Chic at Phil's Place

When I heard about the Challenge for Builders I was intrigued. Not enough to dust off my hammer and nail pouch, but definitely enough to show you some of the great things they have come up with. Each month is a new theme determined by some random generator. It's good to get outside our comfort zones now and then.


This month it's the "California Bungalow" which congers memories of the 1960s maybe?


Wikipedia defines the style as:

Bungalows are 1 or 1½ story houses, with sloping roofs and eaves with unenclosed rafters, and typically feature a gable (or an attic vent designed to look like one) over the main portion of the house. Ideally, bungalows are horizontal in massing, and are integrated with the earth by use of local materials and transitional plantings. This helps create the signature look most people associate with the California Bungalow.

It looks like the style came into being at the turn of the last century and had a resurgence in the 1990's. Well "I" was off by a few decades either way.

The items shown here are just part of a big selection for the Challenge from Cleo Design. The animations in the furniture are loads of fun with the middle photo showing a push-up sequence. I dare you not to smile! The veranda is part of the release. Add it to your existing house for Springtime living.

The tea cart table is from  L'aize Dayz  and works perfectly with the oh so pretty tea set.


And yes, I did change clothes! Yeah! This is a fairly recent release from 1 Hundred. My pants are another color of the harem capris from SLC. Earrings (don't you love them) are unbelievably old, most likely from a hunt and undoubtedly not available :D.  Happy I got to wear them again.



Poses by: the furniture

There is of course a story that goes with this photo.

I had a house and garden post planned for this slot. Photos in the can and all that. Then, on the last shot I really loved the light and thought, "you really DO need a new profile picture" - and that is very true. Since I was sure I had the perfect pose in my huge collection of not gone through completely poses from the big Do (link to the fair in the credits), I opened a few new boxes.

Now I never found the portrait pose that I needed. I am sure there are at least a dozen that would be perfect, but today was not the day for a new profile it seems. But, along the way I found this new pose from aDORKable and immediately fell in love. Happily, aDORKable poses not only come with mirrors but they are mod. That means I can write a note to myself in the name of the pose. I do that often when the option is available to me. So happy gal, I took this photo up on my building pad.

There is more news -- in my corner of the virtual world anyway. While I have no verification that it is true, it "seems" like the new server code that was supposed to improve our framerates by leaps and bounds has arrived. I was filming yesterday and having issues with framerate. Slooooow. Then I logged on again last eve, checked my framerate and saw 189 zip across the screen. How can that be? I had never seen more than 149 and that was a break out the champagne moment.

THEN I turned on my shadows to film. Oh my! 8.6. Same sim. Same time. Same viewer. I continued to film with shadows but it was painful. On the upside, this improvement (if it really wasn't a fluke) is great for most folks. Things work perfectly of course up here on my building pad where there are few scripts, textures et al. But just in case you run with shadows and notice a sharp stab in your heart while trying to photograph ....  :D.

I read a comment a couple of days ago about the great improvement in frame rate. It included a side comment about "but not with shadows". I hear ya.

I am wearing a newish top by 1 Hundred and another color of those great harem capris from SLC. Fashion photos coming up tomorrow.


Pose by: aDORKable from the Simple set at Pose Fair 2013.

Don't shoot me please, but yes this is again another Pose Fair 2013 post. The good news is that pose fair is now OPEN so you can go shop for yourself.

Honestly I can remember sighing at 5286 Hair Fair post with "look this is me in XYZ's new hair". Well it isn't all that bad, is it? Honestly I admire the posemakers immensely and want to feature everyone I can.


These are poses from fri.day. Not the monkey bars which I am sure you will have already seen. I didn't want the more regular poses to get overshadowed by the prop -- even though it is very cute and I have added it to the park at MOSP *wink*.


These poses are from the Profile and Sweet.Sour pose sets. Simple, natural and immanently usable.

My outfit is from SLC. See this morning's post for all the info you need. 


