Roligt!

BIG change!

2009-08-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

I know you've been wondering why I haven't posted since May. I'm lazy, that's why. In addition to that, though, a lot has changed since my last post. The Alliance Virtual Library sold my lovely Only Yesterday sim, which meant that my nice big shop disappeared along with everything else that we created during the previous year and a half.

So ... Hallelujah Azul to the rescue! The new photo in the header on this blog is my fantastic new shop at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hallelujah%20Azul/174/171/24. Same name, but a lot cozier and friendlier than the old place. You have to come see!

When you do, you will find many different features. First of all, I have totally redesigned the way my work is displayed. I got rid of the old multi-item vendors and replaced them with nice simple ones that each sell one outfit. No more slow rezzing, and no more confusion about which button to push. The new photos are great, too.

Moving to a smaller shop and using single-item vendors has meant displaying fewer items, of course, so I've started putting other things on XStreetSL. In addition to beautiful dresses, blouses, and skirts, you can find some of my household objects (like clocks) and a few of the vintage buildings from Only Yesterday. Just search for items by Rolig Loon. Oh, and you'll also find some cute heeled sandals in several colors. Let me know how you like them. I might start making more, who knows? Here are the ones in lilac ....

Finally, I just got around to creating a group so you can keep track of new items as I add them to the shop and XStreetSL. I've been meaning to do that for a long time, and several of you have been asking. So, if you want to join, use you in-world Search to find the Så Roligt! group, or just drop by the shop and click the sign by the front door.

BIG changes! Now I have more to write about, so maybe it won't be so long till the next time I post.

2009-05-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

Whoa! It's been way too long since I posted anything here. Sorry about that. I ought to at least put up a few photos of fairly recent designs, so you can see that I haven't just been sleeping.

This first one is a lovely spring dress with a lilac print and a broad cumberbund. It flows very nicely and is just the thing for a May afternoon.

The next one is just as pretty, but more summery. You can't tell from the photo, but it has a deeper cut neckline and is a lot more relaxed than the lilac dress. The rose print is very soft and delicate.

I went nuts with plaids for a while too, and made a line of pleated skirts ... some ankle length and some, like this next one, knee length. Pleats are great fun to make and to wear (so long as you don't have to press them). I like this particular plaid because it's bright. I can wear this blue turtleneck sweater with it and be ready for cool evenings, or can wear my blue-gray silk blouse for the warmer afternoons.

The other two I'll post now are ones you may remember seeing before, but not for a while. This little black dress has always been a favorite of mine, and it has sold well. It's nice and simple ... off the shoulder and decorated with a wide bow at the hip. It makes a nice cocktail dress... just the thing for an evening of dancing.

The last one is another that you have seen, but I have modified recently. It's the 1930's style dress I called Hyacinth. I think it looks very elegant with this hat and white gloves, don't you?

OK, this wasn't a wordy post, but I hope you liked the photos. I'm thinking of opening a new shop and using this style of posters to show my work ... maybe this summer. If so, I'll be sure to post the SLURL here so you know where to come.

Tutorial - Dressmaking the "subtractive" way

2008-10-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

When you sit down to make a dress in real life, what's the first thing you do? OK, I know, you look all over to find where you left your scissors. After that, though .......

Right! You get a tracing paper pattern -- one you bought at the fabric store or drew yourself -- and you cut it out and pin it to the fabric. The pattern acts as your guide for cutting the fabric itself, so that you don't make costly mistakes chopping away freehand with your scissors.

In this tutorial, I want to show you a similar approach to creating clothing for Second Life. My approach is different from the one you may have seen Robin Wood or Natalia Zelmanov describe on their web sites (http://www.robinwood.com/Catalog/Technical/SL-Tuts/SLTutSet.html and http://www.mermaiddiaries.com/2006/11/day-51-little-black-dress-and-creating.html), and it offers different advice from what you often read in the SL Texture Tips Forum. Those resources focus on the alpha channel as a way to create transparency -- which it is -- but I find it more useful to think of an alpha channel as a cutting guide, like your tracing paper dress pattern. This emphasis is not necessarily better, but it's different -- and maybe different in a way that will make more sense to you, as it has for me.

I'm going to make the top for a very simple dress with a half-wrap closure. It's the one in this photo, a fairly conservative red coquette that you can find in my shop on Only Yesterday. I'll be using Photoshop, but the same general approach would apply in any graphic design program that can handle layers and channels. The end product will be a TGA file.

My primary focus is on how to use an alpha channel image, so once I have done that I will zip through the remaining fun, artistic steps that create folds, shading, and other elements that make the dress come alive.

I can't pop down to the fabric store and buy a Simplicity pattern, so Step One is to draw my own. This crucial artistic step defines the shape of the dress. I do it by opening a copy of the avatar upper body template, creating a new layer just above the Background layer, and filling it with black. Think of this like wrapping a dressmaker's mannequin with a big sheet of paper. I find it easier to use tracing paper, so let's set the Opacity of this new layer to about 60%. It looks like this:

The avatar template is visible here because it is in layers above the one I just created. Reducing the opacity of the new layer just makes the template easier to see.

To make the pattern for this dress, I need to cut away portions of the new layer to define the neckline and the sleeve length, so I draw a path around each of those areas (see the red arrows). I have shown paths around all three areas to be cut in this composite screen shot but, in fact, I drew and cut out each of them separately. I just put them together in a single photo here for illustration.

By the way, it's tempting to draw paths freehand, but don't do it. Your hand is probably steadier than mine, but you'll still get wiggles that make a sloppy product in the long run. Instead, use your basic Pen tool to set anchor points all the way around an area and then use the Point Convert tool to drag the handles at each anchor point and create a smooth path. Then, right click inside the area and select Make Selection from the drop-down menu that appears. Be sure that the Anti-aliased box is checked and that the feather radius is set to zero, and click OK. Finally, choose Edit >> Clear to cut away the pixels inside the selected area. When I do that in each of the three areas for this dress, the layer looks like this....

I have just created a mask. I'll use it a couple of times. First, I need it to make a pattern -- the alpha channel. So, with the mask active, I right click the layer thumbnail and select pixels ... then Select >> Save Selection. In the pop-up window, I check to be sure that it says New Channel and then click OK. Voila! I have made a pattern.

To see what the pattern looks like, I can go to the Layers/Channels/Paths palette and select the Channels tab. I turn off the RGB channels and turn the new Alpha channel on. The screen image looks like this....

This really is a dress pattern. The black areas mark out places where I don't want any fabric in the dress and the white areas are places where I do want it. Remember that the avatar template also acts as a pattern of sorts. We don't need to have black "cutouts" in the alpha channel for anything that is outside the avatar body, because the template takes care of those areas for us.

What I'm about to say is a very important point to remember. Because the alpha channel is a pattern, I can turn off the mask layer I just created. I won't need it for cutting. In fact, I don't need to do any more cutting in Photoshop at all. The alpha channel will do it all for me.

Let's go back to the Layers tab to see what this means in practice. (Before I leave the Channels tab, I click the RGB eye icon ON and the alpha channel icon OFF.) I'm going to add a new layer above the mask I just created and then fill it completely with my fabric, like so..

The fabric for this dress is very simple. It's just a deep red that I have textured lightly with the noise filter and then blurred with a Gaussian blur to give it a soft look. If I had chosen a fabric with a print, I would have overlain different sections of the work area with pieces of fabric that I had rotated, stretched, or tweaked in other ways so that the print would line up across seams in the final dress. (I'll do this in another tutorial, and will also deal with using lace, which is a variation on the same theme.) Even then, though, I would be sure that the fabric layer was completely full before moving on.

Why is this important? First of all, cutting anything on the fabric layer is a waste of time. The pattern I made in the alpha channel is going to take care of all the cutting, so why do it twice? More important, though, cutting the fabric layer can create the dreaded "white halo" problem.

Let me explain, in inelegant terms that are technically imprecise but may help you to visualize the problem...

