Happy Easter!

Happy zombie Jesus day everyone! Also, happy spring festival and happy thank-goodness-it's-finally-not-winter-anymore-day.

I have a new release just for this auspicious day, and speaking of auspicious, if you'd like to consider this a several months late Chinese New Year thing that's good too.

The rabbit mask has got to be the most adorable animal mask I've done yet, and I've shown it some love in that it has more colors than the other animal masks. Black, white and tuxedo are of course all necessary, but I also threw in chocolatey brown, silvery gray, ginger and mixtures of white and patterns. I even put in a beautiful tortoiseshell/calico pattern, since my intrepid googling turned up some beautiful tortie bunnies while I was looking for interesting patterns.

That's only the colors though, with the help of Sobriquet Kryakutnoy I finally am able to add a new function to this particular mask. You can select the style of ears that you'd like through the same menu as the texture change! Click it to change to lop-eared, alert ears, or relaxed/back.

I feel it's my best animal mask yet, with much better texturing and fit on the head. It's a full head mask unlike the cat, dragons and deer, which means you no longer have to stress about finding a hair that doesn't look horrible with clipping issues through it.


As it's Easter, I sent out a little gifty to the people in Masqueraderie. I'm thinking that I'll put it for sale, so in that case you guys all get it for free for catching it while it's in the notices :)

Illusions @ Fantasy Faire 2011

The Fantasy Faire has just kicked off, and after a week of my entire friend's list pulling out their hair with stress (myself included!) we finally get to enjoy the reveal.

Before I got wrapped up in working on my marketplace, I had wanted to continue working on my Egyptian set and make a few more items in that theme. In my original Egyptian Isis set (now almost four years old!) it had a strong scarab theme, and I wanted to revive that in a new jewelry set.

Khepra, (or Khepri, Kheper) was an Egyptian god of transformation and the sun. He was represented by a scarab, and so I've brought the motif of the scarab and the sun into this collar and matching bracelets. The set goes beautifully with the other Semeret pieces that are available, and have the same color and metal options as them.

Another expansion of Semeret I wanted to do was a full gown. Where the silks set is a sexy and eye catching option, the full dress is just as alluring but without showing quite so much skin.

It features a classic Egyptian sheath line, with skirt prims for the legs to avoid "breaking". You can see in this image too that the wings of the scarab nicely mirror the wings of the Semeret belt.


On another note, I've noticed that I sometimes get an IM or two from people who are disappointed that my Silk Blindfold can't be worn with some hair styles or mohawks. At the time, this was because making it go all the way around the head would cause more trouble for hair styles that were close to the head, as well as a shortage of good short styles and hair bases. Now that hair bases are readily available on the new tattoo layer, I've addressed this short coming with a new, full blindfold.
It's not as silky and luxurious, but it's perfect for the bald and mohawked amongst us who would like to sport the prophet Tiresius look.

That's not all that's new though, as part of our effort to help the Friends Fighting Cancer team, who are organizing the whole Fantasy Faire, every merchant participating is donating two items to Relay for Life. My contributions are some fun and colorful new versions of one of my favorite items, my Corvus wings.


After seeing so many people having so much fun with my Macaw Wings, I wanted to show off a few more colors of those beautiful tropical birds. 100% of the proceeds of these items goes to the American Cancer society, so look fabulous for a good cause :)


You can find all of these lovely items at my Fantasy Fair booth. I'm on the Forest of Light sim, right on the north border to the Forest of Shadow. They'll be available only there until the end of the fair :)

Please welcome Cellta Industries to Carnivale

Joining the prestigious names of Evie's Closet, Gauze, Lassitude & Ennui and others, is a new face. I'm welcoming Cellta Industries to Carnivale today, a service provider aimed at improving connectivity and communication across Second Life.

I admit that they're not on theme, but they didn't require much space and they were very compelling and persuasive in their negotiations. Tax season is coming up and I know I underpaid, so I can't help it. Don't call me a sell out!

Anyway, Cellta Industries is bringing their valuable service to my sim, and so allowing surrounding sims to get improved connectivity, communication and better service via their network. I'm helping others here. DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT.

Now that they're set up on the sim, you can really barely notice their presence. It's like they're not even here.

Barely noticeable, amirite?

Dottore Peste

It's funny how sometimes a little light bulb will go on for a problem that was long mustering in your head without solution, and suddenly illuminate the obvious and perfect answer. I can't tell you how long I've chewed over how to do this next mask in the best way, but suddenly I knew exactly how to do it.

The Plague Doctor has been one of my longest standing requests, and for such a long time I was sure that it would have to wait until mesh import. However, the lightbulb that went on was that I don't need to have holes through it, or just black on a solid sculpt like Aragane Nishi's version. The original Plague Doctors in the 14th century would completely seal themselves, with oil cloth robes and glass lenses over the eyes of their masks. It was so obvious!

