creature of habit.

For someone as wrapped up in SL home & garden as I am, I surprisingly rarely buy  new furniture and/or change up my own living conditions. I tend to keep the same house for years with not a lot of changes to the interior. I think it's mostly because I'm lazy. That's one reason why I hardly ever decorate the houses I'm sent for review. Primarily, it's because I want to showcase the build on its own without distractions...and secondly, because it just takes too much time to really dress up a space properly. What can ya do?

With that said, though, I have recently strayed outside my usual routine. Bought me a new kitchen. Yep. Sure did. Look at me go.

Well, me being me, I did keep several pieces of my old kitchen, too, and just worked in the new stuff. The new stuff happens to be the Vine "Vite" Bistro Kitchen from LISP Bazaar (Pandora Popstar) and I LOVE IT. It's currently available at CHIC², a great event celebrating the 2nd birthday of Chic Management. (You need to check out the whole event, lots of nice stuff: clothes, jewelry, skins, hair, furniture, poses, and more!) When I saw the Vine "Vite" Bistro Kitchen, I made a snap decision to redecorate!

The table and chairs are part of the Castara Dine-in Kitchen from The Loft, and were in my kitchen already. I've also kept some accessories and shelves from that set, too. 

The cabinets along the wall are part of the Vine "Vite" Bistro set, and you guys know how I love surfaces on which to put things, so I lovelovelove having this counter space!

The scale, baskets of bread, pastries, and espresso set are also part of the new set. Pandora has really done a great job with her accessories!

The lamps are my favorite. ♥ They're texture change, as well.

The white cabinet in the background is one of my own pieces from the Second Spaces shop, and one of my personal favorites.

So there ya go - my new(ish) kitchen! It's nice and cozy, just like I like it.

I went back and looked at my pics from when I first set this house up in January 2011...and I realize that I have made a few other small changes over the past 18 months...so maybe I'll share those soon, too. Progress!

I am most productive...

...when I procrastinate. Instead of, you know, making new creations and blogging over the holiday break, I did an amazing job of staying very busy while still shirking all responsibilities. Yay me! I decided that I wanted a new house and landscaping...and so I made that happen. I really enjoyed living in the windmill for the past year or so, but I am totally in love with my new house. ♥♥♥

House: Holle Bilt house by Dutchie (Froukje Hoorenbeek) *I retextured pretty much the entire interior - the house comes with a very modern interior, which looks awesome - I just wanted something shabby and airier. The outside of the house was not changed at all.*

Landscaping: Trees by Botanical (Kriss Lehmann); grass/flowers by Kidd Garden (doP Kdd) // Scarecrow by Herbalys (Albert Beerbaum) // pergola by True Love Never Dies (Via Tereshchenko)

And now for the tour:

Front steps: Birdhouse by Life Is Good (ino Jie) *no longer available // potted plants by Kyoot Home (Saeya Nyanda) // purple iris by Heart Garden (Lilith Heart)

Kitchen: dining table & chairs, refrigerator, sink & counter, stove, wall shelves, sideboard, milk pail stool, plaid curtains, overhead lighting - all part of the Castara Dine-in Kitchen by The Loft (Colleen Desmoulins) // message board by Second Spaces (Elle Kirshner) // radiator by m.fox (Miabella Foxley) *no longer available // frame with coat hook by MudHoney (Rayvn Hynes) // white cabinet by Second Spaces (Elle Kirshner) // sheer curtains by m.fox (Miabella Foxley) *no longer available // window shades by The Loft (Colleen Desmoulins)

Dining Room: table, chairs, wall art, decorative branches, table setting & decor, rug - all part of the Klee Dining set by The Loft (Colleen Desmoulins) // November shadow box by {what next} (Winter Thorn) // Windbrooke lanterns by :ZF: Panache (Zyrra Falcone) // window shades by The Loft (Colleen Desmoulins) // sheer curtains by Ambiance (Desiree Bisiani)

Living Room: sofas, side table & accessories, coffee table & accessories, rug, curtains - all part of the Alex Living Room by The Loft (Colleen Desmoulins) // Coastal Cottage Shell Picture (on the floor, leaning against the wall, in the corner) by {what next} (Winter Thorn) // fireplace (part of the Cozy Nook set) by Second Spaces (Elle Kirshner) // Blue slipper chair (part of the Morgan Christmas set) by The Loft (Colleen Desmoulins) // tea tray by NOTsoBAD (Emilie Freund) // Laurel Log Basket by {what next} (Winter Thorn) // tree & birds by Nordari (Jordan Giant) // October shadow box and Laurel print (over the fireplace) by {what next} (Winter Thorn) // decorative spheres (on the mantel)  by The Loft (Colleen Desmoulins // window shades by The Loft (Colleen Desmoulins)

