Month: June 2013

Bazar Floria Dining (Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge(Entry 26 of 30))

Bazar Floria Dining (Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge(Entry 26 of 30))

by Lisa Millar ♥ 1 Comment

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(Click on the picture to enlarge and have a closer look at the table layouts!)

I swear I’m not a one woman Bazar appreciation society, I really do, BUT when Ria Bazar Mavendorf keeps dropping awesome on the grid then I’m going to rave about it. 

A few weeks ago I blogged the Floria bedroom. I instantly fell in love with it, and it’s still laid out in my house looking awesome. I’ve added a few pieces to it to compliment but I can honestly say I’ve never been happier with my virtual sleepy-place.

So when Ria sent me a box called ‘Floria Dining Room’ I kind of had an inkling as to what the contents would be. If they were in keeping with the bedroom, then there would be romantic lines and feminine touches brought together with grace and class. I wasn’t wrong. 

Floria Dining has the same styling as the matching bedroom, and features a table, chairs, chandelier, dresser and a potted plant.  Like the bedroom before it the furniture is colour change, so you get TONS of options for your Lindens, although it has to be said that the pink and blue colour schemes that are included may well prove to be too much for some.  (They were for me, hence I haven’t photographed them!) I do get the feeling that they will go down very well with the Lolita crowd, and leaving the pastels to one side you still get plenty of colour options to play with including dark and light wood, black and white solid colour and complimentary striped colour schemes too.

The dresser is elegant and includes tableware and glasses.  The chandelier matches the sconces in the Floria Bedroom and is just the right height for an intimate dinner party setting.  The light can be turned off and on, and is also colour change too, a thoughtful touch.  The potted plant is, to be honest, a little disappointing.  The pot is great but the plant isn’t anything to write home about especially.  But that’s a minor quibble, because on the whole this is a quality dining set and that’s proven when you sit at the table to begin your feast.

The table can accommodate 2, 4 or 6 persons. It’s menu controlled, and you have a choice of tea and cake, wine or coffee. When you rez your selection the table comes to life and it’s a sight for sore eyes. It’s beautifully decorated with linens, cutlery, flowers and foodstuffs depending upon the setting.

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There are candles, and cheeses and oh my goodness you should see the chocolate cake!! It’s utterly resplendent, incredibly posh and luxurious and the whole ensemble works beautifully in both a formal home setting and a more modern environment.  I absolutely adore it, and the visual feast is enhanced by the animations that you can select from the chairs, and of course you’re automatically issued with cutlery, glasses and all the tableware you need to attach to your avatar and fully live the dinner party experience.

The’ Floria Dining Set’ proves yet again that Ria Bazar Mavendorf is a thoughtful designer because she always adds quality finishing touches to her furniture items, and each time she issues a new release it leaves me longing for more.

I’ve become so enamoured with the brand that I confess it’s made me greedy, but when creative work is consistently this good it’s to be expected. I’m wondering now if there are going to be further additions to the Floria series, such as a Living Room and Bathroom ,and if there are I can see them proving to be exceptionally popular with individuals whose taste in Second Life home furnishings is a little more classical than contemporary…

BUT as I said previously  it does work in a modern setting. For my pictures I actually rezzed my absolute favourite skybox, ‘Apartment C’ from Commoner.  This build is based upon Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment from ‘Sex and the City’ and it’s a fabulous dwelling.  It is beautifully open plan, with kitchen and bathroom included, along with a closet to absolutely die for. (If you’re a fan of the show it’s a must have!) I rezzed the Floria Dining Room in the skybox, and just added a few cat prints in Barnesworth Anubis’s  fabulous ‘Four Frame Grid (Oak)’ et voila! A stunning look for formal dining in a casual setting, and I love it.  What do you think?

Click here to teleport to Bazar to experience Floria Dining for yourself!

STOP PRESS: There is indeed a kitchen too! WEEE! 

 

The Poser Pavillion (Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge(Entry 25 of 30))

The Poser Pavillion (Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge(Entry 25 of 30))

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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I love a good pose, I really do. You’ve probably noticed. We’ve had a few quality pose makers retire from Second Life recently (Adorkable and Glitterati) which may have led some to believe that we were going to struggle on the grid for quality pose content, but that’s clearly not the case at all. Oh no, there are stacks of great creators out there.  Unfortunately there are stacks of not so great ones too. 

Making poses needs a good eye, lots of skill and tons of patience.  It’s not easy to create lifelike stands or suggest movement, which is why when you find a pose maker you adore you hang onto them for dear life. 

The Liaision Collaborative has brought a quality, bijou pose event to the grid and it’s well worth checking out. It’s called ‘The Poser Pavillion’, and it’s a tiny outdoor event adjacent to this round of ‘The Garden’.   It won’t take long to visit, but I guarantee you’ll find some fantastic poses to enjoy and create beautiful summery images with.