< < < < < < < > > > > > > >

In real life, suppose you gave a dress pattern to an assistant and said, "Put this pattern on that fabric and cut it out," but you gave the assistant a piece of fabric that was already trimmed to the right shape. This is a confusing command. Instead of complaining that the fabric was already cut, though, the assistant might try to obey by pinning a scrap of some other fabric under yours so she would at least be cutting something. Looking at her work later, you would be able to see the trimmed fabric you gave her, unchanged, and the edge of the extra scrap she cut.

A similar thing happens when your virtual pattern -- the alpha channel -- contains "cut here" information, but there's nothing to cut because you placed pre-trimmed shapes in the otherwise empty fabric layer of your image file. The graphics routine that processes your image, trying to obey, adds a little scrap of information -- pixels filled with white -- so that it has something to cut. The result is that your dress ends up with an ugly white halo instead of nice, clean edges.

As I said, this explanation isn't rigorous, so don't write to complain that I have misrepresented the finer technical details of the process. My point is simply this ... the white halo is created because you have told the graphics routine to use an alpha channel image to cut something that isn't there.

Graphic artists have many clever ways to remove the ugly white halo, all of which involve putting something into "empty" pixels that lie where the alpha channel "pattern" says to cut. These methods are all "additive," because they are putting new data into the image. (Some artists avoid the issue altogether by creating a PNG image, which uses a different approach.)

That seems like extra work to me, though. Why go to the trouble of cleaning up a problem that you could have avoided by leaving the fabric big enough in the first place? Don't use the mask to cut out things on the fabric layer. When you do that, you leave an edge that has "empty" pixels along it, inviting a white halo. Leave the fabric alone and let the alpha channel do its job.

< < < < < < < > > > > > > >

Back to the project, the rest of which is purely artistic. I begin adding extra layers above the fabric layer to define shadows, folds, and wrinkles, and to create the shape of the collar and simulate the way the dress wraps around the torso. On another dress, I might have layers for buttons, stitching, pockets, or other accessorizing features.

Here's a layer created simply to add shading and highlights to give the bustline better shape, for example. I start with a new layer, fill it with 50% gray and set the layer mode to Overlay. Then I use a series of soft brushes with the Dodge and Burn tools to produce the gentle gradations you see here.

I use the same methods to create the draped appearance where the front of the dress crosses over itself. This is a bit more complicated, because I want to create an impression of visual depth, so it's clear that the dress is wrapping around. To do this, I use a copy of the original mask as a starting point and cut along a continuation of the neckline to create a new mask that separates the left and right portions of the bodice.

This new mask makes it easy for me to do delicate texturing, especially along the line that defines that wrapped edge. Here's a close look at several merged layers defining folds and wrinkles on the right side of the torso .......

and a look at a similar collection of merged layers that define the left side. .....

Before uploading, I turn off any layers that should not be visible in the final texture. This includes all avatar template layers and any masks that I may have forgotten to close. The image on my screen looks like this ...

I can double check at this point to be sure that the alpha channel is going to cut this image the way I intended. To do that, I click the Channels tab in the Layers/Channels/Paths palette and then make the alpha channel visible temporarily by clicking on its icon.

As you can see, the alpha channel is prepared to do the cutting it was designed for. When I upload this texture to SL, the image in the preview window will look just like this, except that the bright red areas will be replaced with the checkerboard background pattern that indicates they are transparent.

All that's left is to save this PSD file and then downsize it temporarily to 512 x 512 pixels so I can save a copy as a 32-bit TGA file for upload. I'm done!

Here's the final product in world .....

The Depot -- Only Yesterday

2008-09-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

Before you say anything ...... yes, that's a new me in the photo. I have been thinking about a change for a long time, but just kept putting it off. A few weeks ago, though, I finally decided it was time. New skin, new shape, new hair .... the only thing that's the same is ME inside. ;-)

For the record, my skin is from Laqroki, my hair is Sirena's, and my shape was custom made by Rocksie Slade, the Shape Shifter, who is a genius and a good friend.

I can't believe what a difference it makes. If nothing else, it has boosted my self-image immensely. I just wish I could work this magic in RL!

One side effect, of course, is that none of my prim clothes fit any more. I gained three inches in height and I have fuller hips now. Skirts that used to be just right now sit low on my hips and are too snug. Darn the luck.

This is a good opportunity for me to remind you, though, that prim clothing almost never fits perfectly. It's a mistake to pretend that it does. We all vary in shape, just as we do in RL, so you should expect to make adjustments when you buy new clothes. Otherwise, you'll find that waistbands hang loose or the back panels in a skirt hit your tail end all wrong. Even if you're lucky and everything fits fine, you may still want to take a hem up or let it down to match your personal taste.

There's an art to adjusting prim clothes, but it's not a hard challenge. Next time you're in my shop on Only Yesterday, look for the free gift box that offers hints about adjusting. It includes not only a card with helpful tips but also a pose stand and a privacy screen that can be handy tools. I recommend that you also take a free yellow dress too, so you have something to practice on.

By the way, this cotton dress is new too. It's a nice, relaxed one that I made a while ago just for myself. A number of people have asked about it, though, so I decided to put it in the shop. I'm calling it Bluebird! for no particular reason except that it reminds me of summer afternoons in the Midwest.

OK, enough about clothes and the new me. You don't need to hear more about that.

Today I decided to show you a very nice part of Only Yesterday, the local train depot. It's built to resemble a small town railway station of the 1930s, the sort of place where a few passenger trains and a steady stream of freight trains would pass through every day.

The stationmaster has his office here. A potbelly stove keeps him warm in winter, and big windows give him a good view of the farm down the slope. It's a quiet spot most of the time, so he can put his feet up, enjoy a ham sandwich for lunch, and read the latest copy of Argosy magazine between trains.

I can't resist the temptation to sit at the window while he has stepped away for a moment. Can I sell you a ticket to New York City, maybe? There are special fares to see the World's Fair of 1939. No? Well, maybe Chicago? San Francisco? The trains go everywhere.

There's a very nice display of period photos to look at while you're waiting, and you can get notecards about rail travel too.

Ah, well the train has arrived, though! It's a beauty and it has a full head of steam, right on schedule and ready to head down the line. They'll leave as soon as the baggage is loaded, so I better get on and find my seat.

All aboard! I don't know where we're going, but my ticket is punched and I'm off for the adventure. Go wander around the sim and discover some of our other attractions. I'll see you when I get back!

Bye!

Fashion on Display -- for the 1930s

2008-08-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

OK, so once again I have waited much too long since my last post. I would tell you that I've been busy, but I bet you have too, so that's no excuse. Anyway, I'm finally back at the keyboard. I want to tell you about a wonderful new exhibit on Only Yesterday.

Only Yesterday is a history-themed sim, focusing on the American experience of the 1930s. That's a tall order, because America has many different faces and the 1930s was a decade of rapid change. We try to balance parts of the sim that reflect the poverty and dispair of the Depression with the excitement of the Swing Era, the Golden Age of Hollywood, and the decline of rail travel.

When my good friend Georgette Whitfield, who has a great boutique on the sim, volunteered to create a fashion exhibit, I thought it was a terrific idea. In addition to designing some very nice clothes, she has also done some modelling in SL.

The exhibit is on the second floor of the building next to her boutique, Chez Geo, right on the main plaza where most people arrive when they visit us. There's a TP pad at street level.

She has decorated with period illustrations from fashion magazines and catalogues, and has embedded notcards that pass on information about men's and women's styles. The one I was looking at in this photo has fashion tips about what well-dressed women were wearing. For example, hems are supposed to be mid-calf length, and hats are meant to be worn to one side. And never go out without your gloves and stockings!

This corner of the exhibit tells about makeup and beauty hints. Read the cards and you learn about how much simpler women's makeup was in the 1930s than it is today. You also learn some very unusual information. There's a very odd quote by Jean Harlow about hair care that you just have to read for yourself! I won't spoil it by telling you now.

