Home Sweet Home

After a couple years in SL, I've decided to take the plunge. I've signed up for the premium membership. A quick bit of math revealed, for what I seem to send on SL monthly for a supply of Lindens, I could get a Linden House to go with it if I got a premium account. So I decided to give it a shot.


The main reason for me to sign up was for the house; it would be nice to have a place to change clothes that wasn't so public and to easily rez boxes and objects for review. I realize I could have rented mainland or some island sim, but wanted to give this a shot.

Currently there are four different themes to choose from; a Japanese theme, a fantasy theme, and forest/chalet theme and a suburban theme. I liked the modern style of the suburbans so I went with them. You get 512 sq of land which is covered by your house. In between houses is public protected land and each sim has common areas with places to sit to meet your neighbours. The house is is counted separately from your land (it actually belongs to some guy named Governor Linden), so you get 117 prims to fill it with. Not a lot, but with more and better sculpty furniture, a short supply of prims is becoming less of a problem.

There are a few rules though. You can't build a skybox there, commercial activities and adfarms are not allowed and there are no adult Linden Homes. To me, none of these were drawbacks - in fact they were positive attributes.

The neatest thing about it to me is the ability to customize the look of the house. Every detail in mine can be changed, from trim to floors to the patio stones. It is all controlled via a web page, either in the viewer or a separate browser. Windows and doors can be set to open, shuttered or curtained for privacy and doors can be locked to keep newbies from wandering in.

After just under a week, it seems to be working out fairly well, and I am happy so far. The biggest challenge is to stay under the 117 prim limit and I'll have to get suitable low prim furniture to do so. I'll keep the blog updated on how it all works out.

School's Out

I cast this forth into the ether, in hopes that someone out there is reading it. Well, I know someone is reading it (thanks Mr. Oh!), but wonder if I'm reaching an audience larger than one. Here's hoping.

It occurs to me that school, at my Alma Mater at least, is out. After often desperate attempts at finishing papers and writing exams, students set forth to their summer vacations, summer jobs or back to summer courses. What better way to celebrate than with League's new Teachers Pet outfit. Four colour sets are available (here I'm wearing the blue set), and it has a multitude of layering possibilities and combinations along. Here I have on the full outfit, with shirt and jumper. It includes prim collar and cuffs and the prim skirt even has the shirt tail included. It sells for L$325.





To compliment the outfit, they also offer Gartered Socks for L$145 with a wide selection of colours and two different lengths in each set. I have on the matching blue set here and am also showing the Teachers Pet shirt without the jumper, which includes underwear.











A few favourites appear in these pics as usual - the Clawtooth Fancy Fancy hair again edited to match the outfit, the Tesla Elise 2 Mary Janes and the SE Modern Eyeglasses.

To first photo was taken at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies sim, the RL version of which is a leading foreign language studies institution. After sneaking into the presidents office for a few candid shots, I went down to the lecture hall for a few more formal pics. The second photo was taken in the League main store.

When I was a girl...

...I'd lie in the dark
Listen to the rain hit the roof on the shed
The train across the field would be shakin' the bed
Blissful shivers under the covers.

Trees makin' shapes with the moonlight in the shadows on the walls
Miles from nowhere in a valley off the highway.

- from In a Valley by Carolyn Mark

Sometimes I think Carolyn Mark is writing from inside my head. Except I know she exists in RL, plays guitar much better and dresses more snappily.¹ Still, her songs haunt me and make me all goose pimply when I listen to them. Well, except for Edmonton, which just makes me laugh.

So what does this all have to do with clothing and fashion and SL? Everything. Take the outfit I am showcasing today for example. To me, it creates a mood, sets a scene, leaves an impression. It is romance, luxury and elegance. Plus I think I look quite good in it. Not hard though when you have a store like Silent Sparrow.

This is the sylvan suite in "rose" for L$300 sold near the lucky chair. Other versions, in the room with the rest of the frocks, go for L$400. While there is a violet version that looks suspiciously identical to the rose version, other colours can be had there too.

And it is simply gorgeous. The detail is exquisite, with lace and folds and sheen and layers that give it such depth. There are multiple layers and options, ranging from the modest full Lolita jacket² with prim collar and skirt, to a strapless gown. Gloves are included too.

Again, I have on the Laqroki Saturday hair and Second Eyes Modern Eyeglasses, this time I tinted them myself to match the dress better.

This time the pic was taken in the Mont Saint-Michel sim. The photo doesn't do the sim justice, but it really is worthwhile to check out. It's a fairly faithful reproduction of Mont Saint-Michel off the coast of France, a rocky outcrop connected to the mainland by a causeway. It has an interesting past with use in religion and defence dating back over 1300 years.

1 I'm pleased that my spell check recognizes snappily as a word.³
2 Lolita fashion may not be what you think it is. Rather than a reference to the Vladimir Nabokov novel and subsequent Kubrick film it is on the contrary a fashion subculture based in modesty and beauty with echoes of the Victorian era.
3 I'm also pleased I got to use footnotes in today's post.⁴
4 See note 3.

Something new from DE Designs

Just a quick post today about something brand new from DE Designs. This store always has some great stuff, and the outfits come in many layers and you can make different combinations from the same set. The Carine 10 comes with 3 items for the top - a shirt, a low corset and lace high corset - that can be worn in any combination. Also included are pants and a skirt. I'm shown wearing the oxford shirt, which has prim cuffs, with low corset and the skirt. The set is being sold for an introductory price of L$250 until April 16th, after which it goes for the regular price of L$500, so hurry! The store display shows all the variations, from modest to quite risqué.

Other items shown are the same as the previous post (I wanted to get the word out fast).

A Few Formalities

I'm always a fan of a good Jazz club; taking in the music, cocktail in hand, waiting for that special someone to invite me onto the dance floor for a Fred and Ginger moment. One of my favourites is Frank's Place. It has a good variety of music and interesting people. Of course, an evening out would not be complete without something gorgeous to wear. Here's one of my favourites.

The NYMPHETAMINE Tre'Satin Formal Dress sells for L$800 and has great detail, with cute little bows. The sheen, which is usually hard to pull off in SL clothing, is well done here. Check out the rest of the store too. The clothes are spread across 3 separate buildings so be sure to visit them all. There's a wide variety of very sexy Gothic/Victorian/Steampunk/Lingerie clothes here and all are well made. Very much worth the price for something that will stand out in a crowd. You might be lucky and find a few good hunt items for good measure.

Also in the pic, I have on my Laqroki Saturday hair in black. It comes in a variey of colours for L$250 each, demos available. Wire framed Nea-Ban Fury glasses complete the look. They feature adjustable tint, colour change frames and lenses and can be flipped up on top of your head. They sell for L$175 and you can get a demo.