Planet Mermaid Blog
National Cookie Day - 4th December
How to Celebrate! National Cookie Day is a day when people come together to bake cookies. It is a time when parents and their children have fun in the kitchen making lots of edible treats for all to enjoy and with lots of different cookie recipes to choose from the hardest part is deciding which recipe is the tastiest! Who would not want to get together and celebrate such a fun and yummy day! History of the Cookie – How did it all come about? While the origin of National Cookie Day is unknown, the history of the cookie is very interesting. Cookies were invented during the 7th century in Persia. It then spread throughout Europe thanks to the Muslim conquest of Spain where the cookie would continue to march across the continent until it became one of the most eaten snack foods in Europe by the 15th Century. The story does not stop in Europe, in the 17th century the cookie had made its way across the Atlantic into the Americas via the Dutch settlers of the time. Colonial housewives snatched up the concept of the cookie and began making their own using butter or if they wanted to be more elaborate rose water, maple syrup or even beer! Source: https://bit.ly/2OGwm2c Even today cookies are a very popular choice when it comes to baking and consuming. We Brits ate a record breaking £3 billion in 2018 alone! Mermaid Inspired Cookies Why not have a go yourself! For the mermaid lovers amongst us it is the perfect opportunity to bake mermaid inspired cookies. To get your creative design juices flowing below is just a small selection of amazing mermaid inspired cookie designs which you could try at home: Source: Google To get you going why not try out this delicious recipe: Under the Sea Cookies Ingredients For the cookies 100g butter, softened 75g caster sugar 1 egg yolk 200g plain flour 1-2 tbsp milk For the royal icing 15g egg white 455g icing sugar 75g water To decorate Wilton® Colour Right System Scrumptious Sprinkles Unicorn Sprinkletti Mix or Under the Sea Sprinkletti Mix Instructions Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Lightly grease 3 baking trays. Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Separate the egg yolk from the white and set the white aside. Beat in the egg yolk. Sift in the flour and mix well with enough milk to give a fairly soft dough. Knead the mixture gently on a lightly floured surface and roll out to 5mm thick. Cut into your chosen cookie shapes, place on the prepared baking trays and bake for 8-10 minutes. To make the royal icing, first sieve the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the egg white and combine gently. Add the water and mix with a spoon until combined. Using an electric mixer, mix on low for up to 15 minutes until you have a nice light texture. To colour your icing, first mix colours in a ramekin or small bowl, then add small amounts using a cocktail stick to achieve the colour you want – you will need approx. 2 tablespoons of royal icing to 2-3 touches from a cocktail stick. We used the following number of drops from the Wilton Colour Right System: Blue: 4 x blue Lilac: 6 x red, 2 x blue Jade green: 8 x blue, 4 x yellow Pink: 8 x red, 1 x blue, 6x pink Pipe the outline on the biscuits using a disposable piping bag fitted with a piping tube. When the outline has dried, let down your icing by adding a few drops of water until it has the consistency of thick yoghurt. Spoon the let-down icing into a piping bag, snip off the tip to make a very small hole and fill in the middle of your icing design. Use a small decorating brush to help spread it to the edges and remove any air bubbles. Leave to dry completely unless you’re adding sprinkles to the wet icing. Decorating tips Mermaid – ice the face, arms and middle first and leave to dry, then ice the rest. Add sprinkles to her tail when the icing is wet. When fully dry, paint on her face using a black edible food pen. Turtle – add sprinkles to the wet icing to make the shell. Shark – pipe on the teeth and eye using white icing. Seahorse – pipe a wavy snail trail from its head to tail and three little dots in rows on its fin. Attach tiny pearls and stars to this icing then paint on eyes. Starfish – stick a large pearl from the sprinkles in the middle, then pipe small dots of white icing along the centre of each arm. Source: https://bit.ly/2OYo3iz Why not have a go yourself and send us your creations to our social media pages, we would love to see them and share with fellow mermaid lovers! @PlanetMermaid #planetmermaid Visit www.planetmermaid.com to view our latest in amazing fabric mermaid tails for kids and adults, woman’s mermaid monofins, siren tails and a whole lot more! Keep mermaiding and sharking x
World Kindness Day 2019
