Two hours later and she was still grunting over camera angles, the fact that my smile showed up too many wrinkles, and how to make the varicose veins in my pale legs not show up so much. I believe she resorted to some soft focus and touch-ups there, but at least she finally let me go.

To collapse into a handy wheelbarrow. I don’t know how Claudia Shiffer ever did it.

But the sign’s okay after all of that, I think. We’ll be putting it up at a couple of farm markets this week sometime, and trying to sell off some spare turtles, and things. I told her I would help out at the stores, provided I had naming rights. So – there it is…

Technorati Tags: commerce, featured, SL Breedables

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My Take on Linden Homes

I chose firstly a small Asian themed home because I realised that decorating larger Linden homes would be difficult, however little did I know how difficult it would be.

Linden Homes are a great idea. I can say that on today, because today is my first year anniversary of entering Second Life – my rezday. Yet, I am spending this week alone both in real life and second life, due to real life work commitments of my better halves who decided to go off on business trips to avoid my SL birthday. Just joking. I hope.

But this rezday takes me back to when I first entered SL, and the difficulties I had in finding a place for myself. Unlike many who give up within an hour or two, I was adamant I was going to make a home out of this strange and complicated place. Within two days of first taking my thwarted steps into this virtual world, I had somehow (and I’m not sure how I managed it) stumbled across a rental estate, and I’d tentatively paid the rental box on a house boat parked to the side of a pacific sandy shore.

The community welcomed me onboard, and had a central area with a pool which allowed me to meet some of the other residents. They must have wondered what they were up against, as I struggled to walk properly sometimes, and hadn’t yet picked up on how to chat properly, or even how to make friends. Or to dance – from memory. Somebody there had to help me step by step onto a dance ball.

Having Linden Homes is a step towards allowing new avatars a chance to find a home-base immediately, and to perhaps find that small community. Having a home which is not an infohub or large newb community really helped me form my own character in those first days. I could disappear into my own little houseboat, get changed in private, even put out a bit of furniture I had found and purchased – my first was a writing desk. Once you’ve invested in something like furniture, you’re probably not going to disappear off the grid quite as quickly as the homeless newbs of late. So I will give Lindens there dues there – the concept of Linden Homes has some merit.

The Linden Home which was rezzed for me is unfortunately in a very quiet and somewhat private community, and the SIM is mostly empty. There is no central community hub area either, although the Lindens have put out a mass of randomly placed public park trees around my house.

However, some of the neighbours here on this Asian-themed SIM have managed, in various levels of success, to decorate their own houses. Most of my neighbours have gone for the Asian theme of the buildings. Most furnishings are rather harsh with rough textures all in blacks and reds of the theme, but there is one – my closest neighbour – who has somehow managed to decorate their entire room with bed, seating, bath-tub, fireplace and copious screens and wall art in this Asian theme. And across the way, another has decorated his entire two floors quite successfully – if not a little erotically – including bed, dance pole, aquarium and plenty of themed screens and wall art.

Both also put up red flashing banlines around their houses. Community is not a concept welcomed on this particular SIM, it appears.

The business in Asian themed furnishings must have really picked up since the Lindens announced these homes. As should that of low-primmed quality furniture to meet that growing demand from both newbs and older avatars alike. In fact, if you do a search for “Linden Homes” on xstreetsl.com you will find a couple of cany designers who have a couple of packages catering to this new market. It is, indeed, possible to outfit a Linden Home within that constrictive prim limit.

I couldn’t manage it, however – to fill my entire floor space with only 117 prim allowance. Not without forgoing all the knick-knacks and pieces which make my rooms (touch-wood) look lived in, and inviting. Admitting defeat on this one, I decided that I would concentrate on seeing what I could do with half a room.

About the Room

The room came together, as most do, once I’d found the central point. In this case, it’s the awesome wall deco from UrbanizeD. I’d initially decided that all the pieces I used would be under ten prims, but once I found this piece, I broke my rule. The sacrifice was worth it, I think. The wall piece is made of five different pieces or slat arrangements – all can be changed individually to 35 different textures, all in the pink colourings. The UrbanizeD pots and some of the cushions in this pink range are also texture change. The investment in purchasing these items is well worth it for the sake of having such versatility.

I chose pink as another challenge to myself, but UrbanizeD has a similar wall screen in blue, with accompanying blue accessories. This half room is credited to the work of UrbanizeD, Dutchie, and I couldn’t have done it without the incredible low-prim work you will find at Wild-O also. Both the side table and shelving are Wild-O’s and are in my go-to folder. Both are only one prim each, and contain texture and size changes via menu.

It was also important to me to make this a working living area. I love the concept of community in Linden Homes – even if this particular SIM hasn’t grasped that – and my home is open for anyone to walk in and use. It was important for me to at least imagine a community of both newbs and experienced SL residents who were welcome to come in and have a conversation. In this loneliest of days of my own second life I like the dream of simply having friends around and sitting chatting.

