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.

Something very pretty I have just purchased

It has been ages since I treated myself to a little something from Etsy - actually, this is the first time since we left the US in February. And I am delighted, and can not wait until my parcel arrives!

Let me explain. Since Halloween is almost here, I have been considering buying the Canadian series "The little vampire", starring Joel Dacks, Christopher Stanton and the adorable Marsha Moreau. It was released in 1985 (I was 9!), and it became one of my favorites. All these years I have been yearning for it to be released, and now it is available, although only through Amazon Germany. Well, they had some props in the series that as a child I always wanted to possess:

- a jar of rams (spelling?) - it was a magical black dust that sprinkled over a cloak would make you fly. They kept it on a glass jar with a little bat on the lid - still working on the design of this one...
- a vampire cloak, of course - I made one out of tulle from an old petticoat my mother had. Now I have two velvet cloaks adult size ;)
- a moss rock - they were moss covered rocks that they kept as crypt decorations... And now I have (or I will soon) five!!

I found them on Etsy, and the amazing seller teresab123 was so helpful answering my questions and putting up a listing specially for me. Go check her shop, it is full of beautifully made terrariums, plants, and moss, moss everywhere!! I am sure you'll find something you'll love.

It seems my vampire childhood obsession is almost complete. Now I only have to buy the series and get me a glass of rams. Maybe Lumpi will pay me a visit...

A new design made specially for all of you mad scientists and medical geeks out there!

This is a set of 10 medical posters that will look splendid in any laboratory, asylum, hospital or medical office. They are real vintage medical drawings printed in parchment paper, for you to hang on the walls, frame or simply lay about. This set includes brains, skeletons, the circulatory system, the heart and muscles. Already available at my shop!

New apothecary cabinet up for sale in my shop!
Filled to suit your medicinal needs, with real glass bottles and authentic reproductions of vintage apothecary labels.
Grab it today before somebody else does!

Featured!

One of my lovely customers mentions me and my work regarding her Green Fairy Outfit that she wore at the NADWCon2011: Costume Extravaganza. Scroll down to see it! She looks lovely!

A new witchy cabinet up for sale

Long time without listing one of these!

This cabinet is already up for sale in my shop. All you see is included, not attached so you can arrange it as you wish. If you would like a cabinet made up to your specifications, please don't be shy and drop me a line.

Review: Elena's necklace from The Vampire Diaries

I don't normally do this, but I am so so excited with this locket that I just have to share.

Have you heard of "The Vampire Diaries"? They are a series of books that have been made into a TV show. I am not a big fan although I watch it just for fun. In the show, the main character, Elena, is given a necklace as a way to protect herself from the influence of vampires - it's funny that the more the show goes on, the more useless this necklace is, as each vampire she comes across is more and more powerful and they do not seem affected by it. Here is a clip of the chapter in which Stefan gives it to her:

Pic of the show showing the locket

Anyway, as with every popular series, the merchandise pops up to please demanding fans. I have seen several models of lockets that are sold as "Elena's locket", but they are in no way similar to the one the character wears on the show. Some samples:

Locket with the series' logo. Available at the WB store. UPDATE: No longer available.

Locket with Stefan's crest. Available for sale on Amazon and the WB store. UPDATE: No longer available.

The CW store used to have this locket. As of today is sold out. Similar to the one in the show but somehow lacking.

I have also seen sellers that have reproductions of pieces of jewelry that appear in the show, some more faithful than others. There are also reproductions of the locket, but as they claim they are hand-made with precious metals, they charge accordingly (some up to $165). If you have this kind of money to spare, go to Etsy and peruse their creations.

However, if you are money conscious, you may want to visit eBay. There are reproductions over there too, and luckily for those of us not living in the US, some sellers ship worldwide. You'll find there official merchandise, as well as other jewelry such as Damon's or Stefan's crest, Caroline's ring, Katherine's cameo and Bonnie's amber necklace.

My locket came from djingang2009 (UPDATE: djingang2009 is no longer on eBay, but I suspect this seller is her). This seller has exact replicas of Elena's locket, for prices as low as $42. These are pictures of the actual locket I got from her (chain came included):

Compare to the one that appears in the show, shown above in the first pic, and you can see they are (at least to my eyes) perfectly identical, except that the one in the show has a patina to make it appeared aged - but that will happen to mine too if I don't polish it. I have taken it to a jeweler and he has confirmed that both the locket and the chain are sterling silver. It has a red stone (supposedly a garnet) in the front, and it is marked 925 in the back:

It opens, of course, and it snaps close very firmly. I don't think there is a risk of it opening unexpectedly. The inside is not polished to look shiny, it's kind of grainy:

A pic of it resting in my hand so you can see the size:

And it came very safely and well packaged in a lovely box, with a little bag full of (supposedly) vervain:

I do not plan on using it with the vervain. As for now, it will be empty, but I may end up putting a lock of my husband's hair inside.

