Prim Perfect

Christmas was upon us once again – with the stores of our virtual worlds being full of goods, and all manner of treats for enjoyment in our virtual homes.

With this in mind, for our Christmas issue we took a trip to a region that specialises in Winter – winter sports, winter fun, winter celebrations! This was Wolf Mountain, where skiing, skating, and a host of other fun activities can be enjoyed all year round. Our fearless team of reporters pulled on their winter jerseys, their snow boots and their woolly hats to explore….

Qwis Greenwood explored the region, and talked with the owner of the resort, Peach Fizz. Jvstin Tomorrow chose his favourite spots to visit, while the intrepid Ceejay Writer tried her hand at winter sports. Scotti Lyle found out all about Winter Weddings in the region (and paid a visit to a honeymoon cottage!). And Viv Trafalgar documented a winter walk as people discuss Christmas in Literature.

Our Designer of the Month was the very talented Xandi Mars; I met up with her, and had the pleasure of exploring the stunning home that she has created – a log cabin snug amidst the snow. Xandi was one of the pioneers of *Second Life*, and, in a fascinating interview, she shared some stories of the “good old days”.

Nika Dreamscape gathered together some gift ideas, and Kittie Munro put together an advertising feature showing gifts from some of our favourite creators. And Qwis Greenwood’s advice for Newbies column had some advice on gift giving, and how to ensure that lovely parcel you want to give to your nearest and dearest will actually transfer safely!

Planning to give a Christmas party? Annechen Lowey had some invaluable advice on how to set up a successful dance machine that to keep your friends twirling, stomping or hopping for hours!

Raven Haalan investigated how to transform your garden for winter. In association with that, we decided to start a new Where to Buy Page. Here people will be able to find out about where they can buy some of the items featured in *Prim Perfect* – and can ask questions about where to find Homes and Gardens related products. More on this exciting new feature on our News from the Grid page!

We had a real change with our Landscape of the Month – just in case you were suffering from a surfeit of Christmas! Regent Estates host a wonderful collection of motorbike regions around the theme of Route 66. Recently, they held an Essay Competition to discover the best description of the atmosphere of these sims and what they have to offer. There were some outstanding entries, and we decided to publish the winning one by Tekillya Mode.

We have a serious theme for our Pathfinders article this month. Gwen Carillon was the designer we focused on, and in her article she explained steps that content creators can take to protect themselves … and also what the next step should be if they find that they have been victims of content theft.

Once again, we had news from the Step UP! campaign – but this time we highlighted our next campaign: the Step UP! University – which will offer courses aimed both at newcomers to *Second Life*, and to creators who want to take action against copyright theft.

Coughran Mayo discusses what the launch of the Second Life Enterprise inititative could mean for non-profits.

Then there’s all the latest from the Designing Worlds show, while our team of talented photographers bring you some of the most wintry seasonal eye candy in Second Life!

All this – with News from the Grid … and more!

All this – with News from the Grid … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here or here at Calaméo.

Now the long nights started to draw in for the Northern hemisphere, and we reached the season not just of mellow fruitfulness, but of mists … and of things that may lurk in those mists, waiting to seize upon us. And so we came to Halloween … and an issue of Prim Perfect that celebrated it!

Therefore our Sim of the month was the wonderfully chilly set of Arkham lands, drawing their inspiration from the stories of H P Lovecraft. Ceejay Writer explored them, and met the owner – Ceres Eilde, while Qwis Greenwood explored Places to visit and had a rather scary time! Again Viv Trafalgar eavesdropped on JJ Drinkwater and Kghia Gehardie of the Alexandrian Libraries as they took a stroll – but this time they were walking through Arkham and reflecting on the literature that chills us to our bones.

Our Designer of the Month was the Amazing Cutea Benelli of Low Prim and Grim and Grim Bros – and when we introduced her and Ceres Eilde, and they started gleefully planning together, the editorial team suspected that the two of them might have been separated at birth! Saffia Widdershins interviewed her and explored the wonderfully frightful house she created in Arkham – and it led to a spooky experience of her own. She was exploring the house – which was chilling in both its designs and its soundscapes – when suddenly, moving her position, she saw someone standing right behind her. The fact that he had Friend of Cthulhu in large letters above his head did not inspire greater confidence! Fortunately, she escaped to write her articles and edit this issue of the magazine!

Aeolus Cleanslate supplied a fascinating background article on H P Lovecraft and the reality that lies behind … well, certain aspects of the tales, as he acquainted us with the strange lost towns and counties of New England (and what has happened to them since Lovecraft’s time).

And Raven Haalan visited a spooky Landscape of the Month when he took a trip to Wretched Hollow and met Star Fairymeadow, region owner and creator of Wretched Dollies.

An important part of the month’s magazine was news of the Step UP! campaign. Read it to learn what the campaign is all about – and how you can help. And Gwen Carillon supplied our Content Creator’s news – last month her powerful article was one of the spurs to the Step UP! campaign.

We also had the third part of our exciting new series on Modular Building, written by Lumiere Noir, the man behind the fantastic learning tool The Ivory Tower Library of Primitives, an article that should inspire new builders – and also teach some older ones a few new tricks!

Keeping our Halloween theme, Nika Dreamscape described how you could find elements to give your garden a really spooky feel for the Halloween season and explored some fascinating Halloween goodies on sale around the grid, while Qwis Greenwood had Advice for Newcomers on how you can raid your Library to create some Halloween treats!

