Category: virtual worlds

‘The Arizona’; The house that Second Life dreams are surely made of..

‘The Arizona’; The house that Second Life dreams are surely made of..

by Lisa Millar ♥ 8 Comments

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One of the most amazing things about Second Life is the fact that it provides artists, creators and inventors a showcase to display their objects and wares so that they can be enjoyed in some way  by the inhabitants and their peers.

It’s what keeps bringing me back from my doldrums, the fact that I know when I log in I will see something tantalising and amazing and so exciting that it will put the biggest happy grin on my real-life chops, let alone my Second Life ones.

One of the most attractive aspects of the virtual world for me is the architecture. I’ve often waxed-lyrical on these pages about houses and how much pleasure I’ve derived from them.  I’ve owned and adored many, each one beating the previous one in some way, but all loved and furnished with aplomb in equal measure.

So it’s with a huge sense of satisfaction that I’m delighted to say that I have a new virtual home. But what has made this one a real treat for me is the fact that this house incorporates a shed-load of mesh, meaning of course that for a prim whore like myself, even on a relatively small parcel of land I can still get creative with my furnishings and landscaping.  But the fact is, this house is such a complete package that you can quite easily chuck it on a piece of land and leave it at that, because not only does it incorporate stunning exterior design and stylish interior furnishings, it also completes the look with a fabulous arrangement of rocks, plants and trees meaning that you can just move in and that’s it.

In fact this house is such an astonishing achievement that I expect to see a lot of people owning it on the grid.  It may well prove popular for its own good, but I don’t care, because I am completely in love with it.  The house in question is the ‘Arizona’, and is the work of Ria Bazar Mavendorf, available at her store, ‘Bazar’.

I don’t know Ria in virtual or real life, but if I did, she is the kind of person I would like to shake the hand of and buy her a drink in the pub. And as we’d sit down to enjoy our tasty beverage with a bag of roasted peanuts, my first question would be, “How the fuck did you make such a brilliant house?” Because, no joke, it is just that. Brilliant. Sensational. Outstanding. Dear reader, there are not enough words in my limited vocabulary to be able to extoll the virtues of this palace of dreams. I kid you not, it’s THAT good.

And I’m confident of my appraisal, as my good buddy Amanda Shinji cam round to visit and promptly went out to buy the very same house. Now, considering her existing  dwelling was already a work of art, the fact that she saw this one and decided there and then to change is a big thing.   I’m not saying she’s an awkward chuff, as we have similar tastes, but Ol’ Shinjles opinions on many things Second Life differ to mine, and so they should.  So the fact that she saw this house and went and got one kind of affirms a) that it’s bloody brilliant, and b) I have the best taste in the universe. Official.

So, enough waffle. What do you get?

What you get is a contemporary home, featuring clean, crisp  walls and lots of wood and glass. The ceilings are inspired, glass but covered in draped cloth making them feel almost sail-like. It’s a glorious home to have next to the sea. The floors are wooden throughout, except for the bathroom and the sauna. The rear of the house has decking galore, seating and a waterfall pool area. All  are beautifully lit, with animations waiting to be discovered. I’m NOT going to tell you EVERYTHING about this place because I INSIST that you go along and experience for yourself.  Also, I’m not confident that I know of all the surprises yet either, because I keep finding things, sitting in places and discovering poses that I didn’t realise were there for example. It’s left me feeling totally incredulous, and wanting more. So much more that it makes me a greedy chuff because you don’t need anything other than what this house provides. It’s a complete Second Life home experience. Image

Right from the get go when you ascend the path and enter through the glass doors you know you’re in a luxury abode. This is Hollywood folks. It’s the kind of home you’d expect to find Leo Dicaprio lounging on the decking, or Ryan Gosling in the bedroom. If only huh?

