Thursday, June 21, 2007

Free Sculptured Prim Debut at SPIRIT!

I took the plunge and tried out Blender, despite the many warnings I've received regarding how complicated the program is to use. It WAS pretty involved to make just one glass shape, and the resulting sculptured prim didn't come out perfect (the edges are slightly wobbly). But for a first attempt at Blender, I'm just thrilled that it didn't come out with huge holes or gaps in it, and it's very much recognizable! LOL A large "gold trophy" version of this first Blender sculptie is available for free in the lounge area of the SPIRIT shop. Feel free to take as many copies as you like, change their size, even change their texture to glass, pewter, gemstones, marble, or anything else you can think of! (I'm trying to find a place in the shop where I could get away with a large marble birdbath style fountain using this sculptie as the catch basin part of the fountain...lol). Hmm, can anyone say strawberry daquiries at the SPIRIT lounge? ;)

I have also used Rokuro, a lathe style sculptured prim maker, to create knitted, scrunched up leg warmers. Rokuro is much simpler to use; unfortunately, it only creates items that are rounded and symmetrical on both sides (think carved banister railings that hold up handrails on stairs, and you'll get the idea of what a lathed item is and what Rokuro can make). The leg warmers turned out GREAT, though, so look for them to become available as part of the ballet class outfits in 16 different color coordinating colors to match the new SPIRIT Ballet Pointe Slippers that are available now!

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Heroes Claire Comes to SPIRIT!

The first celeb character is now available at SPIRIT! And who's more appropriate for SPIRIT to offer than the cheerleader hero from the tv show Heroes...Claire!


First up is the Claire Hairstyle. This non-flexi hairstyle starts off long and straight, then erupts into a mixture of face framing long, tight curls and loose waves that drape down the back and in two sections over both shoulders. It also features a hint of movement with flexi sections underneath. As with all SPIRIT hairstyles, the Claire style is mod/copy/no transfer and is available in 16 shades sold in 4-packs for $300L per pack. See below for a view of the 4-pack boxes and the shades included in each...


Next we have a new cheer uniform called the Cheerleader Claire Uniform. Inspired by the cheer uniform worn by Heroes cheerleader Claire, this top and skirt feature shadowing and hand painted wrinkles. Also included is a pair of SPIRIT Cheer Sneakers (no mod/no copy/no transfer) and a pair of color coordinated cheer briefs. The Cheerleader Claire Uniform is now available for $300L.
REALLY want to look like Heroes cheerleader Claire? SPIRIT has everything you need for that head-to-toe Claire look with our first avatar shape and hair combo. The Claire Shape and Hair combo includes an avatar shape that took several days to make to ensure that every measurement, proportion, and facial feature matched Heroes Claire's as closely as possible. The Claire hairstyle that comes in this combo features an exclusive shade of blonde not available in any of the Claire Hairstyle 4-packs, and was custom tinted to match Heroes Claire's haircolor. Now available for $700L. I've also included a free skin from Munchflower Zai in the large hatbox on the shelf below this combo's vendor sign (this is the skin worn while modeling this shape and hairstyle, and it's the skin I've been wearing forever now, lol, because it's a great design that can be tinted and the makeup can be changed), plus a collection of freebie eyes from various designers are in the smaller hatbox on the same shelf. No Claire purchases necessary to pick up these freebies either! :D



Wednesday, June 13, 2007

SPIRIT Product Updates and New Releases

I've been hard at work ramping up all my previous designs with new textures featuring tons of new details. The good news? They're all the same price as before! The updated products include...

- Bring It On Torros Cheer Uniform...now features shadowing, a subtle knit polyester texture overall, and improved pleat shadows on the skirt.
- Cheer Varsity Jackets...all five colors now feature a subtle wool texture on the bodies of each jacket, new photosourced buttons down the front, shadowing, seam lines down the front, and a ribbed knit texture on the striped trim (collar, cuffs, and around the waist). I'm also replacing the hot pink jacket with a cotton candy pink color instead. Look for new vendors to replace the old ones in the next couple of days.
- Center Stage Movie Ballet Costume...the leotard top now features seam lines and shadowing to give it a true shiny lycra look, the skirt has a new red satin folds texture on each of its flexi prim folds, and the old version ballet pointe shoes have been replaced with the new SPIRIT Ballet Pointe Shoes, which feature a new satin texture, criss-crossing straps up the calves that end in tiny, flexi prim bows with bow ties that really sway with your avatar's every movement, and an improved prim heel and sole combo. (Old vendor is still up, but now contains the new items; the vendor sign's display image will be updated in the next few days as well.) Also look for the improved leotard to become available in a wide selection of colors with coordinating flexi prim, semi-transparent skirts in an upcoming Ballet Class Outfits collection release.
- Spirited I hairstyle...I wasn't comfortable with the original Spirited I's design, as I just felt that it looked too similar to the Winsome hairstyle by Naughty Designs. It needed its own one-of-a-kind look. So I completely tore the Spirited I style apart, took out half its prims, and restyled it to a soft flip over the left shoulder. This not only gave the hairstyle its own unique look, but also improved the design overall as well as made it a great choice for high lag prone events in-world where you might be asked to limit the number of prims you are wearing. The vendor and hair dye boxes have all been updated to feature this new version of the Spirited I, and the Spirited I info sign doubles as a demo version vendor, where you can purchase a demo version of the Spirited I hairstyle for just $1L to try on. Here's a pic of its display in the SPIRIT shop...