Poses by: fri.day at Pose Fair 2013

There are just so many great bits of newness at Pose Fair 2013 which is almost open as this posts :D. Yeah!  Trying to play a bit of catchup, you get three of my favorite poses from three different designers. They all have loads of goodies for you to try out and try on so I am sure you will have a great time at the fair.

First up is Poise who has some "hoop" poses. Now the poses come with a hoop prop, but I (amazingly) had my own favorite from a retro fair if I remember correctly -- and we DO get attached to our favorite things. The poses are lots of fun and of course could be used with all sorts of other props besides hoops. This one could easily have a set of barbells for example :D.


aDORKable has lots of new releases too including a pack called "Whimsy". The name appealed to me and so do the poses. All fun!  I am wearing a lunchbox from Elymode's gatcha machine. Not "everything" thing at the fair is an animation *wink*.



Here is a casual and slightly lost little girl pose from Coco -- part of the Spring Fling set.

Oh my! I almost forgot. I have new duds!!!!!!  Very cute harem capris and a cropped tank (sold separately) from  SLC. If you have been to the shop you know the prices are great. There are tons of colors to choose from. You can mix and match to your heart's content. These are VERY comfy.

For me, the top ran a little large and the bottoms a little small -- but what's in a sizing letter anyway. They look great and that's what matters. They move nicely with the body which is good if you are going through all these moves!



Poses by: Poise, aDORKable and Coco at Pose Fair 2013

Now Diesel Works has been one of my long time favorite pose stores for awhile. I even remember when the shop opened. Yes, I am THAT old.  If you follow my blog, you see Rogan Diesel's creations mentioned often. With a huge selection of newness for the fair, it was difficult to know where to start. So -- I simply opened the first box!


Poses by: Diesel Works at Pose Fair 2013 (Beth Series)

Today's Pose Fair post features oOo Studio whose new lookbook collections have some "hands above the waist" poses, perfect for Victorian, Steampunk and Dolly attire.


Each of the posemakers has new releases out for you when the fair opens tomorrow. oOo Studio has sixteen new poses.


If you have a vintage home or castle, you can pick up this lovely bed and dresser (sold separately) at a terrific price starting tomorrow at Storaxtree @ Loordes of London. The mesh is excellent and they are very nicely textured. This is a SSW Weekends special.

My dress is an oldie from ~L&S~.


Poses by: oOo Studio at Pose Fair 2013

The question of why we blog, how we blog, and how we see ourselves as a bloggers seems to be coming up a lot of late. Partly because of what I believe was the "patient zero" post here. I also had a blogger coordinator for an upcoming and well looked forward to venue contact me for my thoughts on blogging events. So the theme is in the ethers for sure.

I am coming up on post 3000 soon. Did, when I started, even think I would be blogging this long? Well, I actually didn't think about it. I was just out of the pod. I was asked. I liked it. True I had blogged in real life, but the virtual world was new to me. When I began blogging long ago, there really weren't review copies, blogger boxes or blogger support groups. There weren't all that many of us and a large number of us started out with or joined iheartsl when it was a group blog, before it became a feed.

I paid my dues, blogging free stuff, going on hunts and the like. My posts were horrible if we judge them by today's standards, but back then -- five years ago -- they were pretty good. I got to know designers over time and slowly -- very, very slowly -- a review copy might come my way. I was thrilled.

I was thinking about those days when I unpacked the latest Trompe Loeil treehouse. There WAS an earlier version of that build -- well the idea anyway. I remember it WELL because it was the first blogger gift I received from Cory Edo. I had gone to her sim, so in love with the fountains which she had made free for awhile (and which I still have and am using in the Corporate Headquarters set at MOSP) and done a post on her designs. The treehouse was a thank you gift of sorts.

I have a lot of fond memories along that line; I wouldn't give them up.

My inventory is currently around 30,000 -- partly because I cleaned it down to 15,000 awhile back; partly because I often delete things after I blog them (yes, sorry I do) and also I keep fatpacks in boxes with ONE hair out and the vendor photo. Then again there are Chandra's goodie boxes; if I didn't just keep the fatpack boxes I would have an inventory around 40,000 (not an exaggeration).

