Come Waltz With Me!

by Maar Auer

Life is a dance on roses. Second Life, recently, has had more thorns than petals it seems... So what, oh what can you do?

Waltz!!!

Valse de Nuit is the newest waltz in SL. Smoothly swaying, gently spinning, elegant and affectionate... Yes, waltz: The eternal symbol of young love, white dance of weddings, the must-have of each and every self-respecting ballroom. Wear your waltziest party outfit and come try it out, to see how it feels for you. Don't forget to grab your dance partner along! The balls are rezzed in Metaversal Arts yard, just waiting for you.

Sharpen your ears now... Do you hear the symphony orchestra tuning their instruments?

Victorian Spring Fair in Antiquity

by Yolanda Hirvi


Antiquity sims of SL are the most wonderful realm to RP and for victorian style living. Residents of Antiquity are the most warm and welcoming for visitors too! They are hosting a fair of many events during this weekend for the behalf of Relay Of Life. I am recommending this fair for anyone interested in victorian era. Look more info : http://www.antiquitygazette.blogspot.com/

Slowly, sweetly....

by Maar Auer

As response to requests, I've created a slow dance: SlowOne. It's a dance for when you feel like being close to someone, in a ballroom, club or at home. Affectionate, intimate, graceful, seamless, maximum SL animation length - and, oh yes, slow... Just dance to your favorite songs and IM all night through with someone who is special to you - or soon about to become one. Sweet thought, isn't it? Come to think of it - when was the last time you had a chance to even try a new slow dance? So do come and check this one out. I hope you'll like it... The test balls can be found right here at Metaversal Arts main yard.

'I want a maaaan with a sloooww haannnd...' Oh yeah? You too? ;)

Me and Meta Makeover today in TV!

by Yolanda Hirvi

Meta Makeover? Huh?
SLCN (Second Life Cable Network) has joint it's forces with Prim Perfect magazine and created a reality show that is shown every other Sunday at 12 pm SLT. The idea is that in each show, they take a house and make it over by one or more designers - who might tackle a room each, or a floor, or a garden. The designers will be interviewed about why they’ve made the choices that they have - with the delighted (or appalled) owner having a chance to say what they love or loathe about their new home. The show is presented by Editor of Prim Perfect Magazine; Saffia Widdershins.

Saffia Widdershins at the SLCN studio.

Well guess who is the designer in the show today? It's me!
I decorated a fisherman's cottage in Orkney Islands, and boy did I fell in love with those sims! My part with Saffia was taped couple of days ago and today owner of the house Solanghe Sarlo and owner of the Orkney sims Tim Mersereau will be live in the studio. You are welcomed to join to live audience (but please be there at least 15 minutes earlier). And there is also a small gift bag waiting for you. So tp to the SLCN studios in Northpoint and see how the tv-show is done in SL-style!
How to watch SLCN ?
Easiest way is to go to the web page here. You can also watch the old editions of Meta Makeover there. Or you can get your own SLCN tv for free in Second Life visit the SLCN Offices at Northpoint (125, 185, 33). The URL for the stream: http://streams.slcn.tv/live.mov .(Notice that if the land is group owned the tv has to be deeded to group).

New releases?
All the stuff I made for Solanghe's house is for sale in Metaversal Arts Shop after the show!
http://metamakeover.wordpress.com/about/

PS Visit Meta Makeover Blog to see how you could get your house made over by top designers of SL !

Talented creators Part 3: Owl Demina’s Owlery

by Lord Lisle

This series of posts are written because I am just a fan of these creators. I don’t gain anything by posting about them. I just like to point out the beauty there is in our Second Life.

You may know that I have something with owls.. Yes, of course I am a Harry Potter fan, but it was long before those stories were written that I became fascinated with these creatures.. Living in a wooded area with very little population, we have a couple of owls in the woods behind our home and I have seen one last year when I returned home from a visit in the darkest hours of the night..
Thus I was pleasantly surprised that Yolanda Hirvi told me that she had purchased an owl.
Anyhow, I went to the place where she had put the bird: the Metaversal Arts Shop ‘Den’, to be reached via a little corridor, near the wishing well, behind the steampunk room of Kheph. -Metaversal Arts Island - Antique, Cherish(156, 214, 60)-
To my surprise I found a very well sculptured nice little bird on the reading table, flicking its eyes and after being touched hooting along lively.

