Carnivale will be closing May 15th

I have found a buyer for Carnivale.  I'm both excited and sad to share this news with you, as it makes the closure of the sim solid reality.  I'm pleased with the deal we've struck though, and I can tell you that it's going to a kind person who agreed to my terms and who is a fan of my work.  The build will be cleared with the transfer, but it gives me comfort at least to know that it wasn't going to a a "Rockefellian" land baron.

The official date of the transfer is May 15th.  On that day, Carnivale will be closed, moved and transferred to its new owner.  In the meantime, I'd like to announce the Goodbye Carnivale Contest.

The rules are simple: take a picture or series of pictures on Carnivale.  They can have a theme or not, they can be of people or not, but they have to showcase the build of Carnivale. The only other rule is nothing sexually explicit as the sim is rated G.  Beyond that, your imagination is the only limit.

What's your favorite place on the sim?  Where did you used to love to sit with your friends?  Where did you like to be while you shopped in the marketplace or wandered the halls?  Where is your favorite memory?

Submit them to the Illusions store group on Flickr.  I will be judging the pictures on May 15th, and awarding prizes of Angel Cards to my favorites.  They'll range in value from 100L up to 1000L if something really blows me away!

On May 10th I will be throwing a Goodbye Carnivale party at 3pm SLT.  Wear whatever you like, we'll be there to see the sim off in style.

I'm sad to bring this era of my Second Life to a close.  But I'm excited to see what will happen in the next.  Thank you for sharing this piece of my heart with me, and I hope you'll trust in me that I will make my new home even better.

Corvus & Columba Flickr Contest: Results

I apologize for the delay on the results, I was traveling and though I hoped to be able to review and write up the results of the contest while I was away, it turned out not to be the case. But I'm back! And happily able to finally see the beautiful interpretations of this set.

With each submission that came in I was excited and happy to see how people used the set in their own way and had made it theirs. I love seeing what sort of avatars are created and how people imbue my items with new personalities. And so the winners of this contest are those that I felt took the pieces I gave them, made them a part of themselves, wore them with great aplomb, and of course created a strikingly artistic and memorable image.

"In the Bleak December", submitted by CorvusPDX Noble

"The Raven", submitted by Carthalis Rossini
My two favorites, and tied as the winners of the contest, they embodied the dark fantasy and fairy tale feel I so love about this set. The images are beautifully eldritch, with tasteful post-processing and good composition. They both have a nobility, a gothic refinement, and they both wear the set beautifully. Both Carthalis and Corvus will be awarded 1000L gift cards with which to buy out whatever they haven't bought already!

In second and third place, I found these images particularly dramatic, and they stood out from the other images submitted.

"Crow Man Falling" by Achariya Maktoum

"Confusion" by Sparkles Wingtips

I really admire that both Achariya and Sparkles brought in new pieces to create an entirely new outfit and look with the crow's head, taking advantage of just how transformed an avatar can look with it. I love the contrast in each of these and I think both images are enticing and beautiful. Congratulations guys :)

To see the gallery of submissions, click here. There is an 18 picture limit, so for people with larger sets, I apologize but I had to pick just my favorites from them. There are some really beautiful uses of the outfits there, with wonderful and fantastic images, but I did have to pick just a few that stood out. Thank you so much to everyone who submitted an image, and I hope you'll try again in my next contest.

Corvus & Columba Flickr Contest

I've been seeing some really great pictures using pieces of the Corvus and Columba sets popping up in the Illusions Flickr stream. These outfits really are well suited to SL photography and so I think it's time for a Flickr contest!

I want to see what sort of marvels you can create using these two photogenic and versatile sets. The pieces long to tell a story, and I would really love to get an idea of how you envision them. The winners will receive Angel Cards loaded up with points to spend at Illusions, along with glory and bragging rights of course.

