Scene: Absinthe cellar

I love making scenes!  You can fill up a random room with any idea, and you don't need to spend a lot of time or a lot of money to make it, since scenes are usually much smaller than a room in a dollhouse; you can put them anywhere (book nooks), or you can gift them to people, since sometimes you can house them in a regular decoration object (like a lantern).

I have seen many scenes inside roomboxes, and I always wanted to make my own.  Unfortunately, I cannot find deep roomboxes in my country, so I searched for an alternative.  I found it in the shape of a coin bank, and housed it there (same coin bank as the nursery scene I did for my coworker) - actually, I made this one first, but I just realized I never posted about it.

The idea was to make a cellar (of which I have also seen many), but I wanted to make a cellar dedicated to absinthe, instead of wine.  My coin bank did not have much space, so finally I came up with this:

You can see on the table a lot of things:  the absinthe fountain is the same model I used to sell in my Etsy shop (and my own design!), of which I am very proud of, filled up with water and ice cubes;  the goblet is a little out of scale, but I bought it because it has a reservoir bubble like a Pontarlier glass, to measure the absinthe you serve; the bottle is a Clandestine, a Swiss blanche that I very much enjoy; in front of them, an empty sugar dish, mimicking the old French ones, an absinthe spoon, work of Nalladris, and a regular bottle opener.  Under the table, two books that any absintheur should have: The Absinthe Encyclopedia and the Absinthe Antiques, by Scott MacDonald.

On the floor you can see a collection of absinthe bottles (some I have tried, others I have not); an absinthe crate, with the label from the makers Deniset; over it, a set of antique postcards with absinthe imagery; and finally, a barrel (empty of course, but let's pretend is absinthe in the process of aging) holding a magazine called Imbibe, with the cover dedicated to absinthe.  The little carpet covers the coin slot. 

 

And naturally, a picture of the famous painting made by Pernod Fills as publicity, and that they gifted to cafés so they would advertise their brand:

I currently have this scene hanging in my absinthe corner, underneath a vintage add of Gempp-Pernod:

I am currently working on another scene, that is almost finished - an apothecary!  More info on that coming soon!

Absinthe journal

Following up the re-discovered love for absinthe, I took the time to make myself an absinthe journal.  This is something that I have wanted to do for some time, but did not know how.  Now that I have dedicated some time to scrapbooking, my experience crafting journals is limited, but I am able to do something pretty and fun.

I used a botanical drawing of Artemisia absinthum for the cover:

The font is Aquiline 2, and I used the same green shade as the one in the wormwood leaves.  Here are some inside pages:

Wormwood Society logo

Some of the sections on the journal

It is mainly blank pages, with some sections, as you can see in the pics.  I have already started writing in it, and it is truly a pleasure. 

Absinthe makes a comeback

It was a loooong time since I dedicated a post to absinthe.  

Recently I started perusing the webs again for old absinthe friends, and found the Wormwood Society on Facebook, as well as a page for Absinthe Originals.  I lost no time in requesting membership, and it was graciously granted.

I shared this pic of a marvelous absinthe spoon made by the talented Nalladris:

It measures about 1 cm, and it is made of sterling silver.

I was happy to see that people was very accepting and engaging on Facebook posts, so in the last days I have made a re-connection to all things absinthe.  I started ordering a new absinthe bottle (Francois Guy), a spoon and a mini-spoon keyring from Absinthes.com; it followed an order from Absinthe Originals; this time, a Losanges 37 spoon:

Picture from the Absinthe Originals website

Then, the book Absinthe Antiques by Scott MacDonald - which is beautiful to look at.  And thanks to Facebook, I have found a vendor that had my much sought-after Cordon glass (on its way here).  And today I was very bad, and purchased a new book and two more antiques - more info on that when they arrive...

The thing is, I love absinthe spoons, but I barely use them anymore - I like my absinthe now without any sugar.  But they are so lovely that I wanted a way to display and enjoy them.  Up until this weekend, they were sitting inside an spoon holder (a pewter goblet I purchased in Virginia).  But I had an idea that would make a pretty and affordable display to showcase them.

