Daydream Believer…

Happy August!  I can’t believe it August, can you?  Not sure where the time went, but I’m in denial.  On the up side, just 4 months till Christmas and soon I can start styling interiors and exteriors for my favorite season, Fall.  But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s squeeze out every last-minute of summer.  When I think of this time of the year, I’m transported back to my childhood with tons of sleepover parties under the stars, party games and our best-loved (often well-worn out) teddy bears and dollies along for the fun.  Fast forward a few years, the kids are all grown-up and the stuffies are left to play and cause mischief.  Using Serenity Style Angel Summer Tent from The Lexi Project, I created a whimsical corner hideaway.  The Lexi Project is going strong and each day the grand donation tally is updated on the The Lexi Project blog.  We still have not reached the goal of $12k, but I have faith we will.  You have eight more shopping days (August 9, 2015) to check out over 350+ designers and creators exclusive items with 100% of all proceeds donated to The Lexi Fund.  So, get shopping and know that your purchase will help one of our own Second Life residents.

The whole space was created with Serenity Style products.  I would particularly like to highlight The Country Drawer set available today ONLY (Saturday, August 1, 2015) for The Neighbourhood and The Country Chest & Cutie Monster from Cosmopolitan Bi-Weekly Event ending tomorrow Sunday, August 2, 2015.  I also want to feature the Gypsy Soul Dreamcatcher over the tent bed, part of  the My Gypsy Soul Caravan on sale at Tres Chic until August 5th and the Wooden Swing Bench & Tic-Toc Wall Art available at The Fantasy Collective through August 15. Have fun with these cool unique design offers.  Happy weekend & happy shopping!

Taxi to Serenity Style please…

Structure: Trompe Loeil Garden Bard Adobe

• The Country Drawers (The Neighbourhood special offer)
• Ladder with Towel (part of My Forest Warehouse @ The Gacha Garden summer edition 8/1-8/22)
• Angel Summer Tent (@ The Lexi Project)
• Gypsy Soul Dreamcatcher (part of the My Gypsy Soul Caravan @ Tres Chic 7/16-8/5)
• Wooden Swing Bench & Tic-Toc Wall Art (@ The Fantasy Collective 7/22-8/15)
• Bowling Ball Pins, Tic-Tac-Toe Game & Rocking Horse {part of the Old B&W Toys Decor Gacha Collection for the Black Fashion Fair April 2015}, Tea Time Set, Sweet Woods, Let Out Sadness Window, Summer Pouf & Summer Bag {part of The Summer Beach Gacha Collection}  Mr. Foxy Green stuffy {part of Mr. Foxy Gatcha for The Thrift Shop November 2014), Love Sign & Things To Do Sign (@ Serenity Style)

Midsummer Night’s Dream Hunt… where fairies come to play

One of Second Life’s most popular hunt is back for the sixth year, the Midsummer Night’s Dream presented by Kastle Rock.  The MND 6 Hunt is unique from most hunts on the grid because it’s broken into six different paths, with over 100+ stores offering male/female/unisex/petite and home furnishings until July 21, 2015.  Kastle Rock’s hunter guide will provide more information for each path (hints & LM) and a gift preview page.

Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy play by William Shakespeare (1590- 1597), portraying the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and Hippolyta.  These include the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors (mechanicals), who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set.

Today, I will be showing three fantasy garden decor hunt gifts from Finishing Touches, Dreamscapes Art Gallery, and Park Place Home Decor.  Finishing Touches Enchanted Forest Swing is a whimsical weathered ivy-covered solo swing with 6 animations.  Fairy Set by Dreamscapes Art Gallery is a playful free formed twig chair (13 animations) and tree stump coffee table with candle display.  Park Place Fallen Log Bench with blanket and plants is perfect for summer picnic and cuddling with your sweetie, chalk full of single/couple poses. Below are the vendor ads for the 3 hunt items above.  Good luck on the Midsummer Night’s Dream hunt and have a merry time!

Finishing Touches Enchanted Forest Swing (Titania Path – Hint: Ascend the stairs to gaze upon the Tree of Life)

 Dreamscapes Art Gallery Fairy Set (Puck Path – Hint: O sleep! O gentle sleep!)

Park Place Home Decor Fallen Log Bench (Puck Path – Hint:

“Time so quickly flowing past
we watch it go with growing angst
Stop that CLOCK, it goes too fast
and earn our most undying thanks!!”)

Summertime Living!

Summer is here (Yay!!!) The weather is warm and it’s time for outdoor living.  Dreamscapes Art Gallery has you covered for all those lazy hazy crazy days of summer.

