Jan 27, 2011

Reflections of Monet

Claude Monet was a well known french artist and one of the founders of Impressionism.  He is well known, for consistently using the technique of painting the effects of light en plein air, with broken light and rapid brushstrokes.  From him, came pieces of artwork that are filled with life, colour, breathtakingly beautiful and memorable.
In Wanderstill, the first thing you will see is a field that is heavily reminiscent of Monet's Poppies Blooming.  Filled with color, light and life it captures your attention and holds it.  Walking through the sim, it holds your attention through out it, with strategically placed buildings among the natural settings.
It is a fabulous place for couples to enjoy slow, leisure walks though nature, enjoying the sites and sounds of the land and a tempting morsel for any photographer, to sit and capture the quiet beauty that is in front of them.  Tempted, I started to play with my windlight settings and enjoyed seeing the different effects I could create with this sim.  As you will see with the following pictures, this sim shows it's beauty throughout the different lighting, making it a perfect subject to have.
Default lighting setting
AnaLutetia - AvatarOpt 
AnaLu *studio*5 setting
AM Radio's Nostalgia setting
As you can see, the same image but with several different settings, you can get some very nice looks coming out.  The following pictures, are from another section of the sim, that I found too picturesque to pass up:
[TOR]Sunset - Warmer setting
[TOR]Sunset - Vehicle Sandbox setting
The last two, are similar but the last one has a little softer, more romatic look with Torley's Vehicle Sandbox setting. 
I do suggest dropping by and taking a walk around this fabulous sim, either alone or with that special someone.  For the couples, you will find some well placed dance balls as well, so if you feel in the mood to dance, surrounded by nature, it's all set up for you.

Jan 25, 2011

Where is the Men's things?

I was passed a note card today, that had some nice gifts exclusively for the men that was titled 2011 Men's gifts.  Terrific, eh?  Something for the guys at last!  It was not too bad of a list for the men, not overly long either.  This note card started me pondering on something that has bothered me before.  Where is all the men's stores with group gifts and freebies?  Where are all the men's stores located?  When you do a search for them, you come up with a few stores but, nothing near what is available out there for the women. 
I've travelled quite extensively in Second Life, always looks for beautiful things to appreciate, places to enjoy and interesting sites to be explored.  In my travels and through some of my groups I participate in, one thing I notice consistently is that many things appear to be heavily geared to the female base of Second Life.  I do understand that the women avatars outnumber the male avatars heavily but, does that mean that the male avatar's should not be catered to, at least a little more; than what they presently are right now?
I can go through Second Life, right now and fully dress a female avatar with ease, costing very little to my wallet, just off of group gifts, subscribo gifts, dollarbies and freebies and the end result will be appealing.  Try that with a male avatar though and it's more difficult. 
Myself personally, I'm going to start looking specifically for men's stores and malls.  Places where a man can go and find some good, quality items and some freebies, gifts or dollarbies to try out.
Keep in tuned..I'll post what I find here and try to build a decent list.

**Side note:  Yes, I do have a post that is dedicated to men but, it was awhile ago and it does need some updating.  I'm also looking for stores that seem to really focus more on the men than the women and does give out regular items as incentives or bonuses to their customers.**

Jan 24, 2011

The Beauty of Frost

One of the reasons I love hunts is because while you are jumping from sim to sim, in search of the hidden items for the hunt; you can see some truly amazing areas of beauty.   The Seasons hunt lead me to the Frost sim, where the Fall into Decay store is located. 
When you first land in the sim, you will find yourself in a little cottage style house, where you have the option of tping to several areas in the sim.  Hunting down that darn snowman (the hunt item in the Seasons hunt), gave me the opportunity to also see what sim owners had done with their sim.
The first place I headed was to tp over to the ground floor.  Down there, the owners have created a space that has an ethereal/fantasy atmosphere.  You will find some really cute little bunnies and alot of beautiful foliage and flowers there.  It didn't take long for me to find a spot that appealed to me and start flipping through my windlight settings to see what it would look like with different lighting.
Using Fine Day Windlight setting
(Side note:  I didn't photoshop or touch up any of these photos but, instead relied on the windlight settings to create the looks.)
Used the FSOriginal windlight setting here
 The next area I jumped up to was the Alirium Gardens.  You will land in the store area and see a light filled doorway.  Go to the light and find the beauty here.  It opens up into a spring type garden, that is filled with butterflies and beams of warm light.
Fine Day windsetting still being used