If designers stopped sending things would I just buy them instead? If you've been reading my blog for awhile -- you know the answer to that. I DO buy things but not often and mostly not wearables. I have a fantastic wardrobe right now that is so high class it would easily last me a couple of years before it needed upgrades :D.

I blog because I love taking pictures, I love seeing what others have made, I love LEARNING from what others have made and I love sharing it all with you.

So I'll be seeing you at post 3000 and most likely way beyond.



Poses by: no poses were used in the post. This is a "sticky" in my template :D

I went out filming today, the first time in a long while. After finishing "reflection" and fill shots at UWA I stopped by LEA13 where RUST by Cica Ghost officially opens tomorrow. It is a grand place and sure to be a hit. I was already is steampunk adventurer gear, well coordinated with the environment. The dancing flowers got my feet tapping so I decided to film a couple of the dances I picked up today at the 2013 Pose Fair (opening soon).

The first dance is from the Kevin set by Humanoid and has no release date set. Kevin is cool and confident. The second is from the Bran set from AKEYO and will debut at Pose Fair 2013. Bran is more of a show off but equally as good a dancer. Both fun and extremely well done.


Humunoids contact info posted by request:

YouTube :        http://www.youtube.com/user/MarcusAdkins/videos
Facebook :      www.facebook.com/humanoidanimations
Marketplace :  https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/107586


Dances by: Humanoid and Akeyo - Pose Fair 2013

I spent the morning at Pose Fair 2013 where the final touches are being added by some of the merchants. While vast, it is easy to get around without getting lost. There is indeed something for everyone with gals, guys, kids, couples and groups all covered.


You could easily spend a day trying out all the poseball sets so be sure and bring your friends or significant other along.


While I have many talented posemakers to spotlight over the coming week, I decided to start with Juxtapose. I have always felt the stances from Rain Laval were some of the most natural on the grid. They fit me well both in sizing and temperament. Stands shown here are from the Motivation and Still Waters sets.


Poses by: Juxtapose at Pose Fair 2013

Spring is knocking at our door.  Well, maybe it's getting ready to knock depending on where you are living. I have friends with six inches of snow and some of you are heading toward Fall instead of Spring :D. Any time of year is a good time in the garden for me. I love digging in the dirt, even if it is virtual.

New from [CIRCA] and out for Doorstep Bargains until March 28th is this ladder seat and garden supply box. Perfect for working and then resting. Or, maybe like me you do a bit of each in tandem.  There are several poses in the step stool.


Other newness from [CIRCA] includes the very cute Easel Style Plant Shelf (plants included) also out for Doorstep Bargains.  The lovely Easter Basket is a group gift.

Also in Spring mood, L'aize Dayz  has some goodies for you. The gazebo, plant, table, floor cushions and fruit plate (we want to stay healthy after all) are included in the Arbor Gazebo Set. A bench with cushions is also in the mix. Three color palettes are available.


The poses I am using are from a new to me posemaker, [[Masoom]]. These will be going in my "covers breasts" folder (well ya gotta name things appropriately). I really needed these this morning with my pasties on, but alas -- I hadn't opened the poses yet. They work very well and I am looking forward to opening up some other boxes (poses for shoe shots and jewelry) soon. So make note and look up [[Masoom]] when you get to the fair. These are actually part of the Hareem Girl set :D.

Outfit antique. Hair Dura at Fashion for Life, Skin Asia at Skin Fair, Boots lassitude & ennui.



Poses by: the bench and [[ Masoom ]] at Pose Fair 2013

Pose by: Diesel Works

Bound to be a BIG hit, this Solent outdoor shower from Cheeky Pea for FaMESHed comes in three wood tones. Actually, my personal favorite is the dark wood, but this light gray weathered version went perfectly with the Newport Beach house, so how could I not choose it?