By the stairs: Console table, poufs, lamps, frames - part of the Alex Living Room - tree with lamp - wall art - all by The Loft (Colleen Desmoulins) // Red storage bench by The Loft (Colleen Desmoulins) // Raven wall decor by {what next} (Winter Thorn)

Bedroom: Madera bed by MudHoney (Rayn Hynes) // blue side table by Kinokoko (Hiroro Mayo) // potted wall flowers (part of Conversation Porch Set) by Second Spaces (Elle Kirshner) // off-the-hook phone by Blonde (Zedellbee Zuhal) // radiator by The Loft (Colleen Desmoulins) // baskets by Y's House (Yacchan Clip) // retro stereo by ponitee (Poponi Wiefel) // cottage table and chair by LISP Bazaar (Pandora Popstar) // blue & green accessory boxes by Second Spaces (Elle Kirshner) // Rough Plank Coffee Table by MudHoney (Rayvn Hynes) // potted flowers by i Tu Tu (Kao Sands) // Aged Floral Rug by MudHoney (Rayvn Hynes) // window shades by m.fox (Miabella Foxley) *no longer available // Old Window (part of the Spring Gazebo set) by MudHoney (Rayvn Hynes) // mannequins by Theosophy (Trace Osterham) // steamer trunk by LISP Bazaar (Pandora Popstar)

Nook: Woodcutter bookshelf and Bookworm pouf by LISP Bazaar (Pandora Popstar) // memento board by Nordari (Jordan Giant) // lounge and rugs (part of the Spring Gazebo set) by MudHoney (Rayvn Hynes) // box of nostalgia by Insight Designs (Amisha March) // Drawer set side table by Kyoot Home (Saeya Nyanda) // candle trio by MudHoney (Rayvn Hynes) // Vintage string lights by Kunstkammer (Nuala Shippe) *no longer available

Office, etc: Elma green console by Agent Orange (Sienia Trevellion) // Table Top Easel by La'Licious Designs (Amaliscious Destiny) // desk, stool, armoire, file cabinet, corkboard, desk accessories, rug by Second Spaces (Elle Kirshner) // wall art (part of Spring Gazebo set) by MudHoney (Rayvn Hynes)

Outdoors: The Catcher's Shack by Turnip's Homes & Stuff (Turnip Sorbet) // potting shed shelves, table, and accessories (part of Uncle Hank's Potting Shed set) by Second Spaces (Elle Kirshner) // dock and boat (part of Otis Dock set)  by Second Spaces (Elle Kirshner) // Hufnie Nautical Sofa, coffee table by The Loft (Colleen Desmoulins) // innertube by Pulling Strings (Elle Kirshner)

Grass: a mixture of grasses from Turnip's Homes & Stuff (Turnip Sorbet), Zigana (Nalena Fairey), and flowers from i Tu Tu (Kao Sands)

House Hunting - part 3 - we're home!

So, RL kept me away for a few days...to catch everyone up, I've been house hunting with my best guy, Giskard. We looked high, we looked low, we looked in my inventory, and we looked side to side. To see all the candidates, check the posts here and here.  We found a lot of great possibilities, and after much thought and consideration, we chose.....are you ready?

Sure?

OMG CLICK FOR MORE!

The Windmill from JD Mechanical Toy Factory!! Yay! We love the quirkiness of it, and of course I adore the detail and awesome texturing. I terraformed to give us as much of a high bluff as my land would allow, added lots of rocks for a coastal feel, and got to decorating! The rocks are from Las Islas, complete with swirly foam and misty sprays. I wanted a picture with the spray, but my graphics weren't cooperating. The grasses are a mix from Organica and Shade Fantasy Outfitters, and the cherry trees are from my favorite,  Heart Garden Centre!

Stepping inside, you'll see our main living area. Both Gis and I really love the Aether steampunk set from Belle Belle, so we knew we wanted to include some pieces from that collection. The seating, coffee table, and fireplace are part of it, as well as the gear-clock thingy on the wall. I used pieces from the m. fox collection along with a lot of my own furniture and accessories from Second Spaces. It's cozy!

