Tag: SL Home&Decor

A Bit of Coffee and Autumn Sunshine

Posted on by cejalaval

http://Coffee and Autumn Sunshine

I don’t understand why everyone is always so anxious to move onto the next thing. It happened with Halloween. And now it’s starting to happen with the holidays. I’m beginning to see holiday items and winter and snow and all that already — SNOW! I mean, c’mon folks, I know it’s coming, but can’t we just sit a bit and enjoy this last little bit of autumn sunshine and color before we rush off into the bitter cold of winter? I mean, sure, snow and winter is beautiful here on the grid. My whole estate turns on winter on Dec 1st, and I’ll be bagging all the autumn leaves till next year, and happily pulling out all the holiday decor.  And it’s not like my lips actually get all chapped and I feel my bones freezing like in RL. But let’s not rush things, shall we? Let’s just take another week or two to sit in the autumn sunshine (when it’s there), bravely facing that bite in the air (it’s definitely more than a nip this year), and THEN move into winter.  Hmmm, the more I think about it, it’s beginning to feel like winter already… maybe I’m actually starting to fall behind the times? Well, I’ll think about that as I sip my coffee and enjoy this little stretch of milder weather that we have today…  In the meantime, happy shopping!

  • Outfit:  Tonic – NEW! Frosted Outfit.   Includes the Frosted Sweater & Toasty Tight Leggings — you can wear the off-one-shoulder sweater as a dress, with the leggings or with jeans, mix ‘n match.  Sizes for Curvy, Fine, & Fine-mini.  Leggings & sweater also available individually.  Sweater comes in 24 colors; a version with more room around the waist is also included.  Leggings also come in 24 colors (some solid; some patterned like what I’m wearing); a boot-cut version is included but be advised that it may not work with all boots. EXCLUSIVE at the November round of eBento, Nov 10th – 30th. Demos available.
  • Skin:  7 Deadly s[K]ins – Abby, worn in Caramel browless.  Another simply beautiful Omega skin, fresh & clear, with lightly glossed lips. Two fatpack options of 5 tones each (dark or light, including both omega & BOM, with & without brows) available EXCLUSIVELY at the AnyBody by Flair for Events, Nov 7th – 30th.  Demos & shape also available.
  • Boots:  MOZ Designs – “Aspen” Ankle Boots. Awesome little boots that can be worn with or without the bradded leather straps.  Available in 6 leathers with HUD to change the beads on the straps, or one superpack with all options.  Sized for Slink, Maitreya, Tonic, Belleza, & eBody.  EXCLUSIVE Original Fitmesh at the November round of eBento, Nov 10th – 30th. Demo available.  See closeup below.
  • Blanket:  Simple Reflections – SR Picnic Blanket Autumn.  Includes the blanket, pillows, food crate with all the goodies displayed.  HUD includes 3 textures, as well as both single & couple animations. This blanket will work with the AVSitter Experience, so props for the animations will automatically go to your hand, etc. once enabled. Personally, I found many of these anims to be quite unique, & many feature food/drink, which are always among my favorites! Available EXCLUSIVELY at the November Swank Event, Nov 7th – 31st. 
  • Fire:  Tylar’s Treasures – The Brock Fall Fire Basket – with scripted fire & fire sounds, as well as smoke (originally featured in my blog post of Nov 5th with the rest of the collection)
  • Head: Tonic – Pixie, the all-new bento head from Tonic, now available at the main store
  • Body: Tonic – Curvy Beauty + Booty Control… truly the most natural curves on the grid with the ability to add that extra oomph how & if you want it!
  • Hair:  TRUTH – Oasis
  • Brows:  Avada – Anja Eyebrows
  • Mole/Freckles:  Izzie’s – Heart Mole & Freckles (Omega)
  • Jewelry: Maxi Gossamer – True Hearts Necklace & Earrings; Chop Zuey – Bel Aire Gold Women’s Wedding Band
  • Nails:  Encore – Shades of Green
  • Cats:  [Rezz Room] – Bengal Cat Family

An Enchanted Autumn Hideaway

Posted on by cejalaval

http://An Enchanted Autumn Hideaway

As I’ve said before, one of the things I try to create on my property are special little nooks and areas.  Some are very small, just one item tucked away in a grove of trees or behind some rocks.  Others are more extensive, when there are multiple pieces that work together to create an entire scene.  This autumn “set” from Mindgardens Creations is one of the latter (though it could easily be the former as well with fewer pieces), which I’ve used to create a very special area hidden in the back of my property, an area full of quiet and enchantment, perfect to hideaway from life’s cares…

Mindgardens Creations – all this and more available individually at the November Swank Event, Nov 7th – 31st.  Each piece is EXCLUSIVE and absolutely amazing in its own right (I’ve added separate pix below), but when you group them together, you can easily create an enchanted little area:

  • Autumn Gnarled Lantern Oak Tree with Vines & Lanterns (on left in the main pic)
  • Autumn Oak Tree with Blinking Lights & Lantern (on right in the main pic)
  • Autumn Ground Ivy & Scattered Leaves – copy, so you can add as much (or as little) as you’d like
  • Elephant Ear Plant (includes 3 variations) – the variations include tightly grouped, & loosely spread out to look so natural when mixed! Copy, so you can easily customize your setting
  • Enchanted Autumn Gazebo – with a hanging light curtain, lights around the front “trunks” & lanterns
  • Enchanted Autumn Bench & Table – Animated! Includes both single (M & F) & couple sits. Just a lovely little set!