Why a bird mask, you might wonder? In the era of the black death, they thought that disease was caused by "bad air". So, the bird shaped beak acted as a primitive gas mask. They would stuff the tip with herbs, amber and other sweet smelling things to filter the air, and wrap themselves in oil cloth and waxed robes to keep the disease out. They were valued highly, to the point that they were sometimes kidnapped and ransomed. Over time, the mask lost its "practical" use and became more symbolic, and is now a traditional Venetian carnival mask.

Sinister or goofy? How you see it is up to you, and of course how you wear it.

King & Queen of Carnevale

So you might have taken a peek at the preview from my last post, and I hope I had you intrigued about this year's event masks. Every year I release two new masks (male and female) for my masquerades, and I like to make them something special.

The King of Carnevale is a luxuriously detailed and regal mask. Taking a closer look is rewarded with delicately unfurled wings and a crowning flourish. In the center is a single gem, able to be changed to any of the twelve colors offered in my jewelry.

The Queen of Carnevale offers some subtle differences... fit for a softer face and with a less imposing profile, it's no less grand. The wings at the corners of the brow are spread, and the shape is more tapered and elegant. Together, they make a a pair that is undeniably regal.


I hope you'll come by and try them on, as always scripted demos are available at the store :)

Mardi Gras Masquerade 2011 (Aftermath)

The music has died down and I've put the dance balls away. I'm exhausted from another wonderful night with marvelous company, and I'm so glad I got to see so many familiar faces as well as some new ones. Well, sort of see them, after all they were wearing masks!

Amyla Wakowski

Jackal Ennui & Achariya Maktoum

Group shot with Katrina Qissentell in forefront

As always everyone was impeccably dressed. It's such a delight to see people coming together, dressed to the nines in their very best, turned out in a way only Second Life could express. Is it cocky of me to think that the people who come to my masquerades have the best taste in fashion? I don't care if it is, I can't help it when everyone shows up looking so amazing!

I didn't envy the people who had to vote to choose a King and Queen of Mardi Gras. But, when the music stopped and people got to really examine each others outfits, they chose their well deserving winners...the King even came prepared with a crown (cocky bugger ;)

Aceius Hax & Ami Tamura

King Aceius Hax and Queen Ami Tamura made a lovely couple, and shared a few dances together, each in their matching masks. Which I'm very proud to present: this year's event masks are the King and Queen of Carnevale. I will be finishing up, scripting, and releasing them in the next day or two. If you can, click the picture to zoom in and see the detail... it's lusciously decorated. I threw everything I had at it!

I greatly enjoyed this year's masquerade... my fifth year in a row that I've hosted a party for Mardi Gras. I love being able to invite you all to dress your best and spend an evening in excellent company, because you guys surely are the classiest and most original people I've found on SL. I hope you'll come to my next masquerade, and maybe see you at next year's too :)

The Carnivale Marketplace

As I mentioned before, I've been working on a new area of the sim. I'm very happy to say that I am being joined by some wonderfully talented artists and creators.


Joining me on Carnivale are the following stores:

TRAP & Penumbra by Selos Dae and Kriket Pimpernel as always, with their completely hand drawn skins, imaginative and fanciful tattoos, and anime inspired hair.
[Gauze] by Yukio Ida, and her stunning faun legs and shimmeringly beautiful mermaid tails
Evie's Closet by Evangeline Miles, with her elegant and luxurious fantasy outfits
Lassitude & Ennui, by Jackal Ennui, and her selection of meticulously crafted fantasy and steampunk footwear and jewelry
Studio Sidhe, by Faery Sola, offering fantasy pose props for decoration and photography

and most especially Deviance Designs, by Surreal LeShelle, who is officially moving her main store to Carnivale. I'm very proud to have her join me, and I feel that together Illusions and Deviance will make quite a partnership.

I'm incredibly pleased to have such talented people join me on the sim, and I hope that together Carnivale can quickly become the place to go to purchase the very best the fantasy genre has to offer in Second Life. A lot of thought went into my selection, and I offer invitations only to original creative artists, who have a dedication to their work and a pursuit of excellence and uniqueness.

A few others are still trickling in, and there will be other names that you see floating around in the marketplace plaza. I set aside a small square which will serve as a place for vendors who only want or need a small space. For example, !Elate, who normally does modern fashion, has put up the beautiful goddess gown she made for Swansong.
Even if fantasy isn't what fuels your passion for Second Life, I invite you to come by and explore. I've given this build the best I have to offer, and if you're familiar with my work I'd hope that would at least warrant a look ;)



Won't you come visit?