This month, our Pathfinders were mentored by Canolli Capalini of Capalini Fine Furniture, who looked forward to how stores can prepare for the holiday season – and who was also interviewed by Viv Trafalgar. Aarcher Zenovka, one of our Pathfinders, gave an Australian take on things!

Coughran Mayo reported on a sobering Second Life exhibit, the Deomcide Mueum.

Then there was all the latest from the Designing Worlds show, while our team of talented photographers – including PJ Trenton, Twisted Lemoin and Delphina Audina – bring you some of the darkest and most spooky eye candy in Second Life!

All this – with News from the Grid … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here or here at Calaméo.

A very special issue of Prim Perfect for Fall (or Autumn – for the Europeans among us!) featured an exciting and vivid region for Sim of the Month – and we also had our first ever article on an Open Grid development – our Reader’s Home of the Month – an amazing creation on the Science Sim!

In the Northern hemisphere, the days were drawing in – longer nights and colder weather. Trees were beginning to take on rich autumnal shades as the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” is with us once more. And at Prim Perfect, we decided to explore a region that draws its inspiration from an area that is, for many people, synonymous with the beauties of – as they would say – Fall: the Islands of New England.

Many themed regional areas in Second Life have a community, but the Islands of New England go further – it could truthfully be said to have a strong and vibrant community who play an important part in the sailing, art, and music worlds, as well as offering great commercial and residential areas. And this month, Prim Perfect explored all of these elements of the New England estate – and more!

Qwis Greenwood provided a vivid introduction to one of her favourite areas in the Second Life world and met Gayle Cabaret, the Estate Manager – while Jvstin Tomorrow did a round up of fascinating places to visit in the region. Isle Lunasea and Raven Haalan explored the music of the area for us, while Annechen Lowey delved into the art community that is encouraged there. Scotti Lyle took a boat trip to discover the famous lighthouses, and, in a new feature, Viv Trafalgar eavesdropped on JJ Drinkwater and Kghia Gehardie of the Alexandrian Libraries as they took a stroll through the New England woods and reflect on the literature of the region.

Our Designer of the Month was the very talented Rayvn Hynes of MudHoney. Ceejay Writer met her, and discussed her work – and then took a look at the beautiful coastal home in New England that she created for us – furnished with all Rayvn’s style – and a wealth of her elegant and comfortable poses.

Then we took a trip out of the Second Life world and into the Open Grid environment to the Science Sim to discover a fascinating exploration into the possibilities of Virtual World technology. How rich in decoration can an area be? That’s what Shenlei Flasheart was asked to discover – and the result was both beautiful and awesome! Read all about it as our Reader’s Home of the Month article.

We also had the second part of our exciting new series on Modular Building, written by Lumiere Noir, the man behind the fantastic learning tool The Ivory Tower Library of Primitives, an article that should inspire new builders – and also teach some older ones a few new tricks!

Keeping our autumnal theme, Nika Dreamscape visited the Heart Garden Centre to find out how the Heart sisters – Lilith and Dolly – were preparing for autumn (and their exciting task of changing the Islands of New England to their autumnal shades) while Moodyloner Korobase addressed the season in our fun quiz – and also spared a thought for those in the Southern Hemisphere too! And Qwis Greenwood had some Advice for Newcomers on how you can give your home a flavour of autumn.

This month, our Pathfinders were mentored by Fatima Ur of Antique Artistry and Incanus Merlin of Incwell Textures, who provided invaluable advice on the art of selling – and were also been interviewed by Viv Trafalgar.

Coughran Mayo reported on a fascinating initiative to support a Second Life nonprofit that took place at the Second Life Community Convention, while Gwen Carillon brought us the latest Content Creators news in a powerful article that went a long way to starting the Step UP! campaign.

And our team of talented photographers – including PJ Trenton, Twisted Lemon and Delphina Audina – brought you some of the most gorgeous design eye candy in *Second Life*!

All this – with News from the Grid … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here or here at Calaméo.

Over the life of this magazine, we have looked at a variety of sims and cultures – many realistic, some fantastic. But by and large we have looked at designers whose ethos has been drawn from Western culture. This month, all that changes as we have a special Oriental issue.

Our Sim of the Month is the glorious Hosoi region – owned by Amiryu Hosoi, Kalderi Tomsen, and Nani Yifu. Ceejay Writer introduces us to this lovely place and talks to Amiryu, whose vision and designs have shaped the area, while Jvstin Tomorrow has singled out some key areas of interest to visit, and Viv Trafalgar explores some of the spectacular paths of the four areas that make up Hosoi.

Hosoi is primarily a role playing sim, and this has prompted Viv Trafalgar and Annechen Lowey to examine the ways in which role playing areas might be developed in Virtual Worlds to create vivid and interesting experiences, while Annechen addresses the issue from the other side too, and looks at how a newcomer might go about joining a role playing group.

We also have the first part of an exciting new series. Lumiere Noir, the man behind the fantastic learning tool The Tower of Prims, starts a series for Prim Perfect readers on Modular Building with an article that should inspire new builders – and also teach some older ones a few new tricks!

Keeping our Oriental theme, Isle Lunasea and Raven Haalan explore a very different vision of the Orient in our Landscape of the month – the neon-lit, dark urban environment of Neo Kowloon. And Scotti Lyle describes the theories and ideas that lie behind the creations of Japanese gardens, while Kaye Robbiani describes how she created a Japanese garden of her own. In her article for newcomers, Qwis Greenwood explains how you can create an attractive wall hanging for your home to add an Oriental touch while Nika Dreamscape has visited a store with a distinctly oriental flavour for her article this month.