I went to the equivalent of a dollar tree store, and bough a picture frame meant for photographs - you display them by hanging them in a cord with clothespins; well, I removed the cords, and covered the bottom of the frame with adhesive cork sheets:

And used brass tacks to hold the spoons in place.  I wanted to be able to remove them, for show or for using to drink a glass of absinthe - one never knows.

Trying out the brass tacks

It was easy and simple.  I just hammered them down a bit - since the spoons are not heavy at all, the tacks did not even pass the back part of the frame.  And lo and behold, I loved how it turned out!

You can see the new Losanges spoon at the bottom

I love the organic feeling of the cork.  Absinthe bottles are always closed with cork, so that is a bonus!

I am currently working on a hand-made journal for all things absinthe.  More on that very soon!

Showing newly acquired minis

Is it not a satisfaction when you are expecting miniatures and they arrive in the mail?  I love to open those small packages and marvel at their contents.  It's been quite some time since I had minis for myself, and I am so happy to be able to share them:

It is me on the cover of the magazine  :)

This is a wonderful collection of letters made by Montserrat Folch.  I am so in love with them, specially the tiny wax seal and the sealing wax: they are just perfect!  Did you know I use sealing wax frequently?  Hence my wonder at this lovely mini.

These adorable tiny shoes are the work of Miniaturas y Vintage.  I love that they are a very good match to the dress that Anabela Menocal made:

The wonderful black parasol is the work of Linda Kravitz.  These pieces are gifts from my mom.

The lovely candle snuffer is like one I have in real life size.  It is the baby of Syreeta Miniatures.

I am still waiting on a couple of treasures from Linda Sweigart.  I'll share pics when they arrive.  In the meantime, here are a couple of books I made:

I used the Barnes and Noble Collectible Editions covers from Dracula and Frankenstein. I know they are very modern editions, but I love the design.  I may redo them to put on a shelf I am planning on buying to redecorate the drawing room.  And just for your delight, and because it is one of my favorite creations, a pic of the room showing the absinthe display:

Check out the mentioned sellers because they are awesome.  I am sure you will find something you just have to have!

Dracula by NBC: a review of the four first episodes

 
I wanted to like this series so much.  So much.  Because I love Dracula.  The sanguinarian, murderer, selfish Dracula that Bram Stoker created.  I have read the book several times, and I will read it again many more.  But there is so much wrong with this series that I am still debating if I will keep watching it.

So I am going to list all the problems I have with the series.  Indulge me, because this is going to be long.  I am not going to do the review episode by episode, but I will point out the biggest C'MON MAN! moments that I had while watching.

First of all, disclaimer: I am fascinated by Victorian society: the clothes, the mannerisms, the literature, the customs, but I acknowledge that it was a shitty society for women.  I would not have liked to live then, because there was too much pressure put on women and they lacked a lot of rights that today we (most of us) take for granted, such as a right to have an education, to have properties, bodily autonomy and the right to vote.  So my critics are going to be made in the spirit of Victorian society.  By that I mean, I would point out what Victorian women would never do, or think, or act on.  That does not mean that I am not for modern women acting on their own choices, whatever those may be.

Let's begin: First, Mina on the university.  MINA ON THE UNIVERSITY!  The Mina on the book had a certain education, but not too much.  She was a typist, and she knew how to do short-hand.  But that was all.  And mind you, she said many times that she acquired those skills to help Jonathan with his work.  But she never intended on having a job or being self-suficient.  The Mina of the series wants her own practice, with her own patients, and expects Jonathan to be perfectly fine with that and to support her choices.  So naturally, when she hears Jonathan say to his colleagues that "Mina will forget about medicine and everything else when I put this ring on her finger" she gets mad and leaves with a harrumph and thinking "how dare he?".  There are so much problems with this I do not even know where to begin.  So bullet points:

- Women did not get accepted at universities in 1896.  There were some colleges for them, but most colleges and universities of high standing at that time were exclusively for men.

- IF Mina would be accepted in a prestigious university because her father was a physician, you can bet that neither her classmates or her teachers would have been kind to her.  Most probably she would have been bullied into solitary and the worst assignments would have been for her.

- She would NEVER had been chosen by a teacher as an assistant; but we have Van Helsing to help her there, just because; even though she said she could not handle well the practices with scalpels, and cut herself several times, and had to stitch her wounds herself, she is the one with THE HIGHEST GRADE IN THE EXAM!  Because people believing in themselves just do *magic* and pass exams they are not ready to pass.

