Petite Keys.. Keys Petite.. Potato... Potata...

So, I'm going through my inventory while working on a new box (yes..I'll talk more about that later this week) when I realize, I've built stuff during my not so busy days.. and just never put it up for sale.  So, once a week, I'm going to try to get this backlog of stuff sitting in my inventory packaged, advertised and up for sale.

To that end.. some time back I wrote a blog about discovering petite avatars and how exciting it was to be challenged by making my Butterfly Cog Wind up Key for a petite avatar.  That resulted in a .. almost like replica in the Petite Butterfly Cog Wind up Key.

Well, I found another set of Petite Wind up Keys that I'd never even gotten in a box.  The Heart Filigree key (with it's lovely pulsing heart gem) is now for those 1/4 size avatars.  I didn't even realize I'd created a FATPACK with all three colors until I started nosing about in my inventory.

So, here they are.  The CFF - Petite Heart Filigree Wind up Keys in silver, black, brass and of course, a Fatpack for all three.  They can be found on Marketplace (listings underneath) and will be available in the store by tomorrow afternoon.

Thank you so much for your time!

Available on Marketplace:  CFF - Petite Heart Filigree Windup Key (silver), CFF - Petite Heart Filigree Windup Key (brass), CFF - Petite Heart Filigree Windup Key (black), CFF - Petite Heart Filigree Windup Key (FATPACK).

Ooeeer Puzzle Boxes

Recently, I had someone ask me for a custom job.  It wasn't much, and fell in line with something I'd been wanting to do for a while.

Modify my puzzle box to do something more ambient.

So.. I sat down and poured over what meager scripting skills I have and came up with something.

(It should be noted, I was also home sick with something called RSV.. I know, supposedly only kids get it.. but hey.. I always was different.  How I managed to do any scripting at all while on the severe medicines I was on, I have no idea).

CFF now presents the original Secret Box (but new and updated) and The Secret Box 2.. the first box's warmer more inviting cousin.

I can't tell you how they're solved.. well, I could, but that would spoil the fun.  They are interactive, respond to being touched in the correct sequence (and in the incorrect sequence), emit a subtle mist effect randomly every 5 to 10 minutes accompanied by ethereal whisperings (I was sick.. and in the mind for Robert Frost's "Upon Apple Picking").

Upon being solved, there is a prize.  

Now that I've got puzzle boxes on the brain.. I expect to be making more.  That was actually quite fun.

p.s. In case one isn't in the mood for mistly effects and weird creepy whisperings, the script can be turned off with simple /50 chat commands.

p.p.s. Oh.. these are available on Marketplace.. The Secret Box (c) and The Secret Box 2 (c).

"Life imitates art..."

Aristotle once postulated that art imitated life.. mimesis.  It governed the majority of the artistic ideal in Grecian art.. then in Roman art..  Certainly we've seen that in Second Life, many times over.  What we find aesthetically pleasing, we create and repeat.. often to the extreme in SL.  (Disproportional avatars, anyone?) 

But Oscar Wilde held forth a different view.  In his Decay of Lying, he put forth that "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life".  I've always found Wilde's points of view far more interesting.

In my real life, I've always been fascinated with toys.. wind up toys, wooden ones, music boxes, clocks and have always found I enjoyed mucking about with tools, miniature things, trying to build stuff.  I'm not terribly great at it, but when I joined Second Life, I made MY second life about the things I love.. and am fascinated by.  Woodworking, mechanics, clockwork, automata.. music boxes.  I try to create the illusion of little mechanical workings.  Toys that roll around, are held;  Music boxes that animate, beg you to touch them;  Furniture that looks crafted.. That's been my goal.  But only because I so desperately want to be the sort of person who actually does that.

It's a lot harder than it appears.  I don't have the tools to create metal gears, or EDM machines to cut out special cylinders for music boxes.  All I have is a drill, a coffee table and .. a need to create stuff.  So when my best friend pointed something out to me and said "You could make music boxes out of that.", I snickered and said.. "Yeah, you could."  

Then he looked me in the eye and said "YOU could make music boxes out of that."  

As he would say, "Light Bulb".

A month of it rolling around in my head, researching, talking to a clockmaker/repairer/honest-to-god-artist/owner of a local clock shop, I made my first music box.  And I enjoyed it so much.. I made another.

And another.

The Gran Habano music box.