And Moodyloner Korobase has given our fun quiz a decidedly Oriental flavour, too … or has she?

In addition, we have reviews of *Second Life* 6th Birthday (where we had a wonderful display, courtesy of Dellybean North, with gifts and images from many of our editions and shows), and of Relay for Life where Designing Worlds had a TV studio (also designed by the wonderfully inventive Dellybean!). Both occasions gave us an opportunity to meet some amazing people and some wonderful creatives – we hope that you enjoy seeing a few of the things they produced!

This month, our Pathfinders have been mentored by Zasa Rossini of La Belle Vie (which is, alas, no more – although you can read why she is opening a new furniture store) who has provided some fascinating advice on marketing. Read her interview with Viv Trafalgar – and also the key advice she gives our Pathfinders. And two of our Pathfinders, Aarcher Zenovka and Cinders Vale, reflect on what the advice means to them.

Gwen Carillon reviews the new ideas on Content Management put forward by Linden Lab, while Coughran Mayo meets the woman behind a fascinating nonprofit.

And our team of talented photographers – including PJ Trenton, Twisted Lemon, Vera Canning and our designer Perry Applemoor – bring you some of the most gorgeous design eye candy in Second Life!

All this – with News from the Grid … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here or here at Calaméo.

Two years ago, a new cruise liner was launched with much fanfare and celebration. No champagne was broken on her hull, however, for this ship was The Galaxy, the three sim-long cruise liner created by Bill Stirling and the largest single build of that time in Second Life. We were there for her launch ... and two years later we have returned, to see how the Galaxy has been thriving with a new owner. We give you a taste of the places to see, the things to do, the special events and parties to attend ... and Sigmund Leominster meets some of the people who work on the Galaxy, who visit the Galaxy, and who make the Galaxy their home.

And we talk to Bill Stirling about what he has been up to since giving up the ownership of the Galaxy.

Our designer of the month is Pamela Galli of La Galleria, and she has created a really spectacular cabin on the Galaxy, with a super array of her trademark extras ... the special dishes, snacks and decorations that makes her lovely furniture quite unique.

Nika Dreamscape visits her on the Galaxy, and in her store too, to learn all about this very special designer. And you can revel in the glorious pictures supplied by PJ Trenton, Twisted Lemon and Nika Dreamscape.

We have a review of the 2nd Annual Home, Garden and Patio Expo - with top designers picking out the builds that they liked best - and we have news too of our build at the Second Life 6th Birthday celebrations. We hope you'll visit us there at Aeon - and later in the week, we'll have news about our party!

Our landscape of the month is rich in pirates, mermaids and a rich backstory leading to some stunning builds. It's Armada Breakaway, and Miss Annechen Lowey tells us of the fascinating visit she paid there, while PJ Trenton supplies some gorgeous photos!

This month, our Pathfinders have been mentored by Luna Bliss of Bliss Garden Center (and a great many more projects). Read her interview with Viv Trafalgar - and also the key advice she gives our Pathfinders. And one of them, Aarcher Zenovka, reflects on what the advice means to her.

We have a wonderful article from our gardening correspondent, Kaye Robbiani, on creating a seaside garden. This will, sadly, be her final regular column as the exigencies of real life and maintaining her only lovely region of Giverny are taking up more of her time. We wish her well - and hope to see an occasional column from her as a treat!

Perry Applemoor meets Vryl Valkyrie, the maker and purveyor of textures, who talks about the opportunities for textures in Second Life. Qwis Greenwood and Annechen Lowey have columns of advice, while Gwen Carillon explains how the Content Creators Association can help - and what it is important NOT to do in cases of content theft!

Nika Dreamscape has found a fascinating build, while Coughran Mayo tells of a tireless worker for non-profits in Second Life. And we have another Moodyloner quiz for you to enjoy!

Plus, there are articles to smooth our Second Lives from Qwis Greenwood and Ceejay Writer on how to smarten up our inventories, while Annechen Lowey gives some very useful advice on how to adjust attachments.

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here or here at Calaméo.

Two years ago, a new magazine was launched in Second Life – the very first magazine to take Homes and Gardens as its theme.  Perhaps that is not so surprising – in Second Life, new magazines launch regularly – and, sadly, seem to die almost as regularly.

This one, however, has gone from strength to strength … for it was Prim Perfect, and this issue we were delighted to celebrate our second birthday.

We did this with the help of a major retrospective article on our first two years.  Some of the many people who appeared in our pages or worked with us on projects share their thoughts and memories.  And we had a special Moodyloner Korobase quiz for this issue – as well as a chance to try again the quiz from our very first issue!

Our Sims of the Month were the Confederation of Democratic Sims, a fascinating combination of themed quality builds and idealistic political experimentation.  Sigmund Leominster and Jvstin Tomorrow explored the sims and talk of their experiences and encounters with the locals.

Leyla Firefly was our Designer of the Month.  Ceejay Writer explored the Alpine chalet she furnished so beautifully and talked to Leyla herself about her career and her fascinating builds. And there was a chance to win a month’s free accommodation there – if you enter our Star Competition – this month’s Treasure Hunt. You could also learn how our last month’s winner found a beautiful home for a month in a gorgeous townhouse from the March issue.