- People (men and women alike) would not trust her as a physcian - because she is a woman.  Yes, it's sexist, but that sexism was very present in 1896.  She may have had her practice, but she would not have had patients.  Even if the rest of the society would follow her lead and trust her, she would have to be very, VERY careful with her reputation, or all her hard work would go to waste.  But she obviously did not think about it very thoroughly.  Keep reading and you'll see.

- Jonathan's peers would never treat him seriously if they discovered (or knew) that he did not "keep his wife under control".  That is, at home and taking care of their (future) children.  That also would be an stigma for Mina herself.  She may be all for renovation and women following their dreams, but the rest of the society would not, so that would rend them friendless.  No men or women would be found in their company, because their ideas would be simply thought of as "scandalous".  They would not be invited anywhere, and people never would accept their invitations.  You simply could not be without friends in polite society.  They would be social pariahs.  That would make Mina's being a physician even more useless.  And let's not kid ourselves: her friend Lucy would abandon her in the long run, or she would risk becoming a pariah herself (that meant her not marrying EVER!) *gasp!*

I guess the main problem is that they have written Mina's character as a modern woman and insterted her in Victorian society, and that simply does not work.  They may have made a few concessions to make her more independent (she talks about people asking her if she wanted to be a nurse, and that option would have been great), but the fact that she thinks of herself as an equal of Jonathan is just a far fetched thought for any Victorian woman (and man!).  A woman of that age would never have said to her boyfriend "You have something that Grayson will never have: me".  That is a very modern thought, and entirely incredible in 1896.

Having talk about Victorian society, it is worth mentioning all the social conventions the main characters are defying, such as:

- Mina and Jonathan embracing and *kissing* in public!  A lot!

- Mina wearing her hair down - only loose women would wear their hair down in public

- Mina showing her ankles

- Mina showing cleavage during mornings

 I am sure there are more things like these that I have not noticed (or that I don't remember).

Another C'MON MAN! moment that stuck with me happens in the 4th episode.  Van Helsing gives Mina a lot of work to do, and leaves her in his office.  So after a while (I guess she was bored or tired), she begins to explore the office and finds a door behind a curtain, locked with a padlock.  So she immediately JUST HAS TO ENTER THE FORBIDDEN ROOM, and begins a frantic search for the key; she opens drawers and boxes until she finds the key, and she opens the door.  Not happy with that, she begins to explore the secret laboratory, opening everything until she finds a box with (what we lab people call) slides with samples.  So NATURALLY she takes a microscope and examines them, discovering very interesting things.

The main problem I have with this scene is that a man that has been your mentor chooses you among all other students, against every odd, to be his assistant (even after she disappointed him arriving at the university at 2 PM one day after a night out "clubbing"), leaves you in his place of work with chores to do, and you violate his confidence and invade his privacy by searching for a key he does not want you to have, and entering a place you are not supposed to enter, and perusing things you are not supposed to peruse.  PERFECTLY FINE, YOU ALL.  We all do this when our bosses are out, don't we?  So imagine if her boss finds out, and tells someone "this woman is not to be trusted with someone's privacy".  She is supposed to be a physician.  How could her patients trust her if their confidence is violated, after what she did to Van Helsing? 

And then we have the other problem.  The problem when you try to mix science with folklore: IT DOES NOT WORK, unless you know perfectly well what you are doing, or have a science professor by your side correcting your notes .  The thing with the slides.  Let me explain what is the deal with slides and microscopes.  To see a slide with a sample on it, you have to kill the cells (or whatever it is you want to observe) and stain them, because otherwise they WON'T BE VISIBLE.  We have now very good microscopes with which you do not need to stain or dye the samples because they have modern technology to capture and reflect light, which helps with the visualization.  But those microscopes DID NOT EXIST on 1896.  Mina could be very well seeing cells under a microscope, but not living cells (even if they are supposed to be alive because they are Dracula's), and certainly not if they are not stained.

