Sunday, February 21, 2010

GROWTH!

Welcome, Penny & Arissa!

Unbelievably, in one day I had a vendor join my galleria and a manager at the very same time! The traffic is amazing (5k!!!) thanks to Penny and Shawna, and I'm very busy working on getting yet more vendors into the gorgeous build by WeeChee Zenner.

A bungalow was added today for special private moments for Sautereau Sky Ballroom guests who are age-verified, and I created the room myself. I hope it's eye-pleasing to you! It has a couples dance stand, a 170 channel radio, and my extra special Akaesha sleigh bed. :))

Still searching for vendors and maybe another DJ!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

RELOCATION!!!!

I know, I know, I just did the Grand Opening!?

Well, as luck would have it, I came across a super deal on mainland, and though I had been planning on purchasing an island for residential rentals, the wrench in the works on that very well could be these prefab homes LL will start giving away with premium accounts starting on February 17. Who knows how that will affect the market, so I took my dollars I'd normally spend monthly anyway and put them into a big enough chunk of mainland to support a small-ish ballroom, a ground level retail area for 9-17 vendors, and of course, my home way up in the sky.

It's not that I've given up on the idea of owning an island, it's just that I realize there are more unknown variables which could affect residential rental at the moment. It's time to watch and wait instead of a major move.

So wait, and watch for the opening of the final relocation. I own this region, so it will be stable for quite some time. :) I'm moving to Craggen Maw, and my neighbor across the street with his own third of the sim is Guy Linden. I'm thinking he won't be partying till the wee hours of the night, huh?

The new region will feature a steam-punk ballroom called Sautereau Sky Ballroom and the retail area is Sautereau Sky Galleria. I'll get pics and SLURLs when I update this post. There is limited retail rental space available right now on the region, so if you're a designer who might be interested, please send me a notecard!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

American Beauty Bridal Gown



Premiering today, the American Beauty inspired a bride-to-be who's renewing her vows on Sunday February 14, and she bought 6 of the American Beauty red dresses for her bridesmaids!



That alone was pretty inspiring to get me off the red carpet for just a brief moment to get a design out. It's not my dream dress, but it's definitely someone's dream dress, and I added detailing to the American Beauty to make it a stunning classic romantic bridal gown.

The fabric is a jacquard (JAH kurd or correctly in French zhuh KAR), a special kind of woven fabric that creates a raised pattern almost like embossing. While damask (DAH musk) is very flat and also contains special weaving that produces a pattern, it's reversible with one feature of the pattern in a high shine satin, and the other part of the pattern in a dull sheen. Jacquard is not satiny or high shine, but is basically a 3D weave made on a special loom created by Joseph Marie Jacquard.


The dress is a combination of a rose pattern jacquard in ivory with a complementary rose patterned organza, a stiffer sheer woven often with a very subtle sheen. The bodice, glitch, skirt, flexi skirt, gloves, and one of the trains with large bow trim are all in jacquard. The roses on the neckline and atop the gloves are in a sheer rose patterned organza as well as the bow train for the A-line flexi skirt and the large ceremonial overskirt. The train is shorter and narrower, yet still provides a formal touch.

The store has an ad board with more perspectives of this dress.

This dress is available in virginal white upon request :) As if, lol.....

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Karma, Full Circle

I had an incredibly interesting evening last night related to the store and my design work. While handling some details in the Bubbly *~s0c~* store (Island of Romance, see my picks), two transactions went through for the "American Beauty" ensemble. Now this isn't my best design, though made for Valentine's Day in a rose trimmed neckline and rose jacquard fabric. Even less a mystery was that I had it on special, however, two?

So later, I'm forcing the mania board which had the--and wow, thanks to all of you 100 visitors yesterday, and the other 100 the day before!--Blue Rose Jacquard shoes in it that it LOCKED TWICE before 9 pm SLT last night! I'm pushing those last few slaps in the store close to 9 pm SLT last night, and a lovely lady with white hair shows up, pointing another in the direction of the "American Beauty" ensemble. And she mentions bridesmaid dress. WOW! I discover that Verity has been married long enough in real life to celebrate one of those landmark occasions on which some couples choose to renew vows. And she's chosen my dress for this occasion, incredibly happy, telling me it's perfect, just what she had always wanted.

I also find out that when she was first married, she wanted ivory and wine colors, but her mother insisted on virginal white and powder blue. I was so moved by the bride's thwarted dream that I started brainstorming to her about a possible wedding gown coordinated with the "American Beauty" and she loves the idea. I already have a custom project now after grand opening, and Verity is one of the kindest most forthright people you could ever meet.

I have said many times that SL is about relationships, and anyone who's been in my store knows I live that with them every day.

