Absinthe in the movies

I watched a couple of days ago the new Dorian Gray movie - starring Ben Barnes and Colin Firth. Even though I expected it to be better than it was (big disappointment on that), I was so happy to see that they included a scene (around minute 7) in which you can see a glass with Absinthe, an Absinthe spoon with a sugar cube and a carafe of water:

It only lasts some seconds, and there are no more scenes with Absinthe on them, but it was wonderful that they depicted the French ritual in the correct way.

In case you are curious, I know some more films with Absinthe scenes on them; probably you have seen them too:
- Dracula by Bram Stoker (Francis Ford Coppola) - they prepare it with the French ritual too - one of my favorites and the best depicted Absinthe scene that I have seen.
- Moulin Rouge - they drink it as a shot, if I recall correctly.
- From Hell - Johnny Depp prepares it using the Bohemian (Czech) ritual, which by the way, was invented circa 1990, nearly a century later than when the movie takes place. Mistakes of Hollywood...

You can check the Blog in the Alandia website for more Absinthe movie clips.

Absinthe accessories - Not in Miniature this time!

Sometimes I just need to stop making minis for a while and enjoy a bit of crafting for myself. The Green Fairy has inspired these two accessories:

I did not spend a dime in this necklace - I used some bits and bobs that I had around the house. Actually, it has been years since I used the fairy pendant for the last time. Hopefully it will get a lot more wear now...

I did buy the spoons to make these earrings. Not exactly absinthe spoons, but one can forget about that small detail... They are actually quite long, I hope I don't hurt myself while wearing them!

And also, some Absinthe accessories for my home: The Absinthe Robette vintage add by Privat Livemont:

And to add to my little display, a sugar dish and a French Absinthe ceramic saucer - these were used in French bistros; every time somebody ordered a glass of absinthe the waiter would bring the glass on one of these plates, and at the end of the evening the plates were counted to know the total of the bill:

I'm beginning to have quite a collection of spoons, lol! The bottle is Absinthe Lucid.

And currently waiting on a glass brouiller and a packet of sugar cubes specially made for Absinthe... I'll let you know when they come :)

Absinthe Soap for your miniature scene

Remember that post about my crafting of anise-scented soap? Well, I thought it would be nice if the mini people could have their own boxes of Absinthe soap, so I made them reality:

The box reminds me of the After Eight chocolates - they have been my favorites for a long time... I wanted to give them a decadence/luxurious feeling, just as the mint-flavored chocolate. And the color of the soaps is milky green, like real Absinthe after the louche. It was not intentional, but it is a happy coincidence. They are up for sale in my shop!

A lovely and wonderful feature, and more Absinthe minis!

Some days ago I was contacted by a customer that had seen my Absinthe minis. On top of purchasing one of the fountains and tray sets, he asked my permission to use my pics to do a feature of the minis in his blog. I was delighted to learn that it was an all-Absinthe blog, in the Absinthe.fm website.

I have been biting my nails in anticipation, specially because he told me he was planning to take a pic of the minis besides a real size Moulin Vert bottle - the same brand whose label I feature in my bottles. And finally! Here it is!

Picture courtesy of absinthejack. Thank you so so much!

These are the minis of the day: a trio of real Absinthe books, made in miniature:

"Absinthe Cocktails", "The Absinthe Encyclopedia" and "Absinthe: History in a Bottle". I will be listing them separately in the following days in my shop.

Off topic - Absinthe news

Today there is a new gadget on my blog; a little list of links that will take you to several websites with lots of info about Absinthe. Find it in the right column, under my shop gallery -->

I have had time only to peruse through them, but they are all filled with lots of questions and answers, as well as history bits and fun facts.

I have included too some links to online Absinthe merchants. Please take note of this disclaimer: the fact that I mention them does not imply that I endorse them. If you are interested in buying Absinthe and Absinthe accessories online, please be an informed customer, take your time and do your own research.

Having fun with labels

Since yesterday I was crafting labels for the new Absinthe bottles, I got creative and spent some time playing around with a new design for my wine bottles. Until now, they were just "Transilvania Merlot", printed in tea-stained paper with the silhouette of a bat underneath:

Cute, but kind of simple. Anyway, since the Vampire Wine has already been invented, I wanted my own private brand of Romania-inspired wine; hence, the Tepes Wine was borne:

I have always loved this portrait of Vlad Tepes, the original Dracula, and I think the color combination grabs the eye against the red color of the bottle. It will be up in my shop in a couple of days.

By the way, I would like to share with you a link to Free Label Maker; they have dozens of PDF labels for you to play with for your projects; no programs to download to make the labels and super easy to use! And free, of course!

A couple of new Absinthe designs

I just can't get enough of them! This is a new model of bottle; it is made after the real Absinthe brand Red Tunel, and comes with its own elegant black gift bag. Will be up in my shop tomorrow!

And also 3 parchment posters with the Absinthe "holy trinity": wormwood, anise and fennel. For your library, botanical collection, or Absinthe collection. Already for sale!