In addition to the notecard information, Georgette has provided a bank of monitors that include links to many fashion sites, where you can see illustrations and read more about styles and trends of the 30s.

The part that I had the most fun with was the corner devoted to sewing. Times were tough, and women of the 1930s were much more accustomed to making and mending their own clothes than we are today. This foot-powered sewing machine is a lovely touch for the exhibit! I felt like sitting here for the longest time, thinking of what to make next.

In the end, I decided that the smart thing to do was alter my Hyacinth dress, the one I wrote about last spring. I lengthened the hem and ...Tada! It works. I added this wonderful hat from Ingrid Elegance, put on my stockings and gloves and a pair of black wedgies, and I was ready for a day on the plaza. Isn't it great!

Oh, I have to show you one other thing I did. It has nothing to do with the 1930s, but I think you'll like it. It's the cute lavender dress I wore for most of the photos in Georgette's exhibit. Here it is, close up.

It's very simple... a marbled lavender top that buttons up the front and a mid-thigh length flexi skirt. (My grandmother would have been scandalized, I know. ) It feels light and summery, and the color reminds me of raspberry sherbet ... my favorite!

As soon as I finish posting this blog, It's going into my shop too.

The Changes Just Keep Coming

2008-07-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

Oh, my! It has been way too long since my last post. I apologize. So much has happened that I don't know where to start ... so I'll just write a couple of important things now and save the rest for another day.

First ... I closed my old shop on Elysian Isle. I know, it was a beautiful location and it was where I started selling my designs in SL, so it was hard to let it go. Still, many things had changed on Elysian Isle and traffic had dropped enough that I felt it was time to move on.

So now everything is in my second shop on Rich Id..... Oh, no! .... that's the other big change. The Rich Idiot sim is not Rich Idiot any more. It's Only Yesterday, and I'm the manager of the island. That's it in the new banner photo at the top of this blog.

Now you really do have to come visit. The island itself is really wonderful -- too many things to describe in one post, so I'll save that. We have other fine shops on the plaza, too, and the merchants are all good, friendly, imaginative women. And, there are four completely furnished homes for rent on the island, so you can come and live there yourself if you want to.

Come any time. If you want to help celebrate, though, our Grand Opening will be on Sunday, August 10th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. SLT. We'll have great music and dancing on the plaza and all sorts of other things to see and do. Mark the date on your calendar now, and I'll tell you more as the day gets closer.

With all of that change, I haven't had as much time to design as I would like. :( BUT, I put my little bits of spare time into making a really high-quality gown that you are going to love. Here it is.

I'm calling this design Wild Daisies. The fabric is a delicate two-tone print of a stylized field of daisies on a rich golden-yellow base. The ankle-length skirt has two layers, the outer one being graceful and semi-transparent, and the inner one a more substantial fabric to give the dress body.

The strapless bodice has a demure but deep-plunging neckline, trimmed with yellow lace -- just the right design for showing off a favorite necklace. The dress is finished with a wide, matching belt with a flat bow in front.

This is such a fun dress to wear to a formal dance! It swishes beautifully, especially in those slow, elegant dances.

As always, you can buy one at my shop. Just remember .... it's on Only Yesterday now.

More new things for you!

2008-04-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hi! Things have been busy lately, but I took some time the other day to make a couple of new things you might enjoy. First, ........

I made this white cotton blouse last winter, and several people have bought it. Everyone needs a plain white blouse, right? Well, the other day the weather turned chilly in RL and I reached for a sweater. Then it hit me ...... maybe you'd like to be able to do the same thing! So, I have gone back and "updated" the white cotton blouse by adding a second version in the same package ... at no extra price. Here it is .....

I know, my Mom (and yours probably too) told me never to tie my sweater in a knot, but I have always done it anyway. That way I don't have to button it up, and it still wraps around me. Right? Sorry, Mom.

For right now, this version is only in the Rich Idiot shop, so that's where to go looking. [Edit 4/26/08: OK, so now it's on Elysian Isle too.]

While you are there, look for a new freebie box near the front door. This one is super! I have heard from many people that need a private place to change clothes, or just to hide for a while, so I decided to build something. It's a Personal Safety Area. That's what I'm calling it, anyway. This picture shows what it looks like:

To anyone else, it seems to be a solid brick cylinder -- the sort of nondescript structure you often see in the corner of a public park. It's hollow, though, and you (the owner) are the only one who can get inside. Say the proper password and the wall becomes phantom until you -- and ONLY you -- touch it or walk through it. Then it instantly becomes solid again.

Once you are inside, you can see out, but nobody can see in. Well, OK, they can see in with camera view, so you do have to be a little careful about letting people suspect that you are in there if you want to be free from prying eyes. Still, it's pretty safe.

To get out, you simply say the password again and walk through the wall. Easy?

You can rez your Personal Safety Area to the ground anywhere that it's OK to build, like a sandbox or your own land. I don't recommend rezzing it indoors, because it is rather large, as you can see from the picture. When you're done, just delete it and move on.

If you want one, or maybe one to give to a friend -- this thing has copy/transfer perms -- you can get it at the Rich Idiot or Elysian Island shops, or at Cybergrrl Oh's lovely Athena Wares shop on Second Shores.

Free for YOU!

2008-04-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

If you read my last post, you know about some of the wonderful things we have been doing recently on Rich Idiot Island. It's a beautiful sim with lots of places to explore.

Now I want you to come visit, so I've decided to make you a no-strings-attached offer .... you come visit my shop, and I'll give you a stunning yellow sun dress. FREE. All you have to do is walk in and look for this sign.

Isn't it cute? Yellow is such an eye-catching color. I made the top of this dress as an undershirt, so you can wear a sweater or something over it if you want to, and then "change" without needing to trade one top for another. The dress comes with the matching scarf you see in this photo. It's a complete outfit!

As the sign says, your dress is on a hanger. All you have to do is click.

You may want to pick up couple of other free items too. One is a collection of scarves, like the one in the photo above, all textured to match clothing in the shop. If you already own one of my dresses, you may find an accent scarf that goes with it. Or (hint, hint) you might find a new dress to go with one of these scarves ... you never know. ;-)

The other free item is a "toolkit" to help you make those delicate adjustments that are often necessary when you wear a new piece of prim clothing for the first time. I remember getting SO frustrated when I was a newbie and couldn't get a skirt to sit properly at my waistline. If that's you too, take a toolkit. It contains a pose stand and an attractive privacy screen, and advice about how to make those adjustments. Give a toolkit to a friend, too. She'll thank you.

Why am I doing all of this? I know, I'm a nice person. Aside from that, though, profits from my Rich Idiot shop and from Rug Rats and the bookstore (A Good Book) go to support the libraries and educational work of the Alliance Library System in SL. So every time you buy something, you are helping to maintain the ALS sims. I think that's a pretty worthy cause.

So pick up the freebies and have fun. I hope you'll find something else to add to your wardrobe while you're here, too. Take some time to browse through the dresses and separates. I've tried to arrange the shop so you know where to look for casual things and where to find dressier clothing, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure -- like the bathing suits I added earlier this season.

I also hope you bring a friend and just wander on the island. In addition to other great shops, there's The Distillery club and Gatsby's supper club. There are loads of other fascinating places to wander into as well, and quirky little surprises to discover wherever you look. And if you just want to chill out and relax, go sit on the beach and dabble your toes in the water.

Just in case you have misplaced the LM for my shop, here it is again: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rich%20Idiot/144/122/35 .

I hope to see you soon.

So many new things on Rich Idiot island!

2008-04-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been so long since the last time I wrote anything for you. A lot has happened too, and I can't wait to show you.

I'm so pleased to see that so many people have discovered the second location for Så Roligt! on Rich Idiot island. It has been open for a month now. That's it, there in the background. It's the largest shop on the plaza, so you can't miss it.

The plaza itself has had quite a facelift. This fruit vendor offers free fresh fruit, and there are several picturesque tables with sun umbrellas nearby, where you can sit and chat with a friend while you decide where to shop next. There's even a friendly bluebird flying around.