I so enjoy design work, but more than that, I enjoy how my patrons enjoy it. It's like making Christmas gifts and watching as people open exactly what they had wanted for a year or more.

So Verity got an excellent deal on the bulk dresses, but I'm sure I got the better deal by meeting someone like her :) I'm so proud to be an integral part of her day. I'll share pics in comments!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Klum-Mouret SUCCESS!

This gown has been in release since Friday evening and five have already been sold! In case red is not your color (but who, except redheads, DOESN'T look great in red?) this one comes in indigo, lucre, and black. The black and lucre color dresses come with sheer fabric bow train and collar along with the same great peep toe pumps except with sheer bow trim fastened by a bright gem on the toe strap! Yep, I know how to take care of you, girls! ;)








VENDORS, BEWARE!!!

A new sim owner by the name of Hugo Lourbridge had his mall manager Amayenko visit an SL Merchants group today to solicit some vendors to rent out store space with one week's free rent. You know, I'm new, and it's hard to turn down free rent! I jumped right on board, and was lucky enough to get a beautiful corner spot. Many vendors I was chatting with this morning were already concerned though with no rental agreement and no established traffic. Two things a new designer like myself isn't highly concerned with, right?

I'll repeat the name HUGO LOURBRIDGE.....

I'm into setting up a full two hours--keep in mind, I have an enormous list already getting set up for my main store grand opening coming up in a few days--and spending the last half hour on setting out traffic counters, a gift card freebie bag, a group inviter, an affliliate vendor, and of course, some flowers :) Hugo has visited twice already, the second time to tell me how gorgeous the Paris Hilton dress is (and sales support that). This visit, though, Hugo wants to "not be a pain" but could I take down my large picture above the store." I tell him sure, but ask him why. "It's too obvious," was his reply. Isn't it a shopping mall? Okay, so he wants things to be more understated, nevermind that the other vendors have even covered their windows with ads.

No problem, right? No. This guy has to make a mountain out of a molehill, and when I ask him if there's anything else I need to know about strictures in building, he says he doesn't know! It's his sim, yet he has no clue if I can set up an affliliate vendor for some plants and furniture. Wow. I guess that question has him a little peeved since him manager comes to visit me ASAP asking me what my problem was, lol. I tell her there is no problem, but that it's a bit frustrating to be told there are no building restrictions only to be told to take something down for it being too obviously a marketing object meant to attract business and increase sales in--God forbid--a shopping mall. The manager is actually a really sweet young lady, and she assures me that the concerns over no fixed amount for rent and no rental agreement or building codes will be addressed.

They were addressed....

Hugo shows up again, threatening me indirectly by telling me that it's a good deal to have a week of free rent (on a sim with zero traffic), and that if I was unhappy he could put any vendor he chose to in my place. Hugo didn't see how that was threatening, lol. In fact, Hugo didn't like me telling him I did NOT tolerate any sort of threat like that, and that like any other vendor, I expected to have clearly stated preferably written expectations for rent and building. In fact, Hugo disliked that straightforward talk so much he asked me to leave! He assured me though, I could maintain my dignity--he was "being fair" by not kicking me off, lol. Of course, he never followed through on his verbal agreement for one week's free rent though I had done NOTHING in violation of any agreement, had immediately removed a sign he asked me to, and even kept my complaint to him private in IM. Two hours plus absolutely wasted.

He returned my objects (not sure if they're all there) and I assured him I'd make sure as many people as possible would know, especially potential vendors, that he was in BREACH OF VERBAL CONTRACT.

The guy had the nerve to IM me later....I promised him that I'd share our little story to as many as would listen about how he reneged--BREACHED--a verbal agreement with his thin-skinned ineptitude.

HUGO LOURBRIDGE

Lesson learned, Hugo, and I haven't even gotten to the forums yet.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Grand Opening FEB 10!

Now that Xstreet SL has insisted on dragging the rest of us into overexposed communication, I have to take up the paddle or else get drowned in the deluge.
My main store's grand opening will be February 10 with literally L$10,000+ in giveaways over the weekend! Here's what you can take advantage of:

January 29-31
  • L$300 Gift Card Giveaway in Mania board
February 5-9
  • 5 days of FREE SHOES in Mania board
February 10-14 GRAND OPENING!
  • Formal Gown FREE in Mania board on February 10 for SL GROUP members ONLY! (This is an enrollment fee-based group)
  • FREE gift card upon visiting any/every time February 10-14
  • Lucky Cupcake giveaways February 10-14
So, I'll be blogging regularly on my store, my designs, and my second life. Occasionally I'll invite feedback from you here, too. After all, this should be fun for everyone, huh?