Author: Lisa Millar

Witchy Wednesdays- A Trip To ‘Prim Ordial’

Witchy Wednesdays- A Trip To ‘Prim Ordial’

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

 

Clever name huh?
Describing itself as a store that retails quality Wiccan goods and artefacts, ‘Prim Ordial’ offers subtle and refined wares. There is nothing flamboyant here; just simple honest to Goddess Wiccan fancy made with quality textures and great attention to detail. There are no textures here that will give you indigestion for example; there’s one particular shade of purple that is very popular with Pagan content creators and I always suffer when I see it…ahem, but it really was a relief to NOT find it here at all.
There is a limited collection of goods to buy in store, but each one is very good indeed, and great value for Linden. Everything is L$200 or less. The range is compact, but covers all the required basics: altars, candles, athames, wands, cauldrons and crystal balls. The store uses vendors, which can be a bit laggy, but be patient because the kit here is seriously worthy stuff. Dolly Vyper is the creator, and I can tell you very little about her because there isn’t much written on her profile, but I can tell you that she is very accomplished at what she does. Original works such as her wooden altar pentacle replete with candles, and her spectacular athames, either crystal-tipped or with a nice chunky handle, are excellent choices for purchase. These are clearly marked as decorative items and they would really enhance a ritual space. There are also 3 cauldrons to choose from with different animations in each, and a couple of lovely, simply animated crystal balls too. Prim efficiency is key here, but scrimping on prims does not mean scrimping on quality and finish. The altar bell for example is 2 prims and has a white ceramic glaze, embellished with a black pentacle. It’s simple and pretty and perfectly matches the sculpted chalices that are also available in a variety of designs.  There’s also a simple goddess statue which you can resize to make a perfect fit on any altar space.
Speaking of which, there is a variety of altars here and all of them are substantial numbers in a variety of finishes. My particular fave is the Wooden Pentacle Altar that is a mere 3 prims,including cloth, and would look the part kitted out with either the God and Goddess Candle Set, or the Elemental Candle Pack which features four coloured candles again with ceramic bases. You can mix and match to your hearts content in here, and I think a great idea would be for Dolly to make a ‘Wiccan Altar Basics’ pack using all her matching items because I’m sure it would be a big seller.
Personally, I believe the range may be particularly appealling to the male Pagan community in-world, due to the clean lines and non-fussy approach to design, but don’t be misled into thinking the range here is overtly masculine in any way. It’s not..so go and take a look, because this simple approach to design really worked for me and I think it will for you too.

Gothic Kitty Valentine@ ‘I <3 Originals'

Gothic Kitty Valentine@ ‘I <3 Originals'

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

It’s the “I ❤ Originals” fair at the moment, and I’m sure if you’ve read the feeds you’ll be sick of hearing and seeing about it by now..BUT the reason it’s getting such a vast amount of press is because, quite frankly, it’s bloody good.
Whenever I attend a fair or event I always feel you can predict whether it’s going to be a goody as soon as you rez there..if the build itself is quality, in my mind, I know it’s going to be great. Throwing together a couple of generic stores and hoping for the best just doesn’t cut the mustard with me, but if I rez there and feel excited by the environment, then I’m sure as hell going to be excited about shopping there!
Not only does it look great, it features an easy to follow layout and LOTS to tempt your pocket-book with. There are names you will recognise, and names that you won’t, and every store features fabulous original content and design. Incidentally, this fair isn’t just about fashion; it’s about original content in any form, which means you’ll see some stunning furniture, find some cracking reading material from Mike Stackpole, bewitching jewellery, fabulous outfits and a few stores have original artworks on display, some of these are real investment pieces! Your only problem here will be the lag. My best tip is to lower your ARC and visit first thing in the morning if you’re a UK based avvie like me. By that I mean get up at 7am, grab a brew and sit at your PC. Ok you may be bleary eyed but your experience will be a ton better, as our chums across the pond are all sleeping soundly in their beds, and it’s worth making the effort on this one, trust me.
Look out for the letters and freebies that are dotted around the stores too, there’s a mini-hunt going on and you need to collect the letters
(which will spell out a phrase) but each letter has prizes inside too, so get busy hunting for those! It’s hard to pick favourites because each store here is well worthy of a visit and your support. I do of course have a number of recommendations. ‘Cad and Tart’jewellery just continues to amaze me with the design quality, I love the male jewellery that I’m so going to be dragging Jez along to see ( If you’re a fella and have been after an ankh necklace for an age, the best one on the grid is on sale here) As you know I’m not a gown person, but the gowns at ‘L’Abel and Ivalde’ and also at ‘Tres Beau’ are just outrageously good, perfect for your romantic Feb 14th celebrations! ‘Jessentials’ has created some cracking cottage furnishings, and if you have L$500 to spare and like art, then take a hike over to ‘Dacob Paine’s store and invest in some original work to hang in your home. ‘Dark Mouse’ and ‘Bailers Outfitters’ both have Valentine jewellery for sale to compliment your outfit.
The fashion store that really stood out for me though was ‘Glam Affair’, a label I’m not familar with at all but this ensemble that I’m wearing is their gift and I’m completely loving it..it’s sooo not my usual kind of clothing choice, for starters you can’t see my norks, but I love the lacy embellishments upon the sleves and the leggings and find the completely covered up styling so sexy!
Finally, see the skin I’m wearing? This is a new release at the fair, from Airedine Poe of ‘Adore & Abhor’. It’s hard to believe that these highly stylised skins are her first, because they are perfectly presented. Lily Milk in ‘Love Me’ and ‘Romantic’ both arrive with a cleavage option too (perfect in uber tight Gothic corset) and cost a very reasonable L$350…a quality bargain purchase, make no mistake. So, what are you waiting for? You can’t afford to miss this one; check out The Artist’s Voice blog for the complete store listing, and also for the timings of the events that are going to be taking place at the fair, including a live reading from Mr Stackpole himself which I am desperate to attend as I have a bit of a Kitty-crush on him…ahem.