I have had so much fun selling clothing, I decided last week to open a small shop to sell oriental rugs, which is something I have always had a weakness for. Here it is. Like the name?

It's not very big ... just a narrow little shop between my friend Rocksie's Shapes and Jewelry shop on one side and my other friend Brielle's clothing and portraits store (Enraptured Designs) on the other. I managed to cover the floor and walls with beautiful Indian and Chinese orientals, though, so there's a pretty good selection to choose from.

I'm selling all of the rugs at very affordable prices, and they are all sold with copy/mod/transfer permissions so you can size them appropriately for your home or office, and you can even give one to a friend as a gift.

The place I actually had the most fun with is on the opposite side of the plaza ... a book store I built and am operating for the Alliance Library System. I love books, so I jumped at the chance to design this place.

It's a two-story building, but we're only using the first floor for now. Come on in ... let me show you.

I tried to match the feel of small, village bookstores that I used to visit with my mother many years ago, before Brentano's and Barnes & Noble took over and put a chain store in every town. It has a wonderfully eclectic mix of used and new books, a little reading nook, and a coffee pot just inviting you to sit for a while. Best of all ... it really is a book store. You can buy books here without leaving Second Life!

I'm using one of Bucky Barkley's magical Slider panels, which make it possible for you to click on any image and connect directly to the web page on Amazon.com where that book is sold. You buy the book the same way you would make any online purchase, and a portion of the sale price goes to ALS to help support projects on the island and elsewhere on the archipelago.

I have loaded several good books about Second Life into it, as well as most books by author Robert Shemin, whose publisher has sponsored our work on Rich Idiot island this year. I'll add other books as people express an interest.

Finally, there are changes along the shore as well. Remember this lovely yacht, the Rich Idiot? Well, just beyond it, to the west, they have rebuilt Gastby's, which is a wonderfully elegant supper club.

Next time you have an evening out with a special friend and you want to try someplace new, come to Gatsby's. It offers a delicious menu by candlelight, and a spacious dance floor .... all right down at the water, so you can watch the sun set and listen to the waves. It is an intimate and very romantic place for an evening.

Notice that I wore a new blue dress especially today, because I wanted to match the decor when we got to this spot. Springtime is finally here, so I thought it would be nice to design something bright that would catch the spirit of the season. It's a colorful dress with a straight skirt that I'm calling "Hyacinth." The lace bodice adds a delicate touch. If you like it, drop by the shop.

A new shop on ... don't laugh .. Rich Idiot Island

2008-03-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since the last time I wrote. I have a second great location for my shop! You'll have to come visit.

Here it is, right on the main square on Rich Idiot island (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rich%20Idiot/144/122/35).

Yeah, it's kind of a goofy name for an island, but it's a wonderful place on the Alliance Information archipelago, about six sims east of Info Island International.

In contrast to my shop on Elysian Isle, which is a lovely intimate boutique, this new shop is gloriously spacious. It has a high ceiling, rich wood panelled walls, and big etched glass windows in front. There's enough floor space to hold a dance, which is exactly what I have in mind one of these days soon.

I've tried to make the shop feel comfortable, despite its size. Of course I want people to come and buy my clothing, but I'd also like to have them just come to relax. If you need a break, come on in, put your feet up on one of the soft couches, and have a glass of wine. Bring a friend.

You may have noticed that my friend Katt Tomsen, who makes that gorgeous microprim jewelry, no longer has a display in my Elysian Isle shop. That's a long story. She has her own shop on Rich Idiot now, though, right next door to mine. So, you can pop in and see her full line while you're visiting me.

There are other nice shops on the square too, and more coming this spring. Rich Idiot is still growing, so you'll have to visit many times to keep up.

One of the first places you'll want to visit is The Distillery -- a great 1920s style dance club in an old warehouse down by the beach. They have a regular schedule of live music and literary readings, and the decor is fantastic. I can't resist showing you two or three "atmospheric" photos I took as the sun was going down this evening.

Don't these shots look like something that Edward Hopper might have painted? I just love the way light plays in here.

While we are down by the water, let me show you a couple of nice beachfront houses. I wish I could afford a place like one of these in RL.

They have open, airy architecture and a wonderful view of the water. The far one has a nice spa, too.

The beach is right here, with clean white sand.
Oh, while we're here, let me show you two bathing outfits I made last week, as sort of a celebration after finishing the move-in.

They're both rich Oriental prints. This first one, in deep ultramarine blue, is a one-piece suit. I think the short, asymmetrical sun skirt I made to go with it looks very chic, don't you?

If you prefer a style that shows a little more .... um .. you, then you'll want to take a good look at the other one I made. It's a bikini, this time in a warm Oriental floral print that will make other people on the beach sit up and take notice. It comes with a sun skirt too.

You'll find both of these outfits in three locations: on Elysian Isle, in Cybergrrl Oh's boutique (Athena Wares), and in my brand new shop right here on Rich Idiot Island.

Enough about that for now. I want to show you one more neat place on Rich Idiot Island. Ready?

It's an absolutely monstrous yacht named -- what else?-- Rich Idiot.

It's moored off the east side of the island, just down slope from my shop, and it is gigantic. It has lots of room on deck, and several spacious, wood panelled rooms below deck where you could sit all day sipping rum and coke, or whatever your pleasure is. Look at this bedroom ....

Wouldn't this be a deliciously decadent way to travel?

You know ... the owner is out of town, so I don't think he'll mind if I check out that hot tub on the fan deck .....

Ahhh! I'll be a while, so just show yourself out. I'll catch you another day, OK?

A Hispanic afternoon

2008-03-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

¡Buenos Dias! Maybe you remember being here before. This is Mi Pueblo, the cantina on Info Island International that is the main attraction in the Spanish region of the island. I brought you here very briefly in November, but we didn't stay long enough to look around, so I decided to come back for a second visit.

The cantina is a simple adobe building, like many that you may see in Mexico or parts of the American Southwest. The walled courtyard is a pleasant place to sit on a sunny day -- when isn't it a sunny day in SL? My friend, Marimar, also puts seasonal displays here, so it can look very festive.

Let's go inside ....

I could sit here for hours sipping margaritas. This is such a comfortable place. Marimar has hung colorful paintings and photographs on the walls, as well as some lovely woven and pottery artwork. Many of them will offer you a notecard if you ask, giving information about the place or the cultural significance of the piece.

This is also a wonderful place to dance! The audio stream is all Latin music, and Marimar has hung a large mirrored dance ball full of intricate dances animations. I can't resist the chance to do a cha-cha!

Oh, and the bar not only serves delicious margaritas but you can gorge yourself on cheeses, taco dip, and other scrumptious things to eat. All low fat, of course. I think I'll just sit here for a while and take a few bites ....

Here is some of the artwork I was telling you about ... including a colorful painting of dancers doing the tango, a very atmospheric photo of Chichen Itza, and another of the ruins at Machu Pichu. There's a lot to learn here about Hispanic culture.

There's a fine park outside the cantina too. The centerpiece here is a magnificent tiled fountain. I like to sit here on a park bench and relax while I do some of those pesky maintenance jobs that are so easy to put off -- like cleaning up my inventory. The sound of flowing water is soothing ... almost enough to put me to sleep....

No, I mustn't stay here and daydream. Too many things to do.

Thank you for coming with me again. I'll look for you again another day.

By the way, this Summer Butterflies dress is very much like the Ivy Sun Dress I was wearing the other day when we visited the Bridge of Stateless People. It has the same two-skirt feature, which makes it flow beautifully on the dance floor. Look back at that cha-cha picture. See what I mean?

The fabric for this dress is a gently two-toned blue and lavender, covered with hundreds of tiny colorful butterflies. It's in my shop on Elysian Isle, of course. Go see. ;-)

A New Visit to the German House

2008-02-26T15:43:00.001-08:00

On one of our first visits to Info Island International, I took you to the German House, in the extreme southwestern corner of the island. We didn't spend much time, though, so I've been meaning to go back again and give you another chance to see what's there.