This was the one I called the Gran Habano music box.  It still had a handful of tobacco leaves in the bottom. It also sold yesterday, on Etsy.  To someone I don't know (it seems silly to mention that, but it's dreadfully important).  It does play Unchained Melody, just so you know that was dreadfully important.  Choosing the right box for each movement.

Casa Magna music box  available here on Etsy.

This one is still available, and.. interesting story behind the movement.  I had no idea what the song was.  I thought it was quite beautiful, rising and twisting with a slight minor influence.  I even sent out a cry for help to all my friends because not knowing it was driving me crazy.  It is Ave Maria by Charles Gounod.  Which sounds a bit different from most because it follows the chord progressions of Moonlight Sonata.

Alec Bradley music box   available here on Etsy.

The only music box so far to have feet.. these are brass, and the movement winds from the bottom.  It's also got a ring key, instead of the normal T shaped one.  That allows the ring to move so it doesn't interfere with whatever the music box is sitting upon.  Lara's Theme from Dr. Zhivago seemed a much more appropriate choice for this box.  It still smells faintly of tobacco.

Perdomo Exhibición music box   available here on Etsy

This box was one of my favorite.  It is just.. shaped so prettily.  So, I put Gounod's Ave Maria in it, seems to suit the more gold and rich tones of the finish.

I joined Second Life to find an expressive outlet for some of my creativity.  I didn't expect it to spur me to learn more.  I can honestly say, now Capalini Fine Furnishings actually DOES sell music boxes.  In real life.

heh, how bout that?  Life does imitate art.

Please visit Framed Bird Sings on Etsy to see more of my artwork and to keep track of what new music boxes I'll be adding in the future.

Thank you.
C.Capalini
aka L. Hall

The Time Has Come...

"The time has come," Miss Olli said,

"To talk of many things:

Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—

Petite avatars and wings."

Second Life has an odd way of burning a person out.. particularly if you're a creator.  And at some point and time, if you're lucky..  something will come along that will spark an interest. 

A month ago, I had a customer in Second Life contact me regarding my Butterfly Cog Wind up Key.  She actually loved it (I wasn't hanging out in Second Life so much.. too busy working on other projects and watching movies with my friend) but wanted it for her petite avatar from Fallen Gods.  It was much too large for it.  Now, I'd already made the Butterfly Cog Key with pieces so miniaturized.. I just sat there, looked at it.. and thought, wow.. this will be a challenge!

It caught my interest.

So, I obtained a demo petite avatar.. and over the course of 3 hours, managed to miniaturize that key down.  Here's a picture of the original key next to the new key (a little structurally different, not much).

Size comparison.. original size, and new petite size

It was such a success with her, I boxed it up and put it out for sale.  Spurred on by the glow of meeting that challenge, I went on and miniaturized several keys.. I just need to package them up and put them out for sale. 

Advert for Petite Butterfly Cog Wind up Key

playing with my newly created petite wind up key

Now at this point, I started really liking the petite mesh avatars.  It was something different in Second Life.  It was something different for me, and fed one of my most happy pasttimes.. making things ridiculously tiny.  It's how I got into Music Boxes in the first place.  I'm absolutely fascinated with little tiny mechanical and working things.

So, now I have a new petite avatar.. and I wanted wings for her, but all that I could find available were.. butterfly-ish.. wispy, flexi primmed, transparent texture.. things.  But I'm steampunk!  I'm born and bred in Second Life in New Babbage.. cobblestones, soot, and brick.. My avatars have grease under their fingernails, steam in their hair, and oil for blood!  But, my middle name is Whimsy.. and I needed to learn mesh anyway.. 

So, I made a pair of mesh petite wind up wings.  There are no transparent textures.. It is entirely mesh (save for the key..) and the wings flap when your avatar flies.  Personally.. I like them much better than wispy fae looking things..

Advert for petite sized Wind up Wings

The wings them selves..

Me posing in my pretty little wings

I'm seriously in love with making tiny things..

There will be more to come..

Second Life is fun again (at least for now)..

Oh, and I made a full size set of wings too.. just in case the petite avatar is not your thing.

Advert for Full sized avatar Wind up Wings

All items can be purchased on Marketplace:
CFF Petite Butterfly Cog Windup Key
CFF Wind up wings Petite
CFF Wind up wings

And it just keeps Winding on

So, I recently did a Flash Fiction contest over at the R.F. Burton public Library in New Babbage. Wonderful turnout, had a very enjoyable week reading all the entries, putting the notecard book together, getting the prizes distributed out.. but the theme has just stuck with me.
Wind up Keys...