Now, I was a bit of a goose here and realized I could  not find the right tp to go back up to the main landing point, so I had to use the lm for the Frost sim to get back up.  When I finally was back in the cottage, I walked out of the house and down the boardwalk.  The reason for the sims name is here...among the many trees, laden down with frost on their branches, creating a world filled with crystal and light.
Using AnaLutetia-studio windsetting here
Continue down the boardwalk, enjoying the splendor of the winter forest around you till you reach the bottom and find not only the store (yes, I finally found the snowman) but, a land filled with grass, trees and animals, that are glistening with the frosty air.
Using A-12PM windlight setting on this scene
12-PM still from the other side of the area.
 The thing about this sim and the way it's been set up, with your windlight settings, it's easy to create a wide variety of looks and appearances here.  This is a terrific spot for photographers to get some really creative works of art done or for explorers to just wander around in. 

Jan 23, 2011

Two Sisters Market

Yesterday I received a notice that the Two Sister Market by Prim & Pixel Paradise was open.  Curious, I tped over to take a  look around at their new sim and was in for a great surprise.  Not only is this a market place but, it's a veritable feast for the eyes to enjoy.  I can only imagine the hours, that the owner dedicated to this sim and the end result is just breathtaking! 
Another fabulous aspect of this sim, it's not just exclusively for the market.  There is an amazing cinema, where last night you could have watched Legend, a ballroom to dance in and an enchanted forest to spend time with that special someone.
Yes, I'm in love with this place but, you decide from the following pictures, if this sim is just a cornucopia of beauty to see, appreciate and enjoy.
Prim & Pixel Paradise store
Near the landing point
The quaint shops, which add to the look
There is brick style and tent style shops available
The ballroom where you can dance under the stars
As you can see, alot of work and thought have gone into this amazing sim.  It's a wonderful place for couples to enjoy, photographers to appreciate and a fantastic atmosphere to shop in. 

Jan 13, 2011

OMG! 40 Groups

**Please scroll to bottom for special note on increased group limit and instructions for viewers without the option of higher group allotment.**
As some may remember, back in October it was announced that LL will finally be giving the long requested increase in the groups.  No date was given when it would arrive but, many have been waiting in high anticipation for the increase, yours truly being one of those people.  Well, the long awaited and anticipated allowance of 40 groups has finally arrived on the grid! (does a little happy dance).  When I logged on today, in the Huntaholics and More group, there was an announcement on the arrival of the allowance and how to activate it, if you were using the Phoenix viewer.  Yay!
If you are using the LL Viewer 2.0, you won't have to enable anything, it will automatically be set up for the increase in the groups.  But on viewers like Phoenix, you may have to go to the Debug settings and type in phoenix40Groupsupport and set it to True.  After doing that, you will have to relog, for the setting to activate.  Despite checking out the wiki's of both Imprudence and Ascent, I have sadly found no mention in either one of their wiki's, on if they have made the adjustments to allow for 40 groups in their viewers.  I'm hoping that they have, for the sake of their users, they have created an option to allow for it but, till I hear more mention of it, I'm going to assume at this time that they do not have it.  
Now that we have the group allotment increased, I do wonder if some of those stores out there that have fees to join their group, will waive the fee for a short period of time, for those who could not join since our group slots were filled or if they will at least have a discounted fee.  I doubt some would consider it and in fact I did find one group that I was going to join, instead had hiked their fee up by an incredible amount.  I'm not sure if that will be a trend with some of the stores but, for those that do that, I will just be avoiding them in the future probably.  Most though won't go with that option and for those, I will be looking to happily join your group, since the only thing that held me back was not enough room for groups in the past.  
I do have one question though...will 40 groups be enough for some of us?  lol