You can see the detail on the Aether pieces from Belle Belle in the middle picture below. Love it!

Taking the ladder up to the middle floor...well, we don't really have anything there yet. Except for the cool ass ventilator from the Aether set again! Otherwise, I'm using that as a work space...and right now, to play with the super high-powered fan that n0th1ng Ackland of ~Dirty Rat~ sent me. :)

Up on the third level I've set up a bedroom space. From here you can also take the ladder up to the very top of the windmill, which is a great look out spot. For pirates and whatnot. The Chabba bed is from NOTsoBAD, and it's just gorgeous! It's color changeable and has a gazillion animations in it, and it's just so lush. I also set up a little sink/vanity area...it's simple, but I really like the feel of the room.

Oddly enough, all those toiletries are Giskard's.

Heading back outside, I've got a precious little birdhouse on the porch area, right next to my swing. We also have Tiki, our steampunk tiki god, standing guard on the rocks to ward off evil..or whatever it is that steampunk tiki gods will ward off.

There ya have it! That's our place! Yay for house hunting and cool stuff!

SLurls/credits

JD Mechanical Toy Factory: windmill

Belle Belle: living room couch, chair, coffee table, fireplace, gears clock, ventilator, bedroom dresser and armoire

m. fox: bookshelf, accessories (some of them) *m. fox store is no longer open :(

Second Spaces: dining table, board games, accessories (some of the rest of them), sideboard

NOTsoBAD: bed

The Loft: sink, bedroom picture frames and and lamp, painting, toiletries, basket o' towels, some of the flowers

Ambiance: sake set, brandy set

[ba] Barnesworth Anubis: large floor candles

Ramos Designs: bedroom white shag rug

Life is Good: precious birds and birdhouse

Lucy Rusts' Boondoggle: steampunk tiki god

Las Islas: rocks, swirly water and seamist

Heart Garden Centre: cherry trees

Organica: grasses, wildflowers

Shade Fantasy Outfitters: grasses

*This is by no means a complete inventory, but it is the biggest pieces, and then some of the smaller pieces that I can actually remember where they came from, and even some accessory pieces that are in the pics but hard to see - just know that they're there!*

House Hunting - part 2 of 3...yeah, I think 3 will do it.

Good morning, dear readers. When last we spoke, I shared with you three of the "maybe" houses that Giskard and I had found so far in our hunt. As mentioned, our goal was to find a place that works on my waterfront land...that fits a mish-mash of our styles (my shabby chic cottage with his steampunk)...and that is, well, you know, cool and awesome. SO...let's see what else we found!

As it turns out, I have quite a lot of houses in my inventory that have come to me for blog reviews, or as thanks for blog reviews, or just because I have some really amazing designer friends. :) All of the houses in my inventory are wonderful, but not all of them really fit what Gis and I are looking for. One that we did pull out and give another look is the Fujisawa House from Bahia Tiki and Zen by Aral Levitt. I reviewed this house back in May, and I really do love it. I love Asian design in houses and furniture, and the details in the Fujisawa are just gorgeous. Plus, it's a perfect size - not too big, not too small (in which to eat our porridge). I think we could make steampunk work with an Asian aesthetic...shabby chic cottage might be trickier, but I see possibilities. Add it to the list!

Next stop: JD Mechanical Toy Factory, Jenne Dibou's awesome little steampunky shop. I think I blogged JD Mechanical last year for some of their gorgeous Christmas deco items, and I hadn't really stopped by since then (shame on me!). When we popped over there this time, we found a beautiful windmill prefab! Yes, a windmill! Great detail, gorgeous textures, a working millstone! The living space is just the right size - nice living area on the first floor, a small room on the middle floor, and then another open area up in the silo of the windmill where you can take a ladder to the very top. This would be really great for my shabby chic stuff, and I think we could work in steampunk easily enough. On the list! (Jenne also has a gorgeous lighthouse - we loved that, too, but the living space was a bit too small. Definitely look for the LM giver at JD Mechanical and go see the lighthouse for yourself!)