And now for the biggest news of all this week...need ballet pointe shoes that really put your avatar en pointe when she walks? Want a huge selection of satiny colors for your ballet pointe shoes? Look no further than the new SPIRIT Ballet Pointe Shoes! Just added today, SPIRIT Ballet Pointe Shoes are available in 12 different, shiny colors as shown below...


From top to bottom and left to right are shown: (Top Row, Naturals Collection) Autumn Brown, Grape Leaf, Rain, and Plum

(Second Row, Metallics Collection) Gold, Silver, Copper, and Old Gold

(Bottom Row, Classics Collection) Cream, Sugarplum Pink, Lavendar, and Black Swan



Each pair of SPIRIT Ballet Pointe Shoes has shoes that are no mod/copy/no transfer, and the laces are mod/copy/no transfer. (If you would prefer yours to have transfer/no copy enabled pointe shoes, just IM me in-world before purchasing any pointe shoes, and special arrangements can be made.) SPIRIT Ballet Pointe Shoes are $250 per pair. Look for fat packs of all four colors in each collection to become available together for discounted prices soon.



Want more news from SPIRIT? Okay, just a tiny tidbit of gossip for all you SPIRIT fans out there...we're getting ready to bring out SPIRIT avatar shapes! My own personal experience during my first few days in SL taught me just how time-consuming and frustrating it can be to move all those thousand and one shape sliders, only to never get your avatar's body shape quite where you pictured it. Look no further, SPIRIT will soon be here to the rescue! In a few days, you'll be able to choose from pro cheerleader and ballerina shapes, to even famous cheer and dance movie celebrity shapes! We'll also be introducing brand new cheer/dance movie celebrity inspired hairstyles so you can have that complete look without having to shop around endlessly to put it all together. With just one purchase, you'll get an entire famous cheer/dance character all in one box!



Check back here for more updates soon!

Monday, June 4, 2007

New Store, New Blog, and New Goodies!

Both starting a new business and creating a new blog are like getting into a new romantic relationship...you invest a lot of time, energy, and heart into making sure everything looks as perfect as possible while trying to build something you hope will be great. All the while, you have no clue if the person (or in this case, people) are even noticing all your efforts! LOL

Well, at least I'M happy with the present look of things for SPIRIT...so far. I consider myself extremely lucky to have found a great, 2 story building just two doors down from Bossa Nova (waves to my neighbor Moire Georgette), and right beside the awesome Hairapy. This is truly a find after having lost two previous shops due to mall shutdowns. And with so much space and a 200 prim allotment to play with in this new location, I have been VERY happy indeed this week! Even if it did take me a full day to find it and three days just to get the interior decorating completed. ;)

All right, so enough with the intro and on to the goodies. I honestly thought with my many years of previous experience and formal training in dance that I would be a bit biased in my designs. But apparently my secret (well, not so secret NOW) yen to be a pro cheerleader has helped keep things relatively balanced at SPIRIT. To date, I've got...
- three ballerina costumes (one is a replica of the finale performance costume worn by the heroine in the dance movie Center Stage, one is a traditional Sleeping Beauty Ballet costume, and the other is a traditional emerald and gold design),
- one pair of hip hop dance sneakers with actual prim laces and grommets,
- a dance duffle bag with 3D prim rhinestone lettering on the side,
- a ballet charm bracelet and a separate ballet necklace and earring set,
- and a nice and tidy bun hairstyle with sideswept bangs called Graceful I, which is available in 16 different shades and is sold in packs of 4 shades.

That's upstairs.

Downstairs in the cheer section, I have...
- my version of the old-style Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders uniform (changed a bit here and there to adhere to copyrighted design laws, of course) sold with flexi poms that actually move when you do,
- a replica of the Torros team uniform worn in the classic cheer movie Bring It On,
- a pair of cheer sneakers (again, with real prim laces and grommets, no faking anything with textures here!),
- a pink and black sleeveless polo style tank top perfect for all those hot summer cheer practices,
- a cheer varsity jacket available in 5 colors,
- a new cheer duffle bag with 3D prim rhinestone lettering on the side,
- and a lusciously thick and curly prim ponytail hairstyle called Spirited I, which is a very scaled down version of the much adored Winsome style from Naughty Designs (if these two hairstyles were worn in the real world, the Spirited I would weigh about 10 pounds less...yes, it's less glamorous, but it's also more practical for those 3-4 hour game day performances!). The Spirited I is available in 16 shades, sold in packs of 4, and comes with the option of a free custom fitting (upon request, just IM me if you can't get it to fit correctly) with yours truly to make sure your hair fits you perfectly.

And what have I been working on most recently, you ask? Well, apart from all the redecorating, new log design, this new blog, and the creation of custom furnishings for the SPIRIT store's lounge area, I have been working on...
- a flexi ponytail for those of you who prefer a little swish with your cheer and dance moves,
- I just finished making 12 pair of ballet pointe shoes with criss-crossing ribbons up the calves that finish in flexi prim bows (and yes, the ends of the bow ties swish and sway when you do, lol), which will become available as soon as I can get the vendors finished, possibly within the next day or two,
- I'm adding flexi prim skirt options to the Bring It On Torros uniform,
- and I'm working on a huge freebie uniform pack that will include a long-sleeved and no-sleeved crop top, dance pants, briefs/shorts, A-line non-flexi skirt, flexi skirt, and a pair of SPIRIT flip flops perfect for giving your tired feet a rest after practice while you shop, lounge on the beach, etc.!

Look for new product photos and freebie availability updates coming soon!