It’s time for a break! I’m all packed and ready to go but before I leave, here’s another post. And this time I have the amazing Kess with me! It’s always fun to collaborate with her, as every time we do, we spend more time talking and laughing rather than actually working. But no rule against that, is there? She will be posting her version of the picture soon so make sure you keep an eye out!
Anyways, I should be back to blogging again in September. You will have to wait and look forward to my return, because in my mind, that’s the right thing to do. Hehe.
Until then, take care and have fun! It’s what I plan on doing!
“Killer’s ” Railway Bench “Killer’s ” Railway Concrete Bench “Killer’s” Old Railway Lamp Post “Killer’s” Old Railway Platform Sign “Killer’s” Old Railway Powerbox “Killer’s” Old Railway Station House “Killer’s” Old Railway Station Platform “Killer’s” Old Railway Station Wall Lamp “Killer’s” Railway Hanging Light
It’s been a week since I last posted, but once you take a look at the upcoming issue of Gallant magazine, you’ll see that it was worth it and required my full attention. But it’s the 15th of July, and you know that means a brand new Epiphany round. This is an anniversary round, so there are more brands participating and one of them is 8f8.
I was personally psyched to see 8f8 in events again, we all know that his gacha sets are huge and gorgeous, so I couldn’t wait to show everyone. I will link to his Flickr stream here, so you can take a clear look at the gacha key and every item that is up for grabs. Make sure you also read the story behind this set!
Take a look at the links below as well, for more information on the event and the chance to win early access to the venue.
It’s Monday, which sucks, but it’s also a new month, which is exciting. The new month will bring new rounds of events, and for me personally, will bring a lot of time at the beach. I promised myself that I will get tanned (or burned most likely) this year and I plan on keeping my promise.
And since we’re talking about things under the sun, check out this bench and how good it looks under it! It is available at Kustom9 and brought to you by Nutmeg. Make sure you check out the rest of the images and the credits below, to see all the little details. Most of the stuff I’m wearing, come from Collabor88 which is about to end soon, so give that a look as well.
That’s all today folks, hope you’re having a great one!
West Village – Zebra Cactus (NEW!)
(The Limited Edition Zebra Cactus Plant is now available from Apple Fall/West Village towards celebrating Second Pride. You can purchase the item here)
Every time 8f8 releases something new I’m like a kid in a candy store. The mesh is incredible, the items super creative and there’s always so much color. And you know color is my thing! So I was very eager to work on this new set and I know I will be using these items again in future posts.
The new set is called Empty Spaces but my spaces are always far from empty. It is not a gacha release (which is often the case with 8f8 sets) and you can purchase items separately. However, there are bonus items in case you grab the full collection and a brand new group gift as well. Everything can be found at the mainstore.
There is a story behind this release and who better to tell it than the creator himself:
“The Story
This is a story of one traveler. He travels from one place to another. He does not have much to offer, just a humble old worn out suitcase of unknown content but of great value only known to him. He chooses many different directions as he is very curious by nature no matter how much they scare him. He stumbles a lot on the way, falls too and his knees feel the weight of all experiences he carries with him. Yet he continues going forward discovering all life offers, around him and within him. More often than not he encounters seemingly empty spaces, places left behind, abandoned or perhaps just misunderstood, to most of no value. But not to him. Those are his precious moments when his eyes are able to catch shy beauty that found a place to grow where there only seems to be decay. Little beauty emerging where to an untrained eye only seems to be waste, waste of space, waste of time, waste of effort… He recognizes such places, he knows them very well as he has spent many years living them. So he stops and reaches out.
This is a story of one traveler. This is a story of someone who looks for places that struggle, sees beauty in these seemingly forgotten, abandoned souls and offers them a mirror to show them their own inner growing beauty he seeks and loves so deeply.
This is a story of me and … you.
The Collection
Nine different items, one 8f8 Group Gift and BONUS Old Colors for the phone booth if you go for the whole collection.
You can see it displayed at Black Kite.”
That would be all for today! I will see you all next time!
5 – 8f8 – Once Broken and Forgotten – Follow Me Left 5 – 8f8 – Once Broken and Forgotten – Follow Me Straight 20 – 8f8 – Once Broken and Forgotten – The Wall 1 20 – 8f8 – Once Broken and Forgotten – The Wall 2 20 – 8f8 – Once Broken and Forgotten – The Wall 3
I’m finally back and posting again. I hope you missed me, I know I did for sure. I had to take a few days away to travel, as you probably know already, but also sit back and take a look at a few things that had been bothering me. I’m not a therapist but I’m very good at breaking down situations to figure out what’s right or wrong with me or what needs to change to make things better. I made a plurk on Tuesday and I want to tell you all about it today. So grab a snack, this is going to be a long read.
