Happy Friday! :) Just a few new(ish) cool things from some of the grid's finest!
Ambiance Furniture: Desiree Bisiani has recently released the Esmerelda Kitchen, and it is full of awesome. This is a BIG set, perfect for those with huge SL houses. The kitchen comes with fun poses and animations, for both singles and couples ;) and includes props like a sponge, spatula, etc to coordinate with the animations. It's also texture-changing with 4 color options -- my favorite two:
What I really love about the kitchen is all the little details you see in the pics: knife block, cutting board, paper towel holder, canisters, etc. I also really like (because I'm such a geek about this stuff) that Desiree included wall shadows for some of the items. Look closely at the canisters and the spoon holder -- they cast shadows on the backsplash. I love that!!
There's quite a bit of the set not shown here, including a gorgeous fireplace, so get over to Ambiance to see it all for yourself!
Winx Home & Garden - Whimsy Winx does an amazing job of 'fantastical'. Her Lotus Water Temple series is something you MUST see in person. Pictures just can't do it justice, and you need to feel these builds. Plus Oubliette is a gorgeous sim to visit and explore all on its own, and Whimsy has everything landscaped so wonderfully to complement the Lotus series...really, neither pics NOR words do justice, so just go! ...after you look at my pictures that don't do justice but that I worked hard on...
Lotus Water Temple - this is the biggest piece of the series - so many things you could do with this. It's got two seating areas built in (and you can get the Bollywood theme or the Jade Tea Garden theme) and then some empty spots you can decorate yourself. The stairs may be my favorite part -- I just love that they're all smooth and rounded.
In addition to the temple, you'll find a Grotto, Fire Pit, and Gazebo all in the Lotus Water Temple style. When you land in Oubliette, facing the Winx sign, turn to your right and head to the water to see the temple. To see the rest of the pieces, take the TP (also at the sign) to the Winx Home & Garden display area. All gorgeous!
Belle Belle - Leyla Firefly is now offering a Preferred Shopper / Gift Card program! I'm starting to see similar programs around SL, mostly with fashion designers, and I think it's a great idea for any shop, regardless whether fashion, decor, or whatever! You need to join the Belle Belle group (which you should do anyway because Leyla has really cute group freebies) and then you can grab your Preferred Shopper card from the service desk at the shop. Essentially, every time you buy something at Belle Belle, make sure to wear your card and your discount credits will begin to accrue! From there, your card will act like a basic gift card: if you've accrued $L150 on your Preferred Shopper card, then you can turn around and use the card to buy something of that value or less. I like it!!
When I stopped by Belle Belle to grab more info about the program, I noticed a veggie garden out front that I hadn't seen before. This may not be that new...but it's super cute! I already love Leyla's flower garden, and this is the same concept - a really cute little plot of veggies, complete with gardening tool and animation. I think I really just love the little plant terrarium (or whatever we would call that) most of all!