I also took a look at Pre Fabulous Homes by Amo Lambeau & Fornicola Butuzova. I've checked out all of their houses before - and they're all worth visiting - but this time I had a specific goal, of course. This time, what caught my eye was The Old Barn. Now, I know that's a stretch...but it's such a great barn, and just like with churches, I love the idea of converting barns into houses. It can be done! Gorgeous textures and the use of light and shadow really give the barn the kind of depth I always look for in a build...the stalls on the main floor would be great for little sub-rooms...and the little spaces on the upper levels are perfect for a cozy bedroom/nook. Oh yes, I added it to the list!

And there you have it - that's our list! Stay tuned for the next installment when we find out which one was chosen! Will it suit both of our styles? Will it work with the land? Will it be awesome? Will Elle just do it her way and tell Gis to man up and accept it? Find out soon!

SLurls:

Bahia Tiki and Zen

JD Mechanical Toy Factory

Pre Fabulous Homes

House Hunting - part 1 of...3? maybe? we'll see how that goes.

Dear readers, you know that I love SL houses. I talk about them. I blog them. If I hear/see someone ask "where can I get such-and-such style of house?", I bust out LMs, blog links, designer names in a flash! However...I have been living in the same house, on the same land, with the same landscaping for approximately 2 years and 9 months. So, I'd already been thinking it might be time for a change...and then my best guy, Giskard, and I made things "official"...so it really seemed like a good time to make a change, and to make a change to something that was for both of us and our individual tastes.

And so the hunt began. Now I'm predominantly a simple, cottage, shabby chic kind of gal...and Gis really doesn't think about decor or style, BUT he does love steampunk. So our goal was to bring our two styles together. My land is a gorgeous parcel on the water, part of about 12-15 sims that comprise the ring of habitable land around the base of a very large volcano. I've had a tropical/tiki vibe going since I moved in - you can see how it was all set up originally in early blog posts here and here - so I wanted to do something different.

We started the search with one of my favorites,  [ba] Barnesworth Anubis. Of course, Barnes has a ton of houses to choose from, and that's where my original house came from. The one that stood out for Giskard was the Lungo house. We liked the simple lines, the open concept...I liked that it could be a fairly blank canvas for the mish-mash of our styles. So it went on the "maybe" list.

Next, a trip to another of my favorites, Leyla Firefly's Belle Belle Furniture. Leyla doesn't have a ton of houses, but I know she has some, and that was reason enough for me. When I landed, I found a LM giver to a new house - Ravenwood Manor. Awesome! What I really like about Ravenwood is that it's not your average prefab house. It's a bit spooky, maybe a bit kooky, and I really think that it would work great with both shabby chic/cottage and steampunk decor - it's a bit bigger than we need, but not so massive that we'd get lost in there. I can also totally see this house high on a bluff overlooking the ocean...and as it turns out, I have an ocean. :) So here's another for the "maybe" list!

Next, I went searching thru my folder of LMs for places that are "to be blogged." I've got quite a few places that I haven't gotten around to blogging, but that I have checked out and deemed as awesome. One of those places is ~Dirty Rat~ by n0th1ng Ackland. Gis and I spent a lot of time there, a while back, rezzing all the houses and checking them out -- there are a ton of really cool, eclectic, unusual prefabs to check out, so I highly recommend a visit to play with them all! The one that most caught my attention this time around is the Old Church. I really love the idea of refurbishing an old church to be used as a house, in RL as well as SL, so this idea really got me excited. Plus, an old abandoned church is perfect for both of our styles - I could buy 2 copies (they're mod only) and mod them together to create one church with a larger interior...take most of the pews out...and ta da, a perfect open living space, sort of like a rundown warehouse loft, just quirkier. :) Surround it with tall grass, wildflowers, etc - oh, my mind paints a gorgeous picture! Add it to the "maybe' list!

Okay, for those keeping score at home, that's 3 on the "maybe" list...tune in tomorrow (or sometime soon after that) for part 2 of The Hunt!

SLurls:

[ba] Barnesworth Anubis (main shop location - you can TP from there to each display house)

Belle Belle (main location) and here's the SLurl straight to Ravenwood Manor

~Dirty Rat!~ (look for the teleporter pad in the shop to take you to the display platform)

***By the way, Belle Belle is holding their first ever "Belle" Trick of Treat Hunt until midnight SLT tonight! Twenty prizes to be found - look for the bones that will be spawning around the sim - click and get a trick (no prize) or a treat! Hurry up and get over there!!***

http://secondspaces.wordpress.com/2007/07/29/more-of-my-place/

Bloggers Gone Bad - It Happened to Me.

