Our Mesh Goddess
Froujke Hoorenbeek
New Pilot in Town
Kaz Nayer
not just an italian city fucifino
from the founder
This edition is the twelfth issue of Royal Living Magazine and marks our second year anniversary!! I am utterly grateful to every person who has taken the time out of their Second Life to read this magazine or flip through the pages. The team of people that are responsible for creating this magazine are some of the most creative and inspiring people I have ever met; they are a blessing and a joy to have in my life. Over these past two years it really is overwhelming to also have been given such a warm reception by home and garden designers across the grid! It is humbling and I thank you for making all of the things I adore and for being the reason I began this magazine! We have so many more stores to visit and designers to speak with if anyone ever has a suggestion please feel free to contact us anytime! This issue we finally have the wonderful Froukje Hoorenbeek from Dutchie Furniture gracing the cover, as well as having the great pleasure of introducing a new store, Pilot Furniture! Along with so much more! As always take time to create a special space all your own and enjoy your Second Life experience! Thank you again for all of your support and love you have shown us it more appreciated then you know!
, o x o x
Happy Decorating!
e i c a r G
Gracie Kangjon, Royal Living Magazine
about the editor
I’ve been doing the cover feature photos, as well as founder and editor photos, for Royal Living Magazine since the very first issue. It’s been a lot of fun to meet with so many talented creators and photograph them with their builds, trying to capture a little bit of their personality visually to accompany their interviews. When Gracie was in need of someone to put together the summer issue recently, I knew I could do the job, and that she and I could would be a great team. I was so right! The decision to be a more permanent member of the team was an easy one, and I am proud to be part of this Autumn issue, my second as editor and graphic designer for Royal Living Magazine. Thank you Gracie, for being such a supporter of my work, for throwing general ideas in my direction and letting me run with them, and for trusting me to do a good job with your magazine, which I know is a total labor of love for you.
lE y
Namaste
Elysium Eilde
staff Lead Photographer
Tara Voskhod
Photographer & Writer
Alexandra Bayn
Writer Jewell
Mu
staff photos by Lu
Photographer & Writer
Journey Lorakeet
staff Writer
unro (not pictured)
Altonia Jewell
uvi Unplugged
Photographer
Stephen Venkman
Writer
Icewood Bayn
Table of C Letters from the Founder & Editor . . . . . . 22 Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Magic at the Nook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Hunting Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Dutch Flavor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Featured Photographer: Shyla Diggs . . . . . 62 SHELF-ish Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 fucifino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Contents Welcome Baby! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Bubbles in Wonderland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Jokes: Halloween Sillyness . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Fall into Zigana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Tats in the Sky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Dear Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Pilot Prepare for Take Off . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
One item that must be in every single one of my Second Life homes is the cookie jar from a whimsical shop called Magic Nook. Recently I had the honor of spending a bit of time with the creator Ayumi Cassini and I would like to introduce her to our readers! We love to start with everyone’s newbie days all of that free bling shoe goodness is too good to pass up! Ayumi explained she found Second Life “in late 2006 I was browsing an IT magazine when I noticed a small feature about Second Life. It caught my attention and after a little bit of hesitation I registered. Second Life was quite different back then - less stable, with database issues, inventory loss and stale transactions happening all the time. It didn’t have mesh or sculpties, flexi prims were a ‘new thing’ and the population was much smaller - but it still was a great place to explore and discover, and fighting technical obstacles was just a natural part of in-world activities.” Our world is much like the real one unique in that part is based in memories created and for Ayumi her “early moments in SL were somewhat lonely. After I finished tutorials on the Orientation Island I was a little bit lost and confused, but once I learned ‘how it all works’ I was amazed at SL possi-
bilities. For me the most exciting thing was that SL connected people around the world. I could log in and enjoy my time with people from any country. Then later came building and scripting and my own store, and that’s probably the thing I miss the most: the beginnings. Everything was new; every new thing learned was a thrill. But I like it where I am now, and wouldn’t change it, wouldn’t want to go back in time. I’ve got memories if needed :)” Life evolves the more creative people in a small space the brighter it becomes and our ideas refined. Ayumi agrees that “Second Life improved significantly since then - both in stability and features available for residents. If I had to choose one improvement, I’d say windlight. It changed everything the way Second Life world looked, the way we experienced it, the way we immersed into the virtual environment. Most residents don’t remember that water used to be just a box of blue colour. Thanks to windlight we have sparkling reflections of sunlight on waves formed by wind. How truly amazing, fantastic and wonderful is that? It definitely turned SL into a delight for photographers, and with dynamic shadows SL became an incredibly unique and beautiful place.”
After Ayumi went through orientation and got around the grid she discovered building.
“Building was one of the things that
made me fall in love with SL. The other was scripting! I was passionate about making scripted objects. Actually most of my early creations were plywood cubes with scripts in them, but the first real item was my Magic 8-Ball. I wrote a script that used the classic 20 answers from the real world 8-ball and I put it into a textured sphere. You could rez it at your virtual table and enjoy it as a decision making help device. My friends and I had endless hours of fun with it! It is still sold at my store though I changed it a lot. The script was rewritten for efficiency, I made better textures and I implemented additional features, like wearable version that makes you shake it before getting an answer, or an 8-ball chair. It never was a popular item with customers, but I love it.