As you walk in you find a dining area and the table has a myriad of rezzable settings, serving either a couple or foursome with breakfast, dinner or coffees.  You can even just rez candles or flowers for a furnished touch when you’re not throwing your virtual dinner party. For privacy, there are curtains and a stunning light fixture hangs above the table. There is  a brief entrance area/hallway with furniture that makes for a lived in appearance, a coat-rack and console table, as well as your security system. Image

Of course if there’s a dining room there has to be a kitchen right? This one is a bloody stunner.  Modern, sleek styling with colour change lights to make for the right ambiance whatever the occasion.  Not only that, but hit the worktop and you’ll find poses and animations galore; rezzing veggies to be chopped, dishes to be washed and other things to do. (Again, please bear in mind chaps I am NOT going to tell you everything there is to see and do here, first of all there is SO much it’ll take me a month to write the post, and secondly it’ll spoil the fun of discovery.  Trust me; this is an experience that you want to relish!)Image

The living area is large and spacious with a lovely view of the outdoor sun-deck and the waterfall pool. The sofa comes complete with a footstool that rezzes foodstuffs and assorted items like the table before it.  There’s a comfy sofa, as well as a corner chair where you can enjoy a quiet read. There’s a fireplace for warmth, and throughout there’s stunning artworks to compliment the styling.  The prints in the house are mostly fashion-related, making this obviously a perfect living space for a fashionista, but they’re easily adapted with your own textures. Image

Onto the hallway, where you’ll find doors leading to a bedroom and bathroom. The bedroom is sensational; a fantastic bed, ottoman and footstool with animations and props. Colour-change bedding and lighting with a clothes rack and shelving  featuring various decorations enable a cosy feel.  Readers, this is some bedroom, be assured of that, and there is a HUGE variety of poses for couples, friends or just solo sleepers. All the poses are classy though, there’s nothing cheap or tasteless about this production. Image

The bathroom is just awesome too, featuring a toilet, dual sink and shareable shower. All feature fantastic poses and props again; for example you can sit on the loo and rez a magazine, I kid you not! The sinks are great and you can rez toothbrush, hairbrush, make-up and other items to get you looking your best. Again I’m NOT going to tell you all that are on offer because you quite simply MUST experience this yourself; but it’s the best bathroom I have ever encountered in world, that’s for sure, and the couples shower poses are sensual and loving to boot.Image

And readers,  there’s even a Sauna!  Beautifully constructed and again filled to the brim with poses for singles and couples. Honestly, these couples poses have to be seen to be believed. They’re astonishing quality, evoking love and tenderness and all things nice, not nasty. As I stated before, this is a quality establishment. If you’re looking for something dirty and nasty, you’d better look elsewhere!Image

So there you have it in a nut-shell.  No question that The Arizona has to be the BEST house in Second Life right now; there’s very little by way of improvements that could be made.  The poses are sensational, the props are all perfect.  The thought and care that has gone into producing this abode is just beyond belief. All the textures that have been chosen complement each other beautifully and all the shadows have been expertly applied to provide just the right amount of realism.  It’s easy to add your own textures and remove components, and it’s super easy to install as well. Image

The only possible way it could be improved would be to add options for changing the colours of the interior; it would be nice to be able to colour-change the walls and ceiling curtains and drapes, as well as the furniture.  It could also perhaps benefit from a shared tub in the bathroom, or even an additional bedroom.  Perhaps if an Arizona V2 is announced these features will be added, but as it stands it’s near enough perfection for me to insist that if you have the space that you install this amazing home and live in it and love it.

You can live a very comfortable Second Life in this property, and everything you need to enjoy time with your virtual partner, family and friends is here.  It’s outstanding, and it’s my favourite house yet. I must insist that you go and see it and judge for yourself .  Trust me, you’ll thank me for it!

Here’s a link DIRECTLY to the house

You can purchase either furnished or unfurnished styles.

  • Furnished costs just 4390L (Land impact 549)   ($17.35/£11:05)
  • Unfurnished is 2590L (Land Impact 324) ($10.24/£6.52)

Pro-tips: Collect a free footprint to check it will fit on your land, and if you decide to buy take advantage of the offer that is currently available and join the Avenue Magazine readers group to save an astonishing 20%! (878L!)