I was on a roll there for a bit -- now it's been a month without even a *poke* from me. I've been quite busy with a project that is so close to being done -- like this close [ ] -- and that I will be posting about soon. In the meantime, I grabbed a few minutes to start a series of posts I've had in mind for a while.

Welcome to 'The Top 12 Places You Should Know About If You Have a SL Home', as decided by Elle Kirshner. There are countless designers in SL making awesome houses, furniture, trees, plants, accessories, and on and on and on, and I will always encourage everyone to explore, explore, explore because there is so much great stuff to be found. However, I do have certain LMs that I am quick to share with folks who are looking for these things -- sort of a starter kit. This is not a countdown or a stack ranking -- just really my favorite places and the ones I recommend the most.

Today, we'll start with the houses. I think it's awesome to build your own -- but there are some amazing ones out there, and if you like instant gratification like I do ;) , then save the building for your garden shed or beach gazebo and pick up a prefab.

Barnesworth Anubis Pre-Fab[ulous] Homes & Furniture

I can't believe I've never highlighted Barnesworth. I've mentioned his designs in a few posts -- my own home is a BA pre-fab - but I realize now that I've never actually highlighted him. BA has residential and commercial pre-fabs. If you've ever been shopping, well, pretty much anywhere there is a collection of stores, then I guarantee you've seen at least 3 of his commercial designs. On the residential side, he has just a ton of pre-fabs ranging in tropical styles, a few retro-modern, a few asian, and his newest collection of Victorian styles, seen below.

All of his pre-fabs are rezzed and available for a walk-through; you can TP from the main store, quite conveniently. I want you to go check it out yourselves, so I'm not going to load you up with pictures. Just one pre-fab that I'll highlight to further pique your curiosity. ;) The La Jolla House:

The La Jolla House is 149 prims, comes with a privacy system of tinting windows and locking doors, and is available for L$1750, mod/copy. I think what I like best about BA's houses - aside from the fact that they rule - is that most of them are fairly small, just 1 or 2 rooms. That's perfect for SL -- how many of us really need the 10 room mansion? Also, all the furniture is BA Designs as well, and is available for purchase! It takes all the guesswork out of decorating!

So there ya go, the first in our Top 12 List. Look for another post in the very near future to spotlight another awesome designer of pre-fabs. Oooooh, the suspense!

*New Stuff @ Second Spaces!*

I'm happy to introduce the Sinatra Lounge set - it's my first go at patio furniture, and I'm quite happy with the results. It's really a build-your-own approach: the sectional is made up of pieces that can be purchased individually and configured to suit your space. Cool, huh?

You can see the entire set displayed on the dock outside Second Spaces. When you pop in to the entrance of the shop, just turn around and head to the water. :) You can't miss it. Enjoy!

*Ooooooh! Update, part 3*

I present Odell in all his full-grown glory:

 

Isn't he beautiful? You have to get to PlantPets and get one!!

Thanks again, Bruce & team!!!

*Oooooh! update, part 2*

Bruce Liebknecht and his awesome team at PlantPets are so sweet - as thanks for my blog post about their line of interactive plants, they let me have my choice of an updated, brand-new-and-improved PlantPet! With all the hustle and bustle of the new club, I didn't even have a chance to rez it until last night. It's a Delft Blue Hibiscus (or was it a Hyacinth? damn, I'm awful with plants) - and it's gorgeous when it's full grown. I am keeping it paused when I'm not able to stand right there by it, since I can't stand the heartbreak ;) - so I upped it to Super Fast growth speed. I only had about 10 minutes to let it grow last night, and here's how far we've come:

The shading on the leaves is beautiful. As with all PlantPets, you can give a name to your plant -- so meet Odell. I'll update as he sprouts (heh) - I did want to point out the container, though. Very nice texturing.

 Thanks so much to Bruce and team!!!

*Ooooh!* update

Just a quick update on Otis - he's coming along very nicely. I learned quickly that I should pause growth before I log off SL - otherwise, he slowly drains his water, then sends me an offline IM to let me know he is not happy! The guilt was too much to bear. :) But look how pretty he is!!!

Pick up your own at PlantPets!