Now, I just recently posted on one of my new objects, the Heart Filigree Windup key, and I had another idea for a windup key that was just a bit more organic.



To be entirely fair, perhaps it isn't the most steampunky or dolly key looking key in the world, but I just became enamored with having thorns and roses on a wind up key. Personally, my favorite is the brass one, I think the shading comes out more detailed looking.

I've also started thinking about the different colors of keys, and perhaps offering a fatpack for such things. Anyway, these lovely keys are like the others, they animate the avatar with ballet dances, slumped winding positions and play original music box music as you dance. I'm rather pleased with them.

They are available in the store in New Babbage Canals, and also HERE on Marketplace.

Much Ado...

Every so often, I just see something that makes me go.. "Hmmmm, what can I do with that?"
So, I was staring at this sculpt, with curly ques and these rough sticky pointy edges.. and I fell in love with it, but what on earth can i do with it. Well, a lot of things, but the first thing that came to mind yesterday was.. a windup key!

Based on the same concept design as the Butterfly Cog key, this lovely creation has the same menu options and will animate the avatar to dance after being "wound".
It also plays a lovely song that was created by myself. All in all, not bad for a day's work. Now.. I think I need either sleep or coffee..






Also available at Marketplace.

Candy Heart deliciousness

So, I went over to a friend's house, and saw this ornamental plate on a stand. Not particularly my cup of tea, I'm more of a minimalist myself when it comes to interior decorating. However, the stand was very creative. It basically can be used for plates, books, what not, and folds up on itself. It had two chains on either side that kept it from folding out too far as well as keeping it from falling apart.

I took that idea home with me.. mulled it over, just loved the simplicity of the design. Then I got to thinking about maybe using it to display just a box or a heart shaped container. That got me thinking about more music boxes. I've had this lovely little melody set aside for a music box, and really didn't know what kind of music box to make for it (typically the music comes first.. I find I build the boxes around the music). So, I created this heart.. a hollow heart box, red laquered with a key right smack dab in the middle of it. On a folding stand held together by two sets of chains.

I rather liked how it came out.

I hope you do too.

C.Capalini

p.s. I only touched up the picture on the main advert. The rest of the pictures are exactly as I took them in Second Life. The video is exactly as it looks in Second Life.

p.p.s. You can go to my store located in New Babbage Canals and rez the music box via the vendors to see it for yourself.. and you can purchase it off marketplace. Btw, I packaged it in a pretty gift wrap box. I think I may do that from now on...

Pretty New Shiny Toy - iShowU

I just recently obtained a new program for my Mac, and it's an nifty little capture program. Not going to go into details.. (I just don't like getting technical) I now have the wonderful ability to video my working music boxes in Second Life.

I was asked to commission a music box for my good friend, Breezy Carver.. and it came out lovelier than I expected:

Titled "Merry Christmas from Piermont 2011" it plays "Carol of the Bells" (absolutely LOVE that song). No, this one will not be for sale, though I may fashion something similar later on. In the future, I would expect every single music box I create to be posted here with a video of it working. It's all well and good to create something and show you a picture.. but even better to show it working. Just so you can see the attention to detail and animation I put into every single music box.

Annnnnnd we're back!

Sorry it's been such a long hiatus from making music boxes. Truth be told, I've been away.. learning and stretching my skills, taking walks on my lunch breaks and composing more music box music.

But the past month.. I've visited a few places and found inspiration in the unlikeliest of spots, a clock shop. While taking a trip to Cincinnatti, a friend and I travelled to a clock shop seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Wonderful stuffs. There were gravity clocks, grandfather clocks, church carillions, fishbowl clocks, cloisonne clocks, scissor clocks, cuckoo clocks (well, you get the general idea). I came back from that trip with my mind just buzzing with ideas. And not just clocks, but lamps, chairs, music boxes...

Here are just a few of the new offerings:

The Ebony Music box, possibly the lowest prim music box I've ever made.

It really is only 4 prims, and is still animated. Key winds, lid opens, and I'm really proud of it.

This music box, Wild Pumpkin, is actually slightly older, but I figured I needed to get it out there. This music box utilized sculpted animation.. touch the pumpkin, the lid opens and two tentacles slowly creep out, feel about and then go back in.

and then we have Gone Fishing. This is a direct result of some of the inspiration I got while in Cincinnatti. It also feels more.. I don't know.. like I put more of my own heart into this one than I have a lot of my music boxes in the past year. It just feels really special. Touch it, and the heartshaped key winds, the fish light up gently and go round and round while a patient little kitty watches. It plays my own arrangement of "Two Minuets" by JS Bach..

