Merbella Seaweed Mermaid Top - Review

All right, so here is the promised review of the Merbella top.

PUTTING IT ON

I always put my bras by inserting my arms under the shoulder straps and then fastening the clasp reaching behind my back. It is VITAL to do this when fastening this bra; if you try to tie it on front and then turning it around the silicone WILL TEAR.  

The first time I put it on I could not reach behind my back because I had an injury in my right arm, and I tried to put it on fastening it on the front and then turning it.  What happened is that a bit of the seaweed decoration teared, and I freaked.  Thankfully, the damage is unnoticeable.  Upon later inspection, I discover that that precise point had been reglued with silicone before it was sent to me.

If you cannot put a bra by yourself the way I described it, ask for someone's help, or if there is not someone to help you, try to practice with a normal bra until you get the hang of it.

I fasten the net of the neck AFTER I have put on the bra.  That way I am sure the net is firm and just of the right lenght - when it gets wet, the knots SLIDE so be sure to fasten it up a bit more of what you normally do, or it will become very loose in the water (it happened to me too).

WEARING IT

I find that if you are going to a nearby pool, you can put the bra at home, where you can be relaxed and not rushing the process, and then a loose t-shirt over it, and no one will notice that you have something funny behind your clothes.  It is comfortable and holds the breasts quite well.

For a long term dry event, this bra would probably hurt my neck.  I read somewhere that people with a breast size larger than C should not wear halter tops due to the pression the breasts' weight put on the neck and spine.  I have experienced minor pain while going to the pool, so I know I would not be able to handle this top in a dry setting for long (I have a D cup).

IN THE WATER

The top is EXCELLENT on the water! It does not move, it adapts to my movements, it is comfortable for swimming.  The only bad thing that happens to me is that my breasts float quite well, and they try to "escape" of the bra cups.  I guess that is due to their size, and probably a person with a smaller cup would not have that problem. Also, the problem with the knots sliding when wet previously mentioned.

PEOPLE'S REACTIONS
People loved it.  They were astounded by the design, the materials, the general look - I had a complete stranger (thankfully it was a woman!) grabbing my breast to find out what it was made of.  It is definitely a conversation starter.

TAKING CARE OF IT

Since I did not received a sheet of how to take care of the top I improvised the following:

After finishing with it, I take a plastic bucket, fill it up with water and add a couple of spoonfulls of baking soda.  This will turn the water pH from neutral to alkaline, and this will help to neutralize the chlorine that may still remain on the fabrics of the bra.  I let it soak for 30 minutes, and then rinse it with lots of cold fresh water.  Then I hang it flat to dry.

The thing with the baking soda will work too for your fabric mermaid tail.  You have lots of info on how to deal with chlorine in this Mernetwork thread courtesy of Mermaid Iona.  As soon as I read about it I tried it with my new Magictail Arielle skin.  I have no way to know if it works, but I assure you that when the tail skin dried it smelled like new; no trace of chlorine odor.  So it must work...

Also, an update on the Magictail monofin: mine has a small fracture line that I am sure with time will get bigger.  I am not surprised, I had read that all Magictail monofins eventually break because of the material they are made of.  However, I will be buying another one, because one monofin every two years is a price I can afford, and I do not want to have to modify another monofin to fit my tails.  I will put pictures of the damage soon.

That is all I can think of.  If anyone has questions I would be happy to answer them.

The new Magictail in the pool, and new job!

Last week I went to my local swimming pool to use the Arielle Magictail for the first time.  I had a wondeful time; Mercedes, a swimming teacher, was there, and she took pictures and videos of me with the tail with her cell phone, and she was nice enough to share them with me:

You can see the seaweed top made by Raven of Merbella Studios

She was delighted when I showed her how to make bubble rings; she said she would like to teach their students how to do them:

I hate that they make swimmers use swim caps; the do not match well with my mermaid persona....  But later Mercedes and I took pictures of us together, and also the life saver, Ricardo, wanted to have one with me.  We have been having great weather these days in Spain, so it is a delight to go swimming.  Now I cannot do it as frequently as I would like, because I HAVE A JOB!!

I am working in the same hospital as hubby, even in the same floor, but with a reumatologist that is researching rheumatoid arthritis.  I started on March, and I am so happy with the job and with my co-workers.  It is wonderful to be back in the working force, although I miss a bit the free time I used to have.  Blog posts will begin to be less frequent, and the shop cannot have as many things as it had before, for the lack of time.  The great thing is the check that I get at the end of the month!

My next post will be a review of the seaweed top, and some notes about the Magictail monofin; also, some advice to take care of your Magictail skins.

See you soon, and happy Easter to all of you that observe the day; to the rest, have a wonderful Sunday!

Dollhouse FIRST EVER occupant

She arrived in the mail yestarday, and she is utterly adorable!  May I present Perséfone, the daugther of my vampire tenant?

She is a creation of María Narbón, custom made for me.  She has white hair, little fangs peeking on her lips and she is dressed in white with teeny tiny red bows in her dress and her bonnet.  María even made her a red cloak with a leather bat!

She now rests comfortably in her cradle, waiting for the sun to set to get up and play, and drive her mother nuts with her habit of biting everything she puts her tiny hands on.

Go take a look at María's blog and be amazed by her talent!

New cabinets on the shop

So, here is something new and totally out of my usual designs:

My mother purchased a pink bottle kit to decorate her dollhouse bathroom, and she let me had the ones she did not need.  I purchased a blue bottle kit and together with some extra stuff brings you this lovely cabinet for a fancy shop, drugstore or bathroom.  I particularly like the set of towels tied up with ribbon and the monogram.  The tiny soap boxes are just so cute!

Also, here is a new apothecary cabinet:

It has the usual bottles with their vintage labels and also a brass scale with scale weights of different sizes.  One of a kind!

Come and take a look!

Murder, she wrote part 3: The murderer is...

...none other than the mistress of the deceased!  The man found out she was actually a spy, and she killed him to prevent him from talking.

My goodness!

Here are some pics of the police taking away the suspect, hopefully for good:

Note the tiny handcuffs on the detective's hands

And another case brilliantly solved.  Hope you had fun with these vignettes!

Miniature soap box display available in my shop

I love tiny toiletries!  Even though my dollhouse does not have a bathroom, I love to peruse for them and create my own - and then gift them to my mother, who do has a bathroom.  

This miniature is very special, because it has a real vintage label from Ivory soap:

It is a display box that holds 12 tiny soap boxes, all of them with the Ivory soap label on both sides.  Boxes can be opened, and they come in 2 designs, white and blue.  They would look wonderful on a shop, spa, drugstore or pharmacy counter.

If you want more fun, why not make your own?  This design is also available as a printable for you to download and assemble.  Come and take a look!

Murder, she wrote part 2

The investigation has begun!  Two police detectives are perusing the crime scene:

Nothing has been altered yet, although the corpse has been removed, and the silhoutte of the deceased has been marked in the ground - the blood puddle is still fresh...  The detectives are currently searching for clues.  Notice the magnifying glass in the hand of one of them:

The other one is searching through the papers.  Is the murder related to the dead man business?  Who knows?  Better to take a look at the file cabinet...

Who is the murderer?  Stay tuned for the conclussion...