*Ooooh!*

Ok - this is awesome. I saw the ad for PlantPets on lindenlifestyles.com (where Second Spaces is also currently advertised - yay!) I absolutely love this concept -- plants that grow, and with which you can interact. Genius. Bruce Liebknecht is the mastermind, and I love love love the shop! So cute.

There are a variety of roses, asters, calla lilies, hyacinths, whatever-the-plural-of-hibiscus-is (hibscuses? hibiscusii? hibiscu?), and you can purchase gift copies, too. These would be excellent housewarming gifts, by the way. The plants come potted, and Bruce also sells pots individually, or you can re-pot your plant in your own container. The options are so fun:

• you can set it so friends can water your plant for you (handy)
• you can check the water level, the development, the health, and the happiness of your plant :)
• you can turn on IMs from the plant - it will IM you every 12 hours if it's unhappy (awww :( )
• you can turn on particles for when the plant is happy :)
• you can set the speed of growth, or pause it completely

So, I had to buy one and check it out. :) I picked up the Eleusis Roseus - which I renamed to Otis, for no specific reason other than because I could. I set it up in the house, then sat on the couch and worked on the club schedule for next week -- saw some pretty significant results over about 30-45 minutes.

See the happy particles? And finally, I sit back and enjoy the bloom. I paused the growth after this part because I had to leave, and I don't want to miss any of it!

I'll have to post updated pics as Otis continues to grow -- it's like having a puppy. :) Check out PlantPets here - so fun!

*Second Spaces Spotlight*

I've started working on the revamp of my South Beach store, just haven't made a lot of progress. In the meantime, since I have established my theme for the boxed products, I decided to use one of those marketing shots to spotlight my favorite set.

The Marie set is the first set where I finally felt like I actually knew what I was doing when creating textures. :) Takes me a while, sometimes... I created the wood texture from scratch, as well as the rug, and the upholstery fabric was a download that I tweaked and shaded to work. While I notice and adore details like shading and depth in textures, my brain doesn't always work the way I need it to to successfully create such details as shading and depth. So - to sum up ;) - I was pretty damn impressed with myself when I created the Marie set. This is the living set; there is also a dining set in a sage green finish.

You can see the Marie set rezzed at the Envy store, and it's also available (boxed) in the South Beach store. More to come soon!

*Holiday Stuff*

Ok, first -- Happy Holidays, all. Second -- I've been searching for cool holiday decor, and have not really found much that I consider above & beyond. Sure, you can find trees and wreaths and garlands and lights all over the place - some are nice, some are not - but I was looking for things a bit outside the norm, things with a bit more charm. I will continue my hunt, but I wanted to go ahead and share what I've found so far. First, at Boudoir, owner Xia Xevious has several really cute, great quality items. She has Christmas ornaments that have exactly the texture I've been trying to create myself -- and which has remained elusive to me. Great job, Xia -- I am envious.

Xia has a collection of other items, shown below - great detail and nice features, like the color change. The snowmen are so cute that I had to buy them, and they now reside happily in front of my bamboo patch.

I also checked out Ramos Designs, one of my frequently-shopped choices for furniture and accessories. They have a large selection of Christmas items - again, a lot of trees, lights, wreaths, etc - all great quality, as expected from Ramos, and certainly worth checking out. I bought some lights to decorate the club, and I'll have to post some pics of that later. Also, they had an awesome Santa chair, complete with Santa and poseballs. I swear I took pics of that...but I can't seem to locate them. I'll have to come back to that. Another thing they had at Ramos that caught my eye were some adorable and wonderfully detailed tabletop Christmas trees!! Wee and petite - I love them!

For my house, I didn't get too fancy. I have my snowmen, of course, and I picked up a very nice and simple and *free* Christmas Tree from Mantra's Doll City location. There's a 4 prim version and a 10 prim version, and the trees are copy. Very simple, and slightly elegant -- nice detail, again.

And now -- I saved the best for last. :) Of course, I had to check in at Heart Garden Centre, my absolute favorite place for SL plants, and those wonderful Heart girls did not let me down!!!!

The lighted trees may be some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in SL. I <3 them beyond words. The poinsettia bush is awesome - you have to love a poinsettia plant during the holidays, and an entire bush? Absolutely. The detail, as always, is amazing. Man, I have been all about detail in this post -- it's important!

You can find Xia's stuff upstairs at her Boudoir location in Roosa.

Check out Ramos Designs holiday items here on Ramos Island.

