Wednesday, February 27, 2013

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!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Poe for iPad

If you are a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, chances are that you already have several editions of his work, both narrative and poetry.  But if you are also a fan of comics/illustration books, then you simple have to have this!

Art by David García Forés
There has been an apps release for iPad called The iPoe Collection, and it is beyond words.  My dear husband bought it for me, and it is incredible.

It features four stories: The oval portrait, The tell-tale heart, Annabel Lee and The Masque of the Red Death.  It also has a short biography of Poe and a sketchbook of the art included in the stories.  The best part is that every story has its own music, and it changes when you turn the pages.  The tell-tale heart even has ambience sounds added, the main one being the beating heart of the father.

Each story also is interactive; when you touch the screen... things happen.  I don't want to spoil your surprises, but be sure to touch everything you see, just in case, so you won't miss any of the details.

The illustrator of the stories is Spanish author David García Forés.  I did not know about him, but now I will certainly keep an eye open for his future projects.

There is already a Volume II, that I still not have, but most definitely will.

Also, if you do not have an iPad, you can at least download the soundtrack of the stories and some wallpapers here.  Or go directly to their Zazzle store for a gift for yourself or the Poe fan in your life.  They will sure love you for it!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Long live Steampunk!

Little could I suspect that I would fall for the Steampunk craze... I am not tech-savvy, and machines do not particularly interest me.  But I love the aesthetic, and since it is Victorian-inspired I guess it was just a matter of time.

In any case, my friend Esther is to blame for the ignition spark.  Last month was my birthday, and she said she had "an absolutely useless gift" for me.  Imagine my surprise when she gave me a beautiful pocket compass.  The exterior is aged brass, the compass is hidden under a bronze rib cage lid that can be opened and closed, and it hangs from a matching bronze chain.  Just gorgeous!  She was lying though: a compass is something very, very useful.

Thinking about what could I pair it with, I remembered I had seen a lovely Steampunk corset that had a little pocket to store a pocket watch in the Corsets UK website.  So I decided to purchase my first Steampunk ensemble.

Here are the links to the corset and the skirt I bought.

And here is my pic, wearing the ensemble (my mom took it):

The skirt was a bit wrinkled; this was taken a few minutes after unwrapping the clothes
A review of the corset and the skirt will be up in a few days.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

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!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Review of the H2O Just add water locket - and musings about them too

As I pointed out in the previous entry, I bought a replica of the lockets featured in the Australian series “H2O: Just Add Water”.

The series features 3 teenage girls that turn into mermaids when they get wet.  Naturally, this brings them close, and they spend the days swimming around and doing what teenager girls do.  As I have not watched the series from the beginning, all I know about the lockets comes from here.  I liked the design and began to peruse the web for replicas.  Can’t help it, I’m a locket addict.

My research yielded 5 locket designs that have been or are for sale.  The first one was sold at Target stores in Australia, but this one is sold out and unavailable anywhere.  The second one is from World Alive, and it is still available for sale at Amazon, ebay, and at an Spanish website (as well as dolls and watches).  The third one comes from a German website.  The fourth one is from a seller on ebay called Beldiamo.  The fifth one was designed by Blue Crockatt, the owner of Sterling Silver Art.

I must confess that at first, I thought about purchasing one as a private joke to myself for having purchased a mermaid tail this summer.  So, I researched the possibilities.  I studied videos of them on YouTube and pictures, and read people’s comments and links, and came out with these conclusions:
- The Australian one was the closest to the one in the series, except for the blue waves in the back and the fact that it had a moodstone.  But this one was not available, so the points were moot.
- The ones on the German website had a good thing: there were 3 available, one for each girl and each one with a different stone (blue, green and red); and these were official merchandise.  But the 3 waves on the back were not in the right direction: they started on the left and went to the right – the opposite of the ones in the show.  Besides, these cost 40 euros plus shipping.  No pics of the inside.
- The World Alive one was almost identical to the Australian one.  Same exterior design, but it did not have “the grainy” inside.  The inside was smooth.  Plus, it came with 3 pictures of the Season 3 girls to put inside.  The back had the 3 waves in blue, and the same moodstone.  It was also official merchandise.  The price was perfect (around $15).

I did not mind the inside.  After all, the locket would be closed while hanging from my neck.  I would have bought this one.  But the price plus shipping was almost $50 (even though it was available from a seller in my own country), and I considered it too expensive for just a metal locket with a plastic stone that changes color.  When I began reading reviews about how it was delicate and prompt to break, plus the metal changed color after being used, I thought maybe it was just a toy for little girls, and it was then when I considered the possibility of buying a sterling silver one that I could use without fear of damaging it.

The seller on ebay had it almost right, and at a reasonable price ($60) for a sterling silver locket with a stone that you could choose the color.  But the overall aspect was different from the ones in the show.  It looked… thinner to me, for lack of a better word.  The waves of the back were perfect though, but it still lacked something.

The one from Sterling Silver Art got my eye the first time I saw it.  I compared it with the one in the show that appears in this video and it looked just perfect, except for the bail.  The ones in the show had a closed bail, and this one was open.  But other than that, I knew that I had found it.  I found the blog of the artist, and said it had been designed with the help of the fans that had not been satisfied with the licensed replicas.  I liked the fact that the customer could choose the stone he/she wanted, and that these stones were real jewelry stones such as a garnet, coral, moonstone or onyx.  The locket comes with a free sterling silver chain, but one has the possibility of adding a rolo chain if one wants to, and the seller has available a box in the shape of a shell as presentation for the locket.  It was proof to me that the seller had gone great lengths to have happy customers and I liked that.

I discovered by chance that she was also on Amazon and on Etsy, and I messaged her over there.  I asked how long would it take for the locket to ship.  She informed me promptly that she was caught up with orders, and that it would take about 3 weeks for my locket to be shipped, if I bought it right away, as she has a policy of first come, first served.  I liked her professionalism and diligence, and bought the locket in the last days of July, and chose an onyx as stone.  I did not want the rolo chain added, but the listing on Etsy included the shell box, which made me happy, as I did want one of those cute boxes.

The locket was sent precisely on August 15th, and it took a bit more than a week for it to reach Spain.  It arrived in perfect conditions inside the shell box, with a couple of pictures of the H2O show.  The chain it came with was 16 inches long.  And the locket was shiny and beautiful.  It opens perfectly well, but it snaps close firmly, and it does not open by itself.  The size is about the same of the one in the show, and it has a good weight.  Of course, it is sterling silver, and it is marked 925 on the inside.

I have used it and I do not have anything negative to say.  It is a very nice piece of jewelry, and if well taken care of, should last for many many years.

Here are some pictures of the locket:


Front
Back
And a short video so you can see the details.  I changed the chain that it came with for the rope chain you can see in the pictures.  The chain in the video is the original.  Enjoy!