**As of January 12, LL decided to change their mind and instead of 40 groups, we received a 42 group allotment.  I'm adding this note since they pushed the limit a little higher.  The downside of this though is that Phoenix, Ascent and Emergence (I did find that Emergence also allows for the group increase), are all set for 40 groups since that was the announced number originally by LL.  At this present point and time, the only viewer that you can ADD 42 groups on, is the LL V.2.  There is a workaround for those who need it.  For those using the 1.23 viewer, snowglobe or one of the viewers that have not had the extra code to add the higher amount, if you go onto V.2 and add a group, then jump back to say snowglobe...you keep the group.  It will mean that you have to add the groups by jumping on and off to get them but, you will be able to enjoy the higher amount and still keep the viewer that you normally enjoy.  If you leave a group and want to join again, you will have to pop over to the 2.0, if it's over the 40 limit.  If you are under the 40 limit though, please remember that Ascent, Phoenix and Emergence can do it also.**

Getting Spoiled by **Latte**

A little store I like to go to and drool over their creations, is **Latte**Why do I do that?  Because the creator is very talented and has a knack for figuring out what the customer wants.  The designs are appealing to the eye, feminine but, not overly frilly and it's very stylish. 
Right now, you can pick up some really nice group gifts at the store, which is free to join; to give you and idea of how the clothes will look on you.  I grabbed them while I was there and though I'm still an amateur with the camera, I hopefully did them create.
The only thing that is not from the store is the jeans, which was a gift from Woe during the holidays.  You get a nice selection of tights, the cute jacket, a light beige cardigan set, which I paired with the fur lined jacket.  The black dress is from the Xmas gift, which is still available.  The newest gift though is the chocolate one in the upper corner put with the burgundy tights, which is just too cute for words.  The purple sweater dress is perfect for the cold weather and stylishly semi-casual and great to wear as a dress or use as an oversized sweater teamed with some leggings.
As usual, I used hair from Truth in my pictures and the boots are from Mary Jane shoes, where I picked up their group gift which went perfect with the chocolate dress.

Jan 10, 2011

[solita]

While browsing through the Twitter announcements, I noticed a mention of a store that was new to me.  Out of curiosity, I followed the link and read about a nice free scarf being offered for [solita]'s newest locations opening.  Off I went, in search of a cute scarf and discovered a very sweet little store, that offers some extremely well made skirts and adorable purses.  While browsing, I had the pleasure of meeting the creator of [solita], a very sweet lady, who is extremely nice and takes great care in her creations, named nene Flores.  I had the pleasure of talking with her for a bit and found that she is a newer creator who is showing an incredible amount of promise.  At this time, she offers a nice selection of skirts, purses and of course, an adorable scarf  but, hopefully we will be seeing her expand her wonderful talents to a broader range of items, for example tops.  Needless to say, I did some nice shopping there, picking up some very cute skirts and the adorable scarf.  I grabbed a few pictures of the items I picked up, including a very generous gift from nene, a fat pack of purses that are too cute for words!
Exclusive purse when you purchase the fat pack
A nice variety of purses are available and with the color choices, in the fat pack, I recommend picking it up.  Also, with the fat pack, there is an Exclusive one included, that gives you a little more for your Linden.
nene has chosen colors that are more neutral, which means that these fabulous skirts can be mixed and matched very easily, with items that are already in your wardrobe.  An amazing find and one that I'm very pleased with!