Another C'MON MAN! moment.  After Mina and Jonathan fall-out, Lucy comes by and takes her out because "her mother has left leaving her alone".  A mother in Victorian society would NEVER leave a non-wed daughter alone in London without a chaperone; it would be most likely she would have taken Lucy with her.  But hey, we needed the girls to be alone so they could go party like a rockstar!  They go clubbing!  Well, what it would have been clubbing in the 19 century: they go to a Bohemian bar!  And they drink absinthe!!!  Why, why, in the name of all that is holy, WHY???!!!!

The absinthe scene was upsetting as hell for me, for obvious reasons, since I like to drink absinthe.  I absolutely love the absinthe scene in the Coppola movie: so beautifully, accurately and perfectly made.  Take the one in the NBC Dracula:  We have the girls sitting while a man is preparing their drinks.  First mistake:

Take note of the prominent label, so we all know we are drinking absinthe

Absinthe is not neon green.  Absinthe is peridot green.  But I am ready to forgive this, since poorly made absinthe at the time was dyed with copper sulfate so it would be a green color.  But then it came this:

Someone bring a fire extinguisher!!!

They set it on fire. THEY SET IT ON FIRE!!!!!!! ARGHHHHHH!!!!! 

No, no, and a thousand times NO.  Absinthe was drunk MIXED WITH WATER!  And it was drunk in the middle of the afternoon, as an aperitif before dinner.  Not as a "midnight cocktail" drink.  But wait, someone will say, they are in a Bohemian bar (Dracula mentions it some scenes later), and they are drinking it doing the "Bohemian ritual".  So it must be correct, right? WRONG.  The "Bohemian ritual" was invented by the Czech absinth producers circa 1990, to mask the poor taste of their concoctions.  The following paragraphs in cursive are taken from The Wormwood Society website:

At no time in the history of absinthe, until the late 1990's, has the “Czech Method” of lighting absinthe-soaked sugar on fire—recently popularized in the movies From Hell, Moulin Rouge, and Alfie—ever been used.  This is a modern innovation and a pointless abuse of good absinthe.  Aside from spectacle, it has no effect whatsoever except possibly that of introducing a burnt-marshmallow taste to the absinthe thus obscuring the delicate herbal nuances and ruining its flavor.

No one who knows anything about absinthe and its history would use this method.  Compare it to shaking a bottle of champagne.  Given the high-proof nature of the liquor it can also be very dangerous, resulting in a cracked or broken glass, injury and accidental fire.

It's probable that the “Czech method” was borrowed from the Café Royale, a traditional coffee drink where a brandy or cognac-soaked sugar lump is ignited in a spoon before adding it to the coffee.  This was depicted in 1887 by the American painter, Irving Ramsey Wiles in his painting, The Loiterers.  Several years ago the painting was mistaken (and mis-titled) as portraying a couple drinking absinthe.

More over, they show some moments later Mina having visions of a past life, and we are led to believe they have been induced by the hallucinogenic powers of the absinthe she has drunk.  HELL NO!  Absinthe is not and never was a psychedelic drug.  You don't trip ballz with absinthe, sorry.  The thujones, that are supposed to be the responsible for the hallucinations, are convulsants, nothing more.  And you would need to take such amount of them that you would be dead from alcohol poisoning before noticing their effects.

Another point to make, regarding Mina.  Remember when we talked about respectability and reputation?  Who would trust a physician that spents all night (they come home at dawn!) partying and supposedly taking drugs?  Another thing to rest points to Mina.

There is more, but these points are the worst.  I could mention the fact that Dracula was never sensible to sun burning, or ask why the Order of the Dragon would take the time, resources and chance to create a monster that could potentially destroy them.  And let's not forget Lady Jayne.  A Victorian lady wearing leather trousers, that has an assasin's technique knowledge and weapons, and decapitates people.  Sure, why not?

Keep them coming, NBC.  Or better yet, DON'T.

*ETA*: I just found out that Cleolinda is doing episode recaps of Dracula in her journal.  I will go read them now, and you probably should too.  They will be a lot more fun than to watch the series.

New minis up for sale

Hello miniature enthusiasts!

My lab course had me unable to do anything creative-wise, but the lack of time and the lack of inspiration has passed, and I have been crafting like crazy these past weeks.  So I am very happy to say that I have new minis up for sale, with more to follow:

Apothercary cabinet

For those of you interested in medicine, here is a new apothecary cabinet, fully equipped for your pharmacy, doctor's office or mad scientist lab.

