The Adventure Begins- FREE STUFF

The bright pink boxes are all out. The adventure begins. Click on any of the posters (above) to get more info or see this post: http://samarastudios.blogspot.com/2008/09/rez-day-gift-adventure.html

Five boxes, five shops and lots of really nice dollarbies to celebrate my 2nd Rez Day. Yeah!

Start at any of the five shops or the main store HERE.

Also for those of you that actually like to SHOP (wink), I have marked down my top sellers in Classic Casuals and in Collections 25%.

Here they are; if you don't already have them, then think about it :) All stores except Ivy Falls have both items.


Now $375 for all pieces shown.


Top only is now $112.

Rez Day Gift Adventure

I wanted to give you a heads up on the event happening this WEEKEND (don't come yet). You can find a board with a notecard at any of my shops including the main Samara Studios store.

The fun starts Saturday evening for the European folks and runs though Monday morning - so Sunday is The Day. That's only fitting as it is my 2nd Rez Day.

I made five special gifts (dollarbies) for my shoppers, all based on design favorites. There is a Fall print top with texture belt and matching skirt, thigh high socks with textured prim tops, some silver and garnet domed earrings, and SHOES based on the I'm So Sexy boot.

Originally there were only four stores but I lost count along the way and made five items. That worked out perfectly though since I opened a shop in Ivy Falls. Here's how it works. You can start at ANY of my shops. For the most fun, you buy the item in the BRIGHT pink box (not hidden - this is not a hunt) and you get a folder with the item(s) and a landmark to the next store. Go there, get the goods and a new landmark. If you don't want all of the items just skip them and TP to another shop.

The main shop is at: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gembong%20West/226/111/25

Other stores are at Urban Shopper in Dubya City, Serendipity Isle, Ivy Falls and Whiskers (by the giant shoe store).

New Digs: Ivy Falls

I've joined the Ivy Falls sim -- currently home to the great Exile Hair Hunt! I REALLY like it here. It feels like Fall and that's my favorite season. Time to get back into sweaters and boots and maybe even a hat.

There are two Samara Studios stores here -- one for cool weather outfits such as sweaters and jackets and such, and one for shoes for men and women. My best sellers for the cooler season are here as well as some Halloween goodies and a few things from the home store. It was so great to have extra prims to decorate with. Yeah!

The leaves are falling as I walk around the sim and the train has people riding in it this morning. Oh, and the hair? I found two not far from my shop, so come on over and take a look around. There is lots to see and do.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ivy%20Falls/130/135/27

New Digs: Serendipity Isle

Just announcing that I have a new store at the redesigned shopping sim, Serendipity Isle. It's right down the street from the ballroom and across the street from Dark Mouse :) I see that Love Chic has a little cart across the way. It will be fun to see who else moves in here. I like the look of the place, the rent is very reasonable and the landlady seems nice. So we'll see how it goes.

The store features my best sellers as well as current dollarbies. The main store is still in Gembong -- celebrating two years there in December!

This will be one stop on my Rez Day Treasure Hunt Tour. Hope you can attend.

State of the Union and all that jazz

It's an odd night tonight. I somehow feel compelled to write a bit here with no real logical reason. It might be the stars and I suspect that if I looked at the charts (RL pro astrologer here) I would have some answers. Instead I decided to ponder in print-- partly for my own records, but more for the newer designers that might be wondering what in the Phil's Place firmament is going on.

My second rez day is on the horizon, so while I am not a member of the old guard, I am definitely not in the newbie camp either. For those of you that don't know, I have had a shop from the beginning. Furniture to start, then shoes and garden and stained glass and eventually clothes. So I am fairly diversified in Phil's domain just as I am in RL. The US economy took a major hit today with stock market plunges, major financial institution bail outs and the like and I was wondering how all this might affect our virtual land.

We, USA folks, are no longer the giant majority of residents in our virtual land -- not like we were when I joined. We are diverse and global and all that is fantastic. We are a melting pot of ideas and cultures. Still, the real world is global these days, interdependent more than ever before -- especially economically.