We also had news of the exciting 2nd Annual Home, Garden and Patio Expo, organised in support of Relay for Life.  Read all about the plans for stands, educational events and entertainment that made this a must-go-to event!

Our Landcape of the Month was the winner of the Japanese section of the Second Life Readers’ Choice competition for Favourite Back In Time location – Edo Japan.  M0lly Dench told us of the fun she had exploring Japanese history and culture, and the pictures her photographer Twisted Lemon brought back will have you hurrying there straightaway!

This month saw an exciting change in our sister TV programme, Meta Makeover – which received a Makeover of its own and emerged as Designing Worlds, with a brief to cover homes, gardens, landscapes, designers … and all that is best and most exciting in Virtual World design.

Our gardening correspondent, Kaye Robbiani, had some lovely ideas for a spring garden – with the emphasis on a rather unexpected sense -getting some good sounds in your garden!  Nikki Dreamscape found some exciting new prefabs to share with readers, while Gwen Carillon took them through the process of filing a DCMA.

Plus there were articles to smooth our Second Lives from Qwis Greenwood and Ceejay Writer on how to smarten up our inventories, while Annechen Lowey gave some very useful advice on how to adjust attachments.

Our team of talented photographers brrought readers some of the most gorgeous design eye candy in Second Life!

All this – with News from the Grid … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here or here at Calaméo.

Spring is coming and St Patrick’s Day is here! So where but Dublin could we go this month?

Dublin in Second Life has a fascinating story to tell - one of the oldest and strongest communities in Second Life, it reflects not just so many people’s love of the Irish past and culture, it also reflects the leading European capital that Dublin has become, at the forefront of technology and business opportunities. Join us as we explore the different layers of Dublin, encounter some of the people who make up its enthusiastic community - and meet the man behind the city, the phenomenal Ham Rambler.

And don’t miss our Dublin Townhouse, designed by Dellybean North. Our reporter Ceejay Writer interviewed Dellybean and also took a look at the gorgeous townhouse she has furnished. And you will have a chance to win a month’s free accommodation there - if you enter our Star Competition - this month’s Treasure Hunt. You can also learn how our last month’s winner has found a beautiful home for a month in the lovely Dans Les Montagnes sim.

There’s another home featured in this month’s magazine - the richly decorated Brideswell  Hall, the home of Laird Brideswell, Elrik Merlin, with a very special Victorian garden laid out by Soliel Snook. M0lly Dench took a tour in the company of the Laird and was inspired by what she saw.

Another inspiration this month comes from the amazing Skydancers. We’ve been to their latest marvellous show and have brought back a full report of this astounding event that fuses art, dance and music into a seamless, jaw dropping whole … this is an article and a show that you really don’t want to miss!

Plus we have news of our very exciting new project. We are starting an initiative to mentor new designers from their first attempts at creation through to becoming successful entrepreneurs. Over the coming year, our chosen pathfinders will be advised and mentored by some of the top designers in Second Life – as well as by other mentors who can advise on related aspects of creating a Second Life business. Our three Pathfinders have now been chosen - read all about them in this issue!

Our gardening correspondent, Kaye Robbiani, brings news from a very special garden - the Library Garden that forms part of the Caledon Library, and she has a fascinating conversation with Sir JJ Drinkwater, Director of the Caledon Libraries, about what constitutes a library. Gwen Carillon sets out a wishlist from content creators in Second Life as to what they would wish to see - and Crap Mariner questions whether creators in Second Life need a bailout.

Plus there are articles to smooth our Second Lives from Qwis Greenwood and Annechen Lowey, while Nika Dreamscape tells us about a great new store she has discovered! And Coughran Mayo talks about a fun new opportunity for networking among Non-Profits in his Charity News article.

Our team of talented photographers bring you some of the most gorgeous design eye candy in Second Life!

All this – News from the Grid, news of our associated TV programme Meta Makeover … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here or here at Calaméo.

In this issue, we attempted to detect the first touches of spring in the air (for all the Northern hemisphere types - Southern-siders were looking out the winter woollies by now!).  But more importantly, we were on the lookout for Romance!

We had some very special features this month – such as a special gift feature packed with ideas of what you could give (or hint that you would like to receive) for Valentine’s Day.  See what ideas some of the best designers in the Second Life world came up with to make Valentine’s Day that little bit special.

Our Sim of the Month was Dollz Town - a fantasy in pink and cute with some wonderful additions for everyone to enjoy - and a flavour that can be naughty and nice!  Don’t miss the opportunity to wander round the square and visit the shops - or the trailer park!  And make sure you call in at the Seaside cafe to enjoy a coffee.  And for after dark … there’s the Dollz Theatre - with its cabaret and burlesque.

For our Landscape of the Month, we had something different.  M0lly Dench shared the location of ten very special sims, each guaranteed to give a different and very memorable Valentine experience!  Was your favourite be on her visiting list?  Read the article and find out!

Our Designer of the Month was the recently-returned Zasa Rossini, now opening her own extremely lovely sim - Dans La Montagnes.  And Zasa designed the very pretty townhouse that was on offer as our Star Prize. 

Plus we had news of a very exciting new project from Second Life.  We are starting an initiative to mentor new designers from their first attempts at creation through to becoming successful entrepreneurs.  Over the coming year, our chosen pathfinders will be advised and mentored by some of the top designers in Second Life – as well as by other mentors who can advise on related aspects of creating a Second Life business. Read the article to find out how YOU could become a Pathfinder - and more about how this exciting project will be developed.