I do hope you take a moment to stop by the store and see these.. that one in particular. It just.. feels special to me, and I hope you enjoy it and can see your own reason to find it "special" too.

C.Capalini

As always, all items can be viewed in store, and are available on Marketplace HERE.

The Windmills of my Mind

They hold an enigmatic charm, these odd houses with arms reaching into the sky. You see them dotting landscapes, associate them with fields of grain, farms... You see them in romanticism, Don Quixote fighting the giants... Jonathan Creek solving mysteries from his charming home stuffed with magic memorabilia... Johnny Depp saving the day in "Sleepy Hollow". They are both comforting and sometimes, quite creepy with their weird sense of lonliness.

Personally, I've never seen one up close. They're in that category of mythical creatures that I hope someday to see. I've even daydreamed of what it would be like to live in one.. with all the creaks and pops of moving machinery.

To that end, I've created a windmill that is an opulently rich living quarter. Not so much along the lines of what I'd expect if I packed my bags and moved to a lonely windmill on the outskirts of town.. but more what I'd hope an extravagant home would be like.

Available on Marketplace

Nostalgia, a tidbit.. a skosh, if you will...

About 7 months ago, I did a blog piece on Faberge and those fabulous eggs that the House of Faberge created for the royalty of the Russian Empire. I'm still in love with them.. researched them, found numerous sources. While my creation of music boxes has slowed down here recently, it's by no means stopped. Matter of fact, the projects I've been working on have all been learning experiences and have helped me develop tools to create even more "toys" in Second Life, which is really what I'm doing. I'm being a toy maker.

Now what that has to do with Faberge is nostalgia. Why are those eggs looked upon with wonder and amazement? Partly because they are masterpieces of clockwork, mechanics, and creativity.. but also because they recall a time in history that seemed elegant, magical and mysterious.

Bear with me.. I swear this is all going somewhere.

About 2 weeks ago, it was brought to my attention that one of the professional musicians/composers I watch was doing a stunning thing. He opened up his email to the general public and said.. if you want free music, send me an email with an idea and I may just do it. Well, the friend who brought it to my attention had requested a Steampunk Anthem, which the individual in question came hollaring to me saying "HE DID IT! HE DID IT!" My own curiosity was sparked, and while I do my own music, one can never have too many sources. So I sent in an email with an idea and 4 hours later, had a very melancholy professionally done music box theme.. get this.. done to the same melodic steampunk anthem. It is, quite frankly, gorgeous.

Now.. back to Faberge. I heard this new piece of music box music and knew immediately what I was going to do. I wanted to do a new music box as an ornamental egg, but in a more steampunk variety. And since it was New Babbage in Second Life (it didn't really introduce me to steampunk.. but it gave me a name for something I already loved) where I made my home way back in 2007.. and New Babbage where I have met some of the most amazing friends and have had some of the most creative ideas I've ever had.. and New Babbage where I still base my store and Second Life Ideology.. I wanted to showcase New Babbage as well.

Most of the landmarks that I hold dear to my heart aren't really there anymore. These were builds that I loved, were imaginative and there was just something about them that kept me wandering about Babbage. Some of them are still there, most are not and if you are a newcoming to New Babbage, you won't know them at all. So, this heralds back to my nostalgia of a New Babbage that is not really there any longer (though, if you know the lifespans of actual places, you know that New Babbage is breaking all the odds, right next to Steelhead and Caledon).

So I created an ornamental egg that's slightly larger than the rest of them, dusty aged glass with sculpted brass base, ornamentation, topped with a dark jade egg. Since Tesla is also hailed higher by the majority of people in the steamlands, I gave it a slight Tesla twist. When you touch it, to turn it on.. the key starts to wind, there's the sound of an electric current popping to life, and you can see the arc between the brass plates inside the egg. Once the egg winds, the music starts to play and the music box rezzes a holograph-ish centerpiece with pictures of those places in New Babbage I loved the most; Tiny Tin, The Lighthouse, the tunnels under the Vernian, the Church Tower, the city landscape, the Academy of Industry.. all places that hold fond memories for many of the older residents.. and some of the newer. Not all these builds are gone, but the ones that are, they still exist in New Babbage. Even if you don't see them at first glance.

The mayor of New Babbage and Maggie examining the new music box.