The seller shipped it the next day I paid, and it took it only 12 days to reach me in Spain.

I had been looking for a nice silver locket for quite sometime, and after looking around, I found out that sterling silver lockets are in the range of $40-70, depending on the size and decorations or engravings. So I think that the price of this one is very reasonable. I also like the fact that it's unusually shaped and the design is out of the ordinary.

Even if one is not a big fan of the show, this is a very pretty piece to own, or to give as a gift to that special someone. I certainly could not be more happy.

Absinthe Fountain improved!

The absinthe fountain is again available at my shop! Better and improved, the reservoir is now smaller, and the water includes 3 tiny faux ice cubes. A different addition to any dollhouse collection, pub, bar or antiques shop.

An original design and exclusively at Kaleidoskopic Romance.

New book design

This is a new book design for all fans of witches and wizards out there. It has the same size of all my books, but this one has parchment pages - real parchment, not dyed paper. The cover mimics the look of a dragon skin, and a claw or fang holds the book closed. And it can be opened, of course!
This design had been running around in my head for some time, and yesterday I was able to bring it to reality :)
Hope you like it! It is already available in my shop.

New Apothecary cabinet

Already up for sale, a new Apothecary cabinet for your miniature setting.
As usual, it includes everything you see in the pic, including a metal microscope and a hand sculpted mortar and pestle imitating granite.
It is available in my shop.

New designs for the shop

It's been quite sometime since I had time to create something entirely new... Actually, the idea for these came after the "holy trinity" set, and it's specially made for fans of gardening and witches or wizards settings. It is a compilation of drawings of real plants:

This set includes wolfsbane, vervain, belladona, hellebore and digitalis.

And this one has fly agaric, sage, bergamot, wild Angelica and dragon's blood.

They will be up for sale in my shop in a couple of days. Also, be prepared for some new miniatures made by my mom. She will have her own special corner in my shop, so stay tuned for her designs. The first mini up for sale will be a set of suitcase and two bags, made from real leather!

Vintage apothecary in my bathroom

Being in a new house sometimes gives us the opportunity of doing something new with old household items.

I took advantage of this wonderful idea of Cathe Holden, and turned my ordinary red towels in something out of an antique apothecary:



The labels got plenty of time to dry (2 months - I made them before we left the US, and they came with the move by sea), and they have hold up well in the washer; I do not have dryer here, so I don't know how well they could stand a dryer cycle. By the way, if you ever do this, be very careful not to stain the labels with toothpaste; I had a small drop falling in one of the labels and the ink got a bit smeared. It's barely noticeable, but better be safe than sorry.

I also used empty glass coffee containers - gift of my mother-in-law - to make some apothecary jars; labels made by Sligtly Off Center:

The small one I got at the equivalent of a Tree Dollar Store in Spain.

It's funny, I never thought I would miss crafting so much...

A new corset!

See this? Like it? It's my new corset!!

My dear mom gave it to me as a welcome gift. It arrived yesterday, and it is absolutely divine! It comes from Corsets UK, another fabulous and affordable place to get your corsets. I can not wait to wear it. I think it is going to become my favorite...

By the way, I made a video review of one of my corsets; if you want to take a look it is here.

The shop is open!

I am happy to announce that Kaleidoskopic Romance is open again!

It's been a long wait, but today a new era begins. I have actually began a couple of new designs, which will be up for sale very soon. Have some patience while I fill the shop, since it's almost empty.

As always you are welcome to write, ask any questions, or commission a custom made design. If you have a favorite item that sold, let me know and maybe I can do it again for you.

See you on Etsy!

Lots of news

Hey everyone! It's been some time since my last entry, but life has been hectic.

We are already living in the new apartment. It's great in many ways; it has lots of light - it's a fifth floor -, it has a newly remodeled kitchen and bathroom, and we even have a balcony., which is good now that summer is coming. But I miss greatly my old basement; it's difficult to fit everything in place without it! But I think we have managed pretty well.