”
I have seen a lot of the items designers keep for sentimental purposes because it was their very first creation. Ayumi said “looking back at my old items always brings smile to my face. Some of them are still fun and every once in a while I decide to do a restoration of an oldie, but I think many of them are out-of-date and will stay in my inventory as keepsakes of good ole’ times.” Ayumi also remembers how she began her shop on her journey through Second Life. “In the past I attended a lot of ‘show and tell’ events. These were fun! On each session anyone could present an item they had built, and then everyone would vote for their favourites to choose a winner. It was very engaging; it was a race of creativity, skill and imagination. In fact my first cookie jar was made for one of these events. One day I thought the items I created could be fun for other people to use and that was it. I decided to open a store.” The first Magic Nook store was not what people visit today! “In the very beginning it was different from what it is now. It was very small, very cozy and had very few products. A lot of them were scripted and customers would often say scripting is like magic. So it was ‘magic’ because items were
scripted and ‘nook’ because the store was so little. The store changed a lot over time, it has grown, and now it has a wide range of products, but looking at it I always see my cute little Magic Nook.” There is a wide array of magical goodness hidden in every corner of the nook! Ayumi accounts for her wide range of items by divulging “initially my favourite items to create were scripted gadgets, but it’s hard to run business on gadgets only. I slowly expanded into other areas which turned out to be very appealing as well just in a different way. I think I enjoy the creation process most when I design something that is on my mind, not something that I have to or should create at the moment. It doesn’t matter if it’s jewellery, a piece of clothing or something for your home. As long as it is something I want to focus on, I enjoy making it.” After being totally nosey I was over the moon excited when Ayumi said “from all the products I have in my store it would be hard to choose one favourite. I put so much love and attention to each item, that they’re all my favourites. There is something I am very proud of though, and that is my Tell Me More! game, which basically is a social game that lets people ‘break the ice’ and
get to know each other. It is a very popular item, and I know a lot of people play it in RL - they find it engaging and fun. There’s no score to make or rules to follow but people love playing it! It’s very rewarding! Knowing residents of SL a little bit I equipped the game with additional accessories like a cute blanket, comfy pillows and prop cards so I think the game can be a nice addition to your virtual home or garden.” “It’s funny, I never really needed to look for inspiration. My mind is constantly working ‘in the background’, bringing me so many ideas that many of them will probably just stay ideas and never make it into production. I cherry-pick the best ones which, I believe, come when we least expect them. I have a text file where I note all the ideas in a form of one-line descriptions. Currently the file is about twenty(!) A4 pages long. The ideas come from everywhere, from people on the streets, from websites I visit, from places I go to, from people I know. Sometimes just seeing a particular colour or pattern make me think of a product. Most of these come from my RL - life is beautiful and full of inspiration if we are open to it.” As consumers our inspiration can be found in the vendors on display that are future
treasures for our closets and homes, but I was wondering how satisfying it is for the creators to watch their client’s faces light up with joy at their latest prize. Ayumi explained, “The most rewarding moment of being a content creator is when I finish working on a product. I rez it, or wear it on my avatar, and look for a while at textures, at how the item looks, I click through scripts to make sure everything is OK. Maybe it’s not very modest, but this is the moment I am admiring my work, something I’ve spent my time on, something I’ve put a lot of love and effort to - and I say to myself ‘This is good. You are a good designer. Keep up the good work!’. We all need this. The important thing is we did a great job and nothing can change that, even if later the product doesn’t get many sales. Another special moment is seeing my products on blogs and in magazines. It always fills me with joy, knowing that people enjoy my products, seeing the way they interpret them - it’s very special and heart-warming.” “Being a designer also comes with difficult moments every once in a while. For me the hardest part is when I don’t have enough skill to create something I see in my mind, something my imagination gives me. It’s a
challenge that helps me to grow as a designer, but overcoming lack of skill is time consuming and sometimes frustrating. I always say creation process should be fun, but I think all designers have their ups and downs sometimes. It’s tricky, because these challenges are needed. They help you find areas you should work on more. It’s not easy but we have to keep doing what we started, and in the end it’s worth it. When you learned something new, when you created something you couldn’t - the moment you realise you grew better at something, you know you turned your weakness into something you are strong at - it’s really worthwhile and gratifying, not only for you as a Second Life designer, but for your RL self as well.” Mesh was a huge growth for Second Life one that was rather intimidating to many people across the grid. It was an unknown factor even for some designers. Ayumi was far from alone in that feeling. “It’s a little bit embarrassing to admit but initially I didn’t want mesh in SL. I felt it would require too much professional knowledge and skills that are too complex to acquire through selflearning. So while I loved the possibilities, I was afraid of the moment mesh would be released grid wide. I didn’t feel I was ready.
