Early Halloween Shopping

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

 Halloween looms. In one chat I heard the other day someone said they saw a store full and posted a slurl. Another remarked ,”I had better check my Christmas decorations” Well, it is not around the corner but Halloween shopping has opened at various popular stores so it is time to start looking. I flew over to one of my favorite Halloween shops I knew would be open to look . There is so much! Dench is a shop where I always find cute décor for any holiday.

 The Halloween shop is massive as usual. Before you enter the building itself check the outside lawns filled with outdoor décor for your parcels. Inside find skellies , wanderers, wearable spooky dancers that you can try out by sitting on them, and so much more. Check out the ghouls and goblins and lots of pumpkins.Some moan, or groan and add to the spookiness. How about getting a full avatar for the holiday. There are always gifts for group members and so many bargains! There is a whole wall full of 5L decorations. Large and small . Do not miss it!!

 

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rookery/20/33/222

I have a friend who always gives me a rezzday or Christmas gift that she created from a collection of fun things. I finally asked her where she gets the pieces she puts together so well with animation and sound sometimes. She pointed me to full perm places to look at the offerings. I went over to two just to see what was available. The places are amazing ! The walls of both full perm sites were full of items that could be used to build a display of your liking. Some of the stores have vendors on the wall that are collected for the holiday or type. Others are spread around all the walls. So searching for Halloween or autumn related items takes a while. Caming is necessary. I did see a couple of shoppers flying to be closer to choose what they wanted. Regular builders probably are used to this and have no problem. That is not me . Go take a look though if you love to combine items or pass them along to others .

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Optimal/230/244/21  

 

Also, there is the Sweetlips store which had great pumpkins!!

I love the name of this place, Meshed Potato.
 

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Graybar/135/93/21

There are many more autumn and Halloween sales to check out and I will be back with a few more.

Gemma Cleanslate

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

 

Snuggle Christmas Store

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

When I go to another favorite Christmas shopping site I plan on spending time. I go there after Dench because I love the name... Snuggle.

 

The Christmas shopping area is set on several regions. Walking to check out all the outside décor takes a while. There are so many items I would love to put on my property but no room sadly! It is good that there is a teleport board showing all the different types of décor areas to help the shoppers.

The Santa barn has all kinds of Santas. Some are climbing, some collapsed, some sitting or walking about ready to grace your region or home. There are cute skaters if you have a pond. Of course you can find trees and more.

I love the gift shop. Racks of cards for relatives, sweethearts, friends and more line the wall.

I love the gift shop. Racks of cards for relatives, sweethearts, friends and more line the wall. There are pop up cards that are amazing and directions for passing them along. Great gift boxes are available for you to fill with your gifts. I fell in love with the hanging balls that spin slowly .

Of course I left my wallet at home because the gift shop has the most gorgeous snowglobes and I am addicted!! Many are transfer or copy so you can choose. They make wonderful gifts!

Have fun while you are there !

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snuggles%20Holidays/25/160/27

Gemma Cleanslate

 

Design

Dench Christmas Shop

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

As usual one of my first shopping stops for Christmas is Dench Christmas shop. Not only can one get the greatest freebies and group gifts and Advent Calendar but Amanda Dench always has such lovely gifts. Her decorations are charming and low priced.

The outside décor will enhance a region or a front yard. If you want a Santa wandering around the region look here. Her Santas range from small to huge ! They skate , roam ,wave and ride bikes and some say Merry Christmas. Watch out for the bucking reindeer! Look all around! Trees and trucks to carry them dot the snow with cute winter creatures, and snowmen scattered about. One item I wanted but have no place to put it is a gorgeous fountain with a hud that rezzes partridge, sparrow , snowdrop flowers and other cute décor as you wish. I could not believe the low price!

I love going in and up the stairs to check the freebies and the bargains in the corner . There is always something I missed before and can grab now . Amanda has such great gifts every month and at holidays for group members. This year there are 5L specials also . Check out the walls .

If you love companion dancers with super huds check them out . Just sit on each to try them and see how you look. When I bring one to a party there are always compliments on how cute they are. The huds have a huge choice of dances to fit any music being played . Sometimes there is one for a group gift also. I will be checking out many of the Christmas markets going on starting this weekend. I took a peek at some that were already under construction but showed lots of promise for holiday shopping and this year in SL. It is always a wonderful experience and many locations have all kinds of winter sports and photo opportunities.

