home decorating, jewelry, writing, crafts and even artistic dress. You can learn more about this amazing group of people by following these links.

The Beautiful Necessity
My favourite Pre-Raphaelite blog! Grace takes a very practical approach to looking at Pre-Raphaelite work and explores its influence on modern culture. I always enjoy her illustrated posts which often bring my attention to some unsual detail I had not previously noticed. The author is a beautiful Pre-Raphaelite maiden herself!

JWWaterhouse.com
Whenever I need a little inspiration and beauty in my day I find myself inexplicably drawn here. Over 100 gorgeous images by this talented artist, each one telling a story. They also have a great community where you can read about other people’s experiences with the paintings and discuss the Mysterious Models who are featured in them. A great place to purchase prints too!

Earthly Paradise
Another beautiful blog. I love reading Margaret’s insights in to the meaning behind the artists’ and writers’ works, her recent entry on Beauty in Art was quite profound. Philosophy, Art and History all in one place, it is indeed Paradise.

Art Magick
Really gorgeous site and one of the few places I’ve found Pre-Raphaelite poetry online. I especially enjoy the collection of illustrated poems. This is a beautiful place to immerse yourself in, indulging in the beauty and romance of victorian poets and artists. Not sure where to start? Try A Garden by the Sea.

This is a really delicious book, what I mean by that is that its the sort of story you just want more and more of. I found myself reading it while waiting for the bus, on the bus, and then when I got home I just wanted to keep reading! Sharon Shinn has been one of my favourite authors for a long time, I adore her Angel series and have been trying to track down some of her fantasy works to read.

Summers at Castle Auburn is the story of Coriel Halsing, a young woman born as the bastard daughter of the second most noble house in the kingdom. She spends her winters at her Grandmother’s cottage in the country, learning about herbs and medicine and then travels to the royal ‘Castle Auburn’ to spend her summers at court with her beautiful half-sister Elisandra, a dashing and dangerous Prince, his level headed cousin and the mysterious Aliora, faerie like beings who are slaves and servants at the castle. This world is full of court intrigue, feasts, balls and hunts and of course romance, which is Sharon Shinn’s special talent as a writer.

I must admit I found the plot a little predictable, but that made it no less enjoyable. It is an interesting story and Coriel is a likeable heroine and especially easy for me to associate with as I’ve also studied herbal medicine for a long time. I found Elisandra a beautiful character too, an example of how a demure ladylike presence can mask an inner strength, sometimes it’s the quiet ones who are actually the strongest. Finally the theme of Slavery was well handled, I thought the Aliora were a truly amazing race.

This book left me wanting to spend my summer at a far away castle too! Listening to musicians, reading, doing embroidery during the day and then having an evening ride (I miss horseriding soo much! I should go again soon) before getting dressed for a glittering feast! I think I need a vacation.

Straw boater by VM
White knit dress by BABY
White Stockings
Heart Buckle Shoes
BABY parasol
Straw basket-bag

The theme of today’s meet up was adventures, and I didn’t really have much that fitted in (despite my best efforts to locate some binoculars and a butterfly net) so instead I wore something that I would go adventuring in! This dress is so soft and comfortable, it was a real pleasure to wear all day and I love any chance to wear my boater, I think full size hats with lolita is one of my favourite looks. Clara told me to look like I was hitch-hiking for this photo, I think I look a little bit lost though!

This morning we went to a lovely picnic event held by Clara and Eugene at Perth’s own Hyde Park. I like that they named it after the one in London, and it really is a beautiful place to take photos. There were a lot of people there I had not seen for some time including Jill, who just came back from Singapore she brought me the cutest cake plushies which I will photograph soon and she is shaving her head for the leukemia foundation so we all made a donation to sponsor her (so brave!) There were yummy cookies and lemonade and we had fun exploring the park, where a great many photos were taken. You can view them here.

After the picnic we met Jeff, Emily, Tang and some friends for icecream and waffles! Mirai and I had a big one with strawberry and passionfruit icecream, it was delicious! We also played this really fun arcade game which involves four players controlling tiny robots in a miniature soccer match, it was really hard! Jovanna and I lost but we claim the table was tilted in our direction

It was a fun day out, thanks to Clara, Eugene, Emily and Jeff for organizing respective meet ups

Last night Clara and I went to the Cyndi Lauper concert at Kings Park. It was incredible, I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. Before the concert we went to meet Lee for a little and then headed out for Purikura, I shall have to scan it some time because its really cute and you can see our bright blue eyeshadow and silly 80’s outfits. After photos we decided to stop by the asian grocer and pick up some snacks and then headed on our way. Getting in to the event was a bit of a trial, the parking was so full we had to park about fifteen minutes walk away and carry all our things with us. The people at the doors didn’t believe we were over age (over age in Australia is 18) so we had to pull out different forms of ID but eventually we got in!

