Category: second life blogs

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Kitty’s Fave Blogs #2 – ‘The Fashionable Heart’ by Heidi Volare.

by Lisa Millar ♥ 5 Comments

Here’s my second entry where I tell you about a favourite Second Life blog that I admire.

Today I’m encouraging you to go and visit the ever-amazing ‘The Fashionable Heart’. which is the work of Heidi Volare. 

The Fashionable Heart is one of those blogs that I visit that leaves me one part enthralled and the other part enraged.

The being enraged comes from the fact that every ruddy image featured on this blog is perfect, and I get very angry at my own ineptitude and inability to craft pictures as sensational as the ones produced by  Heidi Volare.

The enthralled feeling comes from the fact that Heidi really does take us on a fashion journey with every single shot that she publishes.  She carefully selects her locations and backgrounds enabling her to create a look that perfectly represents her mood on any given day.  For example, sometimes she’s  feeling classically glam and others casually cute. But whichever mood she chooses to share with her readers, each has one thing in common; they look astonishing.

When it comes to making fantastic Second Life images, some people just have ‘it’, that magical skill that turns an ordinary fashion shot into something very special indeed.  Heidi has it in bucketloads. The way she lights her images? I have no idea how she does it, but it just works.

If you’ve never visited ‘The Fashionable Heart’ before then you’re in for a treat.  Expect to see  beautifully coloured, high-res fashion shots that really stand out from the crowd. These are the kinds of images that make me go ‘Ooh’ and ‘Aah’ and above all else, encourage me to go shopping in-world.If I was a content creator in Second Life, knowing my work had been featured on Heidi’s blog would make me one very happy bunny indeed.

If you’re looking for style inspiration, and I often am, Heidi’s blog is a great place to visit to quench your thirst for all things lovely. Her Flickr is also a fabulous resource too.

So here’s to you Heidi Volare, and your fantastic blog. I raise a glass to you and your delicious fashion stylings, and must tell you that I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for us.  Keep up the fantastic work! 

Kittyhelp: Looking For Landscaping Advice!

Kittyhelp: Looking For Landscaping Advice!

by Lisa Millar ♥ 5 Comments

So I’ve moved locations and I need your help Kittyreaders!  Basically I am bobbins at landscaping in Second Life. Don’t get me wrong, I know a good location when I see one, and love wandering around the beautifully landscaped places that the grid provides.But when it comes to creating my own, I really don’t have a clue.

This is the space that I have to play with: 

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As you can see I’ve already installed (and furnished, obviously) my wonderful Bazar Arizona Home. That’s non-negotiable, I have to have my home.

I’ve placed it in the corner, on an elevated portion of the land so that I can benefit from the sea view, which is perfect for the back and left side of my house. Here’s an alternative view:

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To the front and front-right I can see my neighbour’s stuff and things.

Now, I’ve not lived here long, and I have lovely neighbours and no objections whatsoever to what they do to their land, but taste is a very personal matter, and as much as I adore Samhain (Halloween) this view is fair putting me off my cornflakes, as festive as it is:

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So, I’m looking for ideas Kittyreaders.  For a start, how do I hide my view? I thought sim-surrounds could be an option but I’m confused.  I know nothing about them, but I do need something that will offer me privacy and enable me to enjoy my view.  One thing that is certain is that  I know that I’d like to give the space that surrounds my home a woodland feel, which is my favourite kind of environment.  But I could benefit from some advice, obviously. For example, which stores and locations should I be visiting for design inspiration?  As a reference point, I really like the way that The Seasons Story looked, so I’ve visited  again and clicked on a number of items to find out where they are from, which has given me a number of places to visit to price up nice rocks and trees and things.

Whatever I decide to do, it must fit the following criteria:

  • Fit my land mass (ooer missus). I only have 16400m2 (but the house already takes a small portion of that)
  • Be cost effective. I don’t want to litter my place with cheap-as-chips trees with shoddy textures; anything I buy should preferably be copy/mod so that I get best value for money.
  • Low prim/mesh if possible.

Oh and I need to do all this on about 2, 250 prims (preferably less)

So, Kittyreaders what can you suggest?

I’m really hoping you can help with some cool ideas.  As a total noob to this kind of thing I don’t mind admitting I am completely out of my depth, but I do know that learning, especially in Second Life, can be heap loads of fun, so any advice is greatly appreciated. Oh, and I will of course keep you updated on progress via this blog, and if it ends up looking good I’ll invite you round for a cuppa!