I noticed a month ago that I was feeling more and more stressed every day, tired and worn out. Yes, I have a busy RL, with work, dance classes and everything but my SL had turned into the same mess as well. My everyday routine would basically be, go to work, then to classes and then come back home and stay up until late at night (or early in the morning if you will) to work on images and projects. I know what you’re thinking, “Eva, you took on way too much”. And it’s probably true. But I’m very sensible. I know when to say no and when to stop. I know when enough is enough. And I have selected the people or events I work with carefully. Funny how I said “I selected” when really, they selected me, right? But on some level, we make the choice first. They just have the final say.
So, my first thought was, “I need to take a break”. Seemed like the right thing to do. And I did, I went to Spain! But I can’t say that solved any issues. My next thought was, “everyone has to stop eventually”. Meaning, how often I see fellow bloggers leaving SL or quitting blogging. But that was an idea I immediately rejected. I’m addicted to blogging. I love it too much and it makes me feel really good. I’ve also invested so much time and money to it, it’s just impossible to throw it all away. So then, I did a comparison of what has changed from April 2016 – when I first started to blog – until now. And the answer was right there in front of me. Blogotex!
I never hid my feelings towards Blogotex. I wasn’t too vocal about it but given the opportunity, I would always express how I found it to be wrong. All the people close to me can verify that. And most of them really loved it! I was mostly offended by it, because I felt it was created in a sense of “organize your crappy bloggers and get rid of the bad lazy ones” and I get it, this is a situation brands in SL usually struggle with. So I was willing to play along and try it out. I consider myself a very organized person, I have OCD and I’m a Virgo, so I kid you not, post-its and deadlines are my thing, however, I was open to new suggestions, and kept telling myself: “let’s see if this platform has something new to offer”. And it did. But not what I expected.
I think everyone will agree with me that Blogotex is a tool designed for creators. It was made for them and every update ever made was meant to make it a fun experience for them. And it makes sense, they pay good money for it. When it first came out, it had no demos. Designers would send their blogger packs but we weren’t able to demo the products. That was soon fixed. Then there was a timer issue. From my experience, that was only a matter of the designer, to set it as they wanted. Others had an open timer, resetting every time you would submit a post, others had timers that were activated only after you had taken something from the list. Blogotex would then send you notices in-world, reminding you of the deadlines and how many days you had left before…you were suspended. That quiet threat was also a huge problem for me. Hell, I don’t want to be suspended. And I don’t want to ask for a time extension either. But you know, sometimes, a picture is hard to make. It takes time, it takes effort and a lot of trials and errors. I don’t want to be pressured by constantly being reminded of my deadlines. Especially when I know I still have more time – but Blogotex was set in a way that wouldn’t give me it. I’m well aware of my deadlines. And the notices are definitely not helping me do my work any faster. But enough about how Blogotex works, I’m sure every one of you knows that well by now.
A tool can be great or bad depending on how someone uses it. So the question was, is Blogotex really bad or are people using it wrong? Although, the real question in my mind was, what did Blogotex really fix? I follow the social media and read what everyone has to say. The majority of the posts I see, is from designers complaining about bad bloggers and from bloggers struggling because they can’t come up with ideas or be creative.
There will always be irresponsible bloggers. Just like there will always be irresponsible designers. No platform can fix that. I think it’s a matter of choosing the right people, managing them better and creating a fun environment with them overall. And in my opinion, that was only possible with the inworld groups. The designer would send us the product and then we would chit chat and talk about whatever. Blogotex on the other hand, took away that part of blogging and replaced it with comments on the posts we submitted. Yes, there is a chat option (only available to premium Blogotex users from what I’ve been told) but come on, who really spends that much time on that chat?
So on Monday night, I made the decision to deactivate my Blogotex account. That means I was instantly removed from all the brands I’ve been blogging for that are using it. That’s probably 70% of my sponsors. I let everyone know with a notecard as well and it was definitely not an easy thing to do. Some of the best brands are using it and now some great events are partnering with it as well. I respect their choice to do so but I had to focus on what’s best for me. I have been using Blogotex for more than 2 years and I’m not happy with it. So it’s my problem and only I can fix it.
To my surprise, a few of the brands I was working with, reached out and offered alternatives. That meant the world to me, because I never even met or talked to some of them before. It’s such a great feeling to see that people appreciate you. I have to repeat and make it perfectly clear that I’m not quitting blogging. I just want to go back to the April of 2016. When I was so happy making pictures, because I wanted to create something pretty by showcasing a few items and not because I had a form to fill and a post to submit. I no longer want to be associated with Blogotex and I really hope, people will, at least, start using it differently.