You can tell we have arrived because the flags of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland -- the three main German-speaking countries -- are flying out front. This is an interesting building, combining elements of late 20th century architecture with some traditional beam and stucco features.

Let's go inside.

The theme in the German House is art, literature, and music of the German-speaking world. It was designed as a place to learn about the place of the creative arts in cultural history, either by individual exploration or as part of an organized class or seminar.

The first floor is a reception area, suitable for a gathering over cocktails or wine and cheese.

The emphasis on this floor is on the visual arts, but this poster offers an overview of writers who have shaped literature in the German-speaking world and beyond. Let's see, I can recognize Anne Franck and Hermann Hesse ... Karl Marx ... Berthold Brecht ... Johanna Spiri .... hmmmmm.... If you get tired of guessing, you can click the bookcase here and get a list of all of them. You can get the poster too.

I have always enjoyed paintings by Gustav Klimt. This one, a portrait of Emile Flöge, is one of my favorites. She looks very elegant indeed. Do you think there is a resemblance ..... ?

Other artwork here by Dürer, Klee, and Kollwitz, for example, may be familiar to you. Here's one that you may not know, though.

It's a very nice late Renaissance painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder, entitled "Rest on the Flight to Egypt." I had never heard of Cranach, but I discovered that I could get a lengthy biography on him by just clicking on the painting. That's true of any painting on this floor, by the way.

I truly love the second floor, which is where you find the Musik Salon. There is comfortable seating here for a seminar or a small performance, and the walls are lined with portraits of composers and performers. As with the paintings downstairs, each portrait is designed to offer a long biographical sketch of the person.

This is an impressive collection of men and women. Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, and Brahms are here, of course, and so are Strauss, Schubert, and Handel. The 20th century is represented by Schonberg, Berg, Klemperer, and Weil, among others. One of my favorites, and the only woman among the crowd, is Clara Wieck Schumann. She was not only an accomplished composer, but a highly regarded performing pianist.

Speaking of performance, this is also a place to do a little performing of your own. I do not have Clara Schumann's talent, of course, but in SL anything is possible. All I have to do is sit on the piano bench, touch the keys gently, and ....

it's amazing! I can play Für Elise almost effortlessly! Oh, I knew all those piano lessons would come in handy some day.

I hope you enjoyed this visit. Please come back again, and bring a friend, or maybe a whole group of friends.

A Home for Stateless People

2008-02-24T17:29:00.000-08:00

Hi! It's good to see you again. Are you ready for another short visit to Info Island International? I want to show you someplace special today.

Before you say anything ..... yes, I'm blonde. When I got up this morning, I decided to wear this nice green dress, which you haven't seen before, and it just felt like a dress to wear with blonde hair. I don't know why ... it just did. I love the way you can make decisions like that in SL.

Anyway, here's the special place. It's the Bridge of Stateless People.

My good friend Hypatia developed the concept. It is a magnificent suspension bridge, spanning a quiet lake in the extreme northwestern corner of the island. In a sense, it is an architectural metaphor for the challenge of reaching across the gap between people, or perhaps connecting people who have no home to the lands on either end of it. However you want to interpret it, Hypatia designed it as an homage to that people who have no nation or lands to call their own.

Let me back off a distance and let you see the whole thing from the air.

That's the welcoming area just beyond the far end of the bridge. It has changed a lot since our visit there a little over a month ago, so I'll have to take you back again. Beyond it is a new social center, where we will also need to visit some day. To the right, next to the ALS headquarters building, is the large Fusion Stage, which we use for performances. And out of the picture to the left is Info Island, where the main libraries are.

So, let's walk across. Walk slowly, though, because every few meters there is a conspicuous blue ball, begging for our attention. This one says "Resources on the Stateless." If you click on it, you will get a bibliography of articles and URLs where you can explore the topic of stateless people carefully.

The next ball offers information about the Hill People of Thailand. Beyond that are similar balls for the Roma, Palestinians, Kurds, and other people who have no uncontested homelands in the world.

Other balls on the bridge explore the concept of statelessness itself. "What does it mean to be stateless?" "Can a stateless person be a refugee also?" "How many stateless people are there?"

On this island, where we celebrate the many languages and cultures of the world, this bridge reminds us not to forget that there are cultures and languages that have a shadow existence, and whose people are often ignored or rejected by the world community.

Looking back from the east end of the bridge, we see the China Cafe and, beyond it, the sim owned by San Jose State University.

It's an impressive park, don't you think? When I lead people on a walking tour of the island, I like to end here. More than any other single region on Info Island International, this park makes me contemplate what it means to have a culture, and to belong to the world community.

As I said when you arrived today, this is a special place.

< < < < > > > >

You can find this strapless dress in my shop on Elysian Isle. It's called, simply, "Ivy Sun Dress." I went a little nuts creating the fabric. It's a soft spring green, covered with ivy ... very restful ... just the dress for a bright, spring afternoon. What you're going to love most, though, is the way the skirt flows. It's actually two skirts: a solid flexi underskirt and a filmy overskirt that almost move together, but not quite. They look wonderfully soft as you walk and ... oh, you have to see what this dress looks like when you dance! Very feminine. ;-)

Konichiwa!

2008-02-21T15:37:00.000-08:00

The Japanese Garden on Info Island International is our destination today. It's a lovely, walled garden on the west side of the sim, just south of the China Cafe.

You may enter the garden from the China Cafe or through gates in either its east or south side. The walls, as you see in this photo, are traditional wood stake constructions. I love the sheltered, private feeling that they generate. The world outside seems so distant, and the garden so peaceful.

Some of the beauty in a Japanese garden comes from the planting. The trees here look as if they have been tended lovingly by generations of gardeners, skilled in the art of bonzai and having a sensitive eye for balance. Each one has been carefully placed for maximum visual effect.

There is also magic in the use of water to define space. The heart of this garden is a grouping of landscaped islands, surrounded by a shallow koi pool.

You step from one to another across arched bridges or patterned stepping stones like these.

This would be a very nice spot to hold a seminar or meet with a few friends for tea. The ring of benches here on the central island would be just the place to discuss the code of Bushido, or perhaps share ideas about ikebana, the Zen-inspired art of floral arrangement.

There is also a ring of cushions in another corner of the garden, and a tatami mat in yet another spot where you can sit quietly and meditate.

Or if you are inspired by less philosophical thoughts, perhaps it can simply be a place to escape from the busy world for a few moments. If you are at all like me, you treasure small, quiet places where you can hide and forget the pressures of daily life.

I like to dress to fit the mood of places we visit together. For today's visit, I made this lovely oriental outfit, which I have called "Japanese Garden," in honor of this special place. The fabric of the blouse is a bold, floral print on cream-colored silk. I did not design it myself, as I usually do, but found it among a wonderful collection by designer Adaarye Shikami, and could not resist. Isn't it beautiful?

The trim around the collar and sleeves is gold silk, bordered by a narrow line of deep red piping. I also used that red for the delicate buttons that close the blouse and, of course, for the long flexi skirt. That skirt, which drops almost straight from the waist, flows sinuously when you walk in it. The effect is marvelous!

I am going to rush now to get it in my shop on Elysian Isle before you get there. Sayonara!

Blog Index

2008-02-18T14:58:00.000-08:00

If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that it's not just about the fine women's clothes I design. It's my chance to show off some of the places in Second Life that I enjoy. It's also a way to post a little poetry from time to time, and to be philosophical.

Titles don't always tell you what's in a post, so I thought you might appreciate a guide. Here's what you can find in this blog:

THE SHOP and ME

Welcome to my World
Grand Opening
New Shop on Rich Idiot
Notes on Fitting and Style
Free items for YOU!
BIG Change!