To make your shopping even easier, here’s a LM direct to their booth at Swank!

Gnarled Lantern Oak Tree
Autumn Oak Tree
Elephant Ear Plants
Enchanted Gazebo
Enchanted Bench & Table

A Cozy Little Nook

Posted on by cejalaval

http://A Cozy Little Nook

I love porches because of the cozy little nooks that you can so easily create. This autumn set fits my porch so perfectly, it just invites  you to “sit and set a while”… and the included animations make that easy and fun to do! A nice little touch is the built-in resizer, so if you need to modify the furniture to fit , it’s incredibly simple to do.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to sit a while, read a bit, drink my coffee and wait for some company to join me for cuddling and conversation…  Happy shopping!

  • Couch & Chair:  Park Place Home – Smoky Mountain Rustic Settee & Chair – Autumn.  Sold separately, each with PG single and couple animations.  Available at the November Swank Event, Nov 7th – 31st.
  • Table:  Park Place Home – Cement/Dark Metal Fire Pit Table.  With flames to keep you warm when that autumn nip is in the air! Available at the November Swank Event, Nov 7th – 31st.
  • Magazines:  Park Place Home – Coffee table magazines
  • Cats:  Image Essentials Props and Poses – Full Perm Mesh Cats
  • Coffee:  What Next – Coffee Sierra Kettle & Mugs
  • Plant:  [Circa] Living – “Aziza” Tall Vase
  • Location:  my home in Blake Passage

 

Fall’s Embrace

Posted on by cejalaval

http://Fall's Embrace

So as I sit here sipping my hot mulled apple cider (you thought I just blogged about it???), I’m thinking how fall is not just hot drinks and warm clothes.  Decor and landscaping is such a big part of it, especially here on the grid where nature does not naturally participate… you need fallen leaves and pumpkins and blankets ready to wrap around you at a moment’s notice. It’s why we all go looking for those beautiful photogenic sims that change with the seasons, because it just doesn’t feel like fall if it doesn’t LOOK like fall.  That applies to your home here in SL as well.  And no it doesn’t mean that you redo everything every season.  What it DOES mean is that those summery deck chairs and barbecue sets get stored away till next summer (just like they do in real life!!!), and a few well chosen autumn sets or pieces take their place.  There’s a lot to choose from; here’s a set that I think is so fabulous, I’m now personally using it in my own home. Whether you choose this set, or another, or none at all, have fun exploring all there is out there.  Happy shopping!

Tylar’s Treasures – The Brock Fall Collection, available INDIVIDUALLY for sale EXCLUSIVELY at the Uncharted Event, Nov 5th – 20th.  Use them alone or group them together like I did for a fabulous fall setting (and since everything is copy/modify, your setting can be customized just the way you want it!):

  • Brock Fall Bench Bento – available in both cuddle & adult versions.  Animated with slow dances, bento couple & single animations & sequences.  Also includes 8 texture changes for the pillows & blanket, & two for the wood (dark or light). (See closeup below)
  • Brock Fall Fire Basket – with scripted fire & fire sounds, as well as smoke (See closeup below)
  • Brock Fall Fountain – with animated water & water sounds; includes the haystalk, pumpkin & gourd, scattered leaves & lights. (See closeup below)
  • Brock Fall Planter – beautiful autumn color!
  • Brock Fall Wall Vine – with animated bird & chirp (See closeup below)

Attack of the Man (or Woman) Eating Spiders

Posted on by cejalaval

http://Attack of the Man (or Woman) Eating Spiders

With one week to go, we’re getting into the final stretch for Halloween.  I’m just really starting to look around at what’s available, and I have to say, there’s just so much quantity out there in every genre, it can be downright daunting to find the quality items. I have to say that one of my favorite items this year — in fact I believe it will rank among my personal favorites for a long, long time, gracing whatever land I own — is ATTACK OF THE MAN EATING SPIDERS from Tylar’s Treasures.  It’s just such a uniquely creepy item, it’s really cool!  The scene features a bare tree covered in a spiderweb. The ground beneath  the tree is covered in skulls and two whole skeletons.  But what really makes this item come alive is that it has 3 animated spiders — one of the giant ones wanders around the scene (yes, you can set his range!); another giant is attacking a skeleton in the foreground; and a smaller cousin is moving up and down on a web from the tree.  This can be seriously creepy stuff, especially if you get tangled up with the big animated spider… which happened to me the moment I tp’d to the event using the LM below (consider yourself forewarned lol).  Want even more creepiness?  The giant animated spider is copy, so you can have as many giant spiders running around as you can handle before calling for the exterminator!