The rules are basically this:

Use at least one piece of either Corvus or Columba as an integral piece of your outfit (can't be hidden away and has to obvious you're wearing it)

Don't submit something that requires a Safe Search filter, since winners will be posted on my blog

Your image has to be of an avatar from SL, no body morphs

Submit your image to the Illusions pool on Flickr by July 31st for it to be counted
You can submit as many images as you like, though if too many similar pictures are submitted I will only accept the ones I feel are best. You can mark your pictures with CCC at the beginning of the title if you want, it's not a requirement.

I'll be considering the overall use of the pieces in the outfit, the editing and composition, and the illustrative quality of your image.

The winner will win an Angel Card with 1000 points on it, which can be used to get yourself 1000L worth of merchandise from my store! I'll also display your picture here on my blog and in the store (with a link back to your Flickr stream if you like). There will be more cards passed out to other submissions that I find exceptional, I'm leaving the exact amount open so that you can be confident that if you submit an exceptional entry, you will be rewarded!

The deadline to be July 31st, about two and a half weeks, so that you have some time to think over a concept and to get a chance to really put something special together. I really can't wait to see what you do with these pieces, what I've seen already has surprised and delighted me and that was just you guys playing around. I know what I was imagining when I made these outfits, show me what you see.

The Odocoleinae Challenge: Results

It was simply scintillating seeing a steady stream of sylvan sylphs strutting their stunning spiky spirits. There certainly was no lack of fabulous personalities, and I'm happy to say I can eat my words. I had plenty of pictures to choose from, but three folks especially just leaped out at me.

(make sure you click on these, my blog clipped them)

Damn imposing indeed. Cerdwin Flanagan (Blu282 on Flickr) definitely got my attention. Great outfit, great picture, and he wears them as nonchalantly as a ball cap.

Polly Pavlova is a friend of mine, but I have to admit I'd be more biased to ignore this beautiful submission from her. She looks like a creature you've just startled as you were reaching for a sip of water in the wilderness. Just lovely, and very primal.

My personal favorites were by Freyja Sinister. She submitted another, but this one showed the antlers better, and I liked the feel of mysticism. It almost seems like it could be Tarot art for The Hierophant.

A few other pictures I really enjoyed, they were just very cool outfits and ways to wear them, but didn't have the same sort of "o.o" factor:

Sureal by Maloevs
Mourna Biziou
Honeydew Lake
hyasynth Tiramisu


The three winners will be getting a copy of the Lumina antlers (or 1750L refunds)and everyone I mentioned in this post will be getting a special pair of horns I made especially for myself :)

I want to say thank you to everyone who sent in submissions, I love seeing how you guys wear my things, and based on this I don't think this will be the last Flickr contest I do. So if you didn't win anything this time, you'll be getting another chance later :)

The Odocoleinae Challenge

Apparently I inadvertently threw down the gauntlet with this quote:

I realized when I first put them on that the people able to wear these are few and far between. Me, Selos, and of course the incomparable Swirly Cyclone can all pull these off but... who else on the grid could be fabulous enough to wear these?

Terry Toland especially was eager to make me eat my words, and so she illustrated her Tale of the White Stag with my antlers. Winter Jefferson as well wanted to show me what's what with a winter ensemble, and so I decided to go ahead and make it official.

I hearby issue an (official) challenge, in the form of a Flickr contest, for you guys to rock your Odocoleinae antlers and make me revise that list of fabulous persons! The winners will receive the limited edition version of the antlers, or a 1750L refund for those that have already purchased a copy.

Here are the rules:

Wear the antlers (obviouslay)
Rock them righteously (a given)
Post them in the *~*Illusions*~* Flickr Group
I'd say title them with the challenge, but honestly... it'll be sort of obvious.
Get them in by Wednesday, December 31st to be counted

I'll be judging on composition, artfulness, awesomeness of outfit, and general fabulousness. I'm not sure right now how many people I'll choose to be winners, I'd like to keep that open in case more than a few people wow me. I might also bestow yummy extras to anyone who can really make my jaw drop ;)

(and yes, I believe it's oh-doh-co-leh-nay :)~ )