Autumn Glow

I adore fall, it’s my favorite time of the year to decorate.  From the glorious colors, to the fresh crisp smell in the air, and the yummy baked goods, it’s simply divine.  It’s easy to be inspired by this magical season and design a warm cozy retreat.  Today, I’ve created an autumnal living space using tons of free hunts items from The Seasons Story 2nd Anniversary, Chez Moi Spooky Hunt, and The Photographers Hunt $5L (all ending October 31, 2015).  I also included Sway’s Victor Wood Burning Stove & Storage Bench both deeply discounted 50%- 75% off for the Mix Event also ending October 31st.  Lastly, Sway’s Erika Set in Harvest (available @ Uber, ending today 10/23/15) was the ideal living room collection to use, bringing all the colors of fall into the space. The Erika Set includes a couch with 16 single & friends animations (up to 3 avis’s), 8 couple animations, 3 texture options for the pillows, coffee table, and decorative accessorizes (2 vases, bowl with apples).  There are numerous hunts and freebies being offered now, so take advantage of the gifts and have fun decorating!

Structure: Vespertine, Chanson Dautomne Skyloft

• Sway’s: Erika Set in Harvest (Uber, 10/23/15)
• Sway’s: Victor Wood Burning Stove & Victor Storage Bench (50-75% off Mix Event, 10/31/15)
• Dreamscapes Art Gallery: Country Life (The Photographers Hunt, 10/31/15)
• Sway’s: Enchanted Branch Shelf, Fall Jar with Acorns and Candle, Branch Wrapped Candle, Pumpkin Line & George Hat Stand
• Dreamscapes Art Gallery: *Pumpkin* Bucket A, *Apples* Wood Buckets, *Autumn* Deco Shutter B & *Candle Chair* Autumn
• Cheeky Pea: Autumn Crate Decor
• Junk: Bartlet Rug (One)
• Shutter Field: Fall Letter Decor
• Vespertine: Vintage Postbox (Yellow)
• The Season Story (2nd Anniversary gifts): A.D.D.Andel! Wooden Pumpkins, The Horror! Vampkin, unKindness Comfort Tubby (Autumn), C’est la vie ! Autumn Mug, Poche Applepie 2015, Roawenwood Cake Donuts Platter & Tomoto Tourou
• Chez Moi’s Spooky Hunt: Fall Wreath (gift #2), Fall Big/Small Fan Pumpkin (gift #4), Entry Halloween Decor (gift #11), Happy Halloween Doormat (gift #10) & Chair/Blanket Fall into Fall (gift #12)

Thanksgiving Bounty

In just 5 days Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with food, friends, family and football on the menu.  Grocery stores are brimming with shoppers planning their holiday feast.  My favorite part of the holiday season are the baked goods.  I love the smell of fresh-baked cookies, pies and cakes in the house.

I wanted to honor this special American holiday in Second Life by creating a Thanksgiving great room complete with living space and kitchen using a sunroom.  I mentioned in my last post to rethink the expected and I did that by transforming a sunporch into a great room.  I often feel that sunrooms are overlooked and only styled as breakfast nooks or porches, so if you have the space, as I did, make your sunroom a usable space that continues to celebrate your life for many generations.

The perfect autumn collection to mark the harvest season is Finishing Touches Tree of Life grouping available at 50% off at The Designer Warehouse Shopping Event (until Nov 27).  The Tree of Life set includes a tan herringbone sofa and chair, leaf patterned rug, walnut coffee table and side buffet featuring a tree of life design, a brick and wood fireplace, decorative carved wood leaf wall art, and assorted accessories.  A wonderful complement for the living room is the Finishing Touches Pumpkin Pie Kitchen set with baking animations and supplies, decorative gourd kitchen scale, matching walnut hutch with turkey pattern display plates and an apple quilt.  These are lovely pieces for any time of the year with soft soothing tones of cream, tan, brown, bronze, burnt sienna, and rust that will fill your home with warmth and charm.  I wish you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving, enjoy the food (& sweets), the friends and family, and I’ll see you at the Black Friday Sales!

