The Boat Shack

We have a new feature at Southern Charm now. It is the beautiful Boat Shack from Redgrave Houses & Homes.

After some consideration Tomais and I decided to set it up in the North East corner of the sim, where the old swimming place was earlier.

Tomais and I have been busy decorating it the last week in a style that could be called "shabby chic". When I said "we have decorated", you would be correct in assuming that I have been standing aside so as not to get in the main interior decorators way uttering approvals at appropriate intervals and putting in a veto or two when needed. My Tomais has excellent taste and a knack for making this look easy, what would have taken me six months, he has single-handedly managed in only a week.

The final result is a very bright and cozy place that I absolutely love to spend time in. Well, except for the drunk teenager sleeping it off on the couch ever since we wandered in during spring-break from God-knows-where.

We have later learned that he is one of a set of triplets with the names Kyle, Kyle and Kyle. Another Kyle's has ended up at the Pine Valley sim while the third Kyle has been discovered at our friend Lucretia's home on mainland. None of them have woken up yet, but they are all breathing and all of us take care to carry them to the water from time to time so they can relieve themselves.

The Amazing Samuel

As you all know by now, I have engaged the skilled landscaper Samuel Fallen, of Lytton & Fallen, to help with some landscaping around the new mansion.

Shabby-chic stuff from Apple Fall combined with a
Quidditch set from somewhere else in a beautiful way.

Well, you should also know that Samuel isn't "only" a landscaper and gardener, he in fact designed The Luton Manor (the new house I have bought) for Redgrave Houses & Homes and is also a marvelous interior decorator.

I got clear and irrefutable proof of the latter when I logged into SecondLife the other day,

The evening before I had dragged out some things by Apple Fall, that I knew I wanted to use in the decoration of the house, out of my Inventory and just left them in a mess on the floor to deal with another time. Well, when I logged in, the things had been tastefully arranged in a shabby-chic display by Samuel. I couldn't in a million years have done anything as good or better with them.

My new strategy will be to - sort of recklessly - leave things floating around and see what marvelous things Samuel will come up with. Please do not tell Samuel!

Otherwise the landscaping project is at somewhat of a semi-standstill as we are awaiting the arrival of spring and new stuff to arrive at Botanical. Tomais is busy interior decorating, while I tag along and help where I can, mostly by carrying the heavy stuff around and saying "Oooooo" and "Aaaaaa" at suitable intervals.

It's Time for A Change

Those of you who have been following my blog may already have understood that major changes aren't really my forte. Or as my stepson Guyke bluntly tells me, "You don't like changes!" 

I don't completely disagree with him, but I would hasten to add that my qualms with change are mainly on an emotional level. When I feel safe and loved I don't mind changes in other areas of my life one bit.

It's a new year and time for a new project at Southern Charm! Faithful readers may remember the last major change on the sim happened during the summer of 2013 when the old ugly house I had been living in since 2008 was torn down and a new modern house was erected in it's place.

This year I got a new house as a Christmas gift from Guyke, after he had carefully showed it to me twice beforehand. The first time I saw the villa I was adamant and told him I didn't like it at all and that I wasn't ready to go through the hassle of moving again so soon after the last rebuild. The second time I saw it I absolutely fell in love with it!

It is a classic french villa with large open spaces called Luton Manor and is made by Redgrave Houses & Homes.

My building team this time around consists of the royal consort and the royal groundskeeper, Tomais and Butch. The two have also benevolently agreed to advise me concerning decorating and other interior design niceties.

The old house has been emptied and taken into Inventory, the beautiful villa has been placed in a preliminary spot, I am awaiting advice on the definite placement from a landscaper who has been contacted, but not yet contracted. He will hopefully also be hired to help with the necessary work on the immediate surroundings of the villa.