Back from Barcelona

Hello all!  Happy New Year!

So sorry for the absence!  I have been on a trip to Barcelona, and came back some days ago.  Then New Year and some shop issues got in the way of me blogging.  I'll share with you the best of Barcelona.  I had a great time there!

Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you about the Sagrada Familia, the Picasso Museum, the Güell Park or the Batlló House. You can find that in any travel guide.  But I will say this: buy tickets in advance.  I'm serious. Whatever it is you plan on visiting, search online for the official website and buy the tickets there.  Do not bother with lines, because even if you do, when you get to the window there may be a chance you will find tickets but they may not let you in until 2 or 3 hours later!  They have a policy of only a certain number of people going in every 15/30 minutes.  If you get there at 11, you may not be able to enter until 1 or 2 in the afternoon.

OK, so for mermaid and sea lovers: The Maritime Museum is a must!  There is a collection of real, life size ships, sea houses machinery and other curios, including a mural with a vintage picture for you to pose as if you were inside of antique diving equipment.  When we were there there was also an exhibition about Mediterranean pirates, and another one showcasing the evolution of underwater photography and filming. We saw the underwater cameras that were used during the filming of The Big Blue and Titanic.  Don't miss out the museum shop!  Lots of gadgets and sea-related mementos of your visit.
Also, you will enjoy a walk by the pier. If you visit the Maritime Museum, you can also hop on and visit a small ship, the Santa Eulalia, which is in the pier; price is included with your museum ticket.  Or you can visit only the ship for the price of 1 euro.
And if you are up to it, you can purchase tickets for a ship ride that will take you to see the beaches and Barcelona's skyline.

For comics/convention goers/vampires and goths enthusiasts: You have what the locals call the Freak Triangle.  It is a series of shops, all of them around the same streets, in which you can find comics, fantasy and science fiction books, merchandise, movies... You get the idea.  I am going to mention specially Aliens4Sale and Madame Chocolat. In the first one you can find aliens in bottles or "taxidermized" to adorn your walls - be prepared to spend some serious money on them.  On the second one, you can find Lolita and Steampunk clothing, and lots of accessories as well.  Some gothic stuff too, but not too much.  Also worth mentioning is Norma Comics, where you will find heaps of merchandise from Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings, etc, and all the comics you can read and more.

You can also find Continuará in Vía Laietana 29.  Comics, figurines, and merchandise.

For relaxation and well-being enthusiasts:  You can find a Turkish bath very near the Freak Triangle, in the Born district.  I did not go inside because I did not pack a bathing suit.  You bet I will next time I go to Barcelona!  I was left wanting to experience it.

For music and opera lovers:  A visit to the Liceu Theatre is a must.  I was fortunate enough to attend a representation of Maria Stuarda with Joyce DiDonato as leading singer.  Even if you do not want to purchase tickets for an opera performance, you have the option of visiting the Liceu in the morning, when it is empty and the workers are preparing stuff for the next representation.  You have the option of two visits: one that lasts a whole hour and one that is, I think, 30 minutes.  I strongly recommend the 1 hour tour, if you have the time.  They will show you what it is the called the Liceu Circle, which is an exclusive club for Liceu members whose furniture and ornaments date back to 1847.  Very, very worth the visit.

For purchases/gifts/souvenirs: Forget the classic souvenir shops!  You have a wonderful shop, Tienda Mallart, that sells table games, cards (poker, tarot...), tic-tac-toes, chess boards, and many more things in Carrer de Jaume I, 17, in the Gothic district.

You also have Arlequín Máscaras, a shop that would fit very well in Venice, with masks of all kinds, and also some string puppets, in Carrer de la Princesa 7, near Via Laietana.

For something more modern, you have THR, a shop that sells beautiful and out-of-the-ordinary handmade jewelry made with iron and glass (earrings, necklaces, bracelets...).  You will love them!  You can find it in Carrer de les Ramelleres 24.

Also, you have CD shops and alternative clothing shops (goth and punk) in Carrer dels Tallers.

That is all!  Pictures of the trip will come soon.  Stay tuned!

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!