PLACES TO VISIT

Info Island International

China Café
Dutch
English
French
German House
German House again!
International House
Italian
Japanese Garden
Mi Pueblo (Spanish)
Mi Pueblo again!
The Orchard
Park areas
Scandinavian House
Stateless People
Welcoming/Reference area

Land of Lincoln

Mr. Lincoln’s Inaugural Ball

Infotainment

Jazz Cat

Rich Idiot now Only Yesterday

My second shop!
More new shops!
Free items for YOU!
The Depot -- Only Yesterday
Fashion on Display -- For the 1930s

Athena Isle

Athena Wares

Other Cool Places

San Francesco Assisi

CLOTHES

Dresses

April Garden dress
Bluebird! cotton dress
Confetti dress
Flowered Sun Dress
Gold Leaves formal gown
Hyacinth dress
Ivy Sun Dress
Japanese Garden skirt and blouse
Little Black Dress
Simply Elegant gown
Sophisticated Night Out cocktail dress
Spring Flowers dress
Sunrise dress
Summer Butterflies dress
Yellow Sun Dress (free!)

Separates

Autumn Leaves skirt and keyhole blouse
Country Lace skirt and blouse
Field of Flowers skirt
Floral Spring skirt
Floral Spring skirt and keyhole blouse
Harvest Colors skirt
Lovely in Lavender skirt and blouse
Romantic Daydreams skirt and blouse
Snowflakes skirt and cardigan
Summer Grasses skirt and blouse
White Cotton Blouse and sweater

Other Items

Bathing Suits
Personal Safety Area

Accessories

Katt Tomsen Jewelry
Katt House

POEMS

Commitment
The World As I know It

TUTORIALS

Dressmaking the "Subtractive" way

Mr. Lincoln's Inaugural Ball

2008-02-17T17:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was quite a day! I was invited to the inaugural ball for Mr. Abraham Lincoln, held on the portico of the White House at the new Land of Lincoln sim. Well, OK, everyone was invited, but I went. ;-)

I worked all day on a new gown for the occasion. Here it is. It's a full-length, pure white satin gown. The brocade and lace bodice is covered with a delicate pattern of gold leaves and bordered with a band of gold satin. For something as formal as a presidential inaugural, I had to wear white gloves, of course.

I expected a lot of lag at the ball, so I made sure to design the skirt on this dress so that it wouldn't be hard to control. Many prim skirts get carried away by the wind, or swirl into a tangle when you start to dance, but not this one.

Isn't it lovely?

The ball was underway precisely at 7 p.m. Quite a crowd had already arrived by the time I got there ten minutes later, and the dancing had started.

The White House is a fairly faithful reproduction of the RL original, and it is white. I spent some time wandering inside, because I have never taken the tour of the real White House. It's really nicely done, though sparsely furnished so far.

The other ladies wore elegant period gowns -- very colorful and nicely textured. It was quite a spectacle watching everyone on the dance floor. The gentlemen were nicely dressed too, of course. Many wore long frock coats that made them look very distinguished.

The organizing committee for the ball had thoughtfully arranged to have a professional photographer present so that we could each have a daguerrotype taken with Mr. Lincoln. That's the camera in the background. Many of the guests took advantage of the opportunity, but I decided that it would be more fun to dance with Mr. Lincoln and take my own pictures.

And there we are! You can tell it's him because of the beard and the hat. ;-) He's a good dancer, or at least he chose nimbly-scripted poseballs for our dance. It was a waltz, played by a small string ensemble. Mr. Lincoln doesn't smile much, I'm afraid, but he is gracious and a good conversationalist. I enjoyed dancing with him, and I got some good photos too.

I danced with other gentlemen too, of course, including this handsome Australian. What would be the fun of going to a ball at the White House and not dancing as much as you could?

I never did dance with that Confederate officer, however, even though he did look dashing in uniform. (I wonder how he got in past security?)

So that was my evening at Mr. Lincoln's inaugural ball. It was glorious! And it was all over by 9 p.m., and I went home to bed.

I was thinking of donating this gown to the Smithsonian collection, but I decided that they already have enough gowns. Instead, I have put it in my shop on Elysian Isle. If you are invited to someplace formal and need the perfect dress, just look for "Gold Leaves."

Villa Villekulla

2008-02-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

Did you read the Pippi Longstocking books when you were young? They were written by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren and have been translated into nearly fifty languages, including Thai, Macedonian, and Hindi. Well, if you read the books, perhaps you recognize this house.

It's Villa Villekulla, the unconventional house where Pippi lived with her horse and her monkey, Mr. Nilsson. It's also the focal point of the Scandinavian language and culture area on Info Island International, where we are going today. Notice the national flags of Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden out in front.

The first thing I notice as I walk up the front steps is that the house looks a little bigger than normal. Maybe this is how the world looks to a child.

Just inside the door is a little photo of Astrid Lindgren, taken when she was an old woman.

The house is managed by librarians from the Scandinavian countries. If you have a reference question, you can submit it to Finnish or Swedish library services by following directions on one of these signs.

Scandinavia has been home to many notable scientists, engineers, and inventors. To the left in this photo is Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who devised the system that is now used to name all living things. On the far wall are two Danish scientists: Niels Bohr, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on the structure of the atom, and Tycho Brahe, whose careful observations of planetary motion opened the way for modern astronomy.

There are many other portraits here, including Linus Torvalds (creator of Linux), Inge Lehmann (discoverer of the Earth's solid core) and, of course, Alfred Nobel. Each portait offers curious visitors a notecard biography, so you can learn more about these remarkable people.

You have to use your ingenuity to go upstairs, where you will find Pippi's sparse bedroom. You can only get there by TP. The bed is comfortable (I know -- I took a nap earlier!). At the south end of the room, you can sit on a big, soft pillow, read a book by Hans Christian Anderson, and gaze out the window at Cybrary City, our neighbor sim.

If you are very clever, you can figure out how to find Pippi's secret room. When I was little, I used to wish I had one. Here it is, but I won't spoil the secret by telling you how to get there.

Finally, what kind of storybook house doesn't have a balcony? This one, over the front door, looks to the north. The huge building in this photo is the ALS headquarters, at the center of the island. Behind it you can see the flags of English Square, where we went on our last visit.

So, there's the Scandinavian area. I have special feelings for this place. My name, Rolig, means "funny" in Swedish, as in a funny story. In Danish and Norwegian, it means "calm" or "peaceful." I'm not sure that either word fits me exactly, but they do help me feel a connection to the land and people this house represents.

Because I was planning to come here today, I made a new skirt and blouse to match the decor. The marbled lavender fabric of the blouse is the same color as the trim on Villa Villekulla. I decided that a yellow skirt might be a little too much, so I chose to make a soft, knee-length white skirt instead. They look gentle and spring-like together, don't you think? Here's a closer look.

I'm selling the skirt and blouse together at my shop on Elysian Isle. The name of the outfit? ... It's "Lovely in Lavender."

Hej, då! Tack för att ha kommit idag. Så länge!

English Spoken Here

2008-02-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

I finally got it! I've tried making this skirt for months, but it never seemed to turn out the way I saw it in my mind. Has that ever happened to you? I mean, being able to imagine something you want to create, but having a mental block about how to get there?

I made this fabric back in October, as you can guess from the colors, and I wanted to use it in a skirt that flared at the hem -- something that swished gently as I walked but didn't fly away like so many flexi skirts do.

Well here it is, finally.

It has two tiers of panels. Only the lower tier is flexi, so each panel around the hem responds gently as you change position while the upper tier follows the movement of your hips. It's very smooth. And there's an extra bonus .... it almost behaves when you sit down on the right poseball.

Almost. :D

I am so pleased. If you are too, you can find this skirt, "Harvest Colors," in my shop on Elysian Isle. Oh, don't forget to look upstairs. I expanded the shop last week and moved all the blouses and skirts up there.

Enough about skirts.

Today I want to show you the English Square on Info Island International. It's a nice, bricked public square just outside the south entrance to the huge ALS Headquarters building.

English is spoken by almost 2 billion people around the world. In this area, we display the flags of six countries where English is spoken by the majority of citizens as a first language: The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and the United States. As in every other language area on the island, you can get a notecard with information about any flag by clicking on the colored band on its flagpole.

