Stackable skeleton espresso set from Wolf and Badger.

Congratulations to Ribela for winning the For Strange Women Absinthe Bath Set Giveaway!

The marketing department behind Disney’s Alice in Wonderland seems to have been eating, drinking, and smoking everything they can get their hands on in the runup to the movie’s March 5th release. Of course, there are some expected horrors-That Store at the Mall that we do not mention has contracted for ungodly numbers of T-shirts, hoodies, Cheshire Cat purses and Red Queen lip gloss. But the liscencing on this movie has also moved to higher-end markets. Designer Sue Wong has created a line of gowns theoretically inspired by the film that will be sold at places like Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus, retailing for up to $600. Urban Decay has released a limited edition palette of Alice colors (which, by the way, are just old colors with new names), with an ultra-cool palette that has a pop-up Alice scene inside. Stella McCartney is releasing rabbit and playing card bangle bracelets. The problem is that most of it (except the Urban Decay palette, above, which is pretty cool), is just ugly. With all of this competition to bring more of your hard-earned dollars to Disney, I though I might suggest some alternatives from the busy hands at Etsy:

Queen of Hearts Necklace † Afternoon Teacup Pendant

Ace of Spades Cufflinks † White Rabbit Locket

Autumn in France Teacup Soy Candle

Vanitas is a new iPhone app described as “a memento mori for your digital hands”, inviting you to contemplate on your own mortality.

Memento Mori is a Latin phrase which translates to “Remember that you must die”, and is the name of a genre of art throughout history, which is themed along the same premise : to remind people that they must die.

To lift you up when you are feeling down.  And drag you down when you’re up too high.

Everything flows, nothing remains.

Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!

Life is the farce we are all forced to endure.

Sometimes, when you are depressed, it’s good to see something depressing.

A contemplation of the fleetingness of life.  To help appreciate what you have.

A meditative experience.  A spiritual toy.  A reminder of the preciousness of life.

Referring to the still life paintings from the 16th and 17th century, Vanitas presents you with a gorgeously rendered 3D box filled with intriguing objects.  Close the box and open it again to see new objects.  You can move the objects by tilting your iPhone or pushing and dragging the objects with your fingers to create pleasant arrangements that inspire and enchant.  Some objects decay.  A flower blooms.  A bubble pops.  Life like an empty dream flits by…

Via Aaron Muszalski at Laughing Squid