World Kindness Day is celebrated annually on 13th November with the attempt to make the world a better place by celebrating and promoting good deeds and pledging acts of kindness, either as individuals or as organisations. What does kindness really mean? Kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Affection, gentleness, warmth, concern, and care are words that are associated with kindness. While kindness has a connotation of meaning someone is naive or weak, that is not the case. Being kind often requires courage and strength. Source: Google The origin of the word kindness came from the old English word “Kyndnes” meaning “nation” or “produce, increase”. It derived from the Middle English word “Kindenes” meaning “noble deeds” or “courtesy” and the first recorded use of the word kindness was in the 14th century. World Kindness Day was launched in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, an organisation formed at a Tokyo conference in 1997 made up of like-minded kindness organisations from all around the world. To date there are over 28 nations involved in this amazing day where the mission is to create a kinder world by inspiring individuals and organisations towards better kindness. Kindness Day UK is organised by Kindness UK, a non profit organisation launched on the 13th November 2010. Since its establishment this day has grown from strength to strength s and now individuals, schools, charities, institutions and businesses all take part. How can you join in the fun? If you would like to take part all you need to do is pledge a good deed, for example you can: Give complements Smile at a stranger Hold the door open for someone Say thank you Offer support to those in need Give up your seat to someone else on public transport Offer your lunch to someone less fortunate than yourself Offer to make the tea and coffee to all your work colleagues Share treats with your friends …anything goes! Most of us take for granted what we have and are so focused on our own day to day lives that we forget what is happening around us, this day brings it home and shows you that by simply doing something nice for others really does feels good! Planet Mermaid challenges you to do five acts of kindness for other people. We would love to hear what you have done and how it has made you feel. Please share your acts of kindness with us on our social media platforms using #WKD, we would love to see them and share with fellow mermaid lovers! @PlanetMermaid #planetmermaid Visit www.planetmermaid.com to view our latest in amazing fabric mermaid tails for kids and adults alike! Happy World Kindness Day Mermaid lovers! Keep mermaiding and sharking For further information on this National Day please visit the following websites: https://bit.ly/2rl9Zap https://bit.ly/2K4Q0n8
Christmas Postage Dates!
Christmas will soon be here and to avoid disappointment on the big day we have a round-up of the final Christmas posting dates below: International: Monday 9 December Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Central and South America, Far and Middle East Tuesday 10 December Cyprus, Malta Wednesday 11 December Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) Thursday 12 December Australia, Greece, New Zealand and Turkey Saturday 14 December Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, USA Monday 16 December Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland Wednesday 18 December Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg United Kingdom: Wednesday 18 December 2nd Class and 2nd Class Signed For Friday 20 December 1st Class and 1st Class Signed For and Royal Mail Tracked 48 Saturday 21 December Royal Mail Tracked 24 Monday 23 December Special Delivery Guaranteed Planet Mermaid is the perfect one stop shop to find that very special someone that extra special Christmas gift. Whether you are looking for a fabric mermaid tail, a woman’s mermaid monofin, woman’s mermaid tail, t-shirts, bikinis, swimming costumes, shark outfits, leggings, mermaid blankets, hair accessories and much much more look no further than simply visiting www.planetmermaid.com Our new “Lady of the Lake” collection released just in time for Christmas will definitely bring a smile to your little ones face on Christmas morning! Who knew Christmas shopping could be so much fun, the only problem you will have is working out which design to go for! Simply visit www.planetmermaid.com to find out more… Happy Christmas Shopping! @PlanetMermaid #planetmermaid
Amazing Sand Art