But it’s all about overcoming your own fear of failing. If you are focused and persistent enough, you can acquire any knowledge through self-learning. I started playing with mesh - at the beginning I worked on very simple items, then I moved on to learning about mesh impact on land (the prim equivalent) and now I’m studying mesh rigging. In the meantime I am creating first mesh items for sale. It wasn’t that difficult to learn - as they say: small steps will go long way.” At the very least Ayumi “ hopes the moment they enter through the store door they find themselves in a magic world, comfortable and welcoming. My intention was to capture a certain story and heritage in store design, to convey the mission statement: [MAGIC NOOK] brings magic to SL since 2006! I tried to create the cheerful and warm atmosphere of a small store, where as soon as you enter you’d like to study each item, see everything, explore and discover.” I learned that I definitely have something to look forward to from Magic Nook besides the normal cuteness a new release is coming soon! “There is something that’s been on my mind for a while. I have a concept of a house, something very special, that I haven’t seen in SL yet. I can’t tell too much or else I
would be giving too much away, let’s say it would be realistic in a way that no one yet thought of. So far I’ve been lacking skill to create it but I am close to a point where I can finally start making it. I also want to focus a little bit more on plants and home accessories - it’s been jewellery all the time recently and I need fresh projects to keep my creativity flowing.” Just like my Second Life home that must always have one her cookie jars Ayumi has a special item too. “I’d say a comfy couch, lots of pixel food and something fun to do when a friend comes over!” This prompted the inevitable question of is it a love interest or best friend? Indulging my curious nature yet again Ayumi said “My SL partner is my RL boyfriend - we met in Second Life and now we live together in RL for three years now. He’s not as active in SL as he used to be, but it doesn’t matter, because if I want a hug, I just go and hug him in RL. So running a store doesn’t affect my romantic life at all. As to SL friends, many of them I also met in RL. They’re all designers or bloggers, so we understand each other quite well - when it’s business time, it’s business time, but we allow ourselves to have some fun time as well.
It’s all about the balance.”
Hunting Season Written & Photographed by Journey Lorakeet
Fall has to be one of my favorite seasons for inspiration. First, it gives us the oppourtunity to really play around with rich, warm and bold colors. Second, its important to make a home feel very welcoming and expressing change in the air. I felt “The Arable� house by DECO represented how a log cabin can look with a modern touch with materials such as stone, wood and glass they are perfect for tying a room together. The room I chose to focus on was lower living area which has a great open flow that I am fond of in houses. I used three different shades rather than use only one tone of wood without it being too obvious. This room has a great use of rectangular shapes including rugs on the floor coinciding with the use of oversized furnishing, prodominantly mesh.
One of the focal points for this room is the long “Jessie” mesh couch that gives plenty of texture choices. It comes from “MESHWORX”, a newer store specializing in contemporary mesh furniture and great design. To compliment this grand couch I placed a giant frame with a deer to stick with the fall theme. This frame and the taller cabinet happens to also come from another new contemporary interior designer, “Apple Fall” or [AF] as it is more commonly known. Minimal clutter and an additional frame were enough to balance out this area while maintaining a cosy setting.
Living Room: MESHWORX - Jessie Couch, Flute Floor Lamp The Loft - Tribeca Hex. Mirror, Headboards, Granite Spheres, Mayer Vases, Drink Cart, wall prints Apple Fall - RENE Lamp, Deer Frame, Lilth Cabinet, Fancy Little End Table [HANDverk] Antique Frame.gold, Wingback Chair Rugs - Zigana, The Loft , Plaaka *Y’s HOUSE* - Vintage Hall tree (coat rack) Bark - Vintage Birdcage What Next? - Cieling fan LP2 interior - Wineglass Display Once Upon A Time - 4 frames Fucifino - Roscoe village end table, West Branch shelf brown
MudHoney - Pumpkin Candlesticks, white table lamp, candles on table Ponitee::: Speaker JBL on Block “AMIARI” - Voca Vase (Elate!) - Square Floor Pillows The Loft - Starburst Mirror Bronze *Y’s HOUSE* - LD Chair 01 [Denim/RW] {vespertine} - willamette table/organica (desk) *~MMG’s~* 4Book-G_ .:Tiny Spaces:. - Vintage Radio (modified) (Elate!) J’aime la Eiffel Lamp {what next} Notice Me Memo Board - Kitchen [North West] Growing Herbs LISP - Beatrice Potted Floor Arrangement
Dining Room/Hall: [LeeZu!] Dot Wall Art Trompe Loeil - NYC66 three cushion seat green :Cheeky Pea: “Likable Things Table w/Chairs”, Dandelion Rug [North West] Vaisselle (porceline, china)
CHABINNS - Shadow Clock Gabrielle Swindlehurst - Floor Canvases (Elate!) - Rustic Tree Side Table /artilleri/ Plant - Awesome aloe v1
Hallways do not necessarily have to remain empty or reserved for small things with the size of this area and no doors we can easily place a dining area in it and still leave room to walk. A home can be utilitized down to the last corner and even using minimal things. Another tip, having a collection of “timeless� pieces lets us get more uses out the objects we love without having to save them for specific seasons.
Dutch Flavor
Froukje Hoorenbeek Interview by Gracie Kangjon Photos By Elysium Eilde
Miss Froukje Hoorenbeek, the creator of Dutchie Furniture, is one of the sweetest designers and we have been eagerly waiting for the chance to have her featured on the cover of this publication. Finally, our timing is perfect and while she joked it is because we have never had a blonde on the cover it is for so many more reasons than hair alone! Dutchie Furniture has been on the grid for several years known for having one of the best collections of homes, furniture and accessories. This reputation is based upon the hard work and creative talents of Froukje and it was an honor spending some time chatting with her about her Second Life experience and store.