Both PG and Adult showers are available -- or will be. Can you wait?  You will have to be patient until April; then fight the hoards.


You can change the tint of the hardware, light or dark as well as the washcloth. Lots of animations including couples make this a winner.


Another soon to be released item is this coordinating privacy screen. So very original and pretty! Now only a couple of you will care, but the hinges are outstanding!  OK, what can I say -- I dabble in mesh and look at the little things. The glass in the screen has three choices of colors -- an early morning discovery.

The art glass in the screen comes in a version that is just art. I love it but haven't quite figured out where it could go. Ah, the GALLERY. How fitting.



So mark your calendars for April 1. You won't be fooled. I can guarantee there will be some very special items out at FaMESHed this round. Our designers just keep getting better and better!

Poses by: the shower and LAP (nla)

It didn't take much to get me back over to Neva River. There I ran into a French fan who let me know that this picturesque place is modeled after a real area. Amazing!  We really DO learn things in our virtual world *wink*.


Pose Fair 2013 is coming in a few days, a time to get some newness into our "Animations" folder.  I remember the first Pose Fair. Actually I was a VENDOR in the first pose fair. We change hats often in SL -- or at least I do, but making poses definitely gave me an appreciation for all that is involved. I can't wait to see the new pose props -- always fun!


These stands of the afternoon hale from Helamiyo. You can find them SOON at the fair.

My swimwear is antique and no longer available but still loved. Skin is still Asia from Izzie's at Skin Fair. Hair from Dura at Fashion for Life and hopefully now in the store.

Poses by: HelaMiyo @ Pose Fair 2013

I am here at the rose garden at MOSP with color coordinated attire, even if skimpy.  The stone gazebo with rose trellis is my personal favorite of The Medieval Fantasy Hunt and comes from Forest Feast, a place where I took so very many photos in my youth. It comes with gently trickling fountain. I made a place for it in the greenery section and added roses that I found on another hunt at Forest Feast; perhaps another MFH -- I can't remember. The very lovely bushes that adorn the sides are from CIRCA, part of the Parisian skybox I showed you earlier. Happily they were a separate part of the build. They look so perfect in this setting.


My poses are from grafica, part of Pose Fair 2013 which will be happening very soon. There are plenty of poses to choose from at grafica. My favorites were these simple stances which I will happily be adding to my "stance" folder. Sometimes you really just need a non-complex but natural pose and these fit the bill nicely. grafica poses handily come with mirrors.

My very very pink undies set is a group gift at PARADISIS. Nine other colors are available for purchase. While I personally don't care *wink*, these come with Tango appliers.

Poses by: grafica at POSE FAIR 2013

It's certainly not the best kept secret that Neva River is open to the public until the end of the month. So much talk I had to venture over. It is spectacular. A picture perfect place that many of us could lively happily ever after in.


Styling credits include a new long dress, Blonde&Blonde's - Sunrise Boho Chic Dress. Great fit and movement. Try a demo and hopefully it will work for you.  My hair is a just out number from Vanity Hair, Bitter Sweet. I am wearing Hidden Red, but there are tons (really) of color choices.

Poses by: aDORKable and Diesel Works

It's daybreak at the new medieval section at MOSP LEA7-- opening officially tomorrow but I am taking most of the day off as I am finished with my work.   Stop by sometime and see over twelve new areas open for photography and machinima.

Now that we've dispensed with the shameless plug, let's talk about the latest Medieval Fantasy Hunt.


I went on the hunt primarily for props for this area, and props I did find. This very pretty well and the garden stall and baskets are all from the hunt. I'm not going to give you a complete rundown of what is where since my tastes may be different than your. I will tell you  that this dress as well as a set for the guys is from Blue Moon Enterprise.  And -- wait for it -- the very large and VERY nice building in the top photo, now a tavern at MOSP, is ALSO from Blue Moon Enterprise. I didn't put that together until just now. Wow!

I went back to check the shop and sure enough it was a tricky one, but fun. Easy if you READ THE HINT on the blog or from the hint giver out front of the shop.