I managed to squeeze in a quick visit this morning and was really impressed by what I saw. At the top of this post you can spy me holding a ball looking very energetic. Alas, I’m so un-sporty in real life it’s ridiculous. My idea of sport involves seeing how long I can hold a Malteser in my mouth before it melts, but in Second Life I could be a virtual jock if I wanted, so I really dig this Diesel Works ‘Bounce’ set featuring a ball and 8 poses. It’s pricey at L$349, but Diesel Works are a serious, quality brand and if you’re looking for realism and depth in your poses you should always check them out. This set will enable some you to take some fantastic sporty snaps that will really look the part. 

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My particular favourites at this event however are the contributions from Picture This! Poses. (I’m now singing the Blondie song in my head, I’m going to be stuck with that all day…)

Picture This! have contributed two simple, yet quality sets aimed at male and female avatars.  One is for wearing maxi dresses in photographs meaning subtle pose changes that allow for the length of fabric, and another called ‘Take A Lean’ which although aimed at male avatars actually works extremely well for females, as you can see from the shot I took.  In fact I jumped at the chance to own this pack and I’m looking forward to using it in my pictures; it’s also extremely cheap at just L$125 for 5 poses. 

There are some great contributions featuring props too, including a fantastic volleyball group pose from Wet Cat, and some fun to be had with chalk from 0O0 Studio. As always, the fantastic Elysium Hynes has pinned the event on her pinterest boards, so please go and check them out, and to visit the event which I highly recommend, click here

Here’s to lots of happy snaps!

Berry’s Monday Meme- What’s Your Digits? (Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge(Entry 24 of 30))

Berry’s Monday Meme- What’s Your Digits? (Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge(Entry 24 of 30))

by Lisa Millar ♥ 3 Comments

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Berry’s meme this week is all about avatar sizing. At the end of it she asks us to disclose our digits; I haven’t had time to do that yet but I will do that tomorrow. While I was researching this issue I found an old (2008!) interesting conversation on SLU regarding avatar bodyshapes.  Although time has passed, some of the arguments are still relevant today. You can read it HERE.

Like all of Berry’s previous Monday challenges and memes this really got me thinking, especially about the way I represent myself in world. I love Kitty’s shape, but I have no issue in adding a few pounds here and there when I feel like it. (Note I say add rather than take away, I think she’s darn near perfect size-wise and I simply cannot bear avatars that are too thin!) Upon reflection I feel a bit guilty sometimes that she’s not bigger!

Anyway, here are my answers and I’ll update the rest tomorrow.

Thanks again for the challenge Berrycakes!

  1. Do you try and keep your avatar’s body proportionate and similar to the “average” proportions (pictured here)? I do try and retain some sense of proportion on my avatar’s body-shape. I often tinker about though, I like Kitty to have a belly and hips and boobs and carry a bit of weight on her.  I admit that I will tweak her shape to fit clothing better but I don’t see anything wrong in that.  She tends towards a M or L in standard sizing, much like me in real life! (Well, large actually. I like cake.)
  2.  What do you dislike the most about the SL avatar mesh? Hands and feet are the main problems, but they can be easily remedied now thanks to the wonders of Slink hands and feet. I wouldn’t be without mine now! My biggest bug-bear HAS to be wrists. They’re so ruddy ungainly on avatars, so I always hide them with bangles or bracelets and watches. Mesh hands again help with that issue, although there’s a slight gap that can be easily rectified  by wearing loads of nice jewellery. At the moment I’m loading up my virtual wrists with the Boom Friendship bracelets from the arcade because I love them to death!
  3.  Does it bother you when you see other avatars that are not proportionate at all? Well, we live in a virtual world so the idea is that you can look however you want to look, so with that in mind I try not to judge. Having said that, of course I do, even if I don’t realise it. I confess that I inwardly draw breath sometimes when I see how skinny some avatars are. What is it with the super long-legged, skinny crowd? And whilst I love my bum, hips and tum, when I see some avatars walking around with their inflated Kenny Everett arses I have to try really hard not to laugh. But that’s when it’s taken to extremes, obviously. I do like it when I see plus-sized avatars in-world actually. It’s quite brave to be a plus-sized avatar in a world where in a few clicks you can be ‘perfect’ (whatever THAT means) so I’m impressed when I see them. It’s sad that it impresses me actually, because it’s merely a reflection of real life being brought into the virtual world. I always loved seeing Rosie Barthelmess in-world, a gorgeous plus-sized avatar and a lovely person too.
  4. Even though this is a virtual world and people can be anything they want to be, do you feel when they are in human form, they should try to keep their proportions close to average? No, they can do what the hell they want, that’s the whole point! I may not like the look they’ve created, but that’s my own personal opinion and it doesn’t matter. They design their avatar to express themselves how they see fit, it has bugger all to do with me and nor should it!
I love to ride my bicycle..(Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge(Entry 23 of 30))

I love to ride my bicycle..(Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge(Entry 23 of 30))

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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Time for one of those mad, rambling posts that start at one point and end up somewhere completely different. Much like me on a bike ride!

