Happy New Year!!!!

I hope all of your dreams come true in 2008.

Love, Effie

Here are some places to find party decorations to ring in the New Year:

Crymzon Holiday - CLICK HERE to visit. (Jeon 55, 115, 72)

Divinity Home Store - CLICK HERE to visit. (Minna 54, 155, 30)

Fairplay Designs & Art - CLICK HERE to visit. (Joiner 241, 37, 33)

FD Style - CLICK HERE to visit. (Wolpertinger 51, 99, 60)

Party Headquarters - CLICK HERE to visit. (Killtower 92, 87, 251)

Merry Christmas!!!

Effie's Epicurious Emporium

Well, I officially opened Effie's Epicurious Emporium! It was a lot of work to open a store, but I learned a lot along the way. And, of course, I'm quite proud of it. I want to give a special thank you to everyone that helped me along the way... Val, Gavin, Michael & Marty. And, another thank you to my friend Tho who was my first customer.

Effie's Epicurious Emporium
~Real Life Recipes
~Second Life Gadgets

Effie's Epicurious Emporium is a unique store converging the love of cooking and food with your Real Life and Second Life. You will find real life recipes to wow your taste buds. Some of the recipes are even Effie's real life avie's originals or adaptations of recipes.

You will also find gadgets for your Second Life kitchen such as a mixing bowl, serving bowl, marble rolling pin and cookie jar.

While you are at Effie's enjoy the hospitality. Free coffee and cookies are available.


Come visit us at Effie's! Bring your friends, sit down, have some coffee and cookies, browse the recipes and products, and have some good conversation.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Agapema 231, 213, 52)

Winter Fun: Ice Skating

Since it's the Christmas Season and, at least at my RL home, there is snow on the ground, I thought we should make the most out of winter activities. To start things off, I have put together a list of places to ice skate in SL. Have Fun!

Robin's Nest

A friend of mine, Robin Vogel, built a beautiful ice rink on her land. It is a quiet place to ice skate with friends. Bring your friends or meet new ones. A skate vendor is next to the rink if you need skates. Use the teleporter at the bowling alley to access the skating rink. And, when you want to warm up from skating, have some fun at the bowling alley.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Frontenac 114, 109, 252)

SS Galaxy

The skating rink on the SS Galaxy (a cruise ship that is 3 sims long) has a nostalgic place in my heart. It was the location I learned to skate in SL. The rink is enclosed by glass so that you can see the ship and the sky as you skate. The back of the rink is a flowing wall fountain. A skate vendor is at the entrance of the rink with several options including skates with a rudolph shoe complete with the big red nose.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Galaxy MID 132, 198, 49)

Info Island

Info Island is the library island in SL. Abbey Zenith has created a gorgeous skating rink complete with ice spires towering into the sky, red and green decorations, and Santa Clause. Sit on Santa's lap and tell him what you want for Christmas. Don't forget to take a picture with your snapshot feature. A skate vendor is also at the entrance of this rink.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Info Island 149, 74, 33)

Romantic Ice Skating

Romantic Ice Skating is a nice place for couples. It has a nice, large rink with beautiful Christmas decorations. You also have the ability to couple skate, ice dance and do some jumps with the ramps. There are nooks and crannies around for some intimacy including dance, cuddle balls, and romantic dinners. Romantic Ice also has a Skate and Winter Wear store. You can find skates, skating outfits, and even a snowball fight here. There are also free skates available.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Yalu 18, 86, 155)


Inspire Snow Park and Ice Skating Rink

Inspire is a cozy skating rink lined with snowy and lit trees. The snow falls heavily all around you as you glide along. Bring your honey along too. There are dance balls around and a nice bonfire to cuddle next to. Like most of the rinks, there is a skate vendor by the rink.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Butsu 223, 34, 37)


Mystery

Mystery has almost 5,000 square miles of ice and stalls to skate around. There is an obstacle course to skate through. See Santa, do some shopping, and drink mulled wine and eggnog. A skate vendor and snowball throwers are near the frozen pond. Explore the rest of the area while you are there. The snowy hills and trees are beautiful. And, you can take a train ride to see the wonderful landscape.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Mystery 144, 95, 23)


The Guided Tour Company

Well, this isn't exactly the best or most romantic place to skate. But, I found their products interesting. They have automated skating for singles and couples. It's automated like dance balls. You sit on the pose ball and it does the skating for you. A nice way to have your avie animated and you can have your fingers on the keyboard chatting. They have trial balls out. Try it out.