This is the Christmas store itself http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rookery/241/21/21

Gemma Cleanslate

Three Halloween Shopping Places

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

Here we go into the dark days of Halloween. There are some wonderful regions set up for the holiday. If you are looking for places to shop for your region or just your home. I always like to visit Dench Halloween store . Since I am a member I can grab the fun many gifts. There are so many wanderers moving about that fit well in home or around a region or club. Check outside the store and inside . They are everywhere.

Wearable dancer companions are so numerous this year there are rezz areas to see what they look like. If you are in the group look at the gift area for four free ones too. I love the wearable dancers who have a great dance hud to fit any music you hear.

One can get a whole group like the Asylum inmates or the skeleton band. Don’t miss the Halloween bargain counter for 5L items. The shop will be open until November 1st. 

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rookery/22/33/222

Another store I always love to visit is Khargo . The Halloween store is amazing. Many items are set outside among the brilliant autumn trees and foliage. Take a walk all around to check out the variety of display items and figures. How about a whole Haunted house. The prices are also great here too.

Be careful of the some of them.. you may become part of the setting. Many of the items will fit well on small parcels and many for larger parcels . The shop is full of items to decorate inside a club, or shop and definitely a home.

I could not resist this decoration.. no clue where I will put it but the price was right too!!!Do not miss visiting Khargo. 

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//216/113/21

One more store to visit that is full of sets of scenery. The landmark is listed as “Fiendish Rides and Haunt” If I had a region to fill or even a quarter of a region to decorate for the season or even just an event I would start here and then move on to the two stores above . A scene from here would be the base and more décor would go around it. Arriving at the store one has many doors to choose from..

I started at the Main Ride area. Here you get a chance to take the varied rides and see what you like.

They are scary! Try some. One that I was impressed with and glad to survive was the Grim Funeral!

I was informed by a mysterious voice that it was MY funeral!

Then I moved into the demo area where one can rezz different rides and experiences and try those also. Just going here will give one loads of rides experiences even if you don’t buy them all. A whole day can be spent over at Grimley. Checking games and characters also. It is a trip worth taking!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Koko/53/204/3003

Gemma Cleanslate

Note:  Two pictures were missing when the article was first posted. They have since been added.

Christmas Shopping at Dench Designs and Snuggles Holidays

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

It is that time again! Christmas shopping time. No sooner did the orange and black disappear than out came the green and red at and bright lights many shops . One of my very favorites opened the Christmas shop the very next day after Halloween and I was so happy to see it.

Amanda Dench has such a fun Christmas shopping area I love getting there to look at everything and pick up all the freebies offered to members of her group and check out the bargain corner where past goodies are offered for only 5 or 10L. You find all these gifts and items on the second floor, always my first destination.

Outside the Christmas store at Dench Designs are charming little winter scenes that fit any parcel or region. I love to see Santa riding a bike in the snow. There is a giant Santa dancing at the door of the shop.

Inside are the wonderful fireplaces, trees, and so many fun animesh dancers. Jump on a dancer and see how you look with that partner for dancing! There are wonderful new full avatars this year too and wearable dancers from penguins to Santa himself. They are great fun to bring to a party. I had to buy one. I always say I am not going to buy things while doing these articles but guess what. The prices are right too!! And, if you join the group there is a 50% discount on many items. 

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rookery/21/36

Another favorite place to visit because it is so organized so you can find your favorite types of décor easily is at Snuggles Holidays, The Christmas at Snuggles . I also love the name of the regions. Gnomes, trees, animals and so much more.

Inside the huge shop there are décorations for your home interior and more. Looking for Christmas cards? There is a generous collection of various cards for loved ones, family and friends.

If you have a friend who loves and collects bears and want to make a gift of one a really good choice is found here too. Look for the teleport to and from inside and outside décor. The place is large so plan some time to look around. I joined the group to get an avatar for Christmas gatherings at a really low price. I will be searching for more good shopping for you in the next days.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snuggles%20Holidays/163/220/25

 

Gemma Cleanslate

 

The Surplus Motors UTV, And More Home and Garden Items

 *
By Bixyl Shuftan

While residents in Second Life can walk, teleport, and (usually) fly around, many of us desire vehicles. We're used to using them in real life, and they look cool. At the Home and Garden, Surplus Motors has one car with 100% of the money going to the Relay: the Surplus Motors UTV (Utility Task Vehicle).

