CASA DEL SHAI – Kittywitchin'

Odd for me that I haven’t blogged THE ARCADE so far, but it’s been publicised to death across the blogging landscape so please forgive my transgression thus far. But of course, just like all previous rounds it is an absolute corker. Perhaps even more so this time; there’s a massive, gorgeous Christmas Tree in the centre of the build and underneath it you’ll find gifts from many of the designers taking part, and they’re all FREE. Which is bloody wonderful!

THE ARCADE is all about the gacha, and I’ve been hitting a number of machines especially hard. Naturally I couldn’t get in for the first few days, but I’m not having any bother at all now that the initial furore has eased.

It’s very hard to pick a favourite vendor this time around. My criteria is simple; does it have a cat on it? If the answer is yes then you may proceed! ATOMIC have pushed all my buttons in an abstract sort of way with their ‘Critter Comfort’ collection. Granted, it does look like you’re wearing animal pelts and naturally the idea of wearing a cat draped around my neck fills me with dread, BUT it’s very clear in both lives that these are merely novelty accessories and thank goodness for that, because they look ruddy fabulous:)

The CASA DEL SHAI Crazy Christmas Sweaters are all kinds of fun. Naturally, I’ve been after the jumpers that feature a very grumpy looking cat on them, but no luck yet. As I’ve said before, Gacha festivals of this kind are fabulous for picking up wee items and paraphernalia that really turn your virtual house into a home; and I’ve been collecting items from the SORGO Insomniak Geek Collection to scatter around my skybox work area.

I’m incredibly partial to PIXICAT’s collection of animal onesies, because I collect these in real life…

They’re called ‘Kigurumis‘ and I own a Lion, Lemur and a Kitsune (Japanese Fox) along with a couple of cats too (these are the only snaps I dared share with you of me wearing them though!) I love them, oftentimes I get home from RL work and just throw one of these on and that’s me sorted until bedtime. They’re ruddy roasting as well so you don’t need your RL heating on so high when you’re wearing one. I can’t recommend them enough so was delighted to see them in-world…

But I think perhaps my ultimate must-have items this round, apart from the PIXICAT onesies, are the bags from NYLON PINKNEY. The reason I love these is because I am a super-huge NYLON OUTFITTERS fan. I love Nylon’s quirky and original artworks and designs and when I saw these bags I almost died from excitement. They feature fabulous artworks by the great Nylon herself and include hand-holding animations too. I don’t usually bother with bags in Second Life, but I’m so in love with these that I think bags will be a part of my wardrobe for a long time to come! Naturally I’ve spent a small fortune trying to get the rare, which of course just HAD to be a cat didn’t it? No luck yet sadly, but there’s still time…

THE ARCADE runs until the end of December so you’ve loads of time to visit and gacha yourself into a coma. Kitty-tip, if you’re looking for a particular item from THE ARCADE try yardsales first. My Yardsale of choice is at THE PEA, where everything is nicely alphabetized and easy to navigate, but SERAPHIM has a comprehensive list.

Kitty Wears:

Eyes by IKON

Ears by AITUI

Skin by BELLEZA (Eva Med Matte 8) (UBERSL)

Hair by LITTLE BONES (FROST)

Dress By FOXES (C88)

I’m going to be super relevant by posting about an event that’s just started in world, and that is ‘Food Fair 2013’

(Yes, I know I still have shit tons to catch up on, YIKES!) Food Fair_001

See the ducks in the background? Not on the menu apparently..

I love food, in fact I’m a bit of a pig when it comes to anything edible. I eat way too much junk, not enough fruit, lots of chocolate and hence I am the size of a small planet in real life.

In Second Life of course calories don’t matter so you can eat as much as you want..and with that in mind I set off for Food Fair for shit-loads of virtual tasting!

The Food Fair build is nice and neat and easy to navigate, with a number of colourful shops and stalls centered around a large pond. It features an array of creators offering up their finest food-related wares, but if I’m brutally honest there are some totally baffling vendors here as well, who have little if anything to do with food, but hey, let’s not start off by being too critical, but please asssure me that the breedable sharks aren’t going to be used in Shark Fin soup?!

Well a fair bit actually, and there were lots of avatars here as well. It surprised me that it was so busy,and that is always good to see. Alas, there wasn’t much in the way of food-tasting, but lots to feast your eyes upon nonetheless.CULPRIT have some extremely tasty furniture offerings; including a lovely sofa and liquorice style cushions and pillows. They also have a pear tea set that is absolutely to die for, it’s just so cute and one of those things that you see and wish you had in real life. (Well, at least I do anyway!) I’m one of those girls who prefers pears to apples , especially when it comes to cider, so this had to find a place in my virtual dwelling.

CASA DEL SHAI have a lovely market theme going on with mouth-watering baskets of fruits on display that you just want to dive into and smell and taste and oooohh..my tummy is rumbling. They have some really fabulous kitchen scales on offer too which are well worth a punt and I indulged in the red ones to decorate my kitchen.

Note the watermelons above? Where’s Torley Linden at?!

Looking around I was hoping for more small items that I could decorate my kitchen with, I didn’t see as many as I had hoped, but I did note that there were some stores still setting up so I will have to take a return trip and investigate further. Provided my ever-expanding waist band will let me of course, but back to the tasty stuff.

PILOT is a brand that I have a lot of time and respect for in-world. The work that Kaz Nayar produces is always phenomenally built and textured, and it seems that he can apply those same skills to food making as well. Dear me, I could have picked up and eaten the chicken nuggets, burger and fries and ham dinner that he has on sale! Not only are his products outrageously realistic but land impact is nominal. My only quibble are the prices, L$200 for some nuggets and dip is a bit on the steep side BUT then again..just look at them and tell me they don’t belong in your mouth?!

CIRCA has supplied a gargantuan array of food items, but my favourites have to be the cocktails. They really look the part, and you can buy various different packs to guzzle besides the pool. There’s also a number of really cool Gacha machines in store, I won a few nifty cocktails out of them and they look scrummy!

Of Course BAUWERK have some amazing items for sale ( they don’t really do anything less than awesome do they?) including lovely bistro sets, wine-cork stools and the most delicious looking muffins at just L$5 each! I bloody love muffins I do…

And my last but not least pick is from A.E. METH have created foodie comics in five designs which just look so utterly brilliant. It’s clear that a lot of effort has gone into creating these items, which make them all the more special if you ask me.

These are just a few things that caught my eye at this event. Also check out the brilliantly alternative ‘Witchhazel’s Spice Rack’ at MV, ‘The Summer Barbecue Pack’from RASSASY FOODS and the fabulous fortune cookies bags from ADORE+ABHOR. Now you must excuse me, I’ve eaten a LOT and need to relax a little, so I’m just going to float about a bit with my new duck friends….