Yum.

Good morning, dear readers – just a few new releases from around the grid today.

First, The Loft released several “New, Newish and Sorta Old but Never Announced” items yesterday. They are all delicious.

Grab these pieces of awesome at The Loft! [SLurl]

W. Winx – Whimsy Winx sent me copies of her latest releases: the Spring Time, Laze Daze, and MeadowLark Pavilions. I really like this concept – especially for those who don’t have the time or patience for landscaping – this is like instant landscaping…or Landscaping In-A-Flash, for a more exciting description. 🙂

Just 72 prims for a total pavilion, which is nice. I would love to see a lot more shading on the furniture and architectural pieces – I think it would make the overall pavilion look a bit more “grounded”. It is a great option for those who want instant gratification without sacrificing all their prims – and Whimsy is also offering separate bunny pavilions that coordinate…so if you only want landscaping for your bunny (or any pet, really), then you can grab a smaller version just for them!

W. Winx [SLurl]

Plurk rules my life.

Happy Sunday, dear readers! I’ve got some cool stuff for you tonight – like I ever have anything that’s non-cool, but you know what I mean.

First, The Loft has released a gorgeous (of course) new set, the Adwin Living Room. Words are not needed – the pictures tell you all you need to know!

Go to The Loft!

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Now, as mentioned in the title – Plurk rules my life. Since I joined Plurk in February, I’ve met tons of SL folks I would probably not ever have met otherwise…and I get to hear about more finds and exciting stuff than I think I ever have by reading blogs. What that means, then, is that I’m totally gonna steal from my Plurk pals and blog some of the places that they’ve plurked. It’s all in the spirit of sharing and giving and stuff. 😉 So here are some pretty awesome places I heard about through Plurk…

Jordan Giant: okay, Jordan is a person, not a place. She has some of the most precious little skyboxes ever – they’re available on XStreet, and you can visit them in-world – just check Jordan’s profile Picks and she has them tabbed there. First, the snow.white skybox | loft – the furniture is not included, and isn’t made by Jordan, but she’s done an amazing job of staging so that you can see the potential here!

my secret.place/attic skybox – such a cozy spot! The window includes texture changes, too, so you can select different views.

drift.wood skybox – I LOVE the wood texture on this one. The hanging lightbulbs are included, and are so cute! They each turn on/off individually, which is just fun. 🙂

Again, check Jordan Giant’s profile in-world to TP to check these out, and buy them at XStreet!

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{what next} home store: owned by Winter Thorn, {what next} is a really cute collection of pieces falling into shabby chic, casual contemporary, and modern categories. (Not all at once, but you know what I mean.) Great basic pieces, as well as lots of cute accessories — and the Christmas shop is just now being set up, so be sure to take a look!

I *love* the light wood chairs and the blue/grey rug in the Milan set (3 pictures up)! Go see what’s next at {what next} (see what I did there?) – SLurl here!

Also, join Plurk, if you’re not there already, and friend me!

The one with the stuff

The Loft has released new colors of the recently released Wisteria master bedroom! Now available, the Corie Bedroom – with warm, rich hues and texture change options…

…and the Mayer Bedroom Noir for those who love neutrals!

As always at The Loft, the sets are packed with high quality extras and details, and tons of awesome animations. Go see ’em here!

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New from Xen Style is the Cy Haven prefab. Amazing. Using baked textures that Xenius Revere is known for, this build looks so realistic and so awesome overall…you have to go see this in person.

The hologram dancer you see in the first pic is just the coolest thing EVER. You can check out the Cy Haven prefab here…and hey, if you’re interested in learning how to make and texture super-cool sculpts like Xen does, check out the classes he offers thru Xeniversity. You can find info at http://www.xeniversity.com/ – I don’t see November classes listed yet, but keep your eyes on that website for more. I’ve taken two basic classes…and they’re pretty awesome. 🙂

The Loft – Wisteria

I’m willing to bet that the SL universe is already pretty well a-buzz about The Loft’s long-awaited release of the Wisteria home. I know I am not the first blogger to post it, and I’ve seen the plurks popping up on my timeline to indicate that everyone and their brothers are heading to The Loft sim to check it out. Still, I can’t not post it, too….because it is AWESOME. Plus, dear readers, you all know that I. Love. The Loft. Period.

Here’s what I can tell you about the Wisteria. Colleen Desmoulins and Bethany Heart have been working on the house and the furniture since at least March, and maybe even earlier than that. That should indicate right there just how much has gone into this project and what level of detail you can expect to find. When I say “detail”, here’s what I mean: tons of accessories, tons of animations, amazingly and realistically textured objects, full suites of furniture, and overall a house that feels like someone lives there. The official release notice from The Loft states “…the Wisteria is large in scale, yet still cozy enough for your friends and family.” I couldn’t say it better.

The super exciting part for me is that I got to work with Colleen on a tiny piece of the project!! I mentioned the tons of animations – and really, there are tons all over the house – and I’m very happy to say that about 9 or 10 of the kitchen animations are custom work by me! Cutting veggies, making a sandwich, wiping the counter, cleaning the window…those are just a few of mine, and I had a great time making them. Yay!

Even if you have no intention of buying, I really hope you’ll go see the Wisteria in person. The pics in this post are also from the official release notice, but they still don’t show you everything there is to see. You really need to explore every corner, play with all the animated items, and just be in the house. It’s worth the trip. 🙂

The house is available alone, or as a complete package with all furniture included. You can also buy the room sets individually, and this is furniture that will work in any house of traditional or contemporary/modern design. So go, go now, and see the splendor up close. Oh! Also from the official notice: “A free gift awaits you on the second floor.  Look for a pair of sconces with candles.” 😉

The Loft

**UPDATE** Check The Loft blog here for more pictures!

*Second Spaces* Then & Now! part 2

Welcome to part 2 of the Second Spaces Then & Now series! Those of us who have been in SL for a while know how far design has come over the years. It’s a lot of fun to look back and see what SL looked like in 2005, 2006…and to appreciate the improvements and advancements since then. This series is a fun look at some of SL’s best designers to see how they’ve grown over the years. I also hope this might inspire those who are interested in starting their own designs – everyone has to start somewhere!

The Loft

Anyone who has read this blog knows that I love The Loft. Like, seriously love it. Colleen Desmoulins is the designer and has been my biggest inspiration to 1) get started in SL design and 2) keep at it. When I originally found The Loft store –  back when it was a medium-sized shop on some sim or another – that’s when I realized what SL can offer in the way of interior design. Colleen’s work gets better and better with each new set, and I have really enjoyed watching the progression.

Of course, as mentioned in Part 1 of this series — everyone has to start somewhere. 🙂 Colleen sent me a few items from her earliest collections, circa early 2006  — without further adieu, let’s check ’em out. 😉

Then: Sage Sofa Chair, Dru Loveseat, Dru Coffee Table

That’s right – soak up the non-sculpted, visible-poseball goodness! 🙂 But wait, there’s more!