Clara and I found a nice spot to put down our picnic rug where we could see the stage fairly well. We sat and chatted for a few hours and watched the other acts while the sun began to set. Then, the stars had come out the lights went on and finally the show began! She jumped right in to the opening number with so much energy and danced so hilariously that we were clapping and laughing at the same time. She has such a great stage presence that alternated between warming our hearts with ‘True Colors’ and having a lot of silly fun to the more upbeat numbers. Her voice is incredible live, and she has so much energy it was a real treat to watch. We went down the stage to dance for the last number, which was of course, ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun!’

As a child I really loved Cyndi Lauper’s music, my parents played it often and I would dance in the living room, so this was really a dream come true for me. If you ever have a chance to see her show, I really reccomend it! She is such a beautiful and talented person.

This is cheating a little because technically this is my daily style for tomorrow when Clara and I are going to a Cyndi Lauper concert! We decided to dress up 80’s style, and I had a lot of fun putting this outfit together. Everything I’m wearing was $10 or under, from thrift stores and discount stores and a gorgeous little boutique called Chic & Chic which is one of the cutest shops in town, they even have rhinestones on their eftpos machines!

We were really amazed to find these tutu skirts actually for sale brand new, I got the white and Clara got the black so we match. My favourite parts of this outfit are the scrunchies (I couldn’t decide on blue or pink so I wore both!) and the jelly shoes I forgot how comfortable they are.

I feel like a little kid again in this style! I had a shirt very much like this polka dot one when I was younger. I think this is a really fun style to wear for a night, but I don’t know if I could adjust to legwarmers every day. Can’t wait for the concert tomorrow!

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Princesse Élisabeth Philippine Marie Hélène of France, commonly known as Madame Élisabeth, was the youngest sister of King Louis XVI and sister-in-law to Marie Antoinette. I find it rather sad that she is often omitted from books and movies on the French Revolution for she was such a beautiful princess, and a great comfort to the King and Queen. I took a special interest in her after reading the historical novel ‘Abundance’ by Sena Jeter Naslund in which, a child herself, she brings a rose to young Marie Antoinette.

Born May 3, 1764, Madame Élisabeth was said to be a willful and haughty child who was tamed only when Madame de Mackau became her governess. She grew, however, in to a sweet natured and gentle young woman who was very pious and even wished to become a Nun, but was refused permission by her brother who felt she was needed at court. The very model of charity, she never married and when she was given a farm called Montreuil for her 25th birthday she created a dairy there to provide milk for poor children.

One could not live at Versailles however, without finding some enjoyment in the amusements there and it is said the Princess loved to dance and was always the last to leave a ball. She had a fondness for music, embroidery and fashion and was equally at home organizing her ladies in charitable causes as picking out a new pair of shoes. In her later years she spent much time with the Queen at the Trianon.

Perhaps the greatest attestment to Élisabeth’s character was her sense of duty towards the monarchy. When other nobles were fleeing the country, despite the danger to herself, she remained with them to the very end, when she comforted Madame Royale after her parent’s death. The last letter penned by Marie Antoinette was to Madame Élisabeth who had since become as a sister to her in their shared tragedy. She died at the guillotine on May 10, 1794. During her execution there were no cheers, the silent crowd even reported that there was a scent of roses in the air.

reference 1, reference 2, Montreuil

The weather was beautiful today. The sky defined blue, I found myself just looking out the window now and then and reveling in the depth of it, deep cobalt blue, with little white clouds dotting the edges. Its been a little cooler lately, but no more rain. I can’t wait for autumn I’ve been watching the maple trees near where I work, waiting for the first tinge of brown to their leaves.

This morning I recieved a lovely letter and post card from my new penpal in Slovakia! It was really sweet and I enjoyed reading it on the bus. I have to sit down and write back to my penpals soon, I’ve been collecting some pictures and things to send them. Speaking of pictures I need to set up my little photo printer again and print off some photos of past Lolita meets, I bought a cute Disney Princess photo album to store them in.

In the afternoon I went to the bead store to pick up some more supplies for Petit Miel, I finished six bracelets today and three rings. I’m trying to get everything ready to sell but I want the first release to be special and I’m very fussy with which materials I use so I’m still trying to source a few things. Won’t be much longer, I promise! I also finally found a copy of ‘Summers at Castle Auburn’ by one of my favourite authors, Sharon Shinn. Expect a review soon, I started reading it on the way home and I really like it so far!

This evening Mirai and I went to see a new movie, ‘Jumper’ which was ok but not as clever as we’d hoped. I have a really busy week ahead of me so I think I better have an early night!