More Christmas Shops

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

I have been doing some of the Advent Calendars this year but since I am almost out of groups I decided to stick with those where no group is necessary. While I was at a region I took a good look around at some and saw the nice arrangement of items they had in Kiosks or all over the property. I picked some that had really nice or unusual décor for sale and am passing the along to you in case you are a late shopper or are looking for that special gift.

“Santa Claus dropped his presents through the Christmas Wonderland event. There are free gifts in the large calendar and EXCLUSIVE very cheap Christmas outfits in front of it. Don’t miss them and grab them all – Date: Dec 1 to Dec 24 – Contact Person: Rani Rosenhauch “

Rani said it well. Santa has left some great items all over the region. There are many boxes in front of the calendar for sale really low prices! Then take a walk around to see the nice items for sale at the stands.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Forgotten%20Mountains/21/118/27

LouChara sells Furniture and decorations and has weekend sales right at the entrance . Her furniture is divided in to the various types in each building there which makes it easier to shop. The Christmas area had terrific items on display.

I really enjoyed looking at the variety of styles and ended up buying one new holiday bench.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tropical%20Bay/137/171/4001

Another wonderful furniture venue with a calendar is C.M.D. Christmas store. All sorts of Christmas décor is scattered over the region. 

 

What caught my eye was a cute little fairy pushing huge snowballs. Maybe it is not unique but I have never seen it before. There is another one throwing snowballs too.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Thee%20Enchanted%20Forest/203/183/21

 

One more super area to visit for those last minute decorations inside or out is Christmas Delights. Again this is a marvelous place filled with sweet décor. I am happy to see a nice selection of flat décor that is only one prim and looks great . It is good if you need to watch your prim count.

Santa’s Closet is a whole wall filled with all sorts of Christmas clothing with a choice of elegant or cute.There is also a rezz area for greeter bots , AI bots and animesh bots so you can try them out before buying. Stop over there to check them out. RAGDOLL/183/193/1801

I hope you are finished shopping now and can begin enjoying all the winter fun areas that I will be writing about for you.

Gemma Cleanslate

 

The Philosophy of Furniture

By Gemma Cleanslate

I found a gem at the LEA 18 for you to visit. It is called The Philosophy of Furniture, and is based on an essay by Edgar Allen Poe written in 1840. Poe is well known for several of his novels and of course his poems. ‘The Ravens” is one that most people have had contact with around the world in one form or another. Since Poe relied on his writings for income, he did many essays and articles for varied magazines over his too short life. . Evidently Poe was very critical of America’s decor in homes, and possibly the homes themselves.  He wrote with a certain disdain of them. Actually as you go through the entire essay there is criticism of almost every decor in many lands.

When you arrive in the region at the entrance there are posts that will link you to the essay itself and to a analysis of the essay. Or if you would like to listen to it there is an audio for you .A large events board is set up for coming events.As you look around in the distance there are many homes with posters behind them . Now you can teleport to a house and begin your tour there or just start walking.

At the entrance of each house  is an easel that holds a pithy saying about the particular home you are entering and its interior.

Each home is meticulously adorned with furniture of the day mid 1800‘s. It is fun to read the description then view the room. I walked most of the sim entering each home and chuckling at the posters.

I took a walk on the roadways and came across a  penny-farthing bicycle with a large front wheel of the time. Then I took a ride around the sim. It is easy to maneuver so don’t miss that thrill. The ravens fly and caw throughout the sim  listen to their call.

This wonderful exhibit was put together by three Second Life artists, Daark Gothly, Mazie Halpern, and Cienega Soon. The opening was at a ball of the 1800‘s held on May 19th and I am sorry I missed it. It is an amazing installation when one considers the essay on which it is based. It took an abundance of decorations from all over the world that would fit the essay. I applaud all the work here and really enjoyed my visit. Don’t miss it.

 If you are a poet or in one of the poetry groups and would like to bring your poetry to the sim check out the poetry corner information at the entrance too. It seemed to me that Poe was being satirical at times in the essay. But I am not that familiar with many of his essays, so perhaps that is just me.  It might be fun for you to listen to the audio reading of the essay as you explore the homes. 

.Take a look at the stages as you pass by. I believe one is the poetry corner, on the main party stage and the other I am not sure. I will be going back for more visits to check out more .This exhibit will be here until June 29. Daark has been having internet issues, but said to watch the events board at the end of the first week of June for events.  Here you go!  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA18/171/199/22

Gemma Cleanslate

Saving Prims

By Becky "Sha" Shamen

In December, 2015, this writer will celebrate six years in Second Life. For much of that time, I have been an active member of the Sunweaver Community. Being an active member entails more than just showing up for all the social events. A good citizen receives much from being a member and, in return, gives back his services to the rest of the community. They do this by helping those in need, showing a positive and joyful attitude and enhancing the local economy, by renting homes and shops on the community's sims.


Aside from location, key factors for renting are how much will it cost and how many prims will be allowed in the rented area. Regardless of how many prims are allowed, by the time your home starts feeling like your personal piece of heaven on earth, you'll be wishing for a few dozen more prims. Over the years, I have found a number of ways to save prims, while still decorating to get my home to be an extension of my personality. I'd like to share some of what has been learned, in this article.

A good way to personalize your home is to add pictures on the walls. Pictures of your friends, adventures you have been on, things you have built and classic paintings you love can say a lot about the resident, but, at one or two prims each, will quickly eat up your prim allowance. One of the first ways to reduce the number of prims is to make a texture that contains multiple pictures, frames and the transparent space between them included. Doing this, you can cover an entire wall with pictures, using only one prim.

Nice furniture also takes up prims. Fortunately, many shops offer low or one prim furniture, complete with animations. One of my favorite vendors is "Primpossible" and they have a number of great items for furniture and landscaping.

More recently, I have discovered other ways to save prims on displayed pictures. While researching an article, about the Lionheart Community, I walked around all the sims, to take in the atmosphere, chat with the locals and do a bit of shopping. While on the Ahadi sim, I found a shop, called "The Frame House". They have a large assortment of ornate picture frames. Each frame costs L$200 and is only 2 prims. You can edit the contents of the frames to contain dozens of your own pictures and it will then display them, like a slide show. I bought one, then, and have yet to find any limit to the number of pictures that can be added. When I returned to the Frame House, to research this article, I decided they would be a good way to display some of the countless avatars and costumes in my inventory, so I bought another frame. The Frame House also has two photo back drops, for singles or couples. Each has many background photos and poses. I go back often, just to take more pictures.

There is another slide show, that I have, which serves the same purpose while adding a social gathering place. It's called, "Victorian Magic Lantern Show" and is 7 prims. It has a fancy projection screen, 6 benches (seats 12) and a steam powered slide projector. The best part is, this slide show is FREE. You can find it at the Marketplace at the AleyMart merchant. They have 1328 items and they're all FREE. If you want to see their products in world, head on over to  Arcadia Asylum, on the Mieville Pond sim. Be prepared for an adventure there. Everything is unique and interesting. Every time I visit there, I come home with a dozen new toys.

"Sha"