Jvstin Tomorrow visited the world of SL Shakespeare, and Kaye Robbiani showed how to create a romantic garden.  There was an article from Crap Mariner on his Music ISL Project, and from Gwen Carillon on concerns about Content Theft.

Plus articles to smooth our Second Lives from Qwis Greenwood and Annechen Lowey, while Nika Dreamscape told us about some great bargains to be had!

Our team of talented photographers brought some of the most gorgeous design eye candy in *Second Life*!

And you could learn about the lucky winner of last month’s prize.

All this – plus Charity News from Coughran Mayo, News from the Grid … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here or here at Calaméo.

We had some very special features in our Christmas issue – such as a Christmas Photostory set in our Build of the Month.  Meet Jeeves – a dog – and see what he thinks of the traditional Christmas celebrations!

And we also had pages of gift ideas from around the grid.  See what ideas some of the best designers in the Second Life world came up with to make your Christmas giving that little bit special.

Our Sim of the Month was Wunderbar – a collection of Victorian sims with an unusual aesthetic, influenced by its cosmopolitan inhabitants.  Our landscape of the month was another Christmas treat – M0lly Dench explored the delights of Winterland – and tried her hand at spotting all the Christmas classics referenced there!

M0lly also visited our Readers’ Home of the Month – the beautiful family home belonging to Aradia Dielli, her husband Lucian Overlord and their four young daughters.

Then we had a feature article on a very special event held in a selection of vintage and steampunk sims – The Grand Tour.  We had an account of what happened when a large number of those sims came together to celebrate their strengths – with comments by Baron Klaus Wulfenbach, who will be a familiar figure to readers of the popular web comic Girl Genius.  There’s also an article on the Radio Riel Players of Caledon, who were currently in rehearsal for a seasonal production of A Christmas Carol.

This month’s Star Prize was a month’s free accommodation in the beautiful house designed by Keith Extraordinaire on the Kettle Moraine sim in Wunderbar.  You can read all about the house – and an interview with the hugely talented Keith Extraordinaire, designer and artist, himself.

We had two new correspondents in the magazine.  Crap Mariner took us through the Openspace sim crisis, while the very popular Second Lie of Twitter fame read your problems and gives his definitive – and idiosyncratic – solutions.

And there was a wonderful poem by M0lly Dench, offering a very alternative view of Christmas!

Then there were features by our regular correspondents too.  Jvstin Tomorrow visited a selection of Winter Wonderlands, while Qwis Greenwood showed how to decorate your own home for Christmas.  And Kaye Robbiani’s article on the Winter Garden was likely to have us all hurrying out there to create our own colourful gardens!

And our team of talented photographers bring you some of the most gorgeous design eye candy in *Second Life*!

We also had the results of our special Christmas photo contest – and there was a special Valentine photo contest giving you chance to win an advertisement in our Valentine’s Day issue!  And you can learn about the lucky winners of last month’s prizes – including a very generous donation to the SL Shakespeare Fund from one lucky winner.

Gwen Carillon brought us the Constitution of Content Creators Association – and information on how to join.  Nika Dreamscape showed us how to pick up some lovely Christmas bargains, while Bailey Longcloth brought us the latest news from Homestyle Consolidated, the group that draws together all the best home style designers and keenest shoppers in Second Life.

All this – plus Charity News, News from the Grid … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here or here at Calaméo.

This month, our Sim was something very special because – through the generosity of Reacher Rau and his team from Reach Isles, we were able to create our own. This is Caer Blanco – a Halloween sim with a difference!

Firstly, every part of it was created by a top Second Life world designer, just for us. That’s right! From the haunted castle to the witches’ cottage to the ruined monastery to the ghost ship, every element was meticulously created for our readers to enjoy – and to raise money for a clinic in Lesotho, Southern Africa.

For the Halloween period, readers were able to visit Caer Blanco to explore its ghostly treats, to buy some of the most beautiful objects in Second Life (and some of the most spine-chilling too!), to take part in a series of fabulous events – ranging from themed costumed balls, to fantastic performances by popular live artists, to special ghost story readings and story-tellings – and to find out more about the clinic that we will be helping.

And you can read all about the sim and the clinic too here in the magazine, together with interviews with Reacher Rau and Rascal Blanco, who set the whole project up!

You’ll find our very special star prize on Caer Blanco too … an amazing witches’ cottage designed, built and furnished by Maxwell Graf.

And just in case you haven’t had enough of the ghostly and the ghastly, our Landscape of the Month was the wonderfully evocative role-playing sim of October Country, with wonderful H. P. Lovecraftian overtones. M0lly Dench took a trip there and a very cautious peep behind the gravestones! Just … be careful crossing the bridge …

And following on from that, we also find out a little about the fascinating Dark Victorians, and take a very spooky train ride!

Even our gardening correspondent Kaye Robbiani has a ghost story to tell from her lovely garden – and a reminder to set out your autumn bulbs!

We took a break from the Halloween theme though with our infinitely stylish and coolly elegant Readers’ Home of the Month – when M0llie Dench explores for us the glamorous world and lifestyle of Villa Blanc and its owner WK Ganesvoort.

And Jvstin Tomorrow provided a review of some of the fascinating exhibits he found at Burning Life.