I expect to see pigeons when I visit here, flocking around that large fountain, but the only bird here is a lonely blackbird who sings to himself all day. By the way, the fountain also hands out a notecard with all manner of interesting information about the spread of English in the world today. It's fascinating to me to read how quickly English became a major world language and how many regional variants are spoken today.

This is a fine place for a group to meet, maybe for an open-air discussion or a seminar. Plenty of room for dancing, too, if that's what you'd rather do. Or, if you're like me, you can just stand and stare into the fountain.

Dutch Treat

2008-02-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

My friend, Christi Janus, is an archivist in the Netherlands who does many things in Second Life. He's the one who created the Dutch language and culture area on Info Island International, where we're going today.

Dutch is spoken in many places around the world, but mostly in the Netherlands and Belgium. When Christi made this area, therefore, he designed it like a town square that you might find in one of those countries. Those are the national flags of Holland and Belgium in the background.

Too bad that we can't smell things in SL. These tulips and irises are beautiful.

In a square like this in RL, you would expect to find street vendors selling regional foods. The Belgians are fond of fried potatoes -- what we call "French Fries" in North America -- and the Dutch enjoy pickled herring. Hmmmmm .... I think I'll wait, thank you.

Instead, I'll stand here and feed the ducks and the swans. The swans are peaceful enough, but ducks look really hungry. There's duck food in the box next to me (or maybe I could throw them a herring?).

Not long ago, this pond was frozen over, so Christi used the ice for a special art exhibit. You could rent ice skates and glide around, enjoying each painting and learning a little about it.

There are many Dutch-speaking communities in Second Life, and there are some amazing art museums as well. You probably recognize Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and Vermeer's "Girl With a Pearl Earring." Christi has thoughtfully provided reproductions here, and landmarks to places in SL where you can see more of the Dutch masters' paintings.

The centerpiece of the area, I think, is this gigantic oak tree. There's a blackbird nesting here somewhere, and a bluebird that flies over from the park around the pond. This would be a fine place to sit with a friend and watch the world go by.

My dress today, by the way, is a new one I just put in the shop on Elysian Isle. I'm calling it simply "Spring Flowers." I designed it for you to wear to an outdoor lunch or if you decided to stroll through any of the beautiful park areas in SL, but it could just be a "relax on the patio" dress. Maybe with a margarita? Here it is, close up.

I think I'll stay for a while. You go on ahead. I'll catch up.

A Walk in the Park

2008-01-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

It's a lovely spring day on Info Island International. When the weather is like this, I feel like taking a long walk. Join me.

If I had to choose a favorite part of the island, it would be the southern edge. That's where the French, Italian, Dutch, Scandinavian, and German areas are. [Quick note to myself: I haven't shown you the Dutch or Scandinavian areas in this blog yet. Have to do that.] Those are fascinating places to visit, but I truly enjoy walking on that end of the island because of the parks.

I took you on a visit to the orchard, in the SE corner of the island, a while ago. It's a fun place, especially if you like climbing trees or playing on a swing.

In this photo, I'm standing right on the edge of the orchard, where some thoughtful person has abandoned a picnic basket and a strawberry torte. It's right next to the French area, so I wouldn't be surprised if the francophiles decide to add a bottle of Bordeau and make this their picnic.

There's another restful spot due south of the big ALS building. The quiet pond here, between the Italian and Dutch areas, has swans and a family of ducks in it. I like to sit on a bench in this little park and watch them swimming. Butterflies swarm around the wildflowers, and the maple trees sway in the breeze. There's a bluebird nesting in one of those trees. I see him flying back and forth from the Dutch area all the time.

This is a peaceful spot for daydreaming. I'm good at that. It's also a nice place to meet people as they walk along the path.

If we amble along ourselves, we finally get to a beautiful wooded park in front of the German House. This one has gorgeous, tall fir trees and big, floppy ferns, just like you might see in northern Europe or Canada.

The stepping stone path leads you from the German House to a spot where another thoughtful person has left another picnic basket and another torte on a plaid blanket. This one is a quiet, two-person picnic -- bring a friend.

There's a squirrel running around here. He's hard to spot sometimes, but you can hear him if you are close enough. He chatters away like crazy. Strangers obviously don't bother him; you can walk right up and say "Hi."

When I visit , I usually end up here, under a parasol, reading a book. From this place, I can see anyone walking up the path to the German House, or coming out the front door of the Scandinavian House, but they have to peer through the grasses and shrubbery to spot me.

See why I like this side of the island?

Before you leave, I have to tell you about the new outfit I wore for today's walk. Valentine's Day is coming, so I decided to make something soft and pink. I'm calling it "Romantic Daydreams." (I know that's sappy, but give me a break ... it's Valentine's.)

The knee-length flexi skirt has 24 panels in rose pink, grading to rich strawberry red at the hem. As you can see, it has a gentle flare and hangs flat against the tummy ... all the better to show off your figure. The wrap-around blouse that I made to go with it is pale pink cotton with a pattern of tiny white flowers -- very delicate and feminine.

If you're looking for something pretty to wear for a walk in the park with a special friend, you can find this skirt and blouse at Så Roligt! on Elysian Isle.

Very Classy Jewelry

2008-01-18T10:47:00.000-08:00

I have something special to share today. My friend Katt Tomsen, a very talented jewelry designer, has begun selling her work through my shop on Elysian Isle and at Cybergrrl Oh's new shop, Athena Wares.

Katt must have incredible eyesight and patience. She does all of her work with nanoprims, which are technically below the minimum size limit for prims -- very tiny. She told me that she uses five different basic prims and then "strings" them painstakingly to create necklaces, bracelets, and anklets. She also makes great little stud earrings (no, the ones I'm wearing in these photos aren't hers -- sorry).

I've been looking for a classic pearl necklace to go with the Little Black Dress I showed you in my last blog entry. Katt offered me two styles ... a single strand choker and a triple strand one. The triple strand one has 252 prims! I could never afford that many pearls in RL.

Now I don't know which one I like best. Guess I just have to trade off on alternate days.

Oh, and here's one of Katt's bracelets. Again, it's an elegant single strand of black pearls .... understated, but so chic.

I am so glad that Katt could join me. Her jewelry and my dresses are a perfect match.

Note (3/14/08): Katt has opened her own shop now, right next to my own new shop on Rich Idiot Island (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rich%20Idiot/144/122/35). Come see!

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No tour today, sorry. How about another poem?

Commitment, by Rolig Loon

Eternity seems like a dreadfully long time.

But I guess that’s the point,
isn’t it?

I mean, what if eternity was
an April morning between the Big Bang and the Apocalypse
and then

WHAM

Armageddon came
and you never had a chance to ask,
What’s for lunch?
Shall we take in the museum this afternoon?

I would at least like a minute to grab a snack
(perhaps a peach?)
before …
well, whatever happens next.

No, if we’re going to be together for eternity,
it had better be forever.

Ready to Greet You

2008-01-11T06:59:00.000-08:00

There are so many wonderful places to visit on Info Island International, and I love talking about them so much, it's hard to believe I haven't told you about the place where most of the people are. It's right here ... the greeting and reference area. If you TP onto the island, you automatically land in the middle of the compass mosaic in this picture.

If you imagine the island like the face of a clock, the greeting area is where 12:00 is ... right in the center of the north edge of the island. I'm facing north here, so you can see the main Alliance Library across the property line in the next sim.

Here's a map to show you what I mean. The big building in the center of the sim is the Alliance Library System headquarters. The Exhibition Concourse, flanked by two pools, is that wide path that extends from the ALS building to the top of the map, where the greeting area is. All the other great places I have been describing in my blog posts are around the perimeter of the island.

OK, now I've turned around to face south, so you can see the concourse and the big ALS building. That map at the edge of the greeting area shows all the world's time zones -- an important thing to have in a place where we get visitors from all over the world. I never know what time it is, do you?