So, especially for the NEW designers who have just set up shops, worked hard and given their hopes and dreams, laughter and tears to the SL economic system and wondering if it will work -- here is what I want to say. This is just ONE case and not necessarily the norm. I doubt many people want to tell the world their financial business -- virtual or RL, so I figured maybe someone should say SOMETHING (smile).

I have been here two years and have had a shop almost that long. I have ALWAYS made a profit. I expanded from my profits and I have no RL money invested. I am still making a fair amount of profit. Most likely a lot less than our superstars and a lot more than many shops. Currently I am diversifying a bit into different locales. I have no guarantee that my half sim will ALWAYS be available to me. Estate owners come and go and I have been lucky so far; "owning" in estate land is always an iffy proposition. As times get tougher in RL and at Phil's we will most likely see more abandonment and "foreclosures". Virtuality mirrors RL in many cases.

My profits now are about half of what they were six months ago. So those of you that have read this far now have "some" benchmark which I am guessing is somewhere in the middle ground (just a guess though -- I have heard 60% down from some retailers). What does that mean for the new kids on the block? It's a bit like starting a business in the midst of a recession or depression and I have done that in RL. It is tough. It is also doable if you are wise, and careful; if you pay attention and know your market. Having a good product is pretty much a given or at least I hope it is.

My personal plan is to stick around. I am still enjoying SL and I am still making money with not all that much effort. I put in 12 hours days for a year so I can rest on SOME laurels now (wink). If I find that I am in the hole for a couple of months, I will either downsize or leave. This is just me, this isn't meant as advice.

And I guess it is time to get off the computer and back to my DVD. Virtuality is after all, simply that.

Brown is the New Black Collection

I've put up the first of the outfits in the Brown is the New Black collection at Samara Studios. There are more to come and many are completed. The skirts will come in both latte and coffee colors as well as both styles of pants. Other tops are in the works plus socks sold separately in colors other than brown. (They are so cute!).

The sweaters above are tuck in to the waistline and feature optional prim turtleneck and cuffs prims. The bolero shrug is in the jacket layer and can be worn over the other tops (and those to come). Pants for boots are included with the pants outfit.



Other outfits, designed to intermix with each other include flirt skirt and maxi lengths. An off the shoulder print top gives a silky and dressier option. The long skirt set includes slacks in the same pattern.

These outfits are on sale at over 25% off through the weekend and will then go to their regular price.

Urban Shopper Sales and Freebies

If you've missed the posts because you were waiting to STOP being a cloud or whatever :) -- Urban Shopper by the Sea is having a weekend grand opening event. Many of the merchants have free items out and many have sales going on.




I have a new tiny shop there and all the items in it are 25 - 3o percent off. You can also get the new blue dollarbie there as well as the last retro dollarbie (still a Linden). Four of my most popular shapes are there as well as the Shearling jackets below and three of the best selling collections -- Uptown, Downtown and Wanderlust.



There is also a party there on Monday morning from 6 - 9 with give aways and a contest!

New Free Use Pose Stands

Many of you know that there is a free use photo studio here in the Collections area of Samara Studios. Today I have added three pose stands with very nice poses from some of the top animators. Some were gifts, some purchased. There are 69 poses to choose from including a "male" pose stand.

There are also switchable backdrops for each one. These are the same design as the photo studio where you click to change the texture. I have adapted them and added additional textures including plain black for Photoshop uses and several neutral light backgrounds. The backdrops are for sale for $100 and are Mod - Copy so you can add your own textures if you like.

There is also a free pose version of the pose stand which now includes all the FREE poses in the gift box. So if you want to keep it simple and have a use for a pose stand this might be what you need. It is $10.

That's part of today's news!

Get Ready for Fall

Although quiet, I've been pretty busy lately. Lots of Fall items out at the store including a new dollarbie. More coming. I'm dancing as fast as I can. There will be a selection of mix and match separates soon too.

Here are some pictures of Samara Studios fashions for Fall. All except the shearling jackets come in a variety of colors.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gembong%20West/226/111/25