Yes, with our team of talented photographers hard at work this month, we bring you some of the most gorgeous design eye candy in Second Life!

We also had the results of our special Halloween photo contest too – and we think you’ll be suitably chilled by the results! There wasa special photo contest this month too – a chance to enter our Christmas photo contest – and win an advertisement in our bumper Christmas issue! And there was our regular Treasure Hunt – and you also can learn about the lucky winners of last month’s prizes.

Our Charity News tells you about the fascinating Commonwealth Islands, and Francesca Cassini tells us about the presence of Nelson Mandela’s anti-AIDS charity, 446644, here in Second Life.

Bailey Longcloth brought us the latest news from Homestyle Consolidated, the group that draws together all the best home style designers and keenest shoppers in Second Life! And Gwen Carillon, the designer and artist, and moving force within the Content Creators Association, saluted the vital importance of creativity in Second Life.

Qwis Greenwood continued her series of “How To” for newbies articles with an account of how to make and texture a simple shelf to display some of the goodies you might find within the pages of the magazine, while we also brought you our regular news from Meta Makeover.

All this – plus News from the Grid, a fun quiz about your Halloween Second Life by M0lly Dench … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here or here at Calaméo.

This  month, our Sim was one of the most exciting cities in the world – London!  We exploed the London sims, a series of really upmarket locations with a host of attractions and really beautiful realistic texturing.  Jvstin Tomorrow pinpointed some of the things that you really must see and talked to residents too.  In addition, there waan interview with Debs Regent who is building some unique crossovers with real life and Second Life world businesses.  And you can learn about the Media in London with Janey Bracken who produces the special blog – Virtually London Lite!

Plus there was a gorgeous apartment in Chelsea waiting for one lucky Star Prize competition winner, with magnificent styling from CORN Furniture and CORN’s new store, Instinct.

You possibly couldn’t have hada more different set of sims than our Landscape of the Month.  Kghia Gherardi explored the South Carolina Lowcountry themed sims of Wando, Cooper River and Hampton Island, an alternative vision of the historical Lowcountry with no slavery, no civil war, no fever.  There were mermaids though – and a gorgeous underwater palace.  And there was an article from Alesia Markstein on the real South Carolinan Lowcountry.

This month, our Resident Home of the Month was Evocative, a lovely new home created by the two designers behind Lapointe & Bastchild Designs.  You can find out what M0lly Dench discovered in her explorations.

And throughout the magazine you’ll find the work not only of our regular chief photographer but also of three of the talented winners of the Prim Perfect/Orange Island Fashion Photocontest.  A special article tells you all about the contest – and the winners – and we talked to the prizewinners too!  And you’ll have chance to enjoy the glorious pictures.

We also had a special photo contest this month too – as people started to prepare for Halloween.  Who has the spookiest sim?  That’s what we wanted to find out!  And there was our regular Treasure Hunt too – while you learned about the lucky winner of last month’s star prize.

Our gardening correspondent Kaye Robbiani wrote about her autumn garden – and, believe me, it made you want to rush out and start raking leaves!

Our Charity News told you about the non-profit stream at SLCC, while we also had news of the final live concerts on Tribute Island, sponsored by Prim Perfect, Associated Northcliffe Digital and Radio Riel. 

Bailey Longcloth brought us the latest news from Homestyle Consolidated, the group that draws together all the best home style designers and keenest shoppers in Second Life.  And Gwen Carillon, the designer and artist, and moving force within the Content Creators Association, talked us through what Intellectual Property Rights really are.

Qwis Greenwood shows us how you can make a really nice planter for your rooms using some of the things you’ll find in your Library folder, while we also bring your our regular news from Meta Makeover.

All this – plus a mammoth News from the Grid, a fun quiz about your social Second Life by M0lly Dench … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here or here at Calaméo.

Yes, summer was here, and we’re explored the romantic sims of the Isles of Fatima. Twenty-six sims of extraordinary beauty, and made for romance … We took a trip around, and showed you the amazing house that has been created for Prim Perfect there, in a very stunning setting. We had an interview with the owners, Fatima Ur and Incanus Merlin. And we also talked to the team at Metaversal Arts, one of whose designers, the very talented Yolanda Hirvi, worked with Fatima to create the Prim Perfect house.

By way of contrast, our landscape of the month was the futuristic world of Extropia, an experiment in living in the future, a utopia rather than a dystopia. And, frankly, it was gorgeous. Come and explore it with Alesia Markstein!

This month, our Residents' Home of the Month was set in the fascinating sim of Pretty N Punk – the work of a collaboration of young designers who combined beautiful vistas with a hard-edged grunge look. It made for an intriguing combination, as M0lly Dench found out.

We had an article on Relay for Life – with several people sharing their experiences of the day – and their appreciation of some of the fantastic builds. We also had news of a beautiful new rose – and a fascinating competition – from Soleil Snook of Snook’s Garden Centre. And there was news of a wonderful Photo Contest on Orange Island that Prim Perfect was sponsoring, together with Orange as well as our regular treasure hunt! There was further news too of the summer Tribute Island ceoncerts

Our gardening correspondent Kaye Robbiani wrote about her creation of a spectacular garden, while Bailey Longcloth brought us the latest news from Homestyle Consolidated, the group that draws together all the best home style designers and keenest shoppers in the Second Life world! And this month they were joined by a new columnist, Gwen Carillon, the designer and artist, and moving force within the Content Creators Association. Gwen provides regular information on serious issues affecting content creation, for a not-to-be-missed regular feature.

