Crown Jewels - Guest post from Cathryn Glennon

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cathryn and I am the owner of a company called Crown Jewels. I supply high quality costume jewellery, clutch bags, and many more hand made items and accessories at the lowest possible prices. I pride myself on my prices and my professionalism, and I insist on giving the best service possible.
I started out at the beginning of October this year with my first party being held at home on the 6th. I asked all the ladies to “Dress to Impress” so we could all see how fabulous they would look with their new 'Bling'! which they all did and we had lots of fun. I set up my display and supplied drinks and nibbles and my guests were able to peruse the goods at their leisure. There was background music playing which prompted my Spanish neighbours to start dancing! Overall the evening was a total success and there was lots of great feedback as regards the beautiful displays, the service given, the presentation of the goods when they had been purchased (I like to present everything in a pretty bag so that it is all ready to give as a gift) but perhaps most importantly, the super low prices.
I understand that everyone is feeling `The Crisis' and cannot always afford something different but because I run my business from home and online, I have no overheads which means that I can really keep my products at absolute rock bottom prices which in the current climate is essential.
November and December have been exceptionally busy in the run up to Christmas and I have worked incredibly hard to make sure that all the parties have been as successful as possible.
I am also involved in several “Ladies Lunch Clubs” in the local area such as Catral, Dolores and Quesada to name but a few. It is important to me to ensure that I have plenty of goods for the ladies to look as there may well be 40 – 70 ladies at any one time in these groups so that involves lots of motorway travel to see my Spanish supplier for the ‘blingy’ items and the satin clutch bags, and using most of, if not all of my spare time sitting at my dining table with my husband, Chris Holmes with our little factory production line!! So far we have made beaded necklace/bracelet sets as well as earrings, bookmarks, cufflinks, bag charms etc. We are busy now preparing Valentines Day gifts!
Currently, I have regular presentations in my local area which is Catral but also in Villa Martin and further afield too and I am looking to expand wherever possible so I am always happy to travel to parties.
I will be presenting my display at Marjal Camping at Guardamar, as well as the new site at Crevillente and I am always looking for new organisations to get involved with.
I will be at the ‘This Is Spain Exhibition’ on 24th 25th and 26th of February at the beautiful La Zenia Hotel.
For parties in bars/restaurants. I supply everything myself and require a space of 4 meters in length. There is no cost to the bar owners and my posters are available on the website so it can be well advertised.
For private parties at home, I need the same space but the home owner will be expected to supply tea/coffee and a few nibbles and of course, their lady friends! In return, they will receive commission on all goods sold which I will be happy to discuss.
My contact details and website are as follows
Website : http://www.facebook.com/l/KAQHck-SUAQHOks4prkb8fIKXNQ2FsHPKiFAPWKvU7JuA7g/www.crownjewelsspain.webs.com:-
Email : www.crownjewelsspain@yahoo.co.uk
Alternatively I can be contacted on +34 647 149 849.
Lastly, I look forward to hearing from you with any suggestions, bookings, ideas etc.

Christmas at The Albir Gardens Hotel

We have just spent Christmas with Bec and Joaquin in the Albir Gardens Hotel in Albir just outside Benidorm, we had the all inclusive package so were able to eat and drink as much as we liked, the food and service were excellent, included was a fantastic six course Christmas dinner, starting with canapes of cheese, prawns, avocado, next soup, then a fillet of Salmon, then Turkey with all the trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding and mince pies, as much wine as you wanted and Champagne, unbelievably, some people just picked at the food or turned it away - - It was just too different for them.
The Albir Gardens is an aparthotel with apartments in blocks set among grass and trees, each apartment has bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, lounge and balcony and our accommodation was spacious and clean. There is a large outside swimming pool, indoor pool, Jacuzzi, Sauna and Gym among other facilities.
The weather was not that good but we still had the chance to do a bit of walking and we thoroughly enjoyed a very relaxing Christmas.

Back again

Well we are back home again, after a busy Christmas and new year, we talk about it being noisy here but it is generally lot quieter than the UK, whenever you are outside the traffic noise is always in the background, as we were flying into Alicante the roads looked deserted, mind you it was Saturday afternoon, While we were away heard from Bec that she had got engaged to Joaquin and they may get married this summer so some planning to do. Not much else seems to have occurred around here.
The poll regarding the beach restrictions in Benidorm has finished, from the votes it appears that not being able to have sex and drink on the beach are the highest concerns so i am slightly worried about the outcome of this poll!
As we have a new "Dr Who we thought it would be fun to think of some alternative Dr Whos and who you would think would be good, so vote on our choice in the next poll.
Anyway we must be getting around and about again to bring the latest news and developments in story and photo.

Christmas is here

GUARDAMARS CHRISTMAS TREE
The Christmas atmosphere has arrived around here, all the streets have decorations and lights, the shops are decorated and the nativity scenes in the town squares are there for all to see, Rojales has a christmas craft market where groups from several different nationalities have tradition food and drink to sample and buy, With also freshly roasted chestnuts and Christmas music in the background.

Father Christmas

The latest Christmas decoration of a Father Christmas hanging from balconies, windows and chimneys has really caught on this year, of all sizes from 2 foot tall to lifesize they are everywhere, unfortunately some people do not realise the danger they can create, a couple of days ago a young child fell out of a fifth floor window trying to reach the Santa, young children do not appreciate how easy it is to fall and the consequences.
But the danger of windows and balconies for children here in Spain are always present, with so many multifloor apartments and studios. while walking the other day i saw two young children playing a bouncing game on a bed beside a 3rd floor open window, they had no idea they could have bounced out the window quite easily - i shouted at them, danger, in Spanish and they went away from the window. Whether they realised what the danger was is another matter.

Turron - An almond candy.

Turron was invented over 500 years ago in Jijona, north of Alicante, It is a traditional sweet invented by the Moors. There are two kinds of Turron , smooth and soft or a thick brittle nougat type. Honey and almonds are important ingredients of the turron, which is made by roasting and chopping the almonds then mixing them with the honey, and it then goes through more processes with different flavours being added to make bars of chocolate, praline and even Kiwi flavoured turron, sometimes other ingredients such as dried nuts and fruit are added. This sweet is real favourite at Christmas time where the supermarkets will have every type available.