While her store is a collection anyone would be proud to call their own Froukje does not see this has her greatest accomplishment while in Second Life. She shared that her greatest was “My best SL accomplishment by far is not something I created it was meeting a newbie one day in 2008 and deciding to show him around. We spend every possible moment together in SL for the next 10 days; exploring, dancing, seeing art and performances from SL musicians and falling in love. Then we found out we lived only a few hundred meters apart from each other in real life, and at 3 in the morning we snuck out of our homes to meet half way on a street corner. We were so shy! We talked for about an hour hardly managing to look into each other’s eyes. Then we went back home logged into SL again and talked about the RL meeting :-D We have been together ever since and are living together in real life now. “ Froukje did not spend a long time as a newb herself! She found Second Life through real life news coverage. She explained, “SL was everywhere in the news in 2006 and 2007: the years of hype. I read an article about a Vincent van Gogh exhibition Starry Night somewhere on the internet. It had a SLURL
I clicked it bypassed the learning islands completely and I landed there directly. It was wonderful introduction to SL some of the paintings where done in 3D so you could actually walk into the rooms. I met my first friends there they eventually they taught me how to TP out and my second life began.” “SL has changed a lot since then. The viewer is much more stable and new techniques like mesh allow us to make much more realistic furniture, clothing and beautiful houses. The only thing that has not changed is the ancient avatar from 2003 itself. If I could change one thing, it would be a new SL mesh avatar with smoother elbows, shoulders and knees, more details for hands, feet and face. Our avatar is the most important thing it is what we bind with identify with. A new avatar mesh is long overdue. If I could change two things I also would like to have more subtle facial expressions as well.” If a classical art exhibition was Froukje’s first experience building would seem to be the next logical step in SL a place where creativity runs wild. She began “within 3 weeks I had bought a small plot of beach land and
started decorating. I found that low prim and high quality seldomly went together so I bought mod and copy furniture and stripped them down to the basics. I had no experience at all I was a journalist in real life and could do little more than crop a picture, but SL is a wonderful place to learn. I took it one step at a time started building with regular prims I learned to texture and a little bit of scripting and animating. Then sculpting…I slaved for weeks on my first chair, trying to make any sense of the free 3D design program Blender and this year, mesh. Learning to sculpt and later make mesh was the most difficult by far, but all the information you need is out there on the internet.” Learning mesh through trial and error was tedious but in the end Froukje believes “mesh is a dream come true for me! It gives me so much more control over the shapes and textures. Assigning textures to faces is very precise which leads to better shading and crisper textures. I can make much more elaborate shapes then with sculpts and they don’t deform. We were running into the boundaries with sculpties there is only so much stretching and bending you can do. Mesh has opened up so many possibilities for us designers.”
If mesh is so much more flexible it must take more time to create is what I would assume, but Froukje explained that “mesh does not have to take a lot of time it all depends on how complicated a piece is, but as with everything the more time and attention you devote to it the better is becomes. The Hedwigepolder with all the furniture in it took me about 6 months all together. Lately I have been making outdoor furniture that is going a lot faster, but even something as simple as a beach chair takes me 3 days: making the shape, the mesh itself, the textures, the props and selecting the best animations for it.� Out of all the pieces at Dutchie her favorite is “The Hedwigepolder was the first project in mesh for me. If you walk through that home you see the first six months of my learning and progression. I started with the kitchen, then the living room, after that the attic furniture and house itself. What I love to do most is design a furnished house: the home, the furniture, plants, and all the little things that give a place life, like books lying around. A project like that takes months, but it is by far the most rewarding. I start
living in the house in a very early stage, building it up around me. ” Speaking of Dutchie just why was this name selected? We discovered that if someone “ever tried to say Froukje out loud it is really difficult! ;-) My non-Dutch friends in SL called me Dutchie already so it was a natural pick. I did not think much about it back in April 2009 and I am very happy with it. It is easy to remember, has a friendly ring to it, and it gives me a guideline. My designs always have a Dutch touch.” Building a home requires a lot of inspiration Froukje finds hers from “real life. When I worked in Amsterdam I passed by houseboats each day so I made them. When I started working in Den Haag, in a monumental building with a lot of antiques, I made a skybox with antique furnishings. One of my latest furniture pieces, a garden table with chairs, which is based on the set I have in my RL garden. My problem is having too much inspiration then to little I have a huge list of things I want to make.” As for future and current projects she “ would like to make some more rigged mesh clothing and I am redoing a lot of old pieces in my store in mesh right now, but the next
big project will be a larger mesh house. That is all I am saying ;-)” There are many pieces in the Dutchie collection that are perfect for romantic evenings and they are fully equipped with fun menus for couples. Froukje explains, “When I came in to SL I was single. I found it to be one of the most romantic and at times erotic places I had ever been in. I dated a lot! What we see our avatars do has a great effect on us the brain seems unable to make a distinction between RL and SL feelings. If you meet someone you really connect with, it is natural to want to progress. I think of pixel sex as writing erotic love letters or emails. Pixel sex at its best is exiting and creative. It is also safe, clean, and you don’t have to shave your legs!” After a few giggles Froukje continues by saying “but most of the adult furniture in SL was let me put it bluntly: ugly. You want to look your best while sharing a fantasy with your lover not stuck in bad monotone animations with very little tenderness and in no logical order. I wanted to make beautiful adult furniture.” Dutchie has certainly done that!
Not only has Dutchie Furniture created a fantastic collection, but Froukje finds the time to team up with other home and garden designers in Second Life as she has with Isla Gealach, Creator of Cheeky Pea, to create the Designers Challenge Event. Another favorite of hers if Maxwell Graf, Creator of Rustica, “he was one of the first designers in SL I really admired. He is always way ahead of the rest of us and he is great fun to hang out with. Working with him was a blast!” It is great when designers get some free time to have fun in Second Life, but Froukje admits “I have very, very little time left in SL to do anything but design most of my friends have been neglected terribly. I did recently get a skymoon, from Rustica, and made a home in it. I love having a home again and hanging out there. But it is slowly turning into a builder’s platform already!” We certainly are anxious to see what goodies arise from inside Froukje’s moon!
