In praise of taupe, 52 weeks of colour

Taupe, the colour of French moles.

Soft, dusty, neutral...  and slightly melancholy, whimsical.

Or, if you are my husband, it's that sludgy beige colour I wanted on a wall. No, not that one, that is too sandy. And that one is way too pink.

That one.

So call me a colour freak fanatic enthusiast. And admire this, one of my very few gowns. Zaara's Vayu. Worth every Linden.

Other credits: Miel Ahi bracelet, Exile Monica hair.
Setting: Vent du Sud. The most fantastic sim of them all (well sure I'm biased). Drop in!

Clean pantaloons: indigo. 52 weeks of colour

 

A girl needs a nice clean pair of undies for a special date, no?

 There we go. Washed and dried. Just have to wait for the ship to come in. .

 And wait, and wait...

And nothing but a lonely, indigo sea.

Credits:
Dress, Barerose Velvetica
Washboard, Menthal Oh
Hair, fri.day Joanna
Earrings, suffering from invisible prim glitch, Zaara
Lighthouse, 50L from Vent du Sud (3 sizes, low prim, also offsim version)

And now for something completely different

I've talked about Menthal Oh's superb gizmos before. Boats, planes, smoke emitters, tanning beds, snow bazookas, etc.

But...

Suddenly I hear 'Hey ARI! New build! Come look'

So I did. 

 'I just need some sexy girl for photos now, to put it on the marketplace', he said sweetly.

'No way, Menthal. Go get undressed. NOW'

'Uh...'

'You want this blogged or not?'



So here it is. The ultimate pole dance... gizmo.

And here he is. Wiggling most impressively.

Not only does it have the animations, it changes colour, gives out particles, smoke....

 ... and works perfectly well for both men and women, no?

Find it for sale at Vent du Sud, on the square.

Yes, you may try it. Yes, you may ask Menthal for a personal demo. I am sure he will be delighted.


(Running away before he or his girlfriend kills me)

The mystery of the mas, spraying wine, and lemon-sucking mouths

Vent du Sud Mas du Soleil, 50L, HERE

 "Excuse me," a delightful lady said, "but your mas is not copiable".

Having sprayed my keyboard with wine (I do like a better class of liquid to spray with), I grabbed a friend, threw the farmhouse at him and said "Rezz that NOW, please..."

Not copiable. Despite having given it an alt to check, despite the fact that I'd been through and applied mod / copy perms to every prim, every script.

Bah.

More wine. Repeat bulk permissions operation, all the while apologising profusely. And this time, it worked. And the buyer was extraordinarily gracious about it all (which of course called for another glass).

Those who bought the mas before I replaced it with a copiable version will be getting a new copy this lunchtime, plus more profuse apologies. Should have done it last night but after the wine, they could have ended up with a lighthouse instead.


So instead, I grabbed yet another glass and skimmed a couple of blogs on my reader.

Momo had a post up which reflects exactly what I said on my, er, Plurk last week (yes yes I know I don't need more distractions but as always, blame Journey).

I just don't get this idea of having models that look as though they've been sucking lemons. SURE I agree that SL is a place for self-expression (even if I am still not going to be a Gorean slave or a furry but hey, choices). I just cannot understand the appeal of looking so goddamned miserable on a fashion shot.

No, I am not copying a photo to prove the point, as skimming any feed reveals a bunch of them and singling one out would probably bring out the screaming as it did on Momo's blog (and was dealt with beautifully).

So have another photo of the Mas (farmhouse) instead.And the cute mezzanine and retractable ladder.

And one of me (ah vanity)

... no, not smiling either (I loathe that anim that makes avatars do a sickly blingy smile every ten seconds too) but I don't look like I've been sucking lemons.

What I DID notice when I got changed was that I had the black collar on the brown jacket. And without the help of wine to befuddle my brain.

Credits: Aoharu tailored jacket (brown and black!), Zaara Isis shirt (white, but modifiable so a much-tinted staple).

Vent du Sud - new French farmhouse for only 50L

As a couple of people have noticed, there is a new 50L build out at Vent du Sud:

the Mas du Soleil.

A mas is a stone farmhouse typical of southern France, regularly snapped up and renovated by foreigners or those from big cities these days.

