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.

On the Silk Road

When one thinks of the silk road, that famous path to untold treasure in the orient down through history, I'm not sure that Victoriana springs immediately to mind. Huns... Camels... Nomads... Intrepid explorers.. but townhouses, tearooms and the Great Exhibition? Interestingly, though the pathways for traders had been worn for thousands of years, it was Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen who coined the term "The Silk Road" in 1877 to describe the routes he was taking.

Perryn Peterson of Second Life's Mieville Sims and organizer of (what I consider to be) one of the most concise Steampunk hunts, organized a Silk Road hunt, and while I don't particularly participate in Hunts, for Mr. Peterson, I do. I try to make things specific for the hunt and while CFF is a more neo-victorian store, I felt it was well within keeping to the themes to add a more flavored piece of furniture. To that end, the Kneeling desk was created.

Now that the hunt is over, and I've placed the item on the show room floor for sale, I thought it's probably time to mention it. I really wanted to create an item that would.. be a seperate place. Someone asked me, "why the screens?". Well, especially for a roleplay item, it would be good to have a barrier, a room divider that states Here is a sanctuary for this avatar. I made very restful kneeling animations that lend to that meditation feel. Touch the cushion and you go into a seamless painting animation, completely with holding either your wrist or your sleeve out of the way of the inks.


Because not everyone has room for all the accroutements that go with it, I wanted the desk to be versatile. All the objects can be rezzed or cleared from the desk via a touch menu. That makes the entire set at 17 prims without the objects rezzed, and just 38 with everything in place.


I have several sumi-e brush sets in my RL, so I called on those to try and provide a implication of realism. You have the brush stand, a brush that dispenses a wearable brush for the avatar upon touch, the ink bowl, a jar of water to pour into the bowl, the parchment and a box of ink sticks. These are all custom sculpted and textured. I was very proud of the brush stand and the jade texture.

The painting is a very famous sumi-e painting, very old and I thought, very reflective. You can touch the parchment and (again for roleplay purposes) you can set the "progress" of the painting from blank, through quarter, half, 3/4 done to complete.

All in all, I wanted to create a lovely little item that had a definative asian feel without being too oriental. I hope you enjoy it.

Available Here at the Marketplace for 800L.

Divining Your Future.. Today...

Tarot is a subject that gets a lot of different reactions, so if you don't believe in it.. if you do believe in it.. if you find it entertaining, whatever.. set your beliefs aside. I personally have a fascination with tarot mainly because of the artwork and the general ritualistic mysticism associated with it. It also hits my Victoriana nerve same as steampunk. It's been around as long as people have been playing cards, but it really hit a high note in the late 1800's with the spiritual craze that gave us Seances, Fake Fairies and Alistair Crowley. So, you find steampunk goes hand in hand with a lot of the occult fun that also accompanies H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Howard, Harry Houdini, etc. Tarot seems like a good fit with that whole aesthetic.

Using tarot in a virtual medium just fascinates me. I've seen tarot decks, all manner of them in Second Life, and they were all good, but I found them a bit.. lacking. This set was too big.. this set was too hard to set up.. this set, you had to follow links to webpages and try to figure out the meanings of the cards (for those of us who can't always remember). Most of the decks I've seen in SL are wonderful, but aren't very spontaneous nor do they assist you with the casual entertaining reading.

Every now and then, though, you stumble cross something that seems really special. And to my good fortune, the lovely folks over at Relics of Kadath have enabled me to bring that really special something to you.


I came across these Tarot decks while they were still in development and with RoK's permission, they've graciously allowed me to present them in my own store, Capalini Fine Furnishings.



Hence the "NEW" vendor sitting very prettily on the second floor. Now, as I said before.. there are a lot of tarot decks in SL, but these have been the most fun I've used. They come in a small box, that you can rez. It is much easier to tote around, the instructions are easier, and it's just overall, more elegant. There are six decks, of varying styles for you to fit your own mood.. and each deck is very artistic and creatively themed.




When you access the menu, you're given the option of layouts. It gives you six layouts to choose from, and then it rezzes the cards in formation.




They do look lovely on my table, don't they? I should put out some candles.. some colored lighting..

Then, as the reader turns over the cards (and it recognizes reversed meanings), it gives you the traditional meaning for the card. It gives YOU.. the owner.. no one else.. the traditional meaning. So, in a roleplay situation, there's no removal of suspension of disbelief by having the cards speaking to a crowd of people.




In the end, I've given these to friends as gifts before because I found them to be elegant, suited to my avatar, and just in general, a wonderful entertainment suiting any number of situations (from roleplay to a serious reader). By far the best Tarot set I've found in SL.. and now, I'm proud to offer it to you at an insanely reasonable price ($450 L). These are available at Capalini Fine Furnishings, and can be gifted at the vendor.

Just a side note: The creator of these has also informed me that for.. additional expenses, they are quite willing to do custom sets.. something to keep in mind for that extra special gift for someone who has everything.