Cold Logic Goes To London

Cold Logic Goes To London

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I love logging in to surprises..you know, death threats, final demands..<sigh>

Occasionally I log in to *nice* surprises. The kind that make me go “Squee” with delight, run around in an exhaustive fashion and have to change my Tena-Lady. They are *Good* surprises.

So it was with sheer joy that I logged in today and found a package from Cold Logic.   Yes, I KNOW I blog a lot about Cold Logic and I KNOW I blog a lot about Jane, but seriously until someone starts making clothes to the same standard then quite frankly I reserve the right to blog about their awesomeness until the cows come home, put the kettle on and watch Coronation Street.

So with that out of the way, feel free to salivate over this frock that I’m wearing. It’s called ‘London’ and it’s in plum too, my favourite colour. ISN’T IT GRAND?! It’s actually deceptively simple; it’s a plain shift embellished with a gauze that features a delicate dot-print. It’s over one shoulder too, making it totally on trend and perfect for partying. (It’s the kind of dress in real life that I’d wear to a wedding reception; except alas I couldn’t wear it in real life because I’d look like an elephant with thrombosis. Thank God for SL!)

The mesh shape is excellent, as you would expect from Cold Logic. It has the realism and draped feel that’s required for this kind of style, and it nails it. In fact, it has an almost Toga-like vibe to it, don’t you think? Looks great when you move too (In a ladylike fashion, natch) and is perfect with some killer heels and going back to my Toga comment I actually think you could wear this with some gladiator style sandals and totally nail the look. (Backtrack: I think this may be why it’s called ‘London’..you know, Olympics and such-like. I’ll shush now)

This is versatile styling so you can be delicate with your jewellery and hair or wear something totally OTT; the dress serves as a perfect base for either look. I’ve gone delicate, choosing to wear some contrasting jewellery from Earthstones, along with my Curio Skin and some hair that I picked up at Hair Fair yesterday from Iren (which I shall blog about later)

I think I look a proper bobby-dazzler in this one.. Deffo worth chatting up at the bar:) Oh, and I know what you’re thinking, “But tell us how much it is Kitty!” Here’s the BEST bit.

It’s a FREEBIE.

Join the Cold Logic Update Group in-store and you’ll get this for your trouble…I know right?!

Better get going then…here’s your TAXI

Introducing Kittylicious ‘Kim’

Introducing Kittylicious ‘Kim’

by Lisa Millar ♥ 3 Comments

So I was messing around with shapes last night and ended up making this lovely lady; it wasn’t until I added hair and heels that I realised she reminded me of Kim Kardashian! Beloved has just thrown his hat into the ring as well and said that actually she looks like Jessica Alba; and actually now he’s said that I can see the similarity too! I think if you added brown hair instead of black then yes, indeed, you’d probably have an avvie that looks very much like beautiful Jess.

It certainly wasn’t my intention to make a shape that evoked a Hollywood vibe, but I’m glad I did because I think the results are rather lovely. The skin that I’m wearing is by Gala Phoenix from her ‘Curio’ label.  Long time readers will know that I’m a huge Curio fan; and the recent skin controversy that has impacted Gala has left a very bad taste in my mouth. I won’t discuss it here because if you want to read about it there are plenty of places where you can source all the gossip, suffice to say that I will be very happy when Gala Phoenix returns to the grid because as far as I’m concerned her skins are the best in Second Life.

Come back Gala, we miss you!

If you want to recreate this look then IM me in-world and I’ll happily provide you with a copy of  the ‘Kim’ shape for a mere L$150.  She’ll be copy/mod enabled. As far as styling goes if you’re going to invest in this shape and want to recreate this look then make sure you have the Curio skin, ‘Yum2-Mint Julep1’ in Acorn in your inventory before you buy, because obviously I don’t know how long it will be until Gala comes back to the grid and you won’t be able to purchase it until she does; and I can’t guarantee that this look will be so easily created with other skins.