To begin with, the price is 996 Linden dollars. But you don't actually get one vehicle, but you get a package deal with two sets of three. One set is for human, furry, and other avatars around 5-6 feet in height. The second is a smaller set of vehicles for dinkie tiny avatars. So instead of one vehicle for a thousand linden, it's three for 333 Lindens each (or 166 each if you spend some time in both regular-sized and dinkie avatars). 

Of the three varieties, one is the standard UTV, orange in color. Another, painted John Deere green, is made to look like it's for farming with it's wheelbarrow and other equipment in the back. There is also a white UTV made to look like it's for parking lots, or perhaps roads. Each is well detailed on the inside, with steering wheel, gearshift, dashboard, seat belts, etc.

In the notecard, Surplus Motors boasted a number of features for the UTV

-License plate change
-9 preset colors, possibility to add your own
-Projectors lights (advanced light settings only)
-Shadow on/off
-RL sounds
-Re-size
-Smoother driving
-Multiple driver and passenger animations
-Multiple shift styles
-Exhaust smoke
-Adjustable seating
-Automatic/Manual Transmission
-Unlock/Lock
-Alarm
-Eject
-Working lights
-Opening doors

....And more features to boot!

Driving the car is simple enough. Just click on it, and sit. Move by pressing the forward arrow, and steer with the left and right arrows. To shift gears, press the PageUp and PageDown buttons. But the notecard says you can by pressing SHIFT and then either the up or down arrows. To go in reverse, shift gears down to reverse, then press the up arrow. To go up an inclined surface, such as that of some of the bridges on Bellisseria, you'll probably need to shift to second or third gear.

I found the car simple enough to drive, in both regular and dinkie sizes. The dinkie UTV seems to go a little faster, but it's the same speed. It just seems faster as the car is smaller.

Talking to Jules Catlyn, the woman behind Surplus Motors, she plans on doing more dinkie-sized cars in the future, "I gave an affiliate vendor for Dinkies cars to aminata Potez. To support her sim and I like Dinkies." She added she's been getting some positive responses from Raglan Shire about them as well.

To get the Surplus Motors UTV, head to Hope 2 (184/216/23).

*  *  *  *  *

Besides the UTV, there are many other idems up for sale. For those with horses, I found a "Caution: Stallion" sign. It's at EitshEks [HX] Stables by Hera Silverfall (Herasdejavou), located at Hope 2 (60/112/23).

At Ari-Pari, the 10L hunt item is the Shamrock Top Hat Planter by Ariana Petrova, located at Hope 2 (16/92/23). Just add and unpack.

Checking Sigma, among the items they have is a hallway shelf. It costs 200L. Their 10L hunt item is a candle. Both are made by Soft Tenkins. Get them at Hope 2 (66/16/23).

That's it for now from the Expo. Enjoy the shopping.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Macy's Christmas Parade and The Christmas Expo

 
By Gemma  Cleanslate

So the shopping goes on. There are still many places to visit if you are looking for more trees, wreaths , scenery, or outfits. I will never get to all of them and I am pretty sure you won’t either. I still have a few recommendations though. Here are some reminders first.

Frannie DJ has put away all her Thanksgiving day parade floats and now has her Christmas Parade out. It will stay open until Christmas Day . Santa is still there at Macy’s store and there is still ice skating going on. I stopped over to see some of the floats which are as beautiful as ever. Don’t miss it! There is snow on the ground and the trees are glistening with ice formations on the limbs.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Steamy%20Shores/72/206/700

Remember to visit The Christmas Expo. This event is raising money for research for the American Cancer Society and has so much going on!

There are parties and raffles and Breedables, sales and auctions, and so many shops with goodies to continue your search for décor and outfits.

If you get there before the ninth, you can enter the snowman (and snowwoman) making contest. The regions are beautifully decorated just for exploring.  

The Expo website at https://slchristmasexpo.com/  will tell you everything you need to know. This SURL will get you there : https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Christmas%20Expo/55/128/23

Also, the Shop and Hop event opens Wednesday at 9am . Get ready for so many shops in one place on 12 regions with 240 merchants. Extreme lag in the early days, but it will be open until January 2 of the new year. I am sure there will be gifts at most shops.

Gemma Cleanslate