There are some great prizes on this hunt and it is definitely worth doing if this time period intrigues you. There were some very nice stores that I suspect had lovely gifts; alas I did not find them. And yes, I looked hard.

Sometimes the hints made no sense to me. There were a few shops that I remembered never finding things in before and once again that proved true.

And to be fair there is a fairly large proportion of prizes that are "back in time" and not in a good way :D. Any piece of furniture with a pose ball goes into my trash immediately. So realize that you will likely be tossing some items. Again, my likes and your likes may not merge.

Hair by: EMO-tions
Poses by: BehaviorBody from the new Editorial 2 pose set

I'm late - I'm late!

I've had this outfit from AD Creations in my inventory for a few days not realizing it was time sensitive. Auto accept is a good thing on the whole; things don't go missing as often. But the info that comes with many delivery services never gets to me. This happens a lot these days and something that designers as a whole should be aware of. If there is no notecard and no group notices to review, bloggers are often lost. What is this for? Where can it be found? and such.

Doing some research via Google I found that this was on special at Fashion for Life. Well that is no longer with us but perhaps this Tribute to Galliano outfit is in the main shop now. It is impressive in its bizarreness -- and I mean that in a two thumbs up way. I can definitely see this in film *wink*.

Now to be fair there are many sizes of pants but I had to find a shape and then adjust it to fit this outfit. I was definitely taken with the design so went to the extra effort.  TRY A DEMO for sure; always good advice.

I had planned to take photographs tonight at that great sim I found at the beginning of the month. Alas, I went there and it is being dismantled. Very little was left. 

So there is a lesson here. Grab things while you can -- they may disappear.


Pose by: Diesel Works

Times and cultures blend in this styling which somehow mysteriously works -- for me anyway.

Lots of free goodness in this post.

I have completed the Medieval Hunt; more on that soon. This tattoo from Ais Ink Tattoo is actually the one for the guys, but I liked it better than the gal's version. There is lots of writing on the back. Very "Dan Brown" if that reference means anything to you.

I added " Templar" earrings from Ticky Tacky  -- now only on the Marketplace but definitely one of my favorite jewelry designers of the past.

And my locale is the just up today revamp of the very popular Stonehenge set. Not quite done but I'll give you the SLURL anyway cause I'm a nice gal.

Now here's something you want to note. Discord Designs has two specials out and they are indeed special. Flexi braids in packs of colors for a linden. Find the dark set at the shop and the light pack on the Marketplace. I have LOTS of friends who will be eager to try these out. Note that this hair is MOD and EDITABLE, not rigged mesh.

That's my news of the day. Been a busy one. Lots of stuff to share with you but deadlines to meet. See you again tomorrow eve.


Pose by: Behavior Body from the new Editorial 2 set

A quick post at the end of a fruitful day.  My outfit doesn't actually match my backdrop but pragmatism rules when there is much to be accomplished.

New and especially pretty is this collar from lassitude & ennui for l'accessoires.  With four neutral color combos to choose from, the fatpack is a great value, so check that out.

My hair is a free promo from Alli&Ali, Amandine.

That't the late night news.



Pose by: Behavior Body from the new Editorial set 2

It's not quite time for bed, so I will join in the fun.

What is the rez date for your current SL Avatar that you use most often? - Well DUH! 12/31/2007 and no the typist was NOT bored on New Year's Eve. I was a morning child.

Where was the first place you made friends as a newb and got to know people in Second Life?
Calla as I sat for hair and played Trivia for lindens.

Where do you spend most of your SL time now?
Machinima Open Studio Project, now housed on LEA7 (yes a plug) and open for photographers, but not quite finished. 

Who is your closest friend in Second Life? (only pick one)
While I have some RL friends in SL, my closest "virtual" friend is undoubtedly Chandra AKA the burlesque queen from deviousMind.

What is the most favorite thing in your inventory? (only pick one)
Absolutely impossible to choose. I have so many wonderful things; some I have just rediscovered as the inventory fairy busily taking away also returned some oldies.