Structure: Heart Homes, Autumn Lovenest II (see previous post, Bask in the Glow of Autumn) 

Kitchen:

• Pumpkin Pie Set (Hutch, Island with Kitchen Scale, Stools, Baking Accessories, + Hat Boxes,  Apple/Pumpkin Quilt & Tall Side Table): Finishing Touches
• Hanging Pot Rack & Menu Sign: Cozy Essentials
• Fridge: Dutchie
• Pumpkin Recipe & Pumpkin Pie Decor: What Next
• Crate Stack, Recipe Tin, Baking Canister, Egg Basket & Milk Can: Floorplan
• Plates, Glasses & Jug: The Loft
• Turkey Plate Display & Autumn Branch: La Galleria (**FREE**)

Living Room:

• Tree of Life Collection (Sofa, Chairs, Rug, Fireplace, Wall Art, Baskets {Log & Apple}, & Lanterns, Books & Candles): Finishing Touches
• Autumn Wreaths, Gourd Urn, Table Lamps, Bench: Finishing Touches
• Drapes: What Next
• Blinds: LISP

Bask in the Glow of Autumn

The waning days of autumn are upon us and for Americans, Thanksgiving is 12 days away.  The grocery stores are filling up with families buying turkey and all the fixings, soon the malls will have hurried shoppers busting down the black Friday doors, and before we know it Christmas and the New Year will be here.  Now is the time to slow down, reflect on the past year, be thankful for friends and family, and celebrate your blessings.  Recently, I did just that, after a few unfortunate incidents, I had too much and needed to walk away from Second Life.  I was drained, discouraged, disappointed, and deflated.  This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful to Niki Silverweb, Ayla Zhoy and Morgan Mickalobe who supported and encouraged me to return to SL.  Your kindness, care and friendship mean the world to me.  So this Thanksgiving who are your thankful for?

My love for virtual interior design was calling out and I wanted to design an autumnal cottage with a large veranda located by a lake with views of apple orchards and snow-capped mountains.  I envisioned Lake Tahoe, CA in the early fall when the weather is wonderful, the air is crisp but not too chilly cold, the nights are still, and the trees are bare with views of clear skies, filled with stars and full moons.   The ivy covered porch is overflowing with cozy spots, delicious delights, unexpected guests, and nods to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Creating a warm, welcoming, inviting place with crackling fire from the hearth is sure to be the area where your guests will relax after the harvest feast!

Hearth Area:

Log Bench:

Wood Bench:

Twyla’s (the Turkey) Garden:

Structure: Heart Homes, Autumn Lovenest II (Exclusive @ Room 69, till 11/20)

• Trees: Studio Skye, Enchanted Forest & Silver Birch
• Wishing Well: Finishing Touches, Falling Leaves Well (** Free @ Homestuff Lounge**)

Hearth Area:

• Lounge Set: Shutter Field, Mediterranean Dark (Exclusive for The Challenge)
• Rug: StoraxTree, Rustic Rug 10
• Lanterns: Apple Fall, Storm Lamps, Shutter Field, Pumpkins & What Next, Fall Hanging Lanterns
• Autumn Wreath & Pumpkin Candle Holders: Finishing Touches 
• Decorative Pumpkins & Tiny Candle Houses: What Next
• Branch Wrapped Candles & Fall Jar with Acorns and Candles: Sway’s
• Fall Thanksgiving Decor: The Mustard Seed (Texture change signs & leaves)
• Autumn Box Decor: Serenity Style
• Log Basket: Apple Fall

Log Bench:

• Decorative Pumpkins: What Next
• Pumpkin Line & Log Bench: Sway’s, Victor Firewood Storage Bench
• Decorative Pillows: La Galleria (**Free**)
• Sense of Fall Decorative Item: Serenity Style (Exclusive @ The Fantasy Room, till 11/25)
• Golden Apple Basket: The Mustard Seed (part of the Tree of Life Set, $60L Weekend special)

