Skill by Association?

As many of you readers may know, both my brother and my beloved husband are builders with skill. Wander around Steelhead and Steelhead Harbourside and you will see the many works of my brother (including his pink....yes PINK house....I think it needs flamingos in the front yard). He's also ventured into making treehouses as well. He is known for his flair with building and his skills are sought after by many, including the Duchess of Loch Avie, among others.

Caledon Penzance is the home of my beloved's latest build, the Radio Riel office building. If you've not seen it yet, you really should. Many little details are added that make the whole even that more perfect and pleasing. Adding to his list of building accomplishments are his shop in Victoria City, Caledon as well as the "Garage" (officially known as the Cay Mooring Tower, but in all seriousness, Edward did need a place to house his carriages, horseless and otherwise as well as the other modes of transport he has) in the Cay.

So, I am surrounded and buttressed by two wonderful builders. I have attempted making structures in the past, mostly for my own pleasure or purposes. My buildings have been rather simple and not of a grand scale by any means. I've never sold my buildings but have given away a couple to those who were needing shelter. I usually tinker with my cakes and perhaps make accessories like a table to hold my baked goods on. Until Miss Burton approached me.

Miss Burton has a photography business and was needing a shop in which to operate it. She had a definate idea on what sort of feel she wanted for this building and asked me to build it. I was a bit surprised as I don't consider myself to be a builder of great calibre, but said I would do my best. Last night, I was able to show her the completed building and she was delighted. She said it was all she had hoped for and couldn't wait to get it on the ground, as soon as a land transaction had taken place.

So, dear readers, as much as I would have loved to have included pictures with this entry, I'm afraid you are going to have to wait until the building is standing firmly on the ground for which it was intended. Then I shall post a few images but I think seeing it in person will be even better. It is quite grand and opulent, but not massive. I am considering rearranging the interior layout and changing one or two exterior details and packaging it to sell, for any interested parties.

I do have to thank Lunar for dropping in to look it over during various stages of completion (and Fuzz too, even though he didn't have any tips to give, he does keep things interesting) as well as my dear Edward for putting up with my questions, giving me good advice and otherwise tolerating me in a fit of creative energy. He also double checked it to make sure everything was to his standard (he's slightly more detail oriented than I am *grins*). It was good to have him there when I wasn't sure which trim to use or wallpaper or how to keep my alphas from being at war (troublesome things that they are!).

Stay tuned for the upcoming pictures!!!

The Learning Curve

As many of you know, there is a learning curve to being a resident of Second Life. You have to learn how to walk, talk, get from point A to point B via Teleports, search, buy things, make money and build, among many other things. Of all the items listed above, my biggest hurdle thus far has been building.

I did my level best to avoid doing building of any kind for the longest time. Mr. Wakka Weeks attempted to teach me to build, but his words of wisdom fell upon deaf ears and I would find other things to do, like shopping. My dear brother Lunar attempted to teach me to build, but with me having my mental block that it was far too difficult, I didn't learn much, not from his trying. Mr. Gnarlihotep Abel tried to teach me to build as well, but again, the student was not yet ready.

So, for the longest time, the best thing that I could build looked like this:



The beautiful plywood box. Notice the perfectly square corners, the smoothness of the wood. Yes, it was a simple box, but I was very particular about them.

Finally, the day arrived that Steelhead needed a notecard dispenser. I gathered up my courage and made my first practical item that wasn't plywood nor a perfectly square box. Behold the notecard dispenser in awe:



You must admit, dear reader, that it is a fine notecard dispenser indeed....and it remained the pinnacle of my building abilities for some time. As a testament to it's solid construction and durability, I will tell you that it still stands today, out in the elements, happily distributing notecards to those who ask.

As time progressed, I decided to try my hand at baked goods. By this time Sir Edward and I were rather close and he was helping me with my building. While my other teachers are all very talented too, the combination of Sir Edward's patience and my readiness finally allowed me to absorb some of the lessons I was having. After much work (and cursing and pulling my hair out) I finally completed my first cake, which I presented to Her Grace, the Duchess of Carntaigh for her Rez Day Party.



I was very impressed with myself at the time and while I do think it is still a lovely cake, I am happy that I've learned to cut down on the prims used. That cake required 40 prim! Suitable for a grand lady such as her Grace but a tad rich for the average person's plot.

I practiced on my bakery items, Sir Edward making suggestions as I went about textures, shapes to use, etc, all of which helped me greatly. I felt my skills were growing and that I was ready to tackle a much larger project. Which brought me to my latest project: A New Bakery.

While there was nothing wrong with my old bakery, in fact, it was rather cute, I became inspired by the bakery in Heritage Park, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. For those of you who don't know, Heritage Park is made up of buildings from all over Alberta and is an open air museum, covering the Fur Trade all the way up to pre-WWI. They are currently expanding to include a 1920's area, but that is not there as of yet. Heritage Park is one of my favorite places in the world and I do love visiting. While there a few weeks ago, I took a good, long look at the bakery and thought that I would like one similar for my own bakery in Steelhead. Here is a picture of the building that inspired me to try my hand at construction:



It is a very typical small town construction for Alberta in the early 1900's. So, with many of Miss Persephone Gallindo's textures in hand (which, if you haven't gotten any of her textures, may I ask what are you waiting for!?!?!?!?!) and my beloved at my side to offer his advice, I began building.

All in all, I rather enjoyed the process. It took me a few days (SL was up to it's usual tricks and wouldn't allow me to link one day) but finally, it was finished. I present to you Rosehaven Recipes building in Steelhead:



I am very pleased with how it all turned out. I think it is a fair copy of the original, with a few changes. It has two floors, which gives me plenty of room for expansion or perhaps allowing others to use space for projects as well. I also made front display shelves to show off my baked goods in the front window.



Looking back, I've come a long way from my early days of plywood boxes. I am eager to try my hand at a few other ideas I have floating about in my head. Of course, keeping the bakery stocked with new goods keeps me busy as well. I have to put out my Strawberry Shortcake and new assortment of pies (pumpkin, lemon merangue, strawberry, cherry, etc) soon! Feel free to stop by the bakery and examine it yourself and then help yourself to either a cup of tea or coffee and a cookie before you rest for a bit on the chairs provided at the side of the shop.