“A picture is a poe
em without words.� -Horace
Our featured artist is Miss Shyla Diggs. Miss Diggs has an incredible talent for capturing quiet moments in her artwork with a bold use of color and themes. Visit her gallery at http://www.flickr.com/photos/shyladiggs/
Escape the Ordinary with Royal Livin
ng Magazine
photo by MandyLeigh Sweetwater
Shelf-ISH
by Gracie Kangjon
It can be difficult to arrange furniture sometimes, rooms can either be massive or cramped and the space can feel empty, devoid of character. There is a simple solution - add a shelf! It is a fairly low prim way to add another bit of personality to any space!
PILOT Haywood Pip
Abiss Word Fun Bookshelf
Baffle! Book Shelf.
PILOT Bohn Crate Shelf
Shepherd B
Cheeky Pea Peebles Shelf
pe Shelf
LISP Bookshelf
fucifino a stecches bookshelf
Turnip Tea Shelf
LISP Macabre Bookshelf
Trinitybelle Meriman
fucifino , More than just an Italian Name and
writen by Jewell Munro photography by Tara Voskhod
Fucifino a name that calls to mind a quaint little village in Italy with simple beautifully furnished homes with a great flair of style; recently on a trip to the main store TrinityBelle Meriman took some of her time and shared a bit about the shop and her Second Life experience. It is always interesting getting to know the creators behind the prims and Trin certainly shed a lot of light on her brand.Â
Let’s begin with the name. Italy? Perhaps or maybe Trinity is a lady with a sense of humour! Miss Meriman explained the name was selected because “I wanted something fun and quirky, a bit romantic, but I was drawing a blank. I had a sheet with all the different names I had come up with, but I had not shared them with anyone yet. Then I went to Plurk. I put ‘fucifino’ and how it was pronounced (fuc-if-i-no) out there and my friends really liked it and told me to go for it. But I was nervous. I mean I liked it too, but I had doubts. Would people get the joke? Or would they think it was just some random Italian name? I can’t tell you the number of IM’s and notecards I’ve received from people telling me how much they love the name or asking how it was pronounced. I like that the name doesn’t really tie me down to one type of style.” Second Life can provide an outlet for creative energy and a distraction from real life. When Trinitybelle began she had just had “major RL changes. I found myself a new stay at home mother, in a new city, far from family and friends. I was used to being at a computer creating with my old RL job. I was kind of at a loss. Then one evening I saw SL on one of those primetime
news specials and decided to check it out, but I didn’t do much. I actually didn’t log in again for a few more weeks then I found the music scene and I remember being so amazed that you could dance. HAHA. My early SL was so much about the music. I became a manager of a club and eventually opened one of my own: Club 3. Those were some of my favorite times here. I made so many great friends.” We all know club life can be crazy and consume a lot of time so it was curious that Trinity found herself in the home and garden arena building and running her own shop! She explained, “I began building in 2007. A neighbor friend taught me the basics of building and my obsession took off; at first I was making homes for myself just to see if I could. I had always wanted to be an architect (the reason I am not is a whole other story). I would live in them a while and then toss it for another one I had built until I got builders block one day and decided to mix it up and try a table. I was like “WHOA! These don’t take as long to make!” Then for RL reasons I took a 2 year hiatus. I came back in 2010 and did some fashion
blogging and really enjoyed taking pictures, and fashion blogging quickly progressed to H&G blogging! (decorating houses and blogging them are so much fun!) I remember I needed a certain piece (a bookcase) and decided to just make it myself. I found myself doing this more and more - it was calming for me, kind of like therapy - creating spaces that I could envision myself in RL was the key to my creativity.” This type of therapy can take several weeks to design a new piece Trinity confirmed building does take an extensive amount of time for certain projects. To date her largest project was “the items I made for this year’s Home and Garden Expo it had 9 pieces and took me over a month to complete. I was also working on a few other events and RL at the time, but in the end I am really proud of that set. A few of the pieces really stand out for me: the West Branch Table & Decor because I really want this in my RL house; Middleton Console table because it’s PINK!; and the two Verona items - shelf and lamps because they are so natural.” Creators must find it difficult to stay inspired to create new pieces. Miss. Meriman finds inspiration for her work from many sources “for my furniture pieces and sometimes for my homes I tend to use Pinterest and Tumblr. Sometimes I see specific pieces/parts in a picture that I like and I I start creating collages of things I like together. I SO love my apps on my iPad for this! I get out my colored pencils and start sketching something together from those collages. I have a lot of sketches that I have not yet been able to bring to SL and that is unfortauntely due to my skill level. For my homes I live in a great town with lots of cool houses. I whip out that iPhone and take a picture and then I have to sketch how I want the
interiors. I will also do google searches for specific features that I want in the house to gather more knowledge.” Sensitive to new creators Trin’s best advice is to “Be respectful. Just because you are online and somewhat anonymous, doesn’t give you the right to be an ass. Be yourself. That doesn’t mean you have to bare your entire life/soul to everyone. Just be you. Don’t worry about what others think. You’re in Second Life for you - not anyone else. Do what you want (keeping in mind the being respectful advice). As for building, play with building. Experiment. And don’t be afraid to ask questions.” Building isn’t the only project Miss Meriman is involved with in Second Life. She’s also a part of Belle Island Estates and what an interesting project! “Belle Island Estates... where do I start? One of my best friends, Toddles Nightfire, wanted to make money in the real estate market and asked me to be the designer/builder. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out what we wanted. One thing we knew for certain is help people to feel like they were home at Belle Island Estates, and that they were part of something. We want them to feel safe. Many of our
residents have been there for years! This is what Todd and I wanted. We don’t have a lot of rules. We like to think we are very open and are there for our residents. I love when residents offer suggestions for landscaping and usually if they ask I let them create the place that will be their home (or if they are not terra-forming inclined, I do it). Belle Island Estates is much different from the beginning but that’s okay.” There has to be some time to play in Second Life otherwise it can become dull! Trinity’s favorite things to do include “In RL, it’s laughing with my family. I live with two hilarious goof balls (my husband and my 5 year old son) whom I love so freaking much. In SL, Plurk. I communicate more with my SL friends via Plurk than SL IM’s. Plurk sometimes gets a bad rap but it has been nothing but wonderful for me. I have met SO many great people. They’ve been so supportive and helpful with both lives. I really don’t know what I would have done without them the past couple years.”