Carlotta Ceawlin, owner and creator of Dreamscapes Art Gallery designs unique and charming whimsical inspired shabby chic decor giving your SL home a fresh twist.  Dreamscapes often participates in hunts, $60L weekend, offers free group gifts and has 4 free mini-mania boards at the main store.  I suggest you join the Dreamscapes Art Gallery group to take advantage of all the great gifts.  Speaking about gifts, Carlotta just changed the group gift yesterday and the new gift, Ted Pergola with cot, is ideal for summer relaxation.  The navy blue and red-painted wood open pergola has multiple uses including a welcoming archway for a garden path, or a shady respite for al fresco dining. Another new summer release is the Mira Cart, a mattress with two decorative pillows, what a nice place to daydream during the summer days & nights.  You could also use the Mira Cart as an indoor daybed/lounger for small spaces.

Summertime living calls for a relax casual vibe.  Carlotta has designed a fun alternative for a traditional living room with the Mira Pallet Couch and Cozy Beanbag Chairs.  To complete the styling of the Trompe Loeil Garden Bard Adobe one room shack, I used Dreamscapes Art Gallery throughout the home including: Olivia shelf and end tables, Dream cabinet, Milla stool with books and tailor dummy, Tara cabinet, Cozy cot, Tree wall decor, and decorative accessories including candle trays, flower vases, books with dwarves and crates.  Stop by Dreamscapes Art Gallery for a fresh perspective on summer!

Structure: Trompe Loeil Garden Bard Adobe

Garden Decor:

• *Ted* Pergola (June Group Gift **FREE**)
• *Bavarian Barbecue*
• *Garden* Crates A
• *Spring* Birdhouse C with bird
• *Tulip* Pot A & D (on front steps)
• *Mira* Cart A
• *Birdy* House A, C & E (behind Mira Cart)

Living Room Decor:

• *Mira* Pallet Couch & Table B
• *Cozy* Beanbag Vintage & Green
• *Crates* A (near green beanbag chair)
• *Dream* Cabinet
• *Candle Tray* Easter A & *Tulip* Vase C (on pallet table)
• *Olivia* Table & *Gerbera* Vase B
• *Clouds* Canvas Frames
• *Olivia* Shelf Flowers, *Tulip* Bunch E, *Crate* Shelf D & *Dream* Wall Decor

Nook:

• *Milla* Stool with books & *Milla* Tailor Dummy
• *Tara* Cabinet Brown
• *Books with dwarves* A
• *Home Sweet Home* Sign B
• *Spring* Birdhouse E with Fireflies (out window)

Bedroom:

• *Cozy* Cot Vintage A
• *Olivia* Table Flowers & *Tulip* Vase E
• *Spring* Candles C
• *Books with dwarf* B
• *Candles* Crate Multicolor
• *Trres* Deco A & B

Where Dreams are Made!

When I was a young girl, my Mom converted her glass greenhouse into a garden playhouse for me.  Nestled among the roses and butterfly bushes, I had this magical dreamy world all my own where I could play dress-up, draw, read, or just hang out with my friends.  It was the best! Somehow all my dollies, stuffies and cookie tins ended up under the sofa.  My great-aunt’s old furniture would be repurposed after some sanding and a new coat of paint. Looking back now, I can see my love for shabby chic was forged in my little playhouse. Decorating for children always allows for a playful, whimsical side of my personality to shine. I wanted to create a tribute to a my childhood playhouse using exclusive items from SL Home & Garden Expo 2014 from Persnickity, Thaino Designs, Dreamscapes Art Gallery*, Serenity Styles (gacha), Shabby Tabby*, Dekute Dekore* (part of the Story Time set), NACH*, R(S)W Home & Garden, La Vieux Carre, and EDD Homes & Garden.  You can easily use the items in a child’s bedroom, study, reading nook, or a grown up living space.  Rethinking the Persnickity garden shed as an additional living space will guarantee to add interest to your homestead, spark creativity and conversation.  Happy shopping!

The 7th Annual Home & Garden Expo 2014 opened Tuesday, September 16 and will run until September 28, 2014, featuring over 80 creators on 9 sims.  Home and Garden Expo (HGE) raises money for Relay For Life of Second Life (RFL of SL).  Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event, and RFL of SL is one of its virtual counterparts. You can get more information about RFL of SL here: http://relayforlifeofsecondlife.org/.