Oh, and a final note..stock up on your Lindens on your way in. ALL of these exhibitors are worthy of a purchase or two, so come along and show your support for original designer content in Second Life.

CLICK HERE TO TP TO THE EVENT

(NOTE: I’ve added some glove nails from Candi Nail, ring from Callie Cline and hair by Magika to complete this look. I’m also wearing my very soon to be released Valentine 2010 shape. None of these are featured in the fair)

STOP PRESS: The Crown And Pearl To Close?!!

STOP PRESS: The Crown And Pearl To Close?!!

by Lisa Millar ♥ 6 Comments

Have you noticed how February, and not January, is often the cruellest month? It’s all about love and happy and quite often the reality is a complete contrast to that.I’ve just had some really sad news that i need to share with you dear reader, and that is that Prad Prathivi has announced that at the end of the month ‘The Crown And Pearl’ will be no more unless a buyer can be found.

This is heartbreaking news to a LOT of people, and not just because in many ways The Crown And Pearl picked up where The Three Lions finished. The same crowd were there, the same vibe, but eventually C&P developed into a unique identity of it’s own all housed in the plushest surroundings and with some of the best DJ’s on the grid to boot.

I cannot tell you the myriad of fun times I have had there. The place is full of some of the most charismatic, intelligent and plain blinking mental avatars the grid has ever seen. I have so many memories that still make me laugh; Bonfire Night 2008 when myself and many others followed Hellspawned’s lead and decided to sit ON the fireworks that were being let off in the bar. We were flown high up into the air before joining the exploding shards and plummetting back down to earth. It was totally surreal and so much fun. The Crown And Pearl was also amazingly supportive of Dee, and raised funds in her honour for Breast Cancer charities ( It’s always been such a generous venue, time to pay some of that back methinks) Fortunately I have photos of Dee and I dancing there together on the many times that we visited. She loved it.

Let’s not forget Rrishanna’s music nights, which are the stuff of legend. I’ve never known a more eclectic DJ in my entire life, nor a lady with such an extensive record collection covering every single musical style you can imagine. Christmases were often chaotic but great fun too..the madness, the laughs and the drama to boot. Finally, another special memory, my first ever rez-day.. a surprise party was held there for me and the place was covered with ( flattering) photographsof yours truly..I was moved, exhilirated and very,very happy by the effort that went in to that.

I confess,I feel guilty because I haven’t been there as much recently as I should. But here’s the thing, in the back of my mind I *knew* that it was there. I knew that the same faces would be causing a rumpus should I decide to pop by. I guess like many others who were once VERY regulars I became complacent and forgot that these places do not fund themselves, nor do they go on forever if neglected…

I know that it’s the people that make a venue, but I also know that the regulars and new visitors LOVE C&P it with all their hearts and it will be a HUGE blow to the virtual community if it does succumb and close its doors for good at the end of February. Yes, I know that there are other clubs and bars to visit in-world; I visit Republik often enough, but the vibe is different there, and I love it for different reasons. But something that is very different for me between the two venues are the amount of frineds that I have there. For starters, I only really know Amanda and Sable at Republik, whereas at The Crown And Pearl I have friends like Prad, Rrish, The Two Baileys(Longcloth and Dazy),Mowgli, Hellspawned, Marisa, Jacomo, Aribeth, Dellik, Wilds, Bonni, Mysti and many, many more… Some of these people I haven’t seen for an age, but I can tell you that the connections I made with them at 3L and then at C&P have meant a lot to me, and still do. Perhaps C&P was born of the zeitgheist, and now that time has faded, perhaps it should close down? I don’t know..there could be a case to answer there I guess. All I know for sure is that I hope it can be saved. We have until the end of February to see..Here’s hoping.

Feather and Rose

Feather and Rose

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Ok, final shape-show off from me. Here’s ‘Rose’ worn with the stunning ‘Mooie Vogel’ gown by Nicky Ree, some new hair from Analog Dog, called ‘Bella’ and a freebie skin from ‘Symphony Skins’ ( Lovely isn’t it?)This is a gorgeously romantic look, which is precisely what Valentines Day is all about. I hope you’ve enjoyed my previews of the three new shapes…they’ll be released VERY soon!