Well, That Escalated Quickly

1 Well that escalated quickly sm

Please tell me I’m not the only person who goes to a store to buy ONE THING and comes home with a house, decor items and a nearly empty wallet?

Yeah, that was my Thursday.

I saw a beach sign from hive while I was out grid-hopping that I just had to have. So I headed over to the main store, whispering the chant, “Please don’t let it be a gacha…PLEASE don’t let it be a gacha!” When I arrived, I heaved a sigh of relief that it wasn’t. So I bought it (well, I actually bought the fatpack of signs, but it was a STEAL!) Then, instead of doing the sensible thing and TPing out, I wandered. And yeah…there it was, with a shiny “NEW” sign on it…a gacha with the most delectable shabby chic STUFF. Before I could stop myself (like I really tried *rolls eyes*) I was dropping my L’s like a male stripper’s boxers on ladies night.

I really didn’t make out too badly. I hit the rare house on only the um…well, before I was broke. I was so thrilled that I hurried home, only to realise that with my new contemporary look, I had no place to put my pretty new things. With a heavy sigh, I scurried to my barren platform and started rezzing out my goodies. Oh, so pretty! Oh, so nice!

Oh, so empty…

Yeah, I had a half dozen things to place in the adorable little house, but it just felt so sparse. So, of course, that meant digging deep into my inventory for my favourites to fill the space: [ keke ], Kalopsia, {anc}, dust bunny, 8f8 and [ zerkalo ]. Throw in a couple of tables from {what next} and Meche, a rug from Apt B and a pair of puppies from Fawny and the look was complete. OK, I could have tossed in a few more things, but I was running low on prims, so I dusted off my hands, sighed happily and just admired my handiwork.

There is a big list of credits, but after all of that work, I wasn’t about to simply enjoy my little haven by myself. There is a mix of old and new – a virtual treasure trove of delights…

…that started with one lousy beach sign that didn’t even make it into the picture.

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:

*From [ keke ] by Kean Kelly:
Available at The Chapter Four August 4-21 (gacha prizes):
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase white L RARE
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase white S RARE
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase white M RARE
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase red L
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase red M
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase red S
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase purple L
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase purple M
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase purple S
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase pink L
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase pink M
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase pink S
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase orange L
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase orange M
[ keke ] honeysuckle in vase orange S

[ keke ] glass art – love
[ keke ] cloth1
[ keke ] bokeh glitter big – pink
[ keke ] milk jug flowers – white
[ keke ] tea tin sprout – 3 (gacha prize)
[ keke ] water mister – floral
[ keke ] heart balloon – 3 blush
[ keke ] tin box side table – bright
[ keke ] tile shelf – green 1
[ keke ] tile shelf – pink 2
[ keke ] curiosity bell jar – dragonfly blue (gacha prize)

From Kalopsia by Isabeau Barragula:
Kalopsia – Madeleine’s Daybed – White
– Kalopsia – Bunny Foofoo – Standing – White
Kalopsia – Madeleine’s Trolley – White
Kalopsia – Madeleine’s Croquembouche
Kalopsia – Madeleine’s Plate Pile
Kalopsia – Flower Case
Kalopsia – Old Box (Green)
Kalopsia – Leslie’s Postcards Frame – White
Kalopsia – Room Divider
Kalopsia – Stacking Pouf
Kalopsia – Lavande Box

From {anc} by aki69:
{anc} Hatsuyume / pink peacock PET 6Li RARE
{anc} Hatsuyume / stand for pink peacock
{anc} garden. whitebook
{anc} garden. rose 6Li. RARE
{anc} happyendpark.pennant garland. ground (white)

From dust bunny by xlnoel (all common gacha prizes):
dust bunny . robin nest . silver
dust bunny . spring reading
dust bunny . pom pom blanket
dust bunny . storybook living . white candlestick phone
dust bunny . wanderlust . ivy apothecary cabinet
dust bunny . jewelry box
dust bunny . beaded lamp
dust bunny . hanging flower pot . blue
dust bunny . wanderlust . book planter

From 8f8 by iBi: (all gacha prizes):
8f8 – 16. Our Secret Hideout – Arts ‘n’ Crafts
8f8 – 15. Our Secret Hideout – Magic Box
32_8f8 – Granny’s Winter Cottage – Cushions Set

From [ zerkalo ] by ZerkaloDesigner:
[ zerkalo ] Fresh Roses – White (available at The Crossroads August 2016)
[ zerkalo ] Like a Bird – Flower Candle Light (gacha prize)

From hive by thehivestore (gacha prizes):
hive // birdcage candles [teal]
hive // butterfly wall [set 2]
hive // twigged heart [dark]
hive // antiques sign
hive // vintage clock [silver]
hive // quaint shack RARE

Meche Cozy Cottage Coffee Table by Eeilee (gacha prize)
*{what next} Amelie Coffee Table by Winter Thorn
Apt B // Vie en Rose – Rug by FadeArcade (gacha prize)
Fawny – My little puppy – 1. & My little puppy – 14 by akirakiyoi

You’ve Been Gone Forever

1 You were gone forever sm

Most of the time I am doing a photograph for my blog, I shoot in a created space. By that I mean a set I have put together on my platform specifically for the photo. It is usually just a single room I have decorated in a house I have rezzed specifically for the purpose or in the box I have hanging beneath the platform and colour-change to suit the mood. While I sometimes use the clearing in the woods at the back of my land, I seldom photograph inside my Second Life residence.

This isn’t because I am shy about showing off the interior of my home. Rather, it is because I am usually using brand new items (interspersed with some older favourites) for my blog photos. Even though I may love each little treasure I show, my home is more stable. Many of the objects I use are ancient in Second Life terms – a month in SL being the equivalent of a dog’s year – and we all know that newness equates to relevance in the SL blogging world. As an official blogger for several events and designers, my job is to showcase their latest releases. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t surround myself with pretty things that I have held dear for a period of time.

Nothing in this photo really falls into that “old” category, yet it doesn’t meet the “hot off the presses” criteria, either. They are just things that I like and chose to make a (relatively) permanent part of my Second Life. They may be replaced at some stage, but for now, they form one of my favourite spaces in my home. The recessed windows in this house from Scarlet Creative just cry out for little vignettes to be created. Several of the puppies from Fawny frolic outdoors, but this little fella stays inside…waiting patiently for my return.

He may spend time curled up in the rocking chair or gnawing on the pom poms of the blanket in his basket, but whatever he does, he will always be watching for me to come home. Whether I’ve been away for a few minutes or overnight, his reaction is always the same – greeting me as if I’ve been gone forever.

He knows; he counted.

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:

Puppy: Fawny – My little puppy – 9 by akirakiyoi (gacha prize)
Chair: Scarlet Creative – The Arcade Dec 15 Campbell Chair MT by Charlotte Bartlett (gacha prize)
Basket: dust bunny . pom pom blanket by xlnoel (gacha prize)
Build: Scarlet Creative Country Keep by Charlotte Bartlett
Tree: HPMD* Garden Tree05 – white 2A + 2B by Sasaya Kayo