Welcome Baby!
Pics by Curl Swindlehurst Written by Altonia Jewell
During the course of the last month I have become a Grandma again in Second Life. I have an amazing SL family that stretches far and wide but these are the first prim grandchildren. There is a plethora of cute items available for the magical world of Zooby’s babies they are incredibly advanced growing from infants to toddlers as quickly as their parents wish to chase them. The babies develop skills and can be taken care of by multiple family members! In Second Life, people role play everything from vampires to great battles to victorian-era lifestyles and more so at times it is strange that some residents view pixel babies as less acceptable. It is simply another version of life and enhances the experience so when I get to babysit I need a wonderful playroom to spend some time with my grandchildren!
Playtime! Room: Turnip’s Spring Time Fence Y’s HOUSE* ID Bench 00 [Red/mesh] (FLF) FLRN BABY’S - Monkey PlayPen
FLRN BABY’S - Turtle Wagon Toy FLRN BABY’S - Baby’s Bar and Rug {what next} Burbank Rocking Chair :: Bebotes :: Baby decorations - Shelf LISP - Open Book (with read anim)
[*Art Dummy!] bohemian summer (yellow) Chunky Monkey - Bay Pony Textures - Distressed Worn Wood Avocado Shade Wood; -FLUX- Childrens Room and NurseryWall Textures
Zooby’s offers a wonderful range of quality mesh furniture that I mixed and matched with some pieces I had collected from other shops during my travels. I spoke with a good friend, Liv Watkins, who is the creator of wonderful clothing for Zooby babies and she recommended several stores. Luckily, I found a small shop on marketplace called FLRN and what treasure trove of cuteness! The items were not expensive and created with a playful flair to spend some time with the little monkies that will wreck Gramma’s house! Appropriately there is another shop called Chunky Monkey that has also created a massive amount of toys, horses and other rideables that will keep the babies entertained for hours on end! The joy of a new life even the role play of it can bring happiness and love to any household! Why not celebrate with some new furniture to suit the mood!?
Infant Nursery:
~La’Licious~ Family Tree Wall Unit {Large} Zooby Baby Black Pram 5.0 Kyoot - Shabby Drawer Stack Reek - Saddle Stool - White Wood
Summer Fairy Changing Table White LISP - Warm Tartan Rug Pixlights factory Teddy bear Bazar - Pillow Decor Nighttime Moon Crib Ivory High :CP: Likable Things Mobile
Copper Sun Designs - Antique Bell Lighting toastface bird wall decal * Baby ZBlocks [North West] Triple frames on a string + elefantu, - White Couch {what next}Laurel Slippers (decorative only)
{what next} Knitting Basket (v.2) Nighttime Moon Cradle Antique Textures for White Room: Distressed Worn Wood White Wash, Shades of White Wood Paper and Trim
Royal Exploration to
Bubbles in Wonderland
Written by BellaCullen Edwardstone • Photography & Modeling by Tara Voskhod
Hold hands with your loved ones and fall through the rabbit hole! Bubbles in Wonderland is one of the places in Second Life that has amazed thousands of people across the grid by creating a unique experience based upon the popular children’s fairy tale. Places like Bubbles in Wonderland have become scarce over the past few years due to funding issues and the like but it is these places that are the reason this magazine even exists and need support! Every single prim is alive with inspiration and the limits of are boundless; it energizes visitors and is a concrete reminder that Second Life truly is what we create and dream.