There's almost always someone here to greet you, usually standing here, next to the reference desk. Remember, this is a sim run by librarians, and we believe in having live help available to answer questions and give directions. Two of my friends, Sonja and Hollyjean, were there when I took this picture.

In addition to the monitors at the desk, which connect you to many Web resources, the greeting area has information displays to announce upcoming programs and events. We also have notecard dispensers that offer guiudes to each of the islands on the Alliance Information Archipelago -- that's the full string of islands connected to this one, all managed by ALS.

Here's my own favorite part of the greeting area. It's a lounge area, a platform 30 m above the main deck -- just out of conversation range. You get a great view from up here!

There's the ALS building in the background, and the cherry trees and the pools lining the concourse. The floor of the platform is transparent, which is why you can see what's under the bench where I'm sitting.

Sitting? .... well, relaxing. I know flexi skirts do funny things when you sit down, but I don't care. I come here to chill out, chat with a friend, or just sort out my thoughts and stare at the sky. You need places to do that, even in Second Life.

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you about this new dress! When I finished making the black cocktail dress, "Sophisticated Night Out," before Christmas, I checked through my wardrobe and realized that I didn't have a nice, basic "Little Black Dress." So this is it.

It really is simple: ... off the shoulder, and soft-looking. There's a cute bow on the left hip and a black onyx pin on the left shoulder. Otherwise, it's designed to be understated and quietly elegant, like me ... and you. ;-)

Parlez-vous Français?

2008-01-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

The snow has melted on Info Island International! I know it's still winter, but Second Life runs on a different calendar, I guess. Anyway, Spring has arrived, the grass is full of tiny blue flowers, and there are butterflies everywhere. If the SL weather gods have decided it's Spring, I better start to work on a Spring wardrobe ...... fast!

Spring finally starts to arrive in April in my part of RL. The new little leaf buds are a gentle shade of yellow-green that I think is very pretty, so I've tried to capture it in this dress, which I call "April Garden." The top is a solid color with darker green trim and a sage-green insert at the upper chest, and the flexi skirt is covered with those tiny spring leaves, in two pastel shades of green. Because it's still a little chilly in April, I made the dress with a high neck and long sleeves ... but I cut out an oval window in the back so I can feel the sunshine. ;-)

So, now I'm ready to go out. Today I want to show off a part of Info Island International that I built. It's the parcel that is dedicated to French language and culture --- a good place to go in the Spring, don't you think?

This open-air cafe at the center of the parcel is a nice place to sit and sip a cup of espresso with a friend, or just sit back on a park bench and enjoy the sunshine. I haven't seen any birds around the fountain yet, but I did step in and splash around a bit myself when no one was watching.

The tall building in the background is the Pavilion de la Culture Francophone, created to highlight men and women of the 20th and 21st centuries who have helped to shape the culture of the French-speaking world. It has photos of authors, artists, musicians, designers, philosophers, and many others. Simone de Beauvoir is there, and so are Yves Saint-Laurent, Marc Chagall, and Albert Camus. There are performing artists, too: Celine Dion, Serge Gainsbourg, Catherine Deneuve, and Leslie Caron.

Here's Hergé, who created the Tintin comics that are popular all over the world (except the U.S.), and there's Tintin and friends in the panel above Hergé's photo.

If you click on any photo, you get a biographical notecard about the person. Right now, the bios are all in English, but we will have French translations soon.

Our friends at the Bibliothèque Francophone generously loaned us this incredible book, "Traverses," which is over 250 pages long and beautifully laid out. As you can see, it's bigger than I am (I'm 5' 11" tall -- 181 cm -- in heels)! You can easily flip through the pages and read a little bit each time you visit, or just stand there smelling the cherry blossoms and read all day if you want.

This area was created with students in mind. It would be a great place to come if you are studying French, or if you are thinking about taking a trip to France on your next vacation. If you are just a casual visitor, that's OK too. I like to sit under the umbrella and listen to the breezes in the trees. It's a relaxing place to come.

I think I'll hang around for a while myself, pour a cup of espresso, and imagine that I am on the banks of the Seine. Paris in Springtime! Ahh!

Athena Isle -- A Place for Women to Grow

2008-01-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

My friend, Cybergrrl Oh, has the most wonderful gathering place. You have to visit! It's called "Athena Isle: Community, Creativity," and here's how you get there: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Second%20Shores/51/50/23. Cyber is one of the most imaginative people you will ever meet, and a great organizer.

Athena Isle is a place for women (OK, and men) to meet, share ideas, and work on common interests. If you can read the tiny words on the sign in this photo, you can see that it is the home to The SL Entrepreneurs Club, SL writers Club, SL Women's Club, Moms in SL, and Community Builders Virtual Worlds. Cyber has a very busy schedule of programs for each of those groups -- at least one meeting a week! She invites exciting people -- publishers, businesswomen, futurists -- to lead a conversation for anyone who comes. Betweeen meetings, the Clubhouse is always open as a spot to relax or meet informally with a few friends.

Athena Gallery offers a place for women artists to show their work. Right now there's a wonderful show called "Flora, Fauna" that has incredible photos. You really have to see it.

The isle also has a performance stage where Cyber has arranged open air concerts and dances, and a cozy campfire where you can sit, gaze into the flames, and totally tune out. I just love it! It is so relaxed and friendly.

Cyber's latest addition is an attractive two-story shop that she calls "Athena Wares," where she is planning to offer sales space to new women entrepreneurs. The very first tenant is .... (drum roll) ... moi!

I'm so pleased she invited me to join her. I have a nice, compact space on the second floor, right where you get off the TP elevator. When you come to visit, you'll see an elite selection of the dresses and skirts from my main store on Elysian Isle, including the yellow sun dress I decided to wear for these photos.

So, if you have been looking for a friendly place to meet creative women, carry on an intelligent conversation, and (maybe?) find just the dress you have been looking for .... visit Athena Isle. And say Hi to Cybergrrl Oh ... she's a cool person to know.

Simply Elegant

2007-12-18T14:03:00.000-08:00

Everyone is wearing red for the holidays, so I just had to design a special red outfit myself. Red is so .... exciting!

OK, I know I'm shameless, but I love it when people say, "You look beautiful today!" I feel let down if the dress gets all the compliments. :P When I design clothes, I want them to make me look good. And I want them to make you look good too.

So what makes a woman look good? I like to think of it as flow. It's about movement, yes, but it's more than that. Flow is about how well your clothes telegraph your shape and your personality. It's about line, form, color, and ... character. It's about whether your clothes fit who you are instead of struggling against you.

Flow is SO important in a skirt! You can tell when a skirt has flow, even when you are standing perfectly still. A feminine skirt hints at your shape -- doesn't shout it -- instead of imposing its shape on you. This one is slim, straight, and beautifully soft, and I made it so long that you could be barefoot and no one would ever know. It's designed to make you look graceful. Flexi has a mind of its own when you start jogging, but at least this skirt has a gentle personality. ;-)

The midriff is pleated satin, and the bodice is a deep red and black lace that has a hint of mystery and is very feminine. The V-neck is just deep enough to show off that lovely "Chinoisserie" necklace I bought from Muse last week. You probably have a favorite necklace that would look great with it too.

By the way, I really love this hair style. It's the new French twist style at Sirena's, the one she calls "Josephine." Red hair is just right with this dress, and it's my color too. Aren't I lucky?

I had no trouble at all deciding what to call this dress. It's "Simply Elegant," and you can find it in my shop on Elysian Isle.

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Today, instead of a tour, I want to share a poem. (Yes *blush*, it's one of mine.)

The World As I Know It

Comfortable familiarity aside,
Reality is overrated.
A flat canvas
bounded by perception.
.
Shackled in a foreign frame,
reality my prison,
I glimpse barely the horizon.
.
What lies beyond my portrait?
Am I me?
Or despite appearances
a medieval Jeanne d’Arc,
an Argentine explorer,
a rose by some exotic name?
.
To be is
not
to be.
.
To imagine
is to become
the artist.