Witch or wizard table

 For those of you interested in magic, here is an enchanting table, with plenty of artifacts that will make the day of your magic-oriented mini people.  This table is one of a kind, and there will be no more like it.

Ironing board

For those of you with less extravagant tastes, here is a lovely ironing board for that forgotten corner of your dollhouse.

Also, I have available a vintage chandelier, an hourglass that actually works and the absinthe soap box is back again.  I am waiting for supplies to produce more absinthe fountains, but they will be up soon enough.

Come take a look!

Glass pieces for absinthe lovers

For any of you absintheurs that live in Spain, or are visiting these days, go take a stroll at the famous department store El Corte Inglés, if you have the time.

I do not know if this will last, but they are stocking in some absinthe accessories for a very low price - the same absinthe glasses available at online absinthe stores.  Here are a few samples:

Lyonnais glass, available here

Versailles carafe, available here

Not very long ago my mother gifted me for my birthday a Versailles carafe with two matching Versailles glasses for merely 20 euros.  I have not been able to find the Versailles glass on the website, but maybe it is still available at the stores.  

Well worth to take a look!

A new absinthe antiquity

Can't get enough of them.  They are all so beautiful!  This is the new treasure that it's coming to my home all the way from France:

Picture from the Absinthe Originals website

This is the "Etoiles 2" spoon, a new acquisition from the Absinthe Originals website.  I've said this before, but I'm happy to say it again: if you are looking for real absinthe antiquities, this is the place to go.  I am sure that, even if you are on a budget (like I am most of the time) you can find a lovely piece to use in your absinthe ritual or just to add to your bar display.

Marc is an expert on the subject, and trusted among the absinthe aficionados community.  Not only does he sell pretty absinthiana objects, he also has a website where you can be sure you can order the finest absinthes on the market.  When I am finished with the Obsello and Deva bottles I currently have, I am looking forward to order one of those high ranking absinthes so difficult to find in Spain.

Santé!

A new absinthe antique

Topette for 2 dosages

Picture from the Absinthe Originals website

Since I have been a good girl and I have passed all my tests with good grades, my mom has gifted me a new absinthe antiquity.  This time it's a topette, also from Absinthe Originals.

Topettes were used as little carafes to hold up absinthe dosages.  They were divided in little chambers, each one marking how much absinthe one should pour into the glass to have the proper proportion of absinthe and water (normally it is 1 part absinthe to 3-5 parts water).  This topette has 2 chambers, so it can be used for 2 glasses of absinthe.

I cannot wait to get it.  It is only 11 cm (4.3 inches) tall, and it is the cutest topette I have seen.

So now I have two... This is getting dangerous...

The quest for absinthe in Madrid, part I

My husband told me about a wine shop near his place of work that had absinthe on its shelves.  Today I got there to take a look.  After looking around, I did not see it so I went to talk to the sales man and this is how the conversation went:

Me: Excuse me, do you have any absinthe?

Sales man: Yes, it is over here – goes to a shelf, looks around and says – Oh, I think I sold my last bottle.

Me: Oh.  What brand is it?

S.m. (Surprised): Brand?  It’s the only one that exists.

Me: (Puzzled look) There are about 50 brands of absinthe.

S.m: Oh, really?  This one comes in a slim bottle and it’s green.

Me, thinking to myself: "That is not much help."

S.m. # 2, joining the conversation: We have the one that sells the most.

Me, thinking to myself:  "It’s no wonder it sells well, it’s the only one you have."

S.m. # 1: It’s from Catalonia, that’s all I know.

Me: Well, thank you very much for your help.  Bye.

Note to self, living the shop: Do not come back here for absinthe.

My first absinthe antiquity

Isn't it a beauty?  Picture from the Absinthe Originals website

My first antique absinthe spoon arrived today, and I could not be more happy.  It was a gift from my mom, and the first truly antique Absinthiana object I own.  It has some marks that tells it is from the past, but that only adds to its beauty.  It is a "Cuillère Ouvrageé 2".  I still have not had the time to investigate about it, but I definitely will.