The dreams in Wonderland range from wild decks of cards to climb upon to mazes to illusions of growth or shrinkage – it is simply an adventure! We cannot even fathom the amount of hours Bubbles Urvilan spent constructing this extraordinary place, but everyone should plan on spending a few hours exploring this maze of wonderment. There is a rez day room with dances if you want to make it a themed night or a chess room anyone can play a game of live chess with monstrous pieces that move along the board! Don’t be late for your date here! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ Lori/128/82/69
ANSWERS 1- Broom-mates 2- Broom-service 3- A sand-wich 4- By witch-ful thinking 5- Ghoul-Aid! 6- He is mist. 7- A dead ringer 8- Wrap! 9- He had no body to dance with 10- A blood hound 11- Pumpkin pi
Fall Into Zinaga
Written and Photographed by Alexandra Bayn Months ago I came across the most inviting and intriguing picture on flickr of mismatched chairs studded around a simple table. Brightly colored lanterns floating above the table, warm glowing candles… it was too welcoming to pass up clicking the SLurl attached. I followed the TP and explored the lush green land, following the rugged stone pathway down a steep hill lit by glimmering luminary bags. To my surprise, what seemed to be a remote, romantic hideaway atop a hill led to a small town square crawling with ivy and stones. Zigana is rugged but soft, offering everything from grass to textures to prefabs. The land surrounding the store and the items inside it are just what make you want to tear down everything on your parcel and start fresh. Even better, Zigana’s owner and creator, Nalena Fairey, is the living, breathing version of her store… warm and welcoming, colorful but subdued.
When asking why she became a creator in Second Life, she humbly stated, “Because I wanted to try to realize the things I had in my mind, slowly it grew in to Zigana”. Nalena wanted her own sim and world to share and says initially, the store was to support the sim tier. When asked what is unique about her store, she believes every store is unique in the way that every person is and has their own ideas to work with proclaiming with a laugh that she is “not really a ‘neat freak’ and totally chaotic… Maybe that shows in what I create?” Zigana has become a popular place for photographers and bloggers to use as a back drop. She says, “The beauty of SL is nearly everything is possible so you can just let your fantasy drag you along. I like cozy and warm environments, this mood is what I am trying to accomplish in the sim and items also. Everyone always will get inspired from everything they see or do so where
and how I get ideas? I think the best answer is everywhere!” Nalena serves as inspiration for other Second Life creators as well by selling her textures. The textures came after Zigana when customers starting asking her where she got them. “The textures came way later. People started to ask me about textures so I decided to put some of them up for sale, but not all of my textures I will sell, some are for Zigana only.”Nalena tells us that some days she enjoys building and others are all about Photoshop, but she likes Photoshop best overall. Upon entering her shop, there are framed works of art for sale. Along with Photoshop, Nalena loves to draw sometimes and these are the pictures you’ll find for sale in Zigana. She’s very reserved about the drawings explaining that they’re “not much, but I love to draw a little sometimes!” Like many creators, Nalena says she’s never really satisfied with her own work. One of her favorite pieces is the drafting table she created, but has enjoyed making all the items in her shop. “As long as I enjoy what I do, I keep doing it!” She says, like many creators, that she often starts a project and doesn’t
like the results anymore, “There are a lot of half finished items in my workplace it looks like a total chaos! I would not dare to show that to anyone, haha!” Zigana’s creator plans to keep up with Second Life as best she can. Even more impressive, she admits she barely touched a computer before she became a resident. One can tell by her enthusiasm that we will surely see new things! “I always have fun making things! I barely can call it work.” Ms. Fairey spends much of her time working and exploring. She is surely appreciative of other creator’s perspectives along with amazing sims and design ideas exclaiming, “There are endless things to do in this world!” It was absolute bliss getting to know Nalena a little bit! When you get time, stopping by Zigana is well worth the trip, if even to snap some pretty pictures and explore a little bit. She modestly closes in saying, “I am so happy and honored to be chosen to be part of this issue!” We are too, Nalena!
Kick back, relax and express yourself. Being a man does not mean marching around scratching things and not everyone wants to live in a perfectly frilly skybox. If you were married to my wife there would be teddy bears on shelves and all sorts of things cluttering the walls. I needed more than a man cave I needed a space to relax. Finding the perfect items for men in Second Life has always been a massive challenge but with the recent influx of quality items from designers using mesh our journey to nice clothes and homes is a bit easier. This simple mesh skybox from Post was a perfect place to hang out and put items that simply “did not match” our main home. This tattoo paloresque skybox is decorated minimally which in my opinion gives more meaning to each piece on display; with less items rezzed the harsher the impact on your parcel’s prim count too which is always a bonus.
Embark on a New Journey
with Royal Living
Magazine
photo by MandyLeigh Sweetwater
, r e n g i s e Dear D
I t u b e f i w y m e s i r p r u s o t e c a l p a e . k y a t t e m r o p t d n a c i I need t n a m o r t i e k a m o t w o h e r u s t o n ned, am g i S ? t s e g g u s u o y o d t a a f o S Wh l e x i P e h t n o Sleeping , a f o S l e x i P e h t n o : r e h e s i r Sleeping p r u s o t , s a e d i l a r e v e e s t i u u s o y a t n s o y a t s I sugge d n a r e n n i d a f o y a w e t d a n g a c , i t e n c i a v r e s t • rom a h t s r e f f o e t i d o r h p A , t e h r g a i n s r e e h n n i d for t e s u a c e b e c n e i r e p x e c g i n t i s i z l a a e m r a a n o s its an s e r t i a w l a n o i s s e f o r p d r n u a o L y b R n i o d served d l u o w t n a r u a t s e r s r a t s 5 a e k i l way r e h t a e r t y l l a e r o t g n i h t e m o its s o t “ s t c u d o r p y t u a e b f o l l u f r e h r o f t e k • spa bas ” l u f i t u a e b e r o m n e v e r e h e k ma r u o y r o f d e t a m i n a , o w t r o f t s a f k a e r b c g i n t i n n a r o m o m r c • i t n a m o r a d n a u o y f o h t o b bed for e m o h t a r e n n i d a e r a h s o t o w t r o f e l b a t c i t n a m • ro s e m a n d n a e t a d l a i c e p s r u o y h t i w x o b d m n o a t s c i u t c n a a • m o r , s e s o r d n a e d i s n i m e o p on it, a l u f t h g u o th ! r e h e s i r p r u s o t s a e d i e r o m r o f s u r t e c a m t a n R o c a n -Mari You can
{Whats Next} Novelle Desk Set The Loft Lillies Abiss Studio Plus [New Mesh Home]
Marina Ramer, of Aphrodite is our guest advice columnist for this issue!
