Category Archives: Royal Fashion

Why we love vintage jewelry…for us, for gifts, for the earth

Eleven Reasons To Love
Antique and Vintage Jewelry

For those of us who already love vintage jewelry, we don’t need any more reasons to hunt it down, wear it, and gift it. Though, if you haven’t included vintage in your wardrobe, yet, or you are still mulling over holiday gift ideas, we wanted to give a shout out for how vintage jewelry can add sparkle to your life and help save the world!

Vintage Jewelry: A thing of beauty
Vintage Jewelry

1. “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” – Keats. You will always look beautiful wearing a graceful cameo, or something elegant with pearls.

1b. Something unique and funky will stand out in any era. (Didn’t want to forget those of us who like Retro, Kitsch, and/or the Austin Powers influence.)

2. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” makes the world a better place. Vintage fashion is inspired reuse. And, crafts that make old jewelry into new are an artsy way to recycle (upcycle).

3. An Antique or Vintage piece is often unique or one-of-a-kind. Sometime, you may have the only piece like it left in existence. Though, at least you can be fairly certain that no one else at the party will have the same thing!

4. Put your money where you heart is. Buying vintage items take money away from big corporations and mass market spending, and diverts resources to more local businesses and artful marketplaces.

4b. Vintage and Antique jewelry supports ethical buying. There are no worries about new impacts regarding unfair trade or cruelly mined gemstones. Continue reading Why we love vintage jewelry…for us, for gifts, for the earth

TWL: Things We Love

I know it's not Valentine yet but I'm full of ... Happy Valentine’s Day!

The idea of this site is to help bring a little more love into the world. We have been working to create a community space to share the way to a more peaceful life. Our definition of a peaceful life encompasses all areas of our lives.

Since the early days of this site we have been focusing on what it means to be a pacifist, and we will continue to do so.  We have also touched on what a shareable economy means; peaceful music and books; how a CSA works; and why vintage jewelry is better than new.

TWL will focus us on exploring what more of what peace means in the  rest of our lives, such as what it means to freecycle; to be a vegetarian; a locavore; a community member; to use nonviolent communication; and to clean with vinegar.  And more.   But first,

We want to hear from you!

What brings peace into your life?

What can you share from your journey?

Please use the comments section to share.

Continue reading TWL: Things We Love

Jen Chapin on Occupy, Parenting, Food, and Creativity

Jen Chapin album Reckoning
Jen Chapin album Reckoning

OnTheWilderSide had a free-flowing  chat with Jen Chapin about her new album, Reckoning.   We covered topics ranging from Occupy to parenthood.

We started our discussion with Chapin by asking her about the balance between the intimate and the political on the new album, Reckoning. The album includes songs on both ends of the spectrum, such as Insatiable about never-ending war and “Don’t Talk” which praises making love as a needed form of marital communication.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWnouX5VSrg]

Chapin described the intimate and the political as “a balance I am always trying to strike.”  She saw it as something stretching back through her life:

Read the rest of the article on the original website.

Got royal wedding fever?: Alternative eye candy…

The Duke and Duchess of Peace have devoted their lives to working for nonviolence and a world without war. They believe that the nature of other royal systems is ultimately to glamorize the military and/or to distract people from politics and real life with visions of celebrity.

So, Duke Augustus and Duchess Susanna would ask people to turn their attention away from the wedding of Zara Phillip’s (Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter) and Mike Tindall, and turn their attention towards their own families, their own cultural excitement, and/or political problems in their own communities. Continue reading Got royal wedding fever?: Alternative eye candy…

Take out your own wedding photos…

Favor Cake for wedding, with 40 carton boxes a...
Image via Wikipedia

Susanna, Duchess of Peace writes:

Watching the Royal Family, and the extended royal family, in the media is a kind of celebrity worship, that captures our attention from more important issues, such as what is happening to our own family, or our own community.

So, unless you happen to be a blood relative of the Mountbatten-Windsor clan (or family to groom and rugby player Mike Tindall), I hope you will not give too much attention to the latest royal wedding happening in Scotland on July 30th. Continue reading Take out your own wedding photos…

News: Duchess wears mother-in-law’s jewelry

Royal Jewels

In the corporate media, you can find a lot of stories about the fact that Prince William has gifted Duchess Catherine with blue earrings which once belonged to her mother-in-law, Princess Diana. These earrings match Princess Diana’s sapphire and diamond ring, which has been much celebrated as the former Kate Middleton’s engagement ring.

Susanna, Duchess of Peace would like to take this opportunity to show off her own blue ring, which once belonged to her mother-in-law. It is a memento the Duchess wears to remind herself of her mother-in-law’s life of service to the environment and community, and a ring which the Duchess wears to glorify the idea of peace and re-using.

The Duke and Duchess of Peace are concerned with the way that royalty — in the present, and historically — have been used to cover-up war, and even to glorify and prettify the military. It is sad that half the world is obsessed with the image of Duchess Catherine’s Continue reading News: Duchess wears mother-in-law’s jewelry

“Mothers, Daughters, Wives”: Peace Song for 7/14/2011

Mothers, Daughters, Wives” by Judy Small is the Royal Song of the Day. The lyrics can be found at Rise Up Singing, page 162.

Below is a heart-wrenching version by “The Corries”

Excerpt:

The first time it was fathers, the last time it was sons
And in between your husbands, marched away with guns & drums
And you never thought to question, you just went on with your lives
‘Cause all they’d taught you who to be was mothers, daughters, wives

Susanna, Duchess of Peace, tells more about today’s choice: Continue reading “Mothers, Daughters, Wives”: Peace Song for 7/14/2011