Long time no see...

Please excuse the long long absence.

Since I began my studies, I haven't had the time to write anything other than my class assigments, and to read anything other than my lessons. It has been a long time since I last studied, and it is costing me a little more than I expected. On good news, I passed all my exams with good grades, so the first part of the year is accomplished! Two more parts to go, one of them coming up just in a month...

My writings and my shop have suffered my absence as well. I have barely been able to list anything new, and not a paragraph of a new novel since I finished the last one. I hope I can get even this summer, but as of now, any moment I can manage some time for myself, I just don't have the energy to craft or to write.

Since I really do not have anything new going on, I will share with you this beauty I found on a flower shop here in Madrid:

It is a natural (dyed) black rose. The wonderful thing is that it is preserved! It will not fade or decay, and it looks as if I just took it from the plant. It is not crisp and feels soft and flexible - although I do not touch it much. I could not believe it when I saw it on the glass window - it was the only one they had - and it just had to be mine. One of my philosopher's stones has been found! The mythical and impossible to breed black rose is resting comfortably on my living room - yes, I cheated a bit, don't hold it against me!

My, my, time flies!

It seems it was yesterday that I was beginning the lessons at high school! Today I have completed the first test, and we will be having finals by December. So much to do still!

But, for some fun stuff, I just wanted to point out this shop: Restyle. The lovely Lady of the Manners from Gothic Charm School draw my attention to them after they put up a give away contest for their line of purses. Oh, one of those purses had to be mine! Since I did not wait to win (or probably lose) the contest, I went ahead and bought one.

Since I did not have yet any stripy anything, I matched it up with a shirt - it is indeed a shirt, not a jacket.

I paid by PayPal, so no troubles there; except that the charge that PayPal charges sellers for their service they pass on to the customer (me, in this case) but since I had not bought from them before, I deemed it worth it just so there would be no hassles with credit cards and such. And it was just $2 anyway.

So, I chose the 4-day shipping option, and the purchase arrived today (in the time frame promised, but I am in Europe just like them). The order came in an envelope, both items inside plastic bags; there was nothing to be protected, so no issues with that. I am very happy with the purse. I just wanted a big purse to go to school so I did not have to use a backpack, which I don't like one bit. I love it! It's exactly as shown, and for my purposes big enough - I am used to small purses.

The shirt is of synthetic material, and does not have a tag with instructions for cleaning. I am guessing it would need cold wash and very soft ironing. It is not good by itself for winter, though - too thin. But I am sure it will be awesome with a black velvet jacket.

For the little money everything costs, I am happy with the articles. If you are on a budget there are lots of things you can buy without breaking the bank. Just do not expect an exceptional quality.

Life at High School...again!

It's the end of my first week in high school, and it's more fun than I anticipated sharing classes with a bunch of teens and young adults.
It's easier than I thought to follow the lessons, and the fact is, I'm enjoying myself - I don't know if I will when homework begins to catch up with us...

Fun facts about the HS:
- no toilet paper in the restrooms. Or soap, or towels (not even paper towels), or heaters, or mirrors... I have no idea why (maybe they get stolen?). I guess we are lucky to have waste baskets for sanitary napkins. It's funny though. Now that flu season approaches, how do they expect us to take care of our health? Of course, we have been told already to get our flu vaccinations. The first thing that I tossed in my bag was hand sanitizer. It's going to be a long winter...
- Walls covered with graffiti.
- I have a locker. Yay! First one I got in my life! :)

I think this course is going to be a great way to find myself as a person and to better myself. I am a bit anxious about tests and such, but I hope my old studying habits will kick in and in the end everything will be all right.

The only thing that bothers me a bit is the lack of time to keep writing my novels. I guess I will have to use the recess time...

The Raven trailer

Oh my goth, it's going to be AWESOME!!

See the video.

A new turn to my life

I just came back from formalizing my application to Lab Technician studies. My classes start on Tuesday! They will take two years to complete, and hopefully I will be able to find work in a clinical or science laboratory.

It is going to be fun, but also a lot of work. I hope my minis won't get left behind in the process, and that I have enough time to keep creating.

Absinthe Wallpapers

To celebrate the release of their Heritage Verte absinthe, Alandia is offering a beautiful free wallpaper that you can download and enjoy in your own computer. Click here to get it!

New absinthe design up for sale

A new creation for all of you absinthe fans!

This is a new design of absinthe bottle, created after the real absinthe Ridge, made by Joe and Jules Legate, owners of Ridge Distillery. Joe kindly gave me permission to make a miniature of their handcrafted creation - which by the way I recommend wholeheartedly!
The credit for the design of the label goes to no other than Mr. Gwydion Stone himself, absinthe expert, and owner of Marteau Absinthe - you should try that one too! If you are interested at all in absinthe you should visit The Wormwood Society for answers to any question you may have regarding this delicious drink.