Sand art is the practice of modelling sand into an artistic masterpiece. It can come in many forms, sculptures, sand painting or in sand bottles. It is amazing that just using two basic ingredients, sand and water, available on a sandy beach can create such incredibly intricate masterpieces. Origins Sand art is the oldest form of sculpting in the world. It actually dates back to prehistoric times and it is even believed that the ancient Egyptians made a sand sculpture version of their pyramids! It was not however until the nineteenth century when the first sand sculpture was documented which subsequently took a big popularity leap forward with more and more people trying it due to it being a lucrative profession. The 20th century then saw another massive increase in popularity where sand sculptures were built around many beach resorts and competitions formed offering attractive prizes. Source: www.crystalsand.org/history Competitions Sandcastles are typically made by children and parents for fun on holiday but due to its popularity competitions are put on around the world for adults to show off their beach art skills. The largest sandcastle made was 18 feet tall and created by Ronald Malcnujio. He was only five foot tall and had to use several ladders to complete his masterpiece. The sculpture used one ton of sand and 10 litres of water! The recorded world’s tallest sand castle was built on Myrtle Beach in South Carolina in 2007 as part of their Sun Fun Festival. The structure was 49.55 feet high and took 10 days to build using 300 truckloads of sand! This record was eventually broken this year when a 58 foot tall sand castle as erected in Rügen, Germany. Source: WikipediaTools to make the best sculpturesIf all this has excited you into building your own masterpiece don’t forget Planet Mermaid has a beach art competition closing on the 30th September! – see www.planetmermaid.com for further details. Below are some helpful tips to get you going: Sand: Add sand to the form Water: Pour enough water to completely cover the sand Stir: Use hands or a shovel to stir the sand really well while the water level is above the sand level Tap: Use hands to tap the sides of the form to help the sand settle more quickly Sand Art examples Sand art comes in many forms with many different subjects being chosen to sculpt but due to our love and passion for anything mermaid and shark inspired below are a few amazing creations to get your design juices flowing and hopefully help you out when entering the competition! Please send us your own creations through our social media platforms, we would love to see them and share with fellow mermaid lovers! @PlanetMermaid #planetmermaid Keep mermaiding and sharking! Don’t forget Planet Mermaids beach art competition closes on the 30th September! ..get entering and good luck! Visit www.planetmermaid.com to view our latest in amazing mermaid tails for kids and adults alike!
World Photo Day – 19th August 2019
On Monday 19th August photography lovers of all ages around the world will be celebrating the annual World Photo Day. Its prime focus is to inspire the positive changes that have been made around the world. It is a way of connecting people and at the same time raise awareness through the art of photography. History behind this day World Photo Day was created in 2009 by an Australian photographer named Korske Ara and the 19th was chosen as it was the date the patent of the Daguerreotype (an early method of photography) was bought by the French government. This day also coincides with the World Humanitarian Day, Growth from modest beginnings A whopping 500 million people are now signed up since its foundation in 2010 where just 250 people registered. This is a fantastic platform for photographers to share images on their passion and raise awareness of what is going on around them. Passion for all things Oceans and Marine Conservation World photo day is a fantastic opportunity to renew our appreciation for our planets oceans and marine life that lives below the magical waters and raise awareness about the breathtaking diversity that marine life brings. The ocean is just one of those amazing places which oozes fantastic sea life species and with nearly 200,000 already identified species with millions yet to be accounted for the ocean needs much needed recognition and exposure to get the recognition it deserves.It is a very sad fact that as much as 40% of the ocean is now heavily affected by the most significant and direct threat of over exploitation of marine species as well as other threats such as pollution, loss of coastal habitats and climate change and being part of World Photo Day it gives the opportunity to bring these issues to the forefront to such a large audience. Amazing Ocean and Marine Life Photo Examples To find out more and to sign up please visit www.worldphotoday.com. Why not start your photographic journey by getting some mermaid training in at Mermaid Wave Swim School – www.mermaidwave.com. There are centres all around the UK where you will be able to learn to swim like a mermaid in preparation for your magical journey photographing the wonders of the sea. Call us on 01234 352488 to find out more or to book your space. If you already have been lucky enough to capture the wonders of the sea through your own camber lens we would love to see and share with our fellow mermaid lovers. All you need to do is upload onto our us social media platforms. @PlanetMermaid #planetmermaid @mermaidwave #mermaiwave Keep Mermaiding and sharking!