We have two different items giving advice to newbies – and helping out the rest of us too! Qwis Greenwood talked about low prim furniture, while Rascal Blanco explained the new device to make our lips move when we talk.

Our Charity News told about a fascinating non-profit that links South Texas and the West of Ireland, while we also brought our regular news from Meta Makeover and information about our exciting new magazine, The Primgraph.

All this – plus a really mammoth News from the Grid, Readers’ Letters, a fun quiz on the subjects of holidays and vacations by M0lly Dench … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here or here at Calaméo.

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This month, our magazine was a little different. Instead of featuring a single sim of the month, with residential properties, we focused on the opening of two commercial sims. Commercial? Yes. But Rustica and Elements in Design are sims that both offer tremendous experiences for the visitor – not to mention a wealth of goodies to buy. We had feature articles on both of these new sims, and interviews with their creators - Maxwell Graf and Gwen Carillon. And we also looked at the opening of the new PRrim Designs store – and saw how Prad Prithivi and Rrishanna Regina are moving in interesting new directions.

For the Landscape of the Month, Alesia Markstein reported on the utterly fascinating exhibition that was Not Possible in Real Life. We featured interviews with three of the creators too. And M0lly Dench embarkedon a journey through time and space with a Time Lord and his intrepid assistant to bring back an account of one of the most fascinating builds in Second Life – the Etheric Travelling Cabinet. Plus we returned to the Galaxy, the fabulous three-sim liner designed by Bill Stirling, to find out what Bill and his team have been up to since we visited for the launch, a year ago.

Then we had news of a series of live concerts sponsored by Prim Perfect, Associated Northcliffe Digital and Radio Riel. All through the summer and autumn, we have arranged for the top live performers to pay tribute to their favourite artists on Tribute Island. Find out who’s playing, who they’ve chosen to pay tribute to - and when you can see them!

And we had the start of a new regular column that we’ve been promising ourselves since the magazine began. So far we had looked at lovely gardens - now we suggested ways in which you can create one of your own! This month, our new gardening correspondent Kaye Robbiani looked at two major trends in Victorian gardening - and the female gardener who drew them both together. And her article was illustrated by pictures from her own garden, as she showed you how you can achieve these effects in Second Life.

Then there was also news of an important new group you can join - as Bailey Longcloth suggested a way in which store owners and customers can make better contact with each other through Homestyle Consolidated. Our Charity News told you all about the opening of Nonprofit Commons 2, the new island managed by Techsoup and the Wishing Tree, created by Sue Stonebender in support of kiva.org, the nonprofit making small business loans to entrepreneurs in the developing world. All this - plus advice for newbies about megaprims, our regular Treasure Hunt, News from the Grid, a fun quiz by our own Moodyloner Korobase (who also solved several problems by proffering advice about SLetiquette) … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here.

Our sim of the month was the beautiful Orkney Islands. A loving imagining of the islands off the North Scottish coast, they combine tradition with modern day life in a way that was reflected in our Star Prize cottage, furnished by our star designer, Kittie Munro. We invited readers to join us as we visit the ancient cairns and the modern harbour …

Our Landscape of the Month offered another kind of beauty – the Botanical Gardens of the Second Life world. Our Readers' Home of the Month showed what happens when a castle owner and beach home owner set up home together - if they have an impeccable sense of style!

We also had news on Relay for Life, with a sneak preview of one of the sims, and the first of a series of articles about Non-Profit Commons. There was more news about Meta Makeover. We looked again at the very serious issue of IP theft – and what to do if you suspect an article has been copied.

All this - plus our regular Advice for Newbies, the Treasure Hunt, News from the Grid … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here.

Our sim of the month was beautiful, educational and inspirational: it was the twin sims that make up the fascinating and very ambitious Al-Andalus project. Read all about how this area has been created as an environment to recreate an age where Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together in harmony in historical Spain, and how the founders of al-Andalus are using this to further and promote cultural understanding in very exciting ways.

And you can admire the sheer staggering beauty of the place too!

Beauty of a different sort was to be found in our landscape of the month – La Reve. This is the creation of the second Life artist Lash Xevius and it is replete with mystery, magic and puzzles as well as sculptures that will take your breath away.

We also had news on our new venture – the TV programme Meta Makeover, which we are producing in association with SLCN. In fact, our Reader’s Home of the Month was the house belonging to Motor Loon and Melody Regent that was made over in our second show – we bring you a detailed look at it!

We also took an indepth look at the very serious issue of IP theft – and what designers – and customers - can do to counter it.

We also looked at issues raised in buying land and making a complaint in Second Life. And our Spring Quiz took a peek into the hideous depths of our Inventories …

All this - plus our regular Treasure Hunt, News from the Grid, Charity News, Readers’ Letters … and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here.

Our Sim of the Month was Celestial Requiem, that powerful tribute to New York and the World Trade Center. But our reporter Jvstin Tomorrow showed you what a thriving and wonderful place it is to be, and we took readers to the glorious penthouse apartment constructed by those PRim Designers - Rrishanna Regina and Prad Prathivi.

Our landscape article featured the Isle of Wyrms - and you can join our intrepid reporter Moodyloner Korobase as she explored this beautiful land of dragons. And we had a really magnificent Readers' Home of the Month, Armonia, the home of two fantastically talented designers - Zasa Rossini and Rascal Blanco. And there was an article from Simeon Beresford, on how to use that vital tool - the Land Menu.