Check out Heart Garden Centre's holiday items at their main sim. The lighted trees come in white, pink, blue, green, and red, and are available as singles or in landscaping packs of saplings or mature trees. They also have Christmas trees, garlands, etc -- I picked up some poinsettia garlands that I'm going to put in the club, too. I'll have to update once I've done that. Check it out - enjoy!

*Designer Kudos!*

After my post on Heart Garden Centre, I sent a brief IM to Lilith and Dolly Heart just to let them know I had featured them on the blog. Soon after, I got a reply from Lilith, thanking me for the blog post, AND sending me some gifts!!! As I told her, it was never my intention to get free stuff -- but I'll take it! :) She sent me some gorgeous tropical arrangements that I put out at my place, and I want to be sure to thank her formally and properly here!!! Here are the Beach Edge and Phoenix arrangements that I placed at the edge of my little beach. My place was pretty lush before -- these arrangements increase the lushness ten-fold! I love them!! It's a much more secluded feeling now when you're standing in my yard.

The vertical arrangements are the Phoenix, and the leaning are the Beach Edge. As mentioned in my previous post, one of the best things about Heart Garden Centre is that you can buy arrangements like this -- instead of piecing it together yourself, Lilith and Dolly have done some of the creative thinking for you! There are 10 trees and about 5 plants here - and it's actually just 4 arrangement objects. Genius. Makes it that much easier to landscape.

Lilith also gave me 'Tropical Arrangement-spear palm and strelitzia1' -- the lilies (I think they're lilies - maybe orchids?) are beautiful. I placed this arrangement over by my campfire and hammock.

About 2 weeks ago, I sent a note to Lilith to ask if she's ever come across plants, or textures, that are neglected, wilted, run-down, etc. My sim (Doll City) has its 'wrong side of the tracks' section where everything is just slightly worn, a bit gritty, and I've been looking for some landscaping to match that, without much success. Once again, Lilith jumped in to help -- she is a sweetheart! She hadn't seen anything exactly like I was looking for - and I believe she was appalled at the thought of neglected plants :) - but she sent me a few items of her own that she thought might work. While they weren't exactly what I had in mind, they were awesome! She sent me a few samples of her 'Gothic hook - thorn bush' - I told her they are perfect for some sort of haunted enchanted garden. :) Throw in some oversized sculpted flowers, and it would be a magical place. I did place them in Doll City, next to our spooky graveyard that's in place for Halloween, just so I could showcase them here.

How awesome are those??

Be sure to check out my previous post on Heart Garden Centre for more info, and check out their main location in-world: Heart Garden Centre

Thank you again, Lilith!!!

More of my place

Just wanted to round out the blogging of my own place -- I am very proud of it and like to show it off. :) Here's my porch, a great place for lounging. I've been on a half-hearted search for a showerhead that i can attach to the glass wall -- would make an awesome outdoor shower.

Inside and to the left is the living area - the couch has my all-time favorite cuddle pose, and the rug is -- well....you know...naughty. For the record, the rug has also sat idle for quite some time. ;)

To the right when you walk in is my little reading nook. The chairs and table were gifts made by my dear pal Louis Beauchamp; check out his profile in-world. He and his partner have done some amazing work.

It's not just for show -- some books and magazines for actual reading in the nook. :)

Last, I'll point out the little window boxes I made. These are just the planters that all of us have somewhere in inventory; I retextured them as closely to the house as I could. The flowers are from Maracas Tropicals, where you can find some very nice landscaping items (and these were copiable) -- just a nice little touch for outside.

Living room, porch chaises: Ramos Designs

Naughty Rug: Neva Naughty Designs

Glass Wall: C.A. Designs

Flowers: Maracas Tropicals

Well, I have NOT gotten off to a bangin' start...w...

Well, I have NOT gotten off to a bangin' start...which doesn't surprise me. To fill up some space, I'm going to start with some pics of my own house. *ego alert*
This is an awesome prefab by Barnesworth Anubis, one of his tropical series. I saw this a while before I ever purchased land - and it haunted me! I had to have it!! I bought my first property with this house in mind - and the land and house match perfectly!!
**UPDATE** you can find Barnesworth's tropical houses displayed here. He has tons of great prefabs that are completely worth the time to check out, and you can find his main location here.

Next installment - more pics of my own house! Because it's my blog! :)