To visit, CLICK HERE (Mocha 55, 72, 26)

Shop a Little... And View the Decorations

Well, I have finally finished the decoration of four shopping plazas in SL. Little did I know that I was going to give myself a crash course in building to accomplish the decorations for the plazas. It has been an extremely educational and busy couple of weeks.

Each location has FREE Gift Wrapping. You can buy the pre-made boxes for $0 and use them for your Christmas gifts.

Here are the locations of the plazas. Come browse and enjoy the decor!

Pacific Hills Square

Pacific Hills Square was decorated as a poinsettia paradise. You'll find large poinsettia trees, poinsettia plants, and planters with poinsettias and trees that I built myself. The snow is lightly falling in Pacific Hills, so you can grab a cup of hot chocolate from the snowmen.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Electra 144, 164, 80)


Oceanside Plaza

Oceanside Plaza was decorated in the spirit of candy. You'll find red and white Christmas trees, giant candy canes, and a gingerbread house to explore. Red and green benches placed around the plaza give you a nice resting place when you need a rest from holiday shopping.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Agapema 120, 118, 29)


Terrace Plaza

Terrace Plaza was decorated in the spirit of toys. You'll find giant wooden blocks fully textured and created by myself wishing you a Merry Christmas. Christmas trees in red and white lights are dotted throughout the plaza. Terrace Plaza is also the home of Effie's Epicurious Emporium which is due to open soon!

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Agapema 220, 174, 39)


Cascadia Plaza

I have to admit that Cascadia Plaza is my favorite plaza decorated in a snowy winter wonderland. The snow is falling, the grass is blanketed with snow, the trees are flocked with white, the penguins stand by their igloo, and ice sculptures of deer stand nearby. The snowmen also give out hot chocolate here to warm you in the beautiful cold snow.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Electra 155, 77, 66)

Shop for Christmas Decor

Well, if you have noticed that I have not posted for two weeks, I've been really busy. I'm currently decorating four shopping plazas in SL. As soon as I'm done, I'll post links to the plazas here, so you can enjoy them. And, I'm also opening my own store in SL called Effie's Epicurious Emporium. More details will follow about my store also. While I've been decorating, I have documented places to find Christmas Decor. Enjoy shopping!

DEPOZ

Free Items such as a Snowman Giving Hot chocolate and Wrapping Paper Textures
Holiday Gazebo
Hanging and Potted Poinsettas
Nutcrackers
Lots of Trees - Blinking and Static & Wreaths
Ice Sculptures & Snow Machines

To visit, CLICK HERE (Depoz 8, 5, 26)


LUMINOUS DESIGNS

Need the right size tree at an inexpensive price? This is the place for you. Lumina Elvehjem makes her trees modifiable so that you can put the perfect size tree in the perfect place.

Trees include flocked, red poinsettia, white poinsettia, white bulbs, as well as different colored bulbs.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Steelhead 26, 144, 27)


ALEXANDRES CHRISTMAS SHOPPING MINI MALL

Trees
Wreaths
Igloo
Cutouts
Snow Maker
Snow Emitter

To visit, CLICK HERE (Europa 220, 32, 66)


Paradise Gateway Mall

Igloo
Wreaths
Large Trees
Poinsetta Tree
Nativity
Frosty the Snowman

To visit, CLICK HERE (Bella 38, 21, 21)


CHRISTKINDLES MARKET

Igloo
Regular & Sculptie Trees
Regular Winter Trees
Animated Sleighs
Nutcrackers
Christmas Figures

To visit, CLICK HERE (Seyanforth 30, 86, 421)


CHRISTMAS SHOP LS DESIGNS

Trees - Regular & Snow Emitting
Icicle Lights
Snowflake Emitters (Pink, White, Blue)
Reindeer Lights
Wreaths & Poinsetta Bench Planters

To visit, CLICK HERE (Ikyoto 96, 221, 28)


IMAGINE! WINTER WONDERLAND WITH CHRISTMAS FAIR

Flying Sleigh & Sledding Bears
Snow Globes & Trains
Giant Christmas Baubles & Gingerbread Men
Grazing Deer

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Bruda Plateau 207, 13, 51)