I therefore wanted lots of communal seating space. The room contains seating for eight avatars including a couple menu of poses in the lounger and several poses in the scatter cushions both on the floor and plumped onto the other sofa. If more were to arrive (in theory) I could quickly whiz away some of the knick-knacks on the shelves and put out some more one prim stools or ottomans. Or they could just stand around in the other blank side of the house, perhaps on a dance mat and I’ll put out a group dance ball.

And maybe a stripper pole?

In fact, that big blank side of the house does have some benefits, when I think about it.

Credits

Wall Art (UrbanizeD Wall Deco “Lines” Rose Garden)— 19 prims, L$900 — UrbanizeD.
Ground Pillows (Set of 3, texture change / 5 poses – Rose Garden) — 3 x 2 prims, L$400 — UrbanizeD
Freestanding Pillow (Two, texture change / 5 poses – Rose Garden) — 5 prims, L$150 — UrbanizeD
Large Vases (Set of 3, texture change – Rose Garden) — 2 x 2 prims, L$400 — UrbanizeD
Pouf (Set of 2, texture change, 6 poses) — 4 prims, L$400 — UrbanizeD
Lounge couch (creme, couple and single animations) — 15 prims, L$450 — Dutchie
Lounge seat (creme, single animations) — 8 prims, L$200 — Dutchie
Large potted plants (chamaedorea erumpens) — 2 x 4 prims, L$110 — Dutchie
Medium potted plant (chrysalidocarpus (areca)) — 3 prims, L$95 — Dutchie
Mixed herb pot — 5 prims, L$90 — Dutchie
Sideboard (low board 01 – texture and size change) — 1 prim, L$250 — Wild-O
Shelving Unit (4dan tana – texture and size change) — 1 prim, L$250 — Wild-O
Bottles on sideboard — 3 prims, L$30 — Shabby Chic
Zen Pool with Candles on sideboard — 7 prims, L$29 (special pricing, current) — Vent du Sud
Vintage Radio on shelves — 1 prim, Free (store gift and previous DSN gift) — By Georgia
Pile of Books on shelves — 2 prims, L$50 — The Loft
Board games — 4 prims, L$50 — DaHaus
Books and Hot tea – on pouf — 4 prims, L$1 — Popart
Paper lamps — 2 x 2 prims, L$50 — TLND (True Love Never Die)
White paper cranes — 2 x 5 prims, L$170 — Elite

Total = Exactly 117 prims

SLurls

• DAHaus
• Dutchie
• Elite @ Albero Home & Garden
• Popart
• Shabby Chic
• The Loft
• True Love Never Die @ Albero Home & Garden
• UrbanizeD
• Vent du Sud
• Wild-O

Notes for Staged Challenge :

Note 1 : These images can be seen in detail on our shared Flickr Stream.
Note 2 : The slurls above in this post may be out of date. An overall SLurl list is now maintained on The Chicken Diaries for reference.

Note 3 : Disclaimer - The pricing and availability of decor items used in this post are at point in time. TCD can not be held accountable for any changes in these. Where indicated, the furniture and accessories used are from past group gifts and therefore may no longer be available. Furniture may be retired in the future, and/or prices changed at the time that you read this post. We endeavour to keep these posts error free and as current as possible, but if you are aware of any changes, please contact us.

Note 4 : If you are interested in any of this furniture or decor items, we heartily recommend that you visit the designer stores where possible to take a look at the item in person and also to view what else may be available.

Technorati Tags: furnishings, interiors, Staged

Related posts:

1. SL Homes & Gardens | Home Expo 3
2. Staged | Loft Laundry and Kitchenette
3. Staged | Eclectic Dining

Stay tuned for the first Staged Challenge completed by Black. He was given a month to stage a garden shed build, but has nearly completed it, somewhat assisted by PacificBlue (no, not nagged!). Black, taking great pride in portraying the  English male, took over the garden shed to truly make it his own domain. I’ve been in visiting, and must say I’m not totally impressed by some of the contents, but he always does things like that to tease me. Speaking of teasers – Below is an image I, er, borrowed,  of that staged post coming up later this week.

The Chicken Diaries now has an updated Index Listing of the Staged Challenges so that you can more easily go to these posts if you ever want to. You will find the index under the main Concentrates Heading.

Under the Breedables heading you will now also find some informational pages with all the SLurls you may want for PinkyPigs, PlantPets and updated other Breedable pages. Pacific took a little time doing those up, but it’s all up to date now.

Coming (further up) you may (or may not) find my own Staged Challenge. My neice thought it would be funny to get me to stage a witch’s parlour. I don’t see the joke, but it does look like fun.

Technorati Tags: Staged

Related posts:

1. TCD | Introducing the New Writers
2. March is Cut Back Month
3. TCD Teaser | Coming Up – Staged Decor Challenge.