  • Attack of the Man Eating Spiders –  TYLAR’S TREASURES … A must-have for anyone who does Halloween landscaping! With 3 animated spiders, one that will roam as far as you allow (read the full description above).  Creepy, cool, chilling… everything Halloween should be! EXCLUSIVELY available at Mad Circus, Oct 5th – 31st. 
  • Location:  Pendle Hill

A Fall Bounty for All the Senses

Posted on by cejalaval

http://A Fall Bounty

Now that a permanent move to Florida is in the works for me in a year or two’s time, I find that I’m paying even more attention than usual to the seasons.  And although I’ve always KNOWN it, I’m really seeing how so many of the little things that make the fall season special just get lost in all the noise about Halloween.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Halloween, but I also love the crisp bite of the fall air and of the late-season apples (we just went apple-picking yesterday!!!!), the beauty of the red, gold and orange leaves on the trees and the crunch underfoot of those that have fallen, the clarity of the air and the way that mist and fog seem to reach out and beckon in the gloom, the bustle of the squirrels and the cry of the Canadian geese as they both ready themselves for what comes next, the scent of fall treats and comfort foods baking, and so very much more.  It truly is a season of bounty for ALL the senses. That’s why I was thrilled to find among all the awesome horror and Goth items at the current home & garden area of this month’s Swank a beautiful fall deck that, for me, just helps crystallize the glory of this season as I relax and watch the waves.  Check it out, and I think you’ll feel the same way…

EVHAH – The Fall Deck, which is actually not just the wooden deck but also all the decor as shown, plus the rocks & autumn tree at left (copy so you can more to the scene if you want), the surrounding flowers, & cattails (not shown), all in a rez box so it’s super easy to set up initially & then customize from there if you want.  Includes texture changes with 9 options for the blanket/pillows & 7 for the wood; you can also turn on a slow fall of swirling leaves from the autumn tree which has 3 autumn textures plus 1 green & a winter option, so you can easily use it year-round. Also includes both single & couple animations (I’m using one) — including swim, drinks, dance, cuddle, & sex options. With the little lights on the deck & on the autumn tree, this is just a gorgeous addition to your fall landscaping, day or night! Available at the October Swank Event, through October 28th.

Black Cat Halloween

Posted on by cejalaval

http://Black Cat Halloween

Anyone who knows me in SL or follows my blog knows that I’m a crazy cat lady.  I have more cats than I’m willing to admit, and about 18 boxes (for those of you who are unversed in the world of KittyCatS, that means ready-to-birth kittens) in storage.  So needless to say, when I saw this Halloween gacha set full of black kittens my craziness rose to the surface and I just HAD to HAVE THEM ALL and blog about them.  Although I couldn’t fit everything into my pic and do them justice, you can see the full set below.  What I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE about this set — in addition to it being cats together with Halloween, which is in itself enough! — is that every piece is wonderfully detailed, and unique and different in its own way.  Yes, one or two are variants in black or orange, but the number of completely different items is extremely high for a gacha set of this size, with 12 commons & only two items classified as “Rare”.  And I just have to mention that the rat with the cat animates on touch, and the dog has really red eyes.  Such fun!

Black Kitten Gacha:  MOoH! – EXCLUSIVELY at the Driftwood event, Oct 5th – Nov 5th, 50L a play. Good luck!

Another Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Posted on by cejalaval

http://Another Legend of Sleepy Hollow

We all know the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the story of Ichabod Crane.  I happen to live not all that far away from Sleepy Hollow, and the cemetery there is always a place for all kinds of haunted doings at this time of year.  There might not be a Headless Horseman anywhere in sight, but this is my version of Sleepy Hollow this year… the scene adds just the right bit of eerieness to make the season feel more Halloweenish!

  • Graveyard: [HarshLands] – Cemetery Walls.  A modular set of graveyard walls that come in multiple configurations — open sided walls, gates, closed walls, corners — in three variations — mossy, bloody, or regular — so you can create your own customized cemetery.  Available at the October Swank Event, through October 28th.
  • Tree: CJ Creations – Halloween Twisted Sleepy Hollow.  This is Halloween decor at its finest. A twisted hollow tree with moss & hanging vines, skeletons, spiders, & an eerie shrouded figure with a lantern. Best of all, you can turn fog in the hollow on/off by touch.  I’ve added another pic below so nothing is obscured by the cemetery walls. EXCLUSIVELY available at the October Swank Event until October 28th.
  • Fog:  Dysfunctional Designs – Creeping Fog, because I couldn’t resist adding more to the effect from the tree!