The last thing you purchased in Second Life?
That's easy. Tonight's purchase were some snowy bushes from KIDD. Working on the SNOW area of MOSP (new).

What color clothing does your avatar wear most often?
Neutral. I am a grayscale gal.

Do you prefer to walk, run or fly?
I meander mostly; so walk is my answer. If you move too fast, you miss the details.

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done in SL?
I did a little bull riding in my early youth. I am an explorer, but not much of an adventurer.

Who would you like to play YOU, in the movie of your SLife?
I'd let the director choose.

I don't have a lot of new duds these days, but plenty of housewares to show you. So --- I went for a very (VERY) vintage outfit in the theme of the season. This was prize number 2 if I remember correctly on the Bunny Hop Hunt in 2009. It is from Little Heaven (no longer on the grid).


The newness to share is that Cheeky Pea --while late to the party -- has added her goodies to the Egg Hunt at The Nest. Table, lots of filled cups, bunny drink server and my favorite SWEETS are available for the finding.


I had a busy and gratifying day at MOSP. I added this little greenhouse shed complete with the old garden from LEA20. The gifts from the Egg Hunt seemed to fit in perfectly. The chair in the top photo is also an Egg Hunt prize, from  Senzafine.

LEA7 is open now with a revamped ground level, two sound stages and a gallery and classroom (empty at the moment). Rezzing will be available next weekend. The previous owner still has some things on the sim :D.  The first visitors arrived today. It was good to see folks coming back.

As an extra bonus for me today, a bunch of old (some very old) folders showed up in my top level inventory today, a present from the database fairy it seems. I didn't remember most of the items but a couple were added into the landscape. The garden shown here (missing yesterday) also appeared too. So keep an eye out for odd things appearing in your inventory. You might get some surprises too. 

Poses by aDORKable.

Busy day for me. LEA7 was handed over and I had my first experience with the terrain file "editor". It was an adventure and after a lot of hit and miss trying (the wiki simply says "experiment and you'll get it" or something to that effect) I did manage to get a good looking terrain. Now the sand is not on the shore but inland at a higher altitude. How can that be? I know not. But the helper on LEA20 couldn't get sand on the shore either so perhaps it is just the way it is.

ANYWAY. A new addition to MOSP (opening officially next weekend with rezzing abilities) is the Trompe Loeil Tree House for COLLABOR88. I have had it in my inventory for awhile of course but no where picturesque to rez. I saved it a spot on sea level and it is definitely the first building that you see. Now the house has had plenty of press, but I want you to know that my FAVORITE release of this set is the light fixture. It is simply outstanding. And admittedly my arty photo doesn't show all the details well. So, get over to COLLABOR88 and see it in person. Or drop by LEA7 of course *wink*. 


Here is an outside view of the house in all its glory  -- just in case you have been traveling in Morocco and missed all the posts.


There is also a hanging bed that works very well in the first level porch.


And here's another photo of some of the hunt items from The Nest Easter Egg Hunt. The stepstool, bowls, tall plant and rug (in store gift) are from Zinnias. There are some pots with plants that I couldn't find, but maybe you will be luckier -- or a better hunter.  The BIG planter and plant are from Barnesworth Anubis and the smaller patterned rug is from Zigana. The Z guys are definitely on my radar now *wink*.


And here's a not so arty but easier to view photo of the lighting -- simply because I love it and want you to love it too.

SLC has some Spring separates to mix and match into your wardrobe. I uncharacteristically picked pink from the large variety of choices. I especially like that a very feminine bra comes with the top; perfect for us slightly modest gals.


I thoroughly enjoyed the hunt at The Nest (see previous post).  Fun places to explore, plenty of prizes to find (sometimes a few times as it was easy to pick up things more than once) and great prizes. Shown here are a table from Zigana and framed art from DIGS. 

I'll have more great hunt prizes to show you soon.

Pose by: aDORKable