* = Donation items

Structure: Persnickity, Garden Shed

Garden Decor

• Persnickity (Sim 3): Tree Tunnel & Dripping Faucet with Pink Roses
• EED Home & Garden (Sim 2): Hanging Basket

Inside Decor

• Thaino Designs (Sim 1): Old Shabby Patch Sofa
• La Vieux Carre (Sim 8): Hey Yall Wall Sign
• NACH (Sim 1): Inspirational Words Decal* & Monster Storytime Cushion (Green, Classic Hunt item)
• Dreamscapes Art Gallery (Sim 4): Bookworm Shelf & Chair*
• R(S)W HOme & Garden (Sim 6): Cookie Tin (Picturebook), Votive Candle in Glass Cup, Dragonfly Dragon, Butterfly Shadow Box
• Shabby Tabby (Sim 8): Chalky Lights & Story Time Bookshelf
• Dekute Dekore (Sim 4): Stacked Books Lamp (Pastels, part of the RFL Story Time Set)
• Serenity Styles (Sim 3): The Vain Little Mouse Pink (gacha)

Dorm Style 101: Bright & Colorful

September always marks the beginning of school and in my small college town the students roll in with packed cars and giddy anticipation.  Soon after seeing their dreary and dark dorm rooms, they flood the local Target, Walmart, Goodwill and weekend yard sales to brighten up their space and make it feel like a home for the next 9 months.  I’ve always enjoy observing the students repurpose their finds.  I thought this experience would be a great fit for the monthly themed ? room feature.  Below, I designed a college students’ first studio apartment/dorm using items from The Challenge September theme Colorful.

First, I imagined the clients, in this case the story of the students who would create the space. Bubbly and bright young eighteen year old female freshman art students were kindred spirits from the moment they met.  Raleigh hails from the South and Vivian is a native of the North, both are sweet, sunny, and chipper.  Their space needs LOTS of color to reflect their personalities with moments of glam, and a place to relax and soak in the California sun.  The girls wanted to create a modern vibrant funky hang out lounge space by repurposing Hate This Mine Chair (color change) Rock~n~Roll spiked barrel chairs which they spray painted in fluorescent metallic colors that instantly cheer up the room.  Pop Art inspired Hate This Expression Rug, Black Tulip Color Me Cat Shelf, Wiggly Lamp & Rug, Prime’s Style Wise No 5 Wall clock and comic book framed art finish the wall.  As first year art students they understood the founding principal of proportion; when dealing with bright colors and large-scale items you need a place for your eyes to rest, such as neutral walls, or in this case softer palette bed.

Their creative juices started to flow in the bedroom area where they highlighted the matching twin Art Dummy! Slumber beds (blue & birch pink), with Plethora cut out paper mobile hanging lights dangle from the ceiling; a butterfly & house mobile each denoting the different personalities of the girls (*not part of The Challenge).  The bedroom wall called for pops of color.  The DIY’rs made their own floor lamps using a bare bulb and cut out painted plywood lamp silhouettes (Sway’s Floor Lamp Silhouette) which flank the two beds, and old balls of yard were woven together and framed (Kuro’s Color Framed Art) dividing the bedroom wall area.  In need of a glam moment, the girls painted a favorite quote, framed and hung it.  The Floorplan’s Sparkle sign (*not part of The Challenge) is the perfect piece to soften the space, and complement the Wimey Shabby Chickie Vanity Set. 

The young ladies are lucky to have a large deck area filled with bright colorful chairs, and more do-it-yourself craft projects: repurposed old suitcases as garden planters, recycled broken tea-cup for side tables, upcycled lanterns and branches make unique lighting display, and a salvaged shabby chic mix-match painted bistro set.  Vivian’s favorite spot to cuddle up and do her homework is on Sway’s Sydney Boomerang Chair (color change, 25% off till Sept 7).  Raleigh’s most loved area is tucked on Kuro’s Colored Stacked Chair (color change) while enjoying shutter field Suitcase Planter’s on the deck railing.  Both ladies chosen garden locations are over flowing with vibrant plants, fun and funky finds from Thaino Designs and shutter field that furnish the deck and overlook the sea.  One of the great adventures of interior design is decorating and collaborating with others to blend a space into a livable unit.  Everyone can inject a little more color in their lives, so be free, cheery and whimsical, and go check out the offerings at this month’s round of The Challenge!

The outside front yard has a small plot of land planted with a sunflower fence and hosts a home for some rescue bunnies the girls found at their local shelter, the adorable Fence Garden and Occupied Outhouse is from The Mustard Seed and is available at The Designer Warehouse Shopping Event till September 4!!!!

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