I like surprises, and I received a really lovely one this week. I’d mentioned on Plurk that I was mooching around The Grove Country Club Estate. It’s one of my favourite places to visit; I like to chill on a bench in the park there and explore it when I’m in world. (It’s my Second Life dream to live there one day!)

I noted that it would be more fun had I got a bike.  It was a throwaway comment of course but it did strike me that blessed with glorious winding paths and roads  The Grove would be perfect for velocipedal exploration.   (I don’t think that’s a proper word, but it is now!)

So imagine my delight when I logged in to find someone had gifted me a mesh bike! How wonderful, and what a really kind gesture! Of course I wanted to establish who my mysterious anonymous benefactor was, but first of all I needed to go cycling…

And cycle I did. The bike is made by ‘Sweet Bunny’ and is their ‘Pinkie Cycle’.  Now, regular readers know I hate pink, BUT I actually really love the vibrant pink on this cycle because it’s really bright and in your face and actually not too Barbielicious if you ask me. 

Even better than that, it’s mesh. You wear it and move as you normally would, and that’s it.  There’s a cycling animation built-in and you can click the bell to make it ring (the sweetest little ting-ting tinkle) and it also makes a nice noise as you pedal too, the sound of spokes on wheels creaking as they turn. (A noise that evokes happy summer holiday memories from when I was a kid.)  There’s even a basket on the front which you can show/hide.  I thought about filling my basket with prim nommage and going for a picnic, but then I realised it was a bad idea because I planned on cycling very fast and nobody likes it when your pop explodes and your sandwiches get soggy. It’s a fantastic creation, and brilliantly done.  A really thoughtful gift that I was so lucky to receive.

I rezzed Bessie (yes, I have named my bike)at The Grove and went for a cycle. And spent many happy hours in cycling bliss.

You’re probably wondering did I establish who my anonymous benefactor was? Well initially I thought it was Mands, as she often treats me to random gifts because she is lovely like that, but no, it wasn’t her.  This meant I had no clue who it could be, until a discreet plurk disclosed my generous chum, and they were thanked heartily.

Plurk gets a LOT of stick for the inherent drama that often kicks off amongst the plurking Second Life community. It can be a harsh environment, and I’ve realised that the only way to deal with it is to watch from the sidelines. Oftentimes issues blow over, but some have led to lasting hurt, scurrilous gossip and betrayals. It can be very upsetting but the thing is with drama you can choose NOT to be involved. There’s a famous saying that is incredibly true, “If you can’t say anything nice then don’t say anything at all”, and I confess I find myself thinking that phrase out loud when biting my tongue just isn’t enough.

But as my gift proves, there is a lot of love and caring on Plurk too.

If you’re having a bad day and put it out there you soon find yourself enveloped in virtual love, hugs and support.  I’ve learned so much about people, and shared so much of myself on there to friends I’ve never met and been rewarded with nothing but love and caring. As a support network it’s actually proven to be second to none.

Last night was the ‘Pixel Prom’, and Harlow Heslop (amazing blogger) plurked about how excited she was about it.  I’ve never been to a prom before, although they’re popular in UK schools now they weren’t a ‘thing’ when I left mine (which makes me feel incredibly old.) I always wanted to attend one as a teen, a passion I developed due to my love for John Hughes movies.

But here’s an interesting  thing, I’ve been going to SL10b events all week and NOTHING I attended was as successful as the Pixel Prom last night.  (Why is that? Well, I think it’s because Second Life is very group/clique-orientated. The wider community as a whole seems to distil itself down into groups that aren’t just avatar-type specific (Furries, Tinies, Vampires etc) but socially specific, due to the people who you mix and mingle with. It just so happens that there are a LOT of Second Life Plurkers who wanted to go to prom.))

It’s the first time in my entire Second Life that I’ve been amongst so many avatars all at once. At one point while I was there, there were well over 120.  It was also amazing to see how many ‘SLebrities’ I recognised from Second Life that were in attendence, and of course names from my Plurk timeline. According to Harlow at one point there were 135 avatars dancing around to Anubis Darkwatch’s outstanding DJ set, which featured classics from Backstreet Boys, N-Sync and, erm, Mr. Blobby.

It wasn’t without problems however. Despite being ten years old, Second Life still cannot cope with that many avatars all in one place at the same time and people were crashing left, right and centre. That said, the sim itself didn’t crash, and I’m sure the peeps with graphics cards to die for managed to enjoy the fabulously handsome and divinely dressed male and female avatars that were making moves on the dancefloor and topping the punch up with vodka. (Alas, most of what I saw was grey-goo, hence my having no pictures to share)

When I left, after being there to witness the entire gathering get rick-rolled, I went to bed with an extreme case of the warm and fuzzies.  I wouldn’t be on Plurk without Second Life. And I wouldn’t have met so many amazing people if it wasn’t for Second Life, for which I will be eternally grateful. 

Happy Birthday Second Life. Thanks for ten years of madness, creativity and imagination, and may you reign for many more birthdays to come!

And on that note, I have more cycling to do…