The eyes are also very important for this image; I’m wearing Fashism ‘Sunrise’ eyes in Dark Brown (M).  Last but not least I’m sporting a style by the inimitable Truth Hawks called Makenzie in ‘Night’. (Note that some of his longer styles in that particular shade also work extremely well in creating a Kim-like vibe) Finishing touches include the girl next door eyebrow shaper from your library in your inventory, and I’m wearing an Adam and Eve hairbase in black. Finally the bangle is by Clutter, and the jeans by Zaara.

What do you think? Kim? Jess? Answers on a postcard to the usual address please…..

A Hunting We Will Go…..(after a kip, natch)

A Hunting We Will Go…..(after a kip, natch)

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I’m completely bloody knackered, as the photo accompanying this blog post portrays so adequately. For the past few hours I’ve been in a hunt frenzy, and there are not one, but two rather good hunts on the grid at the moment and if you are unlucky enough to miss them I promise you will kick yourself in the head rather a lot. (Note, there are probably a few more hunts going on at the moment, but these are the best ones in my opinion. That and the fact that the wonderful ‘The Rumor’ has blogged at least one of them which makes my life a lot easier! I hope they blog the other one…)

First up is ‘The Season’s Hunt- Winter’, and you have until January 29th to visit all participating stores and find the Snowmen hidden in or around each one. Guys I cannot tell you how fabulous this hunt is, so you’ll just have to see for yourself. It’s not very often you get a hunt that features quality from every participating brand and I don’t mean that in a nasty way, but let’s be honest here, some hunts are better than others and often times you wonder why people have bothered to contribute at all. A hunt after all is primarily about increasing your customer base, so with that in mind the freebie you give away should be the best quality that you can afford to give away. As we all know, not every hunt applies that logic, and as a result some hunts turn into a lesson in how not to market your store in Second Life, and serve only to put potential customers off your products for life.

But not this one. This is as solid as they come, and it covers all bases. We’re talking skyboxes, furniture, animations, men’s and women’s clothing and the rest, from uber-names like Split Pea, Theosophy, Fri.day and the list goes on. See what I mean about quality designers? ALL the best ones are here, and more besides. I’ve not found every item yet but I recommend you drop on over to The Rumor blog  where they have a handy visual guide to the items available. (The Rumor is a fantastic blog; and this feature is dead useful enabling you to prioritise your hunting and weed out the ‘must haves’ from the ‘meh’ (Not that there’s really any of that kind of thing here!))

So far my fave items HAVE to be the sofa from Lisp, The Magic Nook sleeping basket (as featured in this photo-truly fabulous fun!),  the outstanding skyboxes from  Concrete Flowers and Molto Bene, AND True Love Never Dies as well as  the amazing Awesome Blossom chair, Elikatira‘s fantastic hair offering and the Art Dummy bench. In fact, while I’ve been hunting I’ve been making a list of stores that I shall be beating a retreat back to once I have some virtual spends, and this is why hunts can be good publicity if they’re done correctly. Not only have I rediscovered stores that I love and should visit more often ( Example: Concrete Flowers, I f*cking love that store!) but I’ve also seen loads of new items and visited stores that have had a revamp since I was last there. Lisp is a prime example, I haven’t been to the mainstore in a bloody age and it literally blew me away when I saw the quality and variety of goods when I was doing my hunt thing!

In fact, it’s almost scary to think how many stores there are in Second Life. At the moment I’m making a list of the best ( in my opinion) furniture stores, and so far I have twenty five on that list and it isn’t anywhere near finished yet, but each one is a ruddy corker. I’ll probably publish that list at some point but don’t hold your breath, it won’t be staying at twenty five stores!

Anyways, you have been told what you need to do, so now go away and do it, ok?  I’ll post about the other most worthy hunt on the grid tomorrow. Until then I’m gonna have a kip in my basket. Good luck and happy hunting!