The Reaper

Posted on by cejalaval

http://The Reaper

OK, so we’re far enough into October now where fall has begun in earnest. That means two things… it’s now officially fall, to the point where I’ve ripped out all spring/summer flora from my SL land and have put in all kinds of autumnal glory and fallen leaves.  I have to admit that it’s not only a nice, refreshing change, but it’s gorgeous! The fact that it actually uses less prims is a welcome bonus too lol! But more importantly, October means Halloween. I’ve been seeing lots of absolutely AMAZING Halloween decor this year, and I plan on featuring quite a bit in this blog.  First up is this fun item that can fit on just about any size lot to add that perfect touch of Halloween dread!

  • Halloween Arch –  TYLAR’S TREASURES – Reaper Garden Entrance, with animated bats.  Features a fall branch tunnel with fall leaves, bats flying above, all decorated with a standing reaper at the entrance — a reaper with flaming eyes! — & a creepy pumpkin on hay bale. Perfect for your Halloween decorating! Copy/modify, this fantastic item is EXCLUSIVELY available at Heathen’s Court, October 5th – 31st.
  • Location:  Pendle Hill

Do You Believe in Magic?

Posted on by cejalaval

http://Do You Believe in Magic?

It’s funny, but no matter how old I get, I never forget all the little fantasies and fairy tales and stories I’ve read and seen throughout my life.  Little everyday things may suddenly bring one to mind, totally out of the blue.  Like when a bell rings, I might think of Clarence getting his wings in It’s A Wonderful Life.  When someone complains that they have no idea what to pack (including myself lol), I laugh to myself when I remember that the most important thing is a towel (A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy).  And when I suddenly see a light or a candle brighten in a certain way, I always think of Tinkerbell in Peter Pan.  I know that some people will sneer at this.  But for me, I think that the ability to not only remember but to continue to see magic in the world around me is a gift, one that in today’s world I believe is increasingly valuable.  Of course I know it’s not real; but that doesn’t mean that the thoughts, the possibilities, don’t bring a smile, a lifting of the heart, a lightening of the step, in what can be a heavy, exhausting, depressing world.  And the fact is, magic comes in many forms. There’s magic in a beautiful sunset, in the night sky, in a brisk autumn afternoon, at dusk in the summer as the fireflies gather.  So believe like I believe, or don’t… go ahead and deal with things in your way, and I’ll deal with them in mine. We’ll see who smiles more!

  • Dress:  !!smesh – Felicity.  As much as I love fall, a part of me is still clinging onto summer.  With exceptional little outfits like this, it might become an endless summer! I love the cute teeny little shorts with the gorgeous lace panel that runs all the way around, but the top is what won my heart…  the bra cup with the lace overlay & the hanging ties with little beads.  And the color picker lets you not only choose a color from 24 starter choices but the whole color spectrum as well for the lace top, the bra, & the shorts so you can find the absolutely perfect mix of customized tones that you want.  You can adjust the transparency of the top &/or shorts too. Sized for Slink H/P, Belleza F/I/V, & Maitreya. 
  • Skin:  7 Deadly s[K]ins – Maze, worn in Maple browless.  Because this pack of Omega face/body skins also includes BOM skins & yesterday’s experiment worked perfectly, I again mixed a BOM skin for the head with an OMEGA skin for my body.  I love, love, love the result, especially with Maze’s smattering of freckles (I still add my own of course!)!  Fatpacks of 5 dark or light tones are available EXCLUSIVELY at the Dubai Event until Oct 20th.  A We Love to Blog Designer.
  • Hut:  Nerenzo Design – Little Shelter.  A great little item for the beach or the garden, the Little Shelter adds a great touch to your landscape, day or night.  Just see below! Includes 54 single & couple animations (I’m posed in one in both shots!), as well as 6 wood textures & 9 fabric options.  Available in both cuddle & adult versions.
  • Head:  Akeruka (AK) – Cleo (deluxe bento, now with BOM)
  • Body:  Slink – Hourglass Mesh Body Original, Full Version including Hands (Dynamic) & Feet
  • Hair:  Argrace  – Nanao
  • Brows:  Izzie’s – BOM Layers Eyebrows Curved
  • Freckles:  Izzie’s – Heart Mole & Freckles (System Layer); DS’Elles – Body Freckles (Omega)
  • Makeup:  DS’Elles – Series 6 Eyeshadow
  • Eyes:  IKON – Triumph
  • Nails:  Encore – Shades of Blue
  • Pelican:  Animania – Standing Pelican, Brown
  • Location:  my home at the Hideaway Collective (private)