Winter Wonderland by Linden Labs

Visit here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Winter%20Wonderland%205/128/128/22

Tonight I checked out the Linden Lab featured news regarding LL's annual Winter Wonderland, home of the LL snowball fight and fun winter park area. https://community.secondlife.com/t5/Featured-News/Winter-Treats-for-All-50-Off-Your-First-Premium-Subscription/ba-p/2987199  be sure to note their discount on premium membership and benefits.



First I went to Linden Portal Park (for premium members only) to find really cool landscaping and teleport areas to the places they run and picked up my free premium member gifts.   Visit here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Portal%20Park%202/132/134/23

Then on to LL Winter Wonderland where the scenery and sounds are as impressive as the things to play in which include skiing, snowboard and snowmobile riding, free gifts, ferris wheel, many amazing sights, a village with free gifts and a glowy colored ice place at the base of the snowball fight castle area.  Beware of the rock avalanche, bouncy ice, a random giant ice lake moster, and a special fireworks display at the top of each hour.  Well worth a visit....or many, so be sure to check it out.  When I stopped in I saw Crap Mariner, then later I hung out to blog and tped in a bunch of friends and got some pics with my good friend Kathy Nikolaidis, Blake Ripley and of course the ice lake monster.

Free Online Photo Editing

Most people know I’ve avoided Photoshop like the plague as I fear I might become addicted and just really don’t want to start spending a ton of time on photo editing when there is so much fun stuff to see and do in SL, and that is where my free time goes. But I do love to take pics and be a little creative with them besides looking for good windlights, angles, sets and costuming in SL. That was why the free Picnik photo editing in Flickr made me happy. I could crop, frame, add text or a few special effects or stickers and I had even learned to clone spots and brush out or color in around small problem areas on rare occasion as needed.

Google apparently at some point decided to keep Picnik for themselves leaving the free online editing and Flickr group without. Flickr announced a few months ago that Picnik would no longer be available to users and that something else would replace it April 19, 2012 for Flickr users to edit in Flickr. That something turned out to be Avery.

Yesterday April 5 (yeah they didnt wait until the 19th and gave no warning) I pulled in a batch of pics from SL to Flickr only to find out Flickr had just dissolved the Picnik edition replacing it was Avery free editing that can be done straight from the Flickr pics like Picnik used to work. Ok, I’ve heard Avery does a great job in some areas, but this little free program in Flickr basically sucks for me… yes I’m spoiled. I am grateful someone came through with a free editing program that can be done right in Flickr and I will still possibly use it a little for basic cropping but that is about it. I think they are trying, as they ask for suggestions but my suggestion is MAKE IT JUST EXACTLY LIKE PICNIK WAS. My list would be too long for them really. I can’t even zoom into my photo to a spot to edit like before which is needed for people who have small monitors or are on a laptop like me.

So while I was whining and yes, even cursing too, a friend suggested I try PicMonkey. Viola! It’s exactly like Picnik was with all the options I love, free, user friendly, fast, special effects, etc. I once again have a ton of editing tools that are easy to use including all the makeover tools, text, stickers, textures, various brushes, etc. and so much more. O, I’m sooo happy!

Now all someone needs to do is get Flickr to incorporate Picmonkey right into Flickr so I can still pull up a batch of photos into Flickr and edit from there rather than taking an individual photo into Picmonkey, editing it, then back to my computer then up to Flickr .. and move on to the next one, one by one.

To find Picmonkey online go here: http://www.PicMonkey.com/Picmonkey

MEB for Mimi

'Just one of many quick party pics from the MEB for Mimi fashion show today celebrating 3 years of MEB at Mimi's Choice. This is a shot from after the show where some of the large crowd hopped on the runway for dancing. Fun times.

Butterfly Gallery, Kaleidoscope Gallery, & The Elephant and SeaDryke Gallery

Some friends have galleries in Second Life with new exhibits and they really have done a great job with them!
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Visit here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Iseghey/219/24/927 or direct link here: ButterflyHere.


The Butterfly Gallery
By Bloomy Miles and Michiel Bechir
Featured Artists:
1. Annomis Devaux (Anna)
2. Babydoll Tracy
3. Bloomy Miles
4. Elorac Paule
5. Fanette Crystal
6. Ilanit Orsini
7. Link Bressig
8. Lisa Klaber
9. Michiel Bechir
10. Sharonatje Romano
11. Toogie Restless
Owners and curators, Bloomy and Michiel have done a beautiful job with The Butterfly Gallery which will feature different rotating artists and themes. They celebrated their grand opening in March and I had fun seeing a lot of Flickr friends at the opening. The gallery is a beautiful build by Drake Huet (Smiles in Flickr)with some texture selections by Bloomy.