Jan 8, 2011

Feeding the Fashion Addict in me

Yesterday, I was passed a little notecard for some nice deals.  I'm in way too many groups, who love to pass these types of note cards around like trading cards.  I have to send a big thank you to Huntaholics and More for helping feed my shopping addiction, with some amazing finds and discoveries, with free gifts and group gifts from stores.  My inventory is groaning and threatening to spill over and I thank them all, for helping me get it to the state it is.  
The note card was for the Designers Showcase, which shows off some wonderful works from some very talented creators.  I ended up discovering **[Riddle]**, a creator through the Showcase, that I'm totally in love with.  The designs are fresh, clean and simple, with textures that are of an amazing quality.  


I love this look and the cost was minimal to create it.  The hair is from Exile, their TDR exclusive that is available this week for 65L(?).  The skin is from Natural Beauty(formerly known as Tik Tok), who is a guest creator over at TDR where you will find this skin for 60L.  The sleek ankle boots, that matched this outfit perfectly, is from MJS, which I picked up during their Christmas Bow Hunt for 0L.  The dress was only 99L, which is a steal at the Designer Showcase.  The shape is actually mine, which I created ages ago when I was bored one day, so it's not available anywhere but, hit me up if you really want it and I'm always happy to pass it over.
Now I'm off to go find the next deals that I know have been arriving, my email is getting loaded again so I know have some looking around to do.  
**Note** If you wish to get the shape, please send a notecard.  I get capped so badly, from all the subscribos I'm signed up on.  lol

aDIVA closing

Alas, RL can sometimes call us away and in the case of aDIVA, that has occurred.  Sadly, after January 31st, the store will be closed and the creator will be leaving SL.   Before that happens though, all items in the store have been marked down by 50% off and gives everyone a chance to pick up some amazing designs.  A little note, this is a very popular store, so there is lag when you go in, due to the amount of customers that have are shopping.  My advice is to drop all those extra prims and scripts before you go over, it will help cut down on the lag and allow you to move around a little better without those dragging you down.
As you can see from the photos of the outfits I picked up, the quality and designs are amazing and sharp looking.  There is a nice variety of styles for including some amazing formal wear, wedding gowns, lingerie, casual, semi-casual and beach wear.  At 50% off these wonderful creations, it's well worth jump over to aDIVA for one last look before the store is closed.

Jan 4, 2011

Groups of SL

For the longest time, residents of SL have been asking, begging and pleading to have a larger group allowance.  Originally, when Second life was still in it's earlier days, there was a limit of 15 groups that you can join.  Eventually over time, Linden Labs increased the amount that you could join to 25 and that is where it has stayed for quite awhile.  Many have found that with the increase of people and places, the 25 group limit is no longer enough.
Thankfully, back on October 14th, 2010, FJ Linden blogged on the Second Life site that there was an increase in the works to up the limit to a 40 group allowance.  Many of the residences were not only happy to hear that there is an increase in the future but, glad that their complaints, at least in this; had been finally heard.
At the time of the announcement, no date was mentioned, since they were still far enough away from the actual event to give a date.  
Recently, there has been mention that in the first week of January, it will be getting very busy and there has been hints that the increase of the 40 group limit is right on the horizon.  Sadly though, we still do not have a precise date though.
Myself personally, I am going to really enjoy having more options.  I'm personally tired of joining and having to leave groups, so that I can make more room for other groups or not even being able to join because I'm fully packed up to my limit.
During the holiday season, I was joining and then leaving groups, in the search for group gifts and freebies.  Alas, now that the season is over, some of those very groups who were free, have a charge to them, which in some cases, are a little too rich for my blood and wallet.  I don't mind groups with a 10L-50L fee in order to discourage spammers but, when the fee is over 200L-1000L, all I do is just shake my head and walk away.
Alas, there is nothing that can be done about it, it's the decision of the group owners but, I do wish Linden Lab would have hurried up and implemented the increase before the holiday season was over, it would have been a fabulous gift to the residents.