Nor did we forget Valentine's Day. Kghia Gerhardi had a feature on unusual romantic places to visit in Second Life, and there were also some ideas of romantic presents you could be buying at this time of year. And Moodyloner created a hilarious quiz to test whether you're Cupid or curmudgeon at this time of year.

All this - plus our regular Treasure Hunt, News from the Grid, Charity News, Readers' Letters ... and more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here.

This month’s edition was set in the glorious regions of Caledon - and our Star Prize was a magnificent mansion in the new region Caledon: Morgaine.

Furnished by two top designers, Poppet McGimsie and Fatima Ur, this really was a very special prize indeed - as you’ll see in our photostory of a family preparing for a Christmas party in Morgaine Manor.

There were articles about Caledon too - the people, the places, the history - and its wonderful libraries. We had interviews with both our designers, as well as with Desmond Shang, the creator whose vision lies behind Caledon.

Our Landscape of the Month was Serenity Falls, and you could see the breathtaking effects of Windlight in the photographs that accompany the article, taken by JeanRicard Broeck.

There were pages of gift ideas too, and news of a special Prim Perfect gift that could be obtained from some of our top stores - as long as you were armed with the Prim Perfect passwords.

Plus a Chrustmas Quiz that was guaranteed to have you giggling, News from the Grid, Charity News, Advice for Newbies on decorating your home for Christmas - and much more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here.

This issue featured some wonderful things - including not one but TWO competitions to win a month’s free rental of one of two sensational properties.

One was the Reader’s Home of the Month - a beautiful castle in Tuscany, furnished by some of Second Life’s finest designers.

The other was furnished by Serra Anansi, our Designer of the Month, and was a chance to win a beautiful home in Winterfell Ebonshire, one of the gorgeous (and very popular) Winterfell sims, sims with a darkly medieval themes, explored in our article.

There was also an account of a visit to Straylight, our Landscape of the Month, by Moodyloner Korobase, our intrepid reporter.

And, in addition, there were interviews with the designers Serra Anansi and Dellybean North.

Our Advice to Newbies showed you how to work with linked prims (very carefully) to make a round table rectangular, and there was also our regular Treasure Hunt with a chance to win lovely prizes.

Then there was News from the Grid, with information about stores opening, expanding, re-vamping and, sadly, closing … Charity News (with news of a great new event in November), a Reader Survey for you to complete, a Problem Page on the question of VAT for Europeans, a selection of your letters … and more.

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here.

This issue featured a rather special sim - Better World Island, home to nonprofit organisations such as Gardens of Hope, the Centre for Water Studies and care.org, as well as interactive exhibitions such as Camp Darfur and the Streetsof Baghdad. Designer of the Month was Riversong Garden, the custodian of Better World Island, who created a glorious Japanese home for the competition.

Home of the month was the beautiful Castle Twilight, a fabulous new build by Fornicola Butzova - who also featured in an interview.

Our intrepid reporter Moodyloner Korobase got to chill out on Chillah Island, our Landscape of the month, and she also visited a delightful Cotswold mansion designed by followmeimthe Pied Piper.

There was a special article on Marketing in Secoond Life by CK DexterHaven Rucker, owner of the Chetenne Books Stores (among other things).

And Sky Everett had an article on how to create some stunning textures.

All this PLUS News From the Grid; Advice for Newbies; Problem Page; Fun Quiz; Treasure Hunt for exciting prizes, and much more!

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here.

This issue centred around castles of very different kinds. Our prize rental of the month was a glorious castle on Castle Island, the castle designed and built by Qabalah Quintus. It was furnished by Jeannie Moonflower, and the magazine contained interviews with both her and Qabalah Quintus.

Home of the month was the faboulous Arcana Nuevo, arguably the most beautiful and mysterious home in Second Life.

Landscape of the month was Tol Eressea, based on the novel of J R R Tolien and drawing on old English Literature - and Moodyloner Korobase, our chief researcher and reporter, got to spend time with the elves as she explored there.

You can see the full contents of the magazine here.

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here.

This issue featured around the Galaxy, amazing three-sim long cruise liner, built by Bill Stirling. Our prize rental of the month was a magnificent stateroom, on two levels with access to two different decks. It was furnished by Sofia Standish, and the magazine contained interviews with both her and Bill Stirling.

Home of the month was Idyllic Exile, a model of the beautiful island getaway - stylish, and also a real home.

Landscape of the month was Svarga - and Moodyloner Korobase, our chief researcher and reporter, provided some stunning pictures.

You can see the full contents of the magazine here.

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here.

 

This issue featured around Venice Island, that beautiful sim that captures Venice of the mind rather than a geographically accurate representation of an existing Venice. Our priize rental of the month was a beautiful apartment, with stinning views over the square and the canals. It was furnished by Isabella Lazarno, and the magazine contained interviews with both her and Venice residents, including the owner of Venioce, Melody Regent.

Home of the month was the Odaesan House, designed by Troy Vogel for Zeug Thalheimer, a towering tribute to the Arts and Crafts and Mission Home style.

Landscape of the month was Cave Rua - where Moodyloner Korobase, our chief researcher and reporter, learned to swim like a mermaid!

You can see the full contents of the magazine here.

You can read the magazine itself (in pdf format) here.

 

See this month's magazine!