ROMANTIC GIFT SHOP & FOODS

Trees
Wreaths
Balloons
Deer
Gift Boxes
Lucious Desserts

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Noru 30, 60, 139)


CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS AT IN THE MOOD

Colored Trees
Color Changing Tree
Color Changing Snowflakes
Wall Decals
Christmas Art
Neon Merry Christmas Decals

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Rothbard 73, 31, 31)


CANDY CANE LANE

Lots of Trees, Wreaths & Swags
Musical trees
Picture Cutouts
Arches
Fountains
Village of Shops

To visit, CLICK HERE. (West Bernham 209, 165, 501)


HOLIDAY SQUARE AT RAMOS DESIGNS

Nutcrackers & Santas
Trees
Teddy Bears & Gift Boxes
Candy Canes & Suckers
Gingerbread Man & Woman
Peppermint Candies & Gumdrops

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Ramos Island 109, 42, 25)

Decorating for Thanksgiving

Now that Halloween is over, it's time to start thinking about the holidays. However, before jumping into the Christmas season, I have to pay tribute to Thanksgiving. I think that we are in such a rush sometimes to get to the Christmas season that Thanksgiving just becomes a blur. I have compiled a short list of places that you can shop for Thanksgiving decor in Second Life. Have fun exploring these places and decorating for a holiday with a lot of meaning.


Fairplay Designs&Art!

You will find Fall and Thanksgiving wreaths, flowers, pumpkins, candles, gift boxes and bags, balloons, colorful leaves and even pies!

To visit Fairplay, CLICK HERE. (Joiner 244, 38, 33)


Family Christmas Shoppe

Hay stacks, bails of hay, pumpkins, piles of fall leaves and baskets of corn and apples are at the Family Christmas Shoppe.

To visit Family Christmas Shoppe, CLICK HERE. (Agrius 27, 81, 67)


Kitchen Korner

Anything you need in the way of food can be found at Kitchen Korner such as turkey, pies, cranberry sauce and other side dishes. You can even find decorative elements for your table such as cornucopias and Indian corn candles. Kitchen Korner has a Holiday Turkey Dinner for 2 - 10 guests which includes the table, chairs, turkey, turkey dinners, candle, rolls, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, place mats and bonus items like a coffee service and champagne bucket.

To visit Kitchen Korner, CLICK HERE. (Kitchen Korner 201, 74, 42)


Thanksgiving Store

You will find decorative items such as wall decorations, holiday flags, wreaths, holiday tables, welcome mats and even a pilgram hat.

To visit the Thanksgiving Store, CLICK HERE. (Bisset 208, 70, 31)


Naughty Nibbles Food Store

Buy a complete Thanksgiving dining setup at Naughty Nibbles which includes table, 8 chairs, place mats, utensils, turkey, rolls, side dishes, punch, and plenty of desserts.

To visit Naughty Nibbles Food Store, CLICK HERE. (Baekdu 154, 189, 74)


Party Headquarters

You will find outdoor as well as indoor decorations for Thanksgiving at Party Headquarters. Items include Indians, Pilgrims, tee pees, a turkey, a hayride, bails of hay, mums, a corn field, welcome mats, decorated tables, turkey slippers, a fall leaf cuddle rug, wall decorations and more.

To visit Party Headquarters, CLICK HERE. (Killtower 227, 82, 55)

Paradisio - UK Couture for Great Prices

Thanks to a friend of mind, I found a great couture store at reasonable prices. Paradisio is an authorized reseller of UK Couture. The main store of Paradisio just opened it doors a week ago. They also have 10 satellite stores.

The clothing is beautifully rich and detailed - exactly what you would expect from a couture store. They have a 110% guarantee that you won't find lower prices on UK Couture. I've personally paid $500L-$700L for couture apparel, and I didn't find those high prices at Paradisio. In fact, while I was there, some shirts were on sales for $20L. Although the concentration is on women's apparel, they do offer some choices in men's clothing including a tuxedo.

The store is chic modern with some great touches such as a waterfall in the center, a dressing room to change your appearance in private, and a mirror that will show you how beautiful you look in your new threads.


To visit Paradisio, CLICK HERE. (Devils Cove 60, 135, 22)

For more information, click ad for SLURL to AvieMedia.

Haunted Houses

10/19/2007 - UPDATE... This will be the last update for haunted houses. The latest additions will be in red. I really hope you enjoyed these places. Happy Halloween!!!