Pilot Prepare for Take Off
Written & Photographed by Tara Voskhod
Take off and visit one of the newest shops on the grid for fantastic furniture that is bold, original and oh yes, mesh! Pilot just celebrated their grand opening and while the collection is in the early stages every piece is a must-have! Kaz Nayar is the creator and he made some time to talk about his new venture with us! Pilot is a fairly unique name for a furniture store and Kaz was a little reluctant to share this bit of history, but he explained, “this is probably the cheesiest reason for a person to pick a store name. I was looking for a word to fit my ideas for my brand, my style and well, me. After bouncing around several ideas I decided to take another approach. I tried to single out things about myself that made me, me. I thought about the history of Kaz and what my constants were and realized I’d been wearing the same sunglasses for years. You know, “pilot” glasses. This is
already pretty embarrassing and we’re only one question in...” Looking around his wonderful main store at The Pea shopping district he hardly has anything to be embarrassed about from the amazing textures to the concepts for pieces. It is hard to believe this is his first SL business venture. Kaz said, “I’ve had my fair share of business ventures in SL. The first thing I ever did in SL was photography. Shortly after, I started making clothing. When I got tired of doing clothing I did a bit of pose making. However, I’ve never enjoyed any of that as much as I enjoy creating in Maya.” Maya is the program many creators use, and some have explained it took a long time to learn and use effectively. Kaz explained his experience with the program by saying, “like most, I am new to mesh, I just learned
Maya in June so 3D modeling as a whole is a new concept for me. I enjoy every minute of it. Learning Maya was a bit of a challenge and I still have so much to learn but having someone like Isla [Cheeky Pea] around to answer all of my stupid questions definitely helps! I love the freedom it gives with creating. Being able to pull ideas out of my head and create it with little to no limit is priceless.” Kaz agrees with us that texturing is what makes a piece come alive in this world of ours. He said, “texturing is probably one of my favorite parts of the creation process (Unless they are books.. I hate texturing books). I texture all of my items in Photoshop and that’s where they start to come to life. I do create some of my textures now and then but I generally check Insight Designs’ stock first. They have a wide selection of quality textures at great prices. (I promise I don’t work there).” However, he also feels that “details are definitely an important element when it comes to making anything; with the capabilities of mesh there really isn’t any reason to leave them out. It always makes items more interesting - everything from the natural bend of wood to adding screws. I try to pack as much de-
tail as possible into everything I create while keeping the poly count under control.” Our staff at the magazine first learned about Pilot from the Men’s Department event and already there is a glowing appreciation from the gentlemen of the grid. It is extremely difficult to find events that cater specifically towards the men in our lives, and it is a great to see more stores making an effort. Kaz could not agree more he said, “ It seems that male residents have always been kind of neglected when it comes to almost everything in SL. I think the introduction of mesh has really been a game changer and there are more and more male stores showing up on the grid. In my opinion, home and garden doesn’t have much to offer us males...it’s definitely lacking. While the stores out there that are geared toward men are great there aren’t many. As for the most improved, I would say clothing. Mesh has done wonders for clothing options, but I’d love to see more of that as well.” Kaz would classify his personal style by saying he is “certainly drawn to industrial style living. I like the idea of repurposed items and unique ideas. While my creation isn’t solely based on this, I do get a lot of my in-
spiration from it. My partner, Isla, is also a huge source of inspiration for me. Most of the time I’m just trying to impress her (lol). After overcoming a lengthy creative block it feels great to be working again.” As for one item he must have in every one of his own SL homes it would have to be “I like the industrial feel but I tend to take an eclectic approach when it comes to my SL home. There really is only one piece that has to be included in every home and that’s my Robot in a Jar from Kari. What’s not to love? It’s a robot... in a jar...” It is great to have a chance to speak with someone at the beginning of their collection when everything is fresh and evolving. As far as Kaz’s vision for Pilot he says, “since the Pilot brand is based on the industrial style I guess you can say it’s a bit of both. I create pieces I fall in love with as long as it fits the overall feel of the brand. There are definitely some full rooms coming to Pilot in the near future.” After the celebration ceased from hearing this news Kaz also said that we have more possible new releases to look forward to, “I absolutely love the idea of building homes and skyboxes. I think it is a huge possibility at some point.”
His best advice for other people starting to build their brand he said, “starting a store is pretty exciting. I wouldn’t say it is difficult but there are definitely a lot of elements you don’t really think about until it comes to setting up. As far as advice... Get involved! Get your brand out there and show the grid what you have to offer. Sign up for events, get to know your fellow creators and work hard.. it’s easy to be overlooked or forgotten as a business in Second Life.” Pilot is absolutely worth the trip and will be a favorite for a long time to come. Much luck and success to Kaz with his new endeavor!