National Tell a Joke Day – 16th August 2019
Life can be tough and full of challenges so what’s more exciting than spending a day putting all your troubles aside and fill it with joy and laughter telling jokes! Why not even go that one stage further and theme it mermaid and shark joke day! Perfect for fellow mermaid and shark lovers! What is a Joke? “A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is not meant to be taken seriously. It takes the form of a story, usually with dialogue, and ends in a punch line”. History behind Jokes Jokes have been identified in ancient pre classical texts and the oldest identified joke is an ancient proverb from as far back as 1900 BC known to have contained toilet humour! The earliest extant joke book, a collection of 265 jokes written in Greek dated back to the fourth or fifth century AD! Mermaid and Shark Jokes Jokes come in many forms, one liners, knock knock jokes or even short stories. It really doesn’t matter how a joke is expressed the main result is to please and make the recipient laugh…laughter is a well-known fact that it is healthy for you! Below are a few mermaid and shark jokes to get you going!Q: Where do mermaids see movies?A: At the dive-in!Q: Where does a mermaid keep her money?A: In the riverbank!Q: Where did the fisherman and mermaid meet?A: On line!Q: What is a mermaid’s favorite TV show?A: Whale of Fortune!Q: Where does a mermaid sleep?A: A waterbed!Q: What did the sea say to the mermaid?A: Nothing. It just waved. Q: Why do mermaids always know how much they weigh?A: They have their own scales!Q: Why did the mermaid ride a sea horse?A: Because she was playing water polo!Q: Why was the mermaid embarrassed?A: Because she saw the ship’s bottom!Q: Which fish go to heaven when they die?A: Angelfish!Q: What does a mermaid wear to math class?A: Algebra!Q: What has beautiful hair, a pretty face, two arms, a fish’s tail, looks like a mermaid, but isn’t a mermaid?A: A photograph of a mermaid!Source: https://www.finfriends.com/mermaid-jokes/ Q: What did the great white shark say to the cliff jumper? A: Don’t worry, I’ll catch you Q: What did the shark say to the surfer? A: Come on in, the water’s fine!Q: How does a hammerhead shark tell his mom he passed his test? A: Nailed it!Q: What’s a great white’s favorite tune? A: Dun-uh. Dun-uh. Dun-uhQ: What did the momma shark say to the kid shark? A: Watch that sharkasm, young man Q: What song do sharks sing while they hunt for food? A: Don’t Stop Bleedin’Q: What types of sharks are the shadiest sharks? A; Card sharksQ: How does a shark plead in court? A: Gill-tyQ:What does a dentist say to his shark patients? A: Let’s see those chompersQ: How do you throw a shark out of a bar? A: You cast it outQ: What did the shark say to his wife during a fight? A: You’re just being jaw-maticQ: What did the shark say to the spear fisherman? A: Please, spear me the pain!Source: https://www.redbubble.com/life/shark-puns/ Tell a joke, listen to a joke, laugh, celebrate, have fun and enjoy! Please send us your own jokes through our social media platforms, we would love to see them and share with fellow mermaid lovers! @PlanetMermaid #planetmermaid Keep mermaiding and sharking! Visit www.planetmermaid.com to view our latest in amazing mermaid tails for kids and adults alike! #NationalTellAJokeDay
Calling all Mermaids and Sharks….Planet Mermaid is launching a “Mermaid/Shark Beach Art” Competition
With summer fast approaching and lots of us jetting off on our holidays whether it be here in the lovely UK or further afield we thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to launch our very own mermaid or shark inspired beach art competition. To enter is simple all you will need to do is email a photo of your creation to marketing@planetmermaid.com including your name and age and we will pick the best shark and Mermaid creation. The two lucky winners will each receive a mermaid and shark inspired t-shirt for free. Closing date for entries is Monday 30th September which gives you plenty of time to get your creations to us! Good luck mermaiders and sharks! Disclaimer: We will potentially use any photos sent to us for any future commercial use. We consider receipt of any images as confirmation you are happy to comply with this.
