Renovations and new stuff - lots of pictures!

Here are the promised pics.  Let me tell you a bit about everything that is new and why it is there.

Let's start with the bedroom:

My vampire tenant is a great admirer of the arts; in past times she was a great cellist, as well as a famous ballet dancer.  You can see her cello just beside the vanity, and a box with her pointe shoes (new, a gift from my mother).  The black velvet purse is also quite new, from Pedrete Miniaturas (also a gift from my mom):

On the vanity, a necklace with a black and white cameo, from Stephanie Dollhouse.  Being a proper Victorian lady, my tenant loves Victorian jewelry.  The silver jewelry chest is a pendant from Swarovski Elements, of which I removed the jump ring that was on the lid.

On the table rests the new fancy hand lenses from LXL Cruces:

Besides Perséfone's crib rests the new teddy bear, waiting that she wakes up to be played with:

I don't think I ever mentioned that Perséfone's bed clothes are from the lovely Anabela - sorry I don't have a picture of the bed clothes.  I couldn't ask that Perséfone be awaken to take a pic.  This is the listing pic that Anabela took - the blanket is in my mother's house; it was too big for Perséfone:

And waiting to be delivered, there is a special package for my tenant's lady-in-waiting, Selma:

It is a wonderful silver chatelaine, from Black Rose Miniaturesx.  I made the box, and I decorated the lid with a modified pattern from Vectoria Designs, as well as the gift tag.  I am particularly proud of the bow, which is the first one I have made in miniature:

On the studio there are some major renovations.  The curtains have been changed, and a new chair added to acommodate the style of the working desk.

Before

After

The curtains are from the shop of the talented Tanya Shevtsova.  If you ever are in need of curtains, I highly recommend her.  They are simply astounding; they are also a gift from my mother.  I need more new curtains for the drawing room - soon, for my birthday, I hope.

The only new thing that has been added to the drawing room is a new chair; well, to call it a chair is somehow not enough:

Before

After

Yes, the two red chairs have been moved to the shop, and a throne with a silky pillow is now the central point of the drawing room.  Well, she says she used to be the queen of a small country in the Carpathians.  I am not going to argue with her... You can see the new medieval sword from LXL Cruces in the wall, just beside the grandfather's clock.

In the shop, we have a couple of baby dragons keeping a watchful guard of the stuff.  They both come from Fat Cat Designs Minis:

See the two new baskets, waiting to be filled, and the candle holder on the table

You can see on the wall the mushroom plaque and a new picture: Séance, by Stephen Mackey.  Also, details of the new crystal objects:

And finally, the realistic pumpkin sitting by the doorstep:

When Fall is over, it will go to the shop.  And the new key with tassel, waiting in the console in the porch:

The two ladies in the frames are my grandma (left) and my mother (right), when they were younger.

I hope you enjoyed the visit!  Come back anytime; my tenant will surely be happy to see you and invite you to some absinthe.

200 posts - Let's celebrate with miniatures!!

I'm back again, after a lot of time of hiatus!

And here we are, in the post #200, who would have thought?  And we will talk, as in the first post, of miniatures.

Last week my mother and I went to the Tom Bishop's Miniature Show - held in the same place as the one in May.  We were told the hotel that hosted it will be having renovations next May, so there will be no show on Spring next year (booo!).

But anyway, we had a great time, and I spent a lot (more than I should have for sure!) but came home very excited about everything.  We got to meet the wonderful people behind Cinen - my mother is a frequent customer of them.  Also we got to see Anabela again, as well as Syreeta and Candi Martín.

Here are some pics of my purchases:

Pumpkin and mushroom plate by 64tnt Miniatures and white bear dressed with red coat by Miniaturas pqf.

Medieval sword and hand lens by LXL Cruces and blue tassel by Anabela Menocal (I attached the key to it).

Two baskets by Targioni and candle holder by Gemma Such.

And more crystal objects by Beatricce Miniaturas.

Oh, what a joy to put everything in its place!  But more pictures tomorrow, because I did a lot of renovations and I want to show you everything that I have new.

Stay tuned!

Mermaid school opens in Spain

I just heard about it, thanks to a co-worker.  It is called Sirenas Mediterranean Academy, and here is a promo video:

If you live in Tarragona and you try it out let me know how it goes!

First underwater video!

We are back from our holidays in Peñíscola, and here is my first underwater video, shot with our new aquatic camera.

I hope you enjoy it!

New H2O Just Add Water crystal necklace

I recently finished watching the third season of the H2O series, and while searching the internet for pictures of the crystal necklaces, I came across a new Swarovski bead that I had not seen before, the Galactic pendant, and upon comparing it with the crystals on the girls' necklaces, I thought it was very similar to the one in this picture of Rikki:

It is obviously not the same bead, but I thought the differences were smaller than with the De Art pendant or the Wing pendant.  So, lo and behold, I purchased a 27 mm Galactic pendant from Crystals and Silver, along with a sterling silver bail.  They came super fast, and I already have the pendant hanging from a chain. Although the aquamarine color is not perfect, it is very bright and pretty, and reflects the light beautifully.

Another version of the season three necklaces,  for all you H2O fans out there!

A fabulous surprise gift

Yesterday, my husband called me to his side and told me, "I am gifting you this so you can take it on our holidays".  And he showed me a fantastic underwater camera that he was ordering from Amazon!  It was all so fast I do not even remember the brand or model, LOL! *UPDATE* It is the Olympus TG-850 Tough, for those interested.

I am so, so happy and excited!  It was some time since I had wanted one; I even considered buying a water-protective case for ours, but I could not find a suitable model that fit.

It's coming this Thursday, and I cannot wait to try it!  Woohoo! Finally some underwater mermaid footage!

Another H2O Just Add Water locket acquired

I had my eye on it for some time.  I was hoping I could save some extra money to buy it, as it cost about $60, but lucky for me, the seller, Beldiamo, had it on sale, and I finally made it mine.  Here are some pics:

Front. The jewel is a red cubic zirconia

Back

Inside

It is quite thinner and a little bit smaller than the one from Sterling Silver Art, so I'm guessing that's one of the reasons for the difference in price.  Also, the jewel on this locket is a man-made cubic zirconia, and the jewel on Blue Crockatt's lockets is a natural stone.  

The final price for this locket from Beldiamo was $35, which is very reasonable for a sterling silver locket, and came inside a red velveteen pouch.  It does not come with a chain.

I wanted a red stone because Rikki is my favorite of the 3 original mermaids: she is determined, does not take crap from anybody and knows how to get the best of life.  

I really like the three waves on the back of this locket.  They look very, very similar to the ones in the show.  It is also a nice alternative if you want a locket of better quality than the official one, but do not want to spend much money on it.

There is a new seller on eBay, GMP Silver and Leather Jewelry, that offers the same lockets as Beldiamo, with different natural stones instead on only cubic zirconias. His lockets are more expensive ($66-$90), but include stones such as garnet, aquamarine, white topaz, amethyst, and also man-made, such as emerald, ruby and sapphire.  Another alternative for H2O lovers out there.

And finally, here is a YouTube video of my two lockets, in a side-by-side comparison.  Enjoy!