In the Metaversal Arts Den, fascinated by the little owl…

Having seated and admiring the bird for a little while, Yolanda kindly provided me the LandMark of the creator of this owl. A few mouseclicks brought me to The Owlery Zoo and Owl Shop, Bay Terrace (219, 202, 601) , in the ’Hall of Owls’ owned by Owl Demina.

Barred Owl (Stix varia)

I was very impressed in the way Owl Demina had presented his owls in beautiful floodlighted showcases, set up with a background of the natural habitat of each specimen. It was not very difficult to take a few nice pictures; this must really be credited to the great job of the creator of the Owlery.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) Is this not the breed Harry Potter has?

Each breed of owl is for sale, either on a pole or (something I particularly fancied) sitting on your shoulder. Unfortunately my financial position in SL did not allow me to buy a Great hornet owl.. but who knows when I got my next monthly SL allowance…

Great Horned owl (Bubo viginianus)

I asked Owl Demina how he came to created these owls and whether he have possibly in RL has anything to do with them:
Owl Demina: When I first came to SL I searched high and low for a realistic owl. I did manage to find a wearbale snowy owl but it was nowhere as detailed as I would've liked it. Later I attempted to build my own static version, but it remained in my inventory for the longest time. Months later I would learn of some great animation scripts and brought my existing owl out and it started from there. In RL I am a graphic designer and I have a great fondness for owls. Much of my home has owl related prints and such, one of which is available in my Owlery. They are beautiful birds and I am so happy to find that so many others enjoy them as much as I do.

I could not resist in taking a free membership of Demina’s Owl Emporium Group and now may call myself Owl Enthusiast.
Please note that the illustrations of the owls in this BLog are NOT enhanced Photoshop pictures, but real snapshots directly taken in the Owlery!

Animating madness

by Maar Auer

Those of you who have once tried animating know it is a time consuming process. Animating for SL is much more than just that: it is nerve consuming.

Limb by limb, inch by inch, frame by frame - yes, but why, oh why does it always look like two clothes hangars having a wrestle? No matter how you try, it never seems natural - so you walk in your appartment measuring your own rl limbs, scratch your head and wonder: Do I really look that weird when I move?

That's the beginnings of SL animating madness for you. It continues, in so many ways... Like that thing with thighs. Especially, it seems, the right thigh. In Poser window everything is cool, calm, smooth as a lake on a summer morning. Import the animation into SL, and watch your right thigh declare itself an independent nation.

All the same, I've managed to sweat up a couple of dances. The first of them, a variation of a menuet, was officially released a few days ago. Keeping in mind how long time it takes just to finish a few frames of dance, you will get an idea of how lovely it feels to see people actually enjoying your-finally-more-or-less-well-behaving dances.

So do come and try it out! ;) Gentlemen bow, ladies curtsy - the ancient, golden days of grace and elegance are back! I've placed the menuet just next to the tp point in Metaversal Arts, by the fountain. And why not bring a friend along, or two, or three... Menuets work best when dancers are many. Besides, there's nothing like dancing the night away with a bunch of good friends, is there?

The Grand Opening was a Success!

by Darleez DeCuir

Thank you all our dear visitors of making the grand opening event a success! The event was opened with Atheene Dodonpa’s lovely performance, her singing and playing was admirable, at least according to the numerous applauses and encouraging feedback from the audience.

Atheene Dodonpa playing a rebec.

After Atheene’s performance Yolanda Hirvi announced the winners of the Metaversal Photo Contest, the winner photos were published earlier here in the blog, posted by Yolanda Hirvi. Here is the winner of the contest, Joni Vargas posing beside her winner photo, congrats Joni! :-)

Joni Vargas and her winner photo "The Last Ride".

In the opening, Maar Auer introduced her newest dancing animation – Menuets. One Menuets set is for six dancers, and as you can see, the audience danced enthusiastically through the night! The Menuet dance is available at the Metaversal Arts Shop yard, come by and try it on!

Menuets by Maar Auer is a brand new dance animation in SL.

The Metaversal Arts Shop is now officially open for all our old and new customers. The current merchants at the shop are Yolanda Hirvi with her antiques and old-world furniture, Maar Auer with musical instruments and animations, Crystaleen Laval with garden items, Kheph777 Enoch with steampunk creations, Fnordian Link with magic stuff, Pumpkin Tripsa with tremendous sculptures, and Vlad Bjorson with his beautiful FloraPrim flowers.