It came from Absinthe Originals, one of the most trusted places for absinthe collectors to get real antique items, and highly recommended by my friends at the Wormwood Society.  You can be sure the owner of the site is not going to rip you off, and that he offers real jewels over there.  Not only spoons, but glasses, carafes, spoon holders and many more absinthe related pieces.  Even though some of the pieces are expensive (of course!), there are also affordable ones, and one has to start somewhere, right?

My friends tell me absinthe antiquities are like tattoos, once you get the first you cannot stop.  We'll see if they are right...

Trimester finished! And some other random things...

I am very, very happy. A couple of days ago I finished the second trimester of my lab tech course, and my grades are all very good! I have not studied for more than 15 years, and although it has been rough, I am satisfied with the results. Not only for the grades, but also for all the things that I am learning.

This past Halloween I went to class with my vampire fangs on, and I could not help but laugh at the thought that a lover of vampires is learning all there is to learn about blood: its composition, the way to storage it and preserve it, the intricacies of its formation... I joked with my teacher about the usefulness of all this info to write vampire stories. Did you know that blood can only be preserved a maximum of 40 days? And only after using a lot of anticoagulants and preservatives for it. So sorry, authors, a cellar of vintage blood is simply not possible. And if your vampires survive in blood from banks, they need to raid them at least once a month. I have always thought that living sources are easier if one does not finish them off...

If anyone is interested, please let me know and I will post a crash course on blood for the curious.

I have been lucky to have found three friends among my classmates. They are delightful and I love spending time with them, even after school.

More news. I have acquired two more corsets, and I love them. I am still breaking in one of them. One of my classes happens in a lab with tall chairs (like those in bars) and corsets are very helpful on those days to keep my back straight and without pain. My classmates envy them a little, but very few have expressed any interest in knowing about them, which I find quite strange.

Also, my lovely mom has gifted me a carafe. It is very similar to this one, although mine has a flower engraved in the carafe and the glass. I intend to use it for the ritual of my absinthe preparations - not the glass, maybe hubby can use it for his bourbon. I had been looking online for carafes with a vintage feeling for long, but although they were not very expensive, the shipping costs to Spain were killers (when they would ship internationally). Watching the English series "Sherlock Holmes" with Jeremy Brett, I saw Watson pouring water for a guest in one of the episodes, and he was using a carafe just like the one I wanted. I decided to tell my mom to keep an eye open for it, because she is always able to find any sort of thing in shops. And she did! Now I only have to go to buy me some more absinthe. My bottle of Obsello is near its end.

Also, on a less happy side, a recommendation for all of you that live in or near Madrid. Hubby and I have a favorite restaurant since we were teenagers. It is called "Rasputin", like the Russian monk. The people that work there own the restaurant themselves, and times are being hard on them. If you are curious about Russian food, it is very worthy a visit. Even if you are a picky eater, you are sure to find something that you would like. And who can say dinner (or lunch) for 22 euros plus drinks is expensive? And if 22 is too much for you, they have a menu for 17 euros plus drinks. Menus include a first course, a second course and dessert. If they like you they may even invite you to some vodka at the end of the meal. The service is very nice and attentive, and the decoration is overly dramatic, in red and gold (follow the link to see some pics on their website), with Russian accents everywhere - even a bust of Rasputin himself will greet you at your arrival. You are sure to impress your date if you bring him/her there.

We celebrated our wedding there, and we would hate to see the place forced to close. They are great people, and they deserve success.

I hope to be able to write more in the following days, since I am enjoying Spring break.

See you all around!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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 :)

New Absinthe minis!

As I promised, here are the new designs. The French Ban posters and newspaper:

And a new design of Absinthe bottle, after the real brand Pernod:

They are both up for sale in my shop. Sante!

More Absinthe accessories - not minis :)

The brouilleur and the sugar cubes arrived!

I have already had occasion of using them both. I love the sugar cubes design; it is a pity that the Bonnecaze and Cie website is not available anymore. The brouilleur... I am not so happy about. If you are interested, you can read a review I wrote about it here.

I am currently designing a miniature sugar box that will have the logos featured in the sugar cubes' wrappings; also, I have found a couple of posters that depict the French ban of absinthe, and will have them available in miniature in my shop in a couple of days. Stay tuned!

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.