Wood Bench:

• Autumn Bench with Throw: Off Melrose (Exclusive for The Challenge)
• Decorative Pillows: La Galleria (**Free**)
• Cat with Hat Boxes: The Mustard Seed (part of the Give Thanks Gray Tabby Set, $60L Weekend special)
• Pumpkin Candle Holders: Finishing Touches
• Pumpkin Line: Sway’s
• Lanterns: Shutter Field, Pumpkins
• Apple Baskets: Dysfunctional Designs

Twyla’s (the Turkey) Garden:

• Garden Planter: Shutter Field (**Free @ Cosmo Sales Room, group gift**)
• Autumn Wreath: Finishing Touches 
• Lanterns: Apple Fall, Storm Lamps
• Turkey Wooden Sign: Free Bird (**Free on The Dirty Turkey Hunt**)

Harvest Time Fun!

Autumn is well under way, the air is crisp, the trees are bare, and the sky is clear…great time for a hay bale ride.  Your just in luck, Finishing Touches is offering Halloween specials (50% off) at The Designer Warehouse Shopping Event until October 30, 2014.  The Halloween Hay Wagon & Scarecrow set contains an animated wagon (two versions, friends and couple) filled with hay bales and decorated with candy corns.  A friendly scarecrow makes a welcoming autumnal lawn ornament.  The perfect fall decor set that will transition from Halloween to Thanksgiving.

Taxi please…

Other items used:

• Trompe Loeil, Rivershire Waterwheel House
• Finishing Touches, Pumpkin Picker’s Wheelbarrow (Subscriber Gift)
• Finishing Touches, Bobbing for Apples Barrel 
• Pilot, Cluster of Pumpkins
• Junk, Pigeon Autumn Bench (Free @ Eloquence)

Rustic Autumn

Sneak peek #3 of the Roawenwood Ravenshire Halloween Village (grande shoppes) this time reflects rustic autumn elegance displayed in several Finishing Touches collections in the bedroom, the living room, and the library.  Once again each shop window is adorned with beautiful harvest wreaths from Finishing Touches, and fanciful holiday decor from Park Place and Thaino Designs.  Enter into the grande shop from the Halloween Village courtyard. The center space contains the comfortable inviting Buckskin Living Room with suede sofas, armchairs and wood detailing.  Included in the set is a beautiful rug, potted plants, clock, table and lamps.  Simple elegant design requires easy accessories with Sway’s Fall Jar with Acorns and Candle.  To the right of the connecting rooms is the wood-paneled Executive Privilege library in warm rich brown tones. The set contains a burgundy rug, working library cabinets and shelves, an hourglass table, desk & chair, (and a lounge area).  On the opposite end of the three room cottage is the gorgeous Autumn Embrace bedroom, complete with ivy canopy bed (6 color variations), and twig & wood table/ chair accents.  In every window there is a special holiday decoration; among them is the unique and fascinating Park Place Miniature Haunted House with flying ghosts (available at Mieville Halloween Village). Each door is guarded by charming Thaino Designs Halloween pumpkins, flower beds, wagon wheel hay bale, ring of ghosts, and bench.  Look forward to another sneak peek tomorrow and Let’s Get Decorating!

Grande Shoppe Entry, Thaino Designs pumpkin, wheel, floral display & Sway’s Candy Corn Lights

Finishing Touches Buckskin Living Room

Sway’s Fall Jar with Acorns and Candle

Park Place Haunted House & Finishing Touches Killing Time bench & table

View of office from Living Room

Entry Library, Thaino Designs pumpkin floral baskets & bench

Finishing Touches Executive Privilege Library

Entry Bedroom, Thaino Designs Ghost, Wagon Wheel pumpkin & What Next Pumpkin Man

Finishing Touches Autumn Embrace Bedroom