10/14/2007 - UPDATE... More haunted houses have been added to this list. The additions will have their names in orange.

With Halloween upon us in a couple of weeks, I got curious and typed in "haunted house" in SL's search. Wow! Lots of places came up. I also looked through some other blogs and found others. Here is a few I went to this week. Some are better than others, but you be the judge. I'll add more as I experience them. Enjoy! And, Happy Halloween!

Haunted Coal Mine

Here is a different take on a haunted house. Actually includes a couple of haunted houses along the way.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Steeltopia 107, 53, 26)



Haunted House and Graveyard

I thought this was going to just be another typical haunted house. There were a few surprises that I was expecting.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (North Halsted 159, 56, 25)



Grimm Orphanage

A very well planned out haunted orphanage. The narration as you move from place to place is spooky. The maze at the end was difficult, but I made it through without teleporting. :-)

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Sleepy Hollow 130, 144, 27)


Dryke Cemetary & Gothic Castle

This one is not really a haunted house; however, some very good work. It's more of a spooky store. The castle if full of scary and gory costumes, scenes, etc. A lot has to do with witchcraft. The sounds sure make this place spooky.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Kitaro 11, 200, 74)

Pulse Haunted Mansion

Walk through this haunted mansion that unfold a murder from room to room with all the gruesome remains.

To visit CLICK HERE. (Pulse 40, 53, 60)



House of the Unholy

Once inside the house, follow the signs that say "This Way." If you can't find the next sign, look around you.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (PodShow Island 84, 155, 27)



Caskets R Us

The main store of Caskets R Us has a Gory House to walk through. While you're there, pick up a mausoleum or casket to add to your party decor.

To visit, CLICK HERE. (Sociaria 209, 169, 30)


Haunted House in Woodhaven Park

Take a cauldron ride through this haunted house. You can even invite your sweetie along. Cauldrons have pose balls for male and female.

To visit CLICK HERE. (Woodhaven Park 118, 156, 23)


Autumn Hollow

Costs $50L to go through. It's actually a game. At the beginning you are given instructions and a story. Everyone who collects everything will end up in the raffle. Winner wins the pot.

To visit CLICK HERE. (Opelessence 223, 183, 40)


Halloween Manor

Roam from room to room and see the gruesome sites unfold.

To visit CLICK HERE. (Dacia 185, 137, 24)




Liquid Heat Haunted Cave

Cool looking place with lots of heat and lava. Don't miss the Haunted Caverns. You ride through the caverns in a coal cart. They sell some of their creations.

To visit CLICK HERE. (Tahiti 206, 241, 52)



Liturature Alive's Haunted Classroom

Desideria Stockton and Eloise Pasteur did a great job of making an educational haunted house so cool.

To visit CLICK HERE. (Eduisland 203 229, 62, 23)



Octoberville

The haunted house in Octoberville actually made me jump in front of my computer screen. It's another maze to get through. Explore the rest of Octoberville while you're there. Lots to see.

To visit CLICK HERE. (PixelTrix 161, 107, 22)


The Haunted House at France Microcosme

Not sure if this one is finished. Some of the rooms are empty.

To visit CLICK HERE. (FRANCE MICROCOSME 159, 162, 30)




Sinatra's Haunted House Spooky Ride

The ride costs $10L, but worth it. You get a free t-shirt at the end. Has some cool sound effects.

To visit CLICK HERE. (Noyo 101, 150, 26)



VenDetta Haunted Manor

Some doors and walls you can walk through...some you cant. It's like trying a puzzle.

To visit CLICK HERE. (SunSet Alliez 93, 224, 22)



House of Pain

This is a bit of a challenge. Click around, walk through walls, etc. HINT: In the first room, click the hands and eyes on the left.

To visit CLICK HERE. (Scylla 199, 24, 65)



Devils Labyrinth

Visit their website at http://clubspaceradio.com/devil This place has multiple outcomes depending on your choices.

To visit CLICK HERE. (Rivata 177, 177, 45)



Halloween Island

Not only is there a Haunted House, but you can purchase all the things to build your own. Or buy decorations for your party.

To visit CLICK HERE. (Publishing Island 217, 160, 54)



Finished! Cemetary and Haunted Maze

The Haunted Maze is tough. I got lost.

To visit CLICK HERE. (Pandoria 161, 225, 31)