I think I’ve said enough and I apologize for the long post. It’s just thoughts I’ve had for a long time and wanted to share with my readers (yes all 10 of you). I chose to do it on my blog, and not on Facebook, since this is my platform where I can say anything I want without anyone filtering me. Summing up, I want to say a big goodbye to Blogotex, it has not been a fun experience but it has been educating.
Now a quick mention to the things showcased in today’s picture. Dust Bunny made this beautiful floral archway, which is currently available at Anthem in two colors and I’m also bringing you some new Apple Fall goodies that will be available in the SL16B venue. It opens later today so if the SLUrl doesn’t work, be patient. The Anashara dining set is not a new release but Apple Fall has just updated with more summer-y textures/colors and they’re also available at the SL16B venue.
That’s all for today, thank you for reading and always supporting me. I can’t thank you enough. I’ll see you all next time!
6.{sallie} Brunch in Green – Glass w/ Green 3.{sallie} Brunch in Green – Tree Bark Slice w/ Plates (pink) 4.{sallie} Brunch in Green – Tree Bark Slice w/ Plates (white) 5.{sallie} Brunch in Green – Tree Bark Slice w/ Plates (red)
Good morning world! Monday is back and so am I. The month has been busy so far, releases wise, so inevitably I am too. I’m bringing you the new gacha set from 22769 today complimented by Nutmeg’s release for Anthem’s debut round. And some flowers from ANC that you can grab at the current round of Uber.
I have some goodies from THOR for you today, gacha stuff, so I hope it’s your lucky day. Everything is listed below, so take a look and enjoy your shopping! I have to go so I’ll see you all next time.
Thank God it’s Friday and thank Kess and Heidi for my credits. You’re probably wondering if I forced Kess to write down my credits, and the fact that you believe I’m capable of something like that, is very flattering, but no, I didn’t make her write them but nor did I write them.
Kess teamed up with Heidi and they created an amazing tool. For bloggers but also for everyone really. Remember how you can use the “copy outfit to clipboard” feature and instantly get all the objects attached to your avatar in a notecard? Well imagine doing that for your scene details now too. Only difference in this case, you get the SLurls as well!
If you’ve been following my work, you’re probably familiar with the clutter I like to create. Objects everywhere! Sometimes it takes me longer to write down each item I’ve used, add SLurls, put them in an order etc. than creating the actual scene. Problem is now solved!
Kess knew I would be the ideal person to test this new tool until it’s released to the public and I did. In fact, I tested the %@$# out of it. Take a look at my credits today for example. Yes, there are 62 objects! So I just rezzed the “Grab My Credits” object, selected the area I wanted it to scan and a minute later, I had the list of every item I used, ready in a notecard. How amazing is that?
Everyone needs to get this and spread the word. It is scheduled to be released before April 1st and there is a video tutorial coming out in a day or two. Take a look at the Text Tutorial until then and make sure you like and follow HeiKetech Facebook Page for all the updates and information.
In other news, Apple Fall has a new sub-brand/side project named West Village and has released a lot of amazing stuff recently. Of course everything is listed below, so grab a snack and take a read!
West Village Althea Rug – Antique Floral West Village Cotton Tote West Village Francis Dining Table West Village Pears in Vintage Trug West Village Rice Milk w/ Carrier West Village Seeded Bread & Tomatoes West Village Spring Tulips West Village Wicker Basket West Village Winston Bentwood Chair
West Village Billy Ball Stems West Village Ginkgo Branches West Village Heart Eucalyptus Spray West Village Live Basil w/ Terracotta Pot West Village Magnolia Arrangement
I’ve been posting everyday, which is something I used to do gladly a year ago but now, I must admit, it’s exhausting me! This month has flown by so quickly that I don’t have a choice. There is a lot I want to show you!
More Arcade stuff for you today, so take a look at the credits below and I’ll see you all next time!
+Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Bird House A +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Fawn & Sleepy Birdies +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Flower Diary (Mint) +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Flower Gramophone (Light) +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Fox in Pot +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Fox Welcome Sign +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Gardening Clutter +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Heart Watering Can (White) +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Heart Watering Can (Gold) +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Mini Deer Terrarium RARE +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Sleepy Fawn Chair RARE +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Step Ladder +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Two Vintage Frames +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Three Vintage Frames +Half-Deer+ Spring Serenade – Tulip Jug
