Friday, March 14, 2008

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

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?


Sunday, March 2, 2008

A Hispanic afternoon

¡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. ;-)