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Kitty Loves A Trumpy Lol! (The Ashdon Collection From Trompe Loeil)

by Lisa Millar ♥ 1 Comment

Like the leaves falling from the trees and blowing in the wind, autumn brings in the changes.

For me they’ve included losing a dear Second Life friend, moving my virtual home and deciding to completely change the styling of my living room.  Obviously some of these actions were less stressful than others!

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Autumn has always been my season, so when I visited FAMESHED and spied the outstanding Trompe Loeil (or Trumpy Lol as I call it, surely I’m not the only one?) Ashdon Collection of sofa, chairs and decorations I KNEW  what I wanted to update the appearance of my living room with.

This exemplary collection includes sofa, chair, coffee table, screen, basket of cushions, pictures and wall-lights and it is bursting at the materials-enabled seams with fantastic styling options.  The sofa and chair include three models each: plain, with a pillow, and with a draped blanket and the textures are simply divine, with 18 fabric, 18 blanket and 25 pillow textures for you to play with. (This of course means you can extend the life of your furniture into all the seasons, because there are plenty of  colour-combos to suit. )  It’s available in PG and Adult versions with  lots of animations for both singles and couples to enjoy.  All of the items co-ordinate perfectly to make furnishing your living-room a virtual doddle.

The sofa and chair are generously proportioned yet simply shaped to look comfortable and inviting. How I want to lay on this sofa and snuggle under the blanket with its chunky knit texture..it’s so inviting!   The coffee table, wall-prints featuring various foliage and antler lamps are all carefully fashioned with simple yet totally effective embellishments meaning that you can create a cozy yet on-trend look in your living room.  For example, classic prints can seem drab and dreary, yet when they’re teamed with bright, bold frame colours they’re brought bang into the 21st century.  I purchased everything except the antlers (unlike most people in Second Life, I don’t do antlers!) and I could not be happier with how beautiful everything looks. 

I  teamed my Ashdon Collection items with the Apple Fall cabinets from The Arcade, some rugs from Zigana, and some other accessories I found in my ever-increasing inventory. Everything works perfectly together and creates a cozy, warm vibe perfect for chillaxing at home.  If you want further information, including pricing, check out Cory’s blog for more details.

ImageI really cannot rate this collection any higher, it’s just perfect and looks fabulous in my virtual home.

In fact,  I think you should zoom over to FAMESHED right now to check it out! HERE’S YOUR TAXI! 

Berry’s Memes: Autumn Challenge

Berry’s Memes: Autumn Challenge

by Lisa Millar ♥ 3 Comments

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Another Monday, another Meme Challenge from Berrycakes!  

The instructions are simple: Take an Autumn inspired picture and/or answer the following questions about autumn (Don’t forget to leave a link in the comments of Berry’s blog to your post!) 

1. Is Autumn your favorite season? Why or why not?
It sure is! I think this is because I’m your typical Earth-sign, a Virgo born on the 13th September.  I’ve always thought of Autumn as ‘my’ season. The shades of this time of year  are the palette of colours that feature most in my wardrobe, and I love the way the trees change from lush greens to fiery reds and golden browns. I also love the smells and sounds of Autumn; the crackle of leaves underfoot and the smell of bonfires and roasting chestnuts. It’s a magical season if you ask me.

2. Do you call it Autumn or Fall?
Autumn.  The only time I have ever heard it called ‘Fall’ is in American movies.

3. What kind of weather does your area get during this season?
Well the weather is strange at the moment because we’ve had four days of glorious golden sunshine here in the UK. It’s been better than summer, although obviously the nights are getting really cold. I’ve had to wear a jumper a few times now, and beloved has even put the heating on a few times too, but all in all it’s been rather grand. As I’m writing this the sun is blazing down  onto my desk. This another reason why I’ve always loved Autumn, it’s not too hot and it’s not too cold, it’s just right in my opinion.

4. Which color do you always associate with autumn?
My favourite colour, Maroon. But the palette of colours associated with this time of year is just sensational!

5. Which Autumn themed sim is your favorite at the moment?
Has to be ‘The Trace’, which I wouldn’t know  about if it wasn’t for Caitlin Thomas’s post about it. I’m sure there are many other Autumnal sims waiting for me to discover them though!