The Sleeping Beauty Movie Trailer

This new modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty is presented by The Piano's director Jane Campion.

The synopsis states: "Death-haunted, quietly reckless, Lucy is a young university student who takes a job as a Sleeping Beauty. In the Sleeping Beauty Chamber old men seek an erotic experience that requires Lucy’s absolute submission. This unsettling task starts to bleed into Lucy’s daily life and she develops an increasing need to know what happens to her when she is asleep."

The beautiful custom bed is of course the focal point of the film.

Probably too sexually explicit for my personal tastes, but I wonder if I should see it for the furniture and costuming alone.

RELATED LINKS:

Sleeping Beauty (Official)

Fairy Tale Tights

I am delighted to see these Little Red Riding Hood tights. I definitely want to adorn my legs with this cute character during the holiday season when I'm wearing lots of red velvet.

How I'd love a pair of Snow White or Cinderella themed stockings, too (not Disney, though!)

They're sold by Modcloth and Fred Flare.

A Storybook Halloween

Here's a lovely theatrical quality Belle costume, but the color won't look good on most people.

This traditional Cinderella costume would make you look like you just stepped out of a storybook.

If I owned this billowy Cinderella costume, I suspect I'd wear it more than at just Halloween. Lounging around the house, or going out to dinner parties, I think.

The Disney Store would love for you to fork over nearly $500 for this licensed Disney Princess Snow White costume. You'll have to buy the shoes and crown separately.

Your child can trick-or-treat dressed as Rapunzel in this sparkly Tangled costume.

Should you for some reason want to spend over $1000 on your child's Halloween costume, here's a very accurate Beast costume (Beauty not included).

If you prefer theatrical quality costumes, here's a lovely basic Snow White theater costume.

If you feel the need for Snow White to be sexy, here's a fantasy Snow White costume.

Two New Pop-Up Fairy Tale Books for Autumn and Winter

Louise Rowe's beautiful pop-up Red Riding Hood book will be released in America on December 1st.

What a shame it doesn't arrive earlier, as the book fits in so well with an autumn theme.

Her Hansel & Gretel pop-up book also arrives December 1.

It also features beautiful fall imagery, with woods and leaves.

These would make fabulous fun Christmas presents for careful young people; or intriguing coffee table books at your next winter dinner party.

A Fairy-Tale Christmas

"A Fairy-Tale Christmas: Creating Magical Celebrations Inspired by an Enchanted Castle."

This book of lavish holiday photographs features Lyndhurst, a gothic revival mansion in Tarrytown, New York. The home, open for tours, happens to look like a castle.

Every year, the multiple rooms in this house are decorated in fairy tale themes. Each room has a fabulous themed Christmas tree and color scheme complementing the tale.

Each fairy-tale chapter of the book has four or five gorgeously photographed pages, including photos of the beautiful trees, info on the original fairy tales, and a menu for a fairytale meal.

• Cinderella - Destroy the Evidence Tarts, Cinderella's Gentle Mimosa, 'Mad Minuet' Sports Drink
  

• Rumplestiltskin - Golden Treats, Ginger Syrup
  

• Goldilocks and the Three Bears - The Bears' Oatmeal Porridge, Teeny-Biny Bear's Tea
  

• Hansel & Gretel - Gingerbread Cookies
  

• Little Red Riding Hood - Lemon Poppy-Seed Cakes, May Wine
  

• Snow White - Snow White's Turnovers
  

• Sleeping Beauty - French Toast, Orange-Butter Glaze
  

• Beauty and the Beast - Tenderloin of Beef
  

• The Princess and the Pea - Peas on a Pillow, Princess Peas
  

• The Little Mermaid - Mini-Pizzas with Anchovies, Smoked Salmon Appetizer
  

• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - White Rabbit's Carrot Cake
  

• Peter Pan - Crocodile Tears Punch
  

• A Christmas Carol - The Stuffing of Dreams
  

• The Snow Queen - Snow Cream, Aurora Borealis
  

• The Nutcracker Ballet - Arabian Coffee, Sugar Plums
  

While none of us probably spend an entire six months of the year prepping our house with multiple Christmas trees in anticipation of the holiday, this book is quite inspiring. You'll love the photos of elegant slippers hanging on Cinderella's tree; strands of pearls dripping from the tree in the Little Mermaid-themed room, and the madcap red-and-white decorations in the Alice in Wonderland room.