The Evolution of the Swimsuit
History behind the Swimsuit Swimsuits were invented right back in the mid 1800’s. In most cultures swimming was either in the nude or the swimmer would merely strip to their underwear. In the Renaissance swimming was strongly discouraged and into the 18th century swimming had to be justified on health grounds as it was regarded as a doubtful morality.The Victorian era style of costume was of outer clothing, not very practical and even dangerous in the water, especially for the ladies who wore dress-style swimwear. It wasn’t until the early 20th Century that swimming became regarded as a legitimate leisure activity and clothing made especially for swimming became available. Since then swimwear has evolved enormously and has seen an average annual growth rate of 4.70% from 11500 million $ in 2014 to 13200 million $ in 2017. It is reported that in the next few years the swimwear market size will be further expanded and it is expected that it will reach 15600 million $ buy 2022. Swimsuits through the years 1870s American bathing suit for women, made of wool and covering arms and legs American bathing suit, 1876-1880 American bathing suit, 1885 American bathing suit, 1890–18951907 1920’s 1930’s 1950’s 1980’s 2000 Present DayPlanet Mermaid has a fantastic range of swimsuits, mermaid tails, mermaid bikinis and matching accessories for those who like to make a splash in and out of the water. The large selection of colours and styles will ensure that your personal tastes are catered for; the main problem will be in the choosing! A selection from the new adult Atlantis range can be found below: Atlantis Range Keep up to date on our latest news and new product releases through our social media platforms @PlanetMermaid #planetmermaid @mermaidplanet #mermaidplanet
How to decorate your Bedroom Mermaid Style
Dream of being a mermaid? Why not decorate your bedroom to make you feel like you are venturing into a world under the sea! Sea life is so peaceful and full of exciting new adventures and in truth the fact of the matter is we all need more mermaids in our life don’t we! Ariel’s independent and adventurous spirit inspires us to think outside the box and get lost in a world of fantasy and enchantment…and it’s not just for children either! You can get lost for hours on the internet looking at different ideas but below are a few handpicked options to get your inspirational juices flowing… now let’s dive beneath the waves and explore what creations there are, there may even be something here for you! Mermaid Bedroom Accessories Go under the sea into a whole new world and celebrate the magic and enchantment of Disney's The Little Mermaid and create a Little Mermaid Bedroom with Ariel and her fishy friends. The charming story of Disney’s The Little Mermaid can now be brought right into you’re under water themed bedroom. The Little Mermaid theme is a good choice for little girls and even big girls, who would love an "under the sea" theme in their rooms and there are so many ideas to try and transform a once boring normal bedroom into an Ariel themed masterpiece! Little Mermaid Bedroom Mermaid Bedroom Furniture and Mermaid bedroom Rug Wall murals are a fantastic way of making a splash, below are some examples: Mermaid Bedroom Decor The bed is the focal point of the room so making sure you have the correct bedding to set your theme is very important. There are so many different designs out there to choose from depending on your own design, colour and budget. Little Mermaid Bedroom Set Lighting is another hugely important factor as it changes the mood of a room and is a very important finishing touch element to making sure your design criteria is fulfilled. A little fact for you – did you know that the use of lighting can add to or subtract from the overall colours of a room. Darker colours make a room feel smaller and cramped, while light-coloured walls do the opposite. The illusion of space is defined by light reflected off of the surfaces of the walls. Some types of lighting help with this illusion by further illuminating the walls. In addition, directional lighting, such as a track light, can soften the wall colours. There is also recessed lighting, which has a soft, downward glow that illuminates the floors, not walls. This is opposed to lights hung from the centre of the room, which provide ambient illumination, or wall lighting. In both cases, this can affect how light or dark a coloured section can appear. Mermaid Lights for the Bedroom Finally cutting yourself off from the outside world and into your magical fantasy is only complete when you close your curtains.Transforming into a world of fantasy doesn’t just have to be for children, adults can have just as much fun too designing their boudoir whether it be contemporary or out and out wacky the choice is yours! Please send us your creations through our social media platforms, we would love to see them and share with fellow mermaid lovers! @PlanetMermaid #planetmermaid Visit www.planetmermaid.com to view our latest in amazing mermaid and shark tails for kids and adults alike! Keep mermaiding and sharking