It's an airy build weighing in at 48 prims (fully linked, no rezzer, mod / copy and yes, 50L). 

A certain friend by the name of Sunshine pounced on it early, and unwittingly gave it a name: the Mas du Soleil, as in the Sunshine Farmhouse. 

Thank you, Ms Kukulcan for support and laughs and latex moments (the latex being hers, not mine). 

Simple, however, still means you get windows that change to opaque on a single click (see on some of the photos), a retractable ladder to the roomy mezzanine, and superb textures. And of course that spacious terrace for dancing, dreaming and maybe grabbing some superb patio furniture from Vent du Sud!

 

Included in the pack,  for this week only*, there is the French stove that tucks into the lovely rounded nook AND the 1-prim standard lamp graciously sculpted and scripted by a friend. 

(also available separately, at the mas, for 1L each)

Again, it's HERE, and it's a tiny 50L (*and the extras are because it's my rezz day 'release', just a couple of days late)


(PS and indigo coming up later).
(PPS and the lovely Em of Sleek home decorated it superbly here)

Totally gratuitous post about nothing

Well, about nothing much except to say I haven't fallen off the planet.

And the fact that it's good to be home after 4 extraordinarily grim and unplanned days in the UK.

It's out here, just need to set it for sale with extras included

And that yesterday was my 4th rezzday but I didn't get the new 5OL build (48 prims) with the special anniversary extras out for sale (above) or any new offers done at Vent du Sud. 

But I will. Not that this is a plea to join my massive 12 followers...  well, not really. Heh.


Oh, and I am proud to say that I did not wrap the satnav / GPS around the car hire person's neck despite the fact it was VERY expensive but at least 3 years out of date so attempted to put me in a river in Sheffield and denied the existence of the airport highway exit.

So, sometime this weekend I shall be trying to do both 'me in indigo' and a French farmhouse.

So here's me not in indigo but in the Abyss leather pants I seem to be living in, and one of the (three different) Vent du Sud 4-prim double hammocks with THOSE animations (and solo poses too) for 1L. Right here. 

Maybe we need an indigo version?

But most of all we need me to tackle the signs for the build so people can, y'know, flock to buy it? Watch this space.

*goes to get act together*

Sixth form - 52 weeks of colour, sienna

I knew that sienna colour looked familiar.

And I also know why I have almost none in my inventory.

My SCHOOL UNIFORM was 'sienna'.  But basically brown with white shirts and NO mini skirts and NO heels and NO makeup and hair tied back until... the sixth form (the UK will be with me on this).

Sixth form is as of age 16. At my (girls only) school, with the boys next door and barbed wire in between (yes really), things did improve a bit by then. As in we could, er, stretch the rules a little.

I am, of course, talking about the heels, not the other things we got up to. As if we would.

The best part, however, was getting outside the school gates and literally letting your hair down. And getting the makeup out (ever tried to put makeup on at a bus stop?). 

And jewellery. Because if you got caught wearing earrings IN school, you got detention.

Ah, memories.

Am I showing my age?

(Yes)

Credits? Zaara Isis shirt, Aoharu tailored jacket (think school blazer), Zagoskin Ella skirt. Earrings freebie from Leezu.  Shoes HOC chunky stilettos.
Setting? Vent du Sud of course.

Calling bloggers, building and BOOOOOOOTS

First up, a call for any bloggers interested in receiving new Vent du Sud items (including builds).
As some of you know, I sell decor for 1L and builds for 50L and am crap at marketing.

Example build, Lighthouse, here

So if any blogger would like to have new releases or other specials or even older builds, please ask (and no, no pressure to use anything at all).  Also, let me know of anything you are particularly interested in such as colours or styles or... whatever.

An IM to Ariadne Korda with a link to your blog would be perfect. I will then put you on the (so far small) list of people who get pre-releases.  Thanks! I do reserve the right to say no, but... it's unlikely.

I have in fact just boxed up a new build and a couple of things for you to look at, including this house plus some decor that goes with it. There will be more to come.

New release about to go on sale here

This is intended mainly for house and garden bloggers but also any fashion bloggers interested in using my furniture or builds as props or settings.