Fairy Tale and Storybook Bento Boxes

Send your child to school with a fairy tale themed bento box.

This Little Red Riding Hood bento box depicts Red Riding Hood with a peaked red hat.

On this Red Riding Hood bento box, she's shown as a little girl resting in the woods under a tree.

You can even carry your onigiri rice ball with you in a Red Riding Hood onigiri case.

This cute Hansel and Gretel bento box features silhouetted profiles of the children on a pink-and-white polkadot background. The gingerbread house is shown in pastel yellow.

Fairytale Play Tents for Kids

How do you kick your kids outdoors in the summertime, without filling your yard with unsightly toys? Start by adding storybook charm to your yard with colorful, easy to fold storybook play tents and Playhuts!

This Snow White cottage is one of the largest, most intricate kids' tent designs I've seen.

Fans of "The Little Mermaid" will enjoy creating undersea adventures in the Ariel play tent.

Your daughter can act out the Cinderella story in her Cinderella Playhut. Big enough for a couple little girls to play together. Unlike many play tents, the inside of this is decorated also - so fancy!

I love the unusual shape of this princess tent. And it has cool crenellations!

I like the petal points on the top of this Disney Princess tent.

Finally, a tent that isn't pinky stinky

For boys, here's an enchanting Knight's Castle, with plenty of windows to peep out menacingly from.

Babar's French Home

STORYBOOK INSPIRATION:

Babar's French Lessons (1963) on Amazon

COLORS:

THEME:

Empire style, with a bit of Art Deco thrown in. French furniture and antiques that you might have seen in a home in France in the 1920s. Big furniture, soft but not necessarily plush carpets, colorful but not necessarily floral wallpapers, cloth covered side tables, and interesting chandeliers.

STORYBOOK FURNITURE:

Eve Table Lamp, at Laura Kincade

Empire Side Table, at Laura Kincade

Amelia Upholstered Back Arm Chair, at Century Furniture

Brown Art Deco Table Lamp, on eBay

Turquoise Settee, at Chair Couture

Purple Murano Glass Chandelier, on Amazon

Floral Curtain Panels, at Land of Nod

Aqua Blue Teapot Set, on Amazon

Commode Louis XV, at Cote France

Empire Daybed, at 1st Dibs

Empire Daybed, at Mossgreen Auctions

RELATED LINKS:

Babar the Elephant, at Wikipedia

Jean de Brunhoff, at Wikipedia

Meet Babar's Family, on Amazon

The Wicked Queen's Evil Potions and Vials

STORYBOOK INSPIRATION:

Snow White illustration by Charles Santore

Snow White illustration by John Patience

Snow White illustration by J. L. Macias

Snow White illustration by Susan Jeffers

Snow White illustration by Trina Schart Hyman

Snow White illustration from 1974 Disney Golden Book edition

Snow White illustration by Nancy Eckholm Burkert

Second page of Snow White illustration by Nancy Eckholm Burkert

THEME:

Decorate your kitchen and bedroom or bathroom vanity with magical, witchy looking vials, jars, containers, decanters and urns. Keep herbs, flours, spices and mysterious odd items in your kitchen jars; store cosmetics, home fragrance oils and perfumes in the containers you keep in the bathroom or bedroom. Present a mysterious air of darkness and witchiness to visitors to your elegant, yet slightly disturbing home.

Not just any container will do. They should be interesting, a dark color if possible, a different shape. Often it's difficult to find anything other than plain functional clear jars and vials in the shops. eBay of course is a great resource for odd and unusual antique glass containers.

POTIONS, DECANTERS AND VIALS:

Amber Apothecary Bottle, on Amazon

Claro Decanter, at Pottery Barn

Riedel Paloma Decanter, at The Conran Shop

Malo Decanter, at The Conran Shop

Adesso Carafe, at Crate and Barrel

Nola Decanter, at Crate and Barrel

Apothecary Bottles, on Amazon

Italian Black Glass Perfume Bottles, on Amazon

Cthulhu Amber Bottle, on Etsy

Deadly Herbs Bottles, on Etsy

RELATED LINKS:

Little Snow White, by the Brothers Grimm