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.