Now I have my own study, with room enough for computer stuff and crafting - yay! I just have to find a place for a new sewing machine... I can't wait to open again the shop (very soon, I promise!).

My dollhouse and its contents arrived all in one piece, thanks to my careful packaging (almost piece by piece, which was a nightmare, but I did not want to risk it). I spent yesterday's afternoon putting everything back in its place. It's fun to think that the mini people has moved at the same time as me, to a house similar to the one they had :)

My absinthe stuff has also arrived safely, for which I am very grateful. It's more difficult to find dealers in Europe than it was in the States, much to my surprise. I have tasted my first absinthe brand, Philip Lasala, and I have enjoyed it very much.

Hope everybody is doing fine. I promise I will post soon pictures of the new house.

We have an apartment!

Yay!!

We signed the contract yesterday, and we already have the keys. The owner needs to move out some furniture, but she said that we can move after Saturday if we want. We don't even need to pay for these last days of March :) I am dying to go and begin decorating to make it our own. This weekend we are going to go looking for a comfy mattress. We have a beautiful vintage hand-made wooden carved bed that I am eager to try. I hope I can post some pics of our new place soon.

It has been a difficult month. Both we and hubby have had 2 colds each already - I guess contamination and being in a crowded city it's not being easy on us after having been living in the green Virginia.

But we have most of our legal documentation in order, and I may even have a job in perspective (crossing fingers!). We still have not got our stuff, but the ship it's supposed to arrive in Valencia today, so hopefully we will by the beginning of April.

We arrived in Spain

So, we are finally here!

We did not have a very interesting trip, which in this case is something we can be grateful for. No trouble at Dulles, our planes left and arrived on time, our luggage was not lost or stolen - thank goodness!

Both our moms were on the arrival terminal to greet us, and we did have a very nice meal. But hubby is exhausted (napping now, after 2 days of almost not sleeping). It's 5.35 PM here, 6 hours more than our standard EC time - we should be preparing for lunch now.

In any case, I hope I can have news of our new apartment soon - already looking for one!
Wish us luck :)

They say ignorance is bliss...

and sometimes, just sometimes, I agree with it.

On one hand, I do believe that people should keep learning stuff until the day they die. Knowing as much as you can, and from as much topics as you can manage, it's the ideal way for me to go through life.

We are watching at home NCIS, third season. My favorite character (apart from Abby, for obvious reasons) is Ducky. Damn, the man is good! He knows a lot about a lot of different things. And the best part is, he shares the knowledge! Why people keep telling him to shut up? I want to work with somebody like him! Sign me up, right now!! But Jethro... Yes, I get he is charismatic and all that, but the guy is... Well, Ducky told him yesterday he had been waiting for 3 months to see Giselle, and Jethro muttered something about being sorry for him not been able to see his girlfriend. Imagine a co-worker of yours telling you a jewel like that. What would you think of him? Because I would personally think the guy was a dork, and uneducated, and dumb as a bucket. What would a woman on a date with him talk about? No pop culture, no cultural references, no cinema, no ballet, no theater... It's no wonder the guy has divorced 3 times! He only knows how to work, and not even that. His team does all the research for him. He can barely turn on his own computer!!

And on the other hand, even though Jethro does not watch TV (his own words), I am sure he would enjoy TV shows more than me. NCIS is quite well done in terms of scientific research, unlike CSI, which we no longer watch for that reason; the day we saw the team using a centrifuge to do a DNA analysis, we called it quits. Having a scientist watching shows with you keeps you on edge when there are mistakes about lab work. But when a popular series like Vampire Diaries does things like these, it makes me cringe:

And what is wrong with these shots, you may ask? Well, the first one is fairly obvious. They are playing football! We are taken back to Civil War years - think Gone with the wind. Can you imagine Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler playing football? Really!? Why not making them go horse riding? Play with dogs? Train falcons? Football. Right. Maybe they think audiences can not relate to the Salvatore brothers unless they are doing something that today kids do... Really? They will not see just two brothers playing and spending time with each other? Are they suggesting that young people today are really that stupid?

The second one. Not so obvious, I admit it. But a mistake, nonetheless. They are lacing the corset wrong. Corsets are laced in the waist line, not at the bottom of the back. And with a pattern of Xs method, not with shoestring lacing, since this method does not allow the corset to be fully closed. - and it ends breaking the corset. Since the majority of people today does not wear corsets, it's understandable that somebody does not know how to lace one. Well, Google is your friend. Even YouTube. Search "how to lace a corset". You'll get tutorials, pictures, even videos on how to do it properly. It takes 2 minutes. Why the costume people did not do it? Because they thought nobody would notice, or care? And they would call themselves professionals...