(Bloomy & Michiel)
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Visit here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Elven%20Realm/122/161/243 or direct link here: KaleidoscopeGalleryHere.
Enchanted Elven Realm not only has this amazing fantasy art display featuring various artists it is also a great explore that I have previously blogged. I can't emphasize enough how fun it is to experience the magic of this sim. Natalie Montagn is the sim and gallery owner and curator. She has associated Flickr contests. Special featured artist is currently Patricie Sapphire, but her exhibit is about to end so hurry on over. There are regular artist works and a new featured artist will probably be added soon.



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Visit here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Patron/59/140/27 or direct link here: PatronHere
And last but certainly not least is The Elephant and SeaDryke Gallery at Patron by the ever impressive Eliza Wierwight who I have previously blogged here. Eliza's Petron sim hosts amazing art, exclusive design retail & recreation. Harbor Galaxy is the currently featured artist. This whole place is just gorgeous and a must see.

Explore & More, Second Life

Visit here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Andriannas%20Dreams/33/28/22 or direct link here: AnitaHere.
Anita Witt Photography with "Magic Frogs" by Romy Nayar. This place has a lot of cool art plus I thoroughly enjoyed the Magic Frogs exhibit outside that features some interactive spots where you can get trapped in a jar by a giant frog, read with another, ride snails in a snail race or sit back and watch the frogs with umbrellas fling high into the air. There is also a story and game you can play having something to do with finding hats, but I didn't get to that so check it out for yourself.




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Visit Realm of Mystara here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Stromness/210/216/21 or direct link here: RealmHere.



So, yeah, I have blogged this place before but it is just so cool and I found this area I never saw before, so set a SLurl here. Its loaded with all kinds of fantasy creatures and scenery to RP in, or like me, take pics. : )
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Visit here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Isles%20Las%20Avies/128/196/23 or a direct link here: LonlinessHere



So maybe I WAS feeling a bit lonely and decided to go exploring for a while again. I popped into Ian Pahute's "The Lonliness of Being" to check it out and actually there were a LOT of people there. Ian, the sim owner and creator, was around and I asked him how long this sim had been up to which he replied, "It's been here a couple of years", but just got featured on destination guide. "Its normally quite quiet and contemplative here. But having lots of visitors is nice."

Upon landing you can't help but notice a large mountain beyond some water that has words all around in multi-colored lettering then notice on the base in front it says, " The Loneliness of Being is a contemplative and live installation by artist Ian Pahute. The cloud compromises a thousand ever-changing words. Drawn live from the Internet (Twitter and Newsfeeds), the could is always evolving, always reflecting the now. Some see nothing more than foggy letters. Others see hidden meaning and personal insight. Come. Contemplate"

(Ian)
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I visited BoHo Hobo to see the cool colored lamp sewers. I was just there shopping for awesome Boho clothes not long ago so it was fun to run around in the sewers this time. I even ran into the owner/designer, Trill Zapatero. Visit here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Trillia/205/25/2118 or direct link here: BoHoHoboHere.

(Trill)





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Here is a link to the start of a Steampunk hunt: Visit here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Mieville%20Doyle/80/72/26 or direct link here: SteamHuntHere.
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And finally, gearing up for Easter, I found a cute little bunny face tattoo for free. There are numerous freebies at this shop and a Easter egg hunt too. Check it out here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Envision/118/131/1746 or direct link here: DirtylittleSecretHere.

Grand Opening of New Rec Area & My Rez Day Party! Thursday March 15th

Visit here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rigby/128/128/17 or direct link here: KarasKornerPartyHere for a party this Thursday March 15th starting around 7:30 pm SLT with entertainment by AcousticEnergy Nitely singing at 8pm SLT.



This celebration will feature the opening of my drive-in rec area that includes:
A large screen drive in area with lots of cars and seating, ice cream parlor, multiple dance areas, skating rink/roller derby, enchanted forest for petite avatars with many sits and props, hot air balloon rides, fantasy area for full size avatars too, vespa rezzer to tour the scenic area, cuddles, and more for a fun time with friends.