Detail of a 1L fireplace available here

And the boots? OH THE BOOTS.

One of my chairs, in the mainstore. Various colours / poses on touch.

But um yes, the boots.

Never have I spent so much time dithering in front of boots but I am absolutely THRILLED with those I finally chose. Seriously, it was probably the best 420L I have spent in a loooooooooong time. Lia, by Miel and yes I know they have been blogged to death but... they are fabulous and lots of colours INCLUDED (oh dear upper case alert).

And of course I had to get the dress and the tights too. For a frugal shopper, this was a BIG deal but...

... happy Ari.

Look forward to hearing from some of you!

52 weeks of colour, silver: Vent du Sud goes underground

Ah silver. I tend not to do 'shiny' that much (being boring) but I remember I just could not resist this Helena cape from Mimikri. And then never wore it because gorgeous as it is, it is... not (boring) me.

But then, I had a thought, which involved Jeddin Laval's Underground City - something I have been intending to blog forever.

Goodness, I could write a ten-page essay on this (but won't). Jeddin is a writer, a scripter, an inventor, an idealist, and a great, great friend.

He built his city (complete with HUD and guides and a wealth of things to see and do)... because it is the setting of his story 'Descending Road': a fantasy work but there is more to it than that. He even invented a new way of reading on the Net: more about that in the city too but also on his site.

Jeddin isn't in SL for profit, but to share his ideas, his literature, and his incredible enthusiasm and sense of adventure. There is something to discover around every corner (and the place is BIG). From nightclubs to living quarters, from descriptions of the inhabitants to various features that come alive thanks to sheer scripting genius.


This, for example, is how the race of people he describes in his story sees colour (how appropriate): all with explanations, of course.

But one of the most spectacular parts of the City, to me, is the Birthing Chamber.

Pipes, platforms... and although it's stunning in terms of a build, just to visit, it is another focal part of Descending Road.

The place is really worth seeing. Grab a visitor hud or drop Jeddin Laval a quick IM and share his enthusiasm for a little while. Because to me, he is one of the very, very best parts of SL.

Other credits: free dress from Kunglers, hair from MrS and that stunning cape from Mimikri. But if you'll excuse me, I need to get back into jeans.

But do, please, go visit the City (yes I know I am repeating myself). But you won't be disappointed.

The joy of giving. In which I lose my temper. Rant.

Somebody got REALLY AWFUL service from Vent du Sud today.

Got a message out of the blue, 24 hours after putting the gifts in the subscribo. 

 (pick them up here for 1L each or if you accidentally rejected the subscribo message, please yell and I will send them for free in the gift box)

This... person said 'I want to leave your group I don't want all your messages and stuff any more'.


I was building, so I sent her the LM and asked her if she could pop over to unsubscribe (mean, horrible, lazy person that I am). 

She declined it. And I got a mouthful (in French) that went like this.

Her: 'I get too many messages from your group and you must take me off NOW'
Me:  'It's a subscribomatic, not a group, and I don't actually have a group. And too many? I send about one a week.'
Her: 'I can't see it in my groups but know I am in it because I get your stuff and I'm sick of it so you must take me off it'
Me: 'OK, I'll come do it manually if it's too much trouble to come over.'

I go to the controller, go to the website, and see she signed up on... 22 December. Since which time I sent one message about Christmas stuff at 1L and yesterday, a gift of four rather nice things. Total, two messages.

But I pulled up her name from the web interface, ready to remove her, at which point my toolbar blinks.

Her: 'I don't WANT to be in your group and I don't know how to leave groups and I can't find yours.'
Me: 'You are not in my group because it is invitation only and for my friends. You have been in my SUBSCRIBO for 10 days, but I have now taken you off'.
Her: 'No I was there much longer, like June or something.'

I copy paste the line that shows the date she joined, thinking she could have signed up and left and signed up again but...

Her: 'Well you still send too many messages, maybe it was more recent.'
Me: 'Two in those ten days. The second being the gifts yesterday. Hope you enjoyed them. You are removed. Goodbye.'

Muted. The third person in my SL history.

My patience has its limits, however much I believe in customer service.

Her SL profile says it is important to respect people.

Sorry, Isabelle, don't respect you one little bit.