When seeing this, two other movies that showed corset lacing came to my mind. Titanic by James Cameron and Gone with the wind. I went to them to check. And lo and behold:

Rose is also having hers laced wrong...

But Scarlett's are OK!

Why a major production can pay attention to these things and not a popular series? Is it really because people (audience and makers) don't care? Is it because they just assume that, same as Jethro, we are ignorant and uneducated? Well, I refuse to call myself ignorant. And if I see a mistake in YOUR production, I will point it out, and announce that it is in fact YOU the one that is uneducated.

Last absinthe accessories before moving

I wanted to share my last finds regarding absinthe ritual tools.

I am so happy I found this saucer! I had it on my Amazon wish list and when I went to buy it it was sold out. Luckily for me, I kept searching for it on eBay and one day I found a vendor that had some left. They seem to have disappeared from everywhere. It is a pity that Bonnecaze and Cie. has closed! Love my sugar holder too :)

Also, I got a two level brouilleur. So fun to use! No need for spoons with it, although I adore spoons... Click here for a demonstrative video.

Kubler is as of now my favorite absinthe. I did not particularly enjoy the Lucid - too bitter for my taste, even with sugar. But Kubler is fantastic! We got the bottle around Christmas, and we need to finish it before the move. You can see from the pic that we have been enjoying it :)

Corsets for all occasions

Did you think that corsets existed only for tight lacing? Think again! Take a look at all these beauties:

Corset choker by ghostlovejewelry

Another style of corset choker, by 666Tristania666

Pinstripe corset choker by annaladymoon

Fingerless corset gloves by fellow Dark Sider ZenAndCoffee. I am warning you, if you visit her shop you will not be able to pick just one...

Corset display for jewelry by AustinJames

Corset bag by fellow Dark Sider beanbun. I need to get me one of these...

The original Coffee Corset by jenngee. I am the happy owner of one of her designs!

Corset cuff by JewelryliciousStyle

Sterling silver corset ring by WarpedMetals

Corset sachet filled with lavender for your drawers, by sherrilenett

And these... I want them. Right now! By lorisplace

The long absence and a new spending habit

It's been some time since my last entry. Apologies for that!

I'll be moving to my home country, Spain, at the end of February. I have been very, very busy cleaning up the basement, selling the car, preparing the move and a lot more things, so my time in front of the computer has suffered as a result. I hope I can have some moments to share my thoughts now that *almost* everything has been taking care of.

I have had no time to do new mini designs, but I have been collecting some vintage botanical images and converting them to mini prints, very useful for witch and wizard libraries; I hope I can share pics of them very soon. Obviously, my shop will remain closed for some time, until we have had time to set up in Spain. I hope I can continue crafting and sharing minis, but one never knows... Wish me luck with that!

Also, I am beginning a new journey. My dear hubby gifted me a corset for my birthday. A real corset! And I have fallen in love with it, to the point that I hope I can begin to have a nice collection of them.

As with any new hobby, I have spent some time perusing the net, trying to learn as much as I can about corsets. I have already found out many things that I did not know, and I am happy to share them. I hope you forgive my enthusiasm...

First, my very first corset was not a real corset. It is what is called a "fashion corset". It has the shape, and the construction, but it is not meant for tight lacing, and it is recommended for novices and people that want a fancy look for a short period of time, such as a prom or a wedding. This video is particularly helpful if you want to know more details.

Also, here are the instructions for you to learn how to put on a corset by yourself. Previous to this video, I always required help from my husband. Not anymore! I assure you it is easier than it looks :)

And finally, pics of my corsets. Sorry they are commercial pics. I hope I can have some taken soon...

My first corset, bought some years ago. Very comfy! From Medieval Collectibles.

My second corset and first underbust. Bought a couple of years ago, and never used until last week. I made a mistake at ordering, and it is a bit big for me, but I have decided I am going to use it anyway. This is a real corset. From Shaper Corset.

My birthday gift, and used today for the first time. I got 3 people complimenting my outfit, and that made me very happy! Also from Shaper Corset.

This one arrived today on the mail. I have tried it on and it is just gorgeous! It really gives you the hourglass figure. From Orchard Corset.

I have a lot of breaking to do with my corsets, but I am definitely looking forward to it!