This party also will be to celebrate the 3rd rez day of myself and also good friend Emma Portilo. Her actual rez date is March 14th and mine is the 18th. We'd love to have everyone join us for some fun but please no presents, just your presence requested.

Here are a few sneak peak pics of some of the area.

Concerts for a Cure March 13th, 2012

Visit here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/SpiritFire%20Music%20Isle/14/178/32 or direct link here: ConcertsHere.



Concerts for a Cure is a collaboration with Spiritfire Entertainment, Markus Music Management, and Vargas & Associates Entertainment. The event spans 8 hours raising money for the cure while everyone enjoys these incredible artists. Check it out March 13th!
1pm Quantamis Navarathna......... 2pm Saintess Larnia
3pm Max Kleene......... 4pm Marky Helstein
5pm Digby Smalls....... 6pm AcousticEnergy Nitely
7pm Stratus Mactavish..... 8pm Alex Mays

Invisible Cities-LEA15-Explore Second Life

Visit here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/LEA15/167/65/3360 or direct link here: LEAHere.

(The entrance by Cherry Manga)

Invisible Cities at LEA 15 openened Feb. 25th and when I was there I ran into fellow blogger Ziki Questi. We discussed that we both planned to blog this very impressive exhibit and since she did such an amazing job blogging it and I couldn't begin to top her post I'm just going to post my pics here, say a few words, and direct any interested reader to her blog for more details. She did a great job providing information about this multi-level explore/art exhibit based on Italian novelist Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities (Le città invisibili), published in 1972. The various levels are by the following 13 SL artists: Cherry Manga, Marcus Inkpen, Fuschia Nightfire, Romy Nayar, Ux Hax, Hypatia Pickens, Lanjran Choche, NicoleX Moonwall, Rebeca Bashly, Spiral SilverStar, Leona80 Mhia and Nadiemekiere Adamczyk.

(Emeralda Floor 5 by Rebeca Bashly)


Visit Ziki's Blog here: http://zikiquesti.blogspot.com/2012/02/invisible-cities.html or direct link here: Zikisbloghere.

Prism Spring Mesh Dress Release and Sale

Visit here:http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bal%20Harbour/27/158/22 or direct link here: PrismHere.


Today I picked up the new mesh dress "Adele" by Journey at Prism. It comes in 6 colors/designs and I chose this cute dotted spring dress. Her ad reads, "This slinky early spring dress features a banded waistline and a minimized balloon hemline. And for this week only, Adele is 25% off so you can get it for just 320L." One of the beauties of mesh is that is moves with the body and Journey has included 2 sizes in the folder to fit my av when Kara is larger or when I make her a little more petite. I also picked up the 60L weekend special, "Saturday Night" which will be a great outfit for play time or Saturday nights with this sassy little corset, vest, and skirt set.: )

While in the Prism area check out the great furniture by Lilly Juno who has placed a 60L weekend special fireplace in the main store and in the square they also include a pose/animation store and a discount shop. There is also a very sweet group gift outfit and this will be the last week for this one, so hurry on in.
secondlife:///app/group/890c30da-9fde-7da6-d2e3-93c74df54de4/about

Michiel Bechier at Fedef Castle

Visit here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/dreams%20of%20Maelys/79/64/29 or direct link here: MichielHere.

Today my friend Michiel Bechier tp'd me to his latest exhibit. Michiel is well known in Flickr and has had many gallery showings. He is best known for his beautiful landscapes. This exposition is at Fedef Castle.

He has some beautiful pictures in this wonderful old castle. Check it out some time.

Inside Art Gallery

Visit here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Fourty/75/58/22 or direct link here: InsideArtHere.

(I'm my pink Petite fairy here inside the art)
My friend Roiben Sweetwater showed me this very cool place that has art by Ginger Lorakeet. I LOVE this place. It's beautiful art, which of course I love to see, AND it's interactive in that you can get INSIDE the art on built in poses, dances and animations to become one with the art. Some of the works have extensions like stray lights, docks, etc., that even come out from the picture too. So fun! After I posed in all the art I even got my petite fairy on for more fun in the art. The poses work for full size avatars and petites. To top it off the works are for sale too and really relatively inexpensive. They run about $500L to $900L each.


(Ginger Lorakeet, artist and owner)



(Roiben and I checking it all out)