Happy Valentine's Day

I know everyone is probably sick of the hearts and the Hallmarky sweetness of it all, but I still wanted to send something to my update group as a token of appreciation for them. I think what grates on people the most about Valentine's Day is the forced romanticism, but if you consider it as a time to appreciate your loved ones it's hard to dislike it.

I really do appreciate my fans and customers, and I want to thank you sincerely for your support. For the IM's you send me saying that you love my work and for sticking in my group when I don't update for months, thank you. It's because of you guys that I get to do something that I love, and create beautiful things for so many people to enjoy. Even if we've never spoken, I still feel a deep appreciation for your contribution to my life.


I brainstormed about possible gifts and I realized if I gave you something with hearts or a strict love theme you'd only ever wear it once or twice. Plus I have to think of the poor neglected men!
So here is a Valentine's gift you can wear any day of the year.

You can fish them out of the Masqueraderie group notices. Enjoy them, and know that you guys are loved.

Mardi Gras Masquerade 2011

It's official! Everyone is excited with the feeling of a holiday in the air. Folks are picking up goodies for their loved ones and decorating everything with the traditional colors. Baking cakes, eating candies, getting... beads thrown at them?

You thought I was talking about Valentine's Day didn't you? Well, it seems you forgot about Mardi Gras! Obviously the most important day of the year.
I hope you'll join me at Illusions' fifth(!) annual Mardi Gras masquerade, held as always on a Saturday because I know all too well the woes of staying up too late on a weekday. However, that just makes for earlier revelry!

As always, formal dress is strongly encouraged, befitting of a grand and elegant venue. But, I do encourage you to be creative and to seek out colorful and fabulous ways to celebrate. The theme is purple, green and gold but if you have something in mind, go for it!

When you're assembling your costume, please keep in mind a few guidelines which will dramatically help everyone's ability to rez and dance smoothly. There's no point looking fabulous if you're a gray blob to everyone else!

Please keep your prim attachments in total to less than 250

This limit helps to keep everyone rezzing quickly. Check how many prims you have by going into Edit and holding down shift to click each item you're wearing. The window will display the collected total of those prims.

Streamline your AO, or leave it at home

Nobody likes looking like a noob while being a wallflower. However, if you don't plan to dance, fill a veritably lag free, low prim ZHAOII with your two or three favorite stands. Otherwise, just go without.

Check your script totals
Viewer 2 now has an "Avatar Scripts" total you can view, by going to About Land->Script Info->My Avatar. Try to make new, clean copies of items that have resize scripts and aim for less than 600kb

If we all follow these guidelines, I know we can contribute to a more fun and smoother experience.

As always, there will be a costume contest, determined by vote, to vie for the titles of Mardi Gras King and Queen. Two previously unreleased, themed masks will be awarded as the prizes, along with 1500L Angel Cards to each! I will also be passing out gift cards to honorable mentions and other people whom I find simply fabulous. So make sure to dress your best!

Make sure you join the group, spots will go surprisingly fast. After 50 join, I will have a waiting list just in case anyone leaves the group, which has happened before. There will still be hope to get in even if you hear about it too late.

Masks are required, but a freebie mask will be included, which is the mask shown in the invite. I know the costume rules are tough to follow, especially when it's so tempting to go for the excess, but I have the utmost faith in your creativity to be able to work around the limitations, and flourish. I can't wait to see you there.

Illusions Mardi Gras Masquerade
Saturday, March 5th, 4PM SLT
Illusions Event Hall, Carnivale
(Join the "Illusions Mardi Gras Masque 2011" Group)
Formal Dress and Mask Required

I've been lying low for a while, I always seem to crash around the end of the year in a fiery ball of unproductive sluggishness. But I was trying to get myself to spend more time logged in and was taking care of customer IM's and other sundries when I found myself suddenly struck with fidgetiness. Building fidgetiness. I had left something dreadfully unfinished when I redid my store build, a blank space covered in trees and generally filler while I had this beautifully detailed area around it. It wasn't done, and it was starting to bug me.

So to ease back into working and being productive, I started making the plan I had for that space a reality.



The Arab Market is a place I've been wanting to make for ages, contrasting the perfect, clean, and refined architecture of my store building with a dirtier, grungier and more cluttered feel. While my store is a lofty temple, the market has close quarters, things around corners, and little alleys to get lost down.
I hate closing down the sim for any reason, if you'll recall I didn't even have the sim closed more than a day when I installed the new store build. So if you visit and take a look around, after a day there might be new buildings or some creative shuffling of elements to take a peek at. Of course, there might also just be a mess.

I'll let you guys know when it's officially done though :)