SLCS Cheerleaders Winter Wonderland 9am-9pm Saturday!

The SLCS Cheerleaders are beating the Winter Blues today with a Winter Wonderland event! The event includes lots of fun activities! Come and go ice skating on our large special rink! Don't worry we've got ice skates for sale and ice skating outfits too! As well as some freebies! Challenge your friends to a snowball fight! We've got 3 forts set up for teams! Climb the large sculpted mountain! Or sled down it and all around on one of the traditional red colored sleds we've place out for you. Make a snow angel, ride on the icy tea cups, or swing on the candy sleds! Or sip hot chocolate while meeting new friends! Also, lots of shopping! Stock up on winter wear, Christmas Decorations, Winter Landscaping, and more! There's no shortage of things to do and it all set in pretty scenery!

The SLCS Cheerleaders will be performing at 2pm!

Here's the Landmark!
Winter Wonderland

MODA Winter Showcase Today Saturday Featuring *OC* an Leezu!

It's that time of the year again, where we get all warm and fuzzy, and congratulate our wonderful models who are graduating! We would like to introduce to you:

Aealla Illyar
Kathy Nikolaidis
Kyllion Karas
Sarahelisabeth Brenham

The rest of our fab crew for the show are:

Amariah Francis
IndigoSky Escape
Love Kawaguichi
Mia Sanchez

Our newest graduates from MODA Modeling School will be putting on an awesome showcase featuring clothing from Leezu and *OC*! This is going to be one of the hottest shows in December and we don't want you to miss it. Best of all, it's being DJ'ed and announced by DJ/Model Harlee Lane!

The show begins at 11AM SLT, on Saturday December 5th, 2009. We would love to have you here to celebrate our new graduates and great fashion.

Ok, I'm hooked!

I saw a blog posting for some SL contest for designer scarves and followed the link of the picture in the blog to Looklet. OMGosh, I am soooo hooked, 4 hours flew by while I created several looks. I totally LOVE that website! It only figures that the skirt I wanted to buy is no available at any of the designer's websites listed, and plus everything is in like German or something, LOL, I may make it for SL though! Woot!

Here's my plea to all those smart coders on SL . . . . Please please pretty please build a hud that made dressing our avatars this easy! Could you imagine dressing your avatar like that? Mixing and matching would be so much easier and things wouldn't get lost in your inventory! Ahhh it will remain my dream as I'm sure a hud like this would be pretty complicated and maybe even impossible ... but one can hope right? I'm sure a hud like that would sell to any model, designer, whoever! You could make millions! (yes, I am trying to be persuasive)

Go check out this site, and while you're there, check out my page! :)

New Release! Just in time for the 4th of July! Modern Martha Gown Set!

Stand out under the fireworks in this gorgeous dress! A French silhouette combined with American colors and symbols and a sexy corset top, this dress is a twist between Martha Washington, Marie Antoinette, and the modern woman. This gown set has been created with attention to the smallest detail. It has 4 skirt options made with realistic looking draping fabric and an attachable corset piece, also an option for the bow and medal without the corset piece. This isn't your typical patriotic outfit in SL, wear this to a 4th of July celebration and stand out as a classy sophisticated and sexy woman.

Teleport! Amariah Houte Couture

New Release! Ruffle Whit Dress!

Sorry everyone, I'm getting behind on my blogging. Anyway, here's a new release, I'm still working on releasing the hippie style top I wore in that last episode of "I Wanna Be a Celebrity," plan of several colors of that.

ALSO, I'm working on a gown for 4th of July, honestly I'm tired of the over-sexed look of most of the Independence Day wear available in SL, so I am making a gorgeous gown for all of us fashionistas that want to be the belle under the fireworks of the 4th. :) Oh and several skirt options come with it.

Ok so here is my newest release, called Whit. Ok, yes it's been available in my store for a couple weeks I admit, but it's kinda hidden because you buy it from the large poster and not a dress that is hanging.

Now before some of you get your panties in a bunch, lol, it's a Diane Von knock-off. All credit for the design goes to her. I wanted to bring this into SL for MYSELF, and not sell it, just walk around in it like the Diva I am. But I was begged to make it available, so well, now it is! It's called Whit after Whitney on MTv's "The City," she wears a different version of this dress on an episode.



ALSO, I've made packs for the other dresses etc in my store available, just buy them from the larger posters and get all the colors for a "bulk" price. AND my skins and bodies are still on sale! I seriously get joy out of people having my items and liking them, so I'm gonna keep the price down for awhile, maybe forever, idk. :)

Note to Flickrites and bloggers: PLEASE PLEASE send me an IM inworld if you've used a product of mine in a pic of yours or blogged it (if you have time). I LOVE seeing how you guys style my stuff.

TELEPORT! Amariah Houte Couture

New Releases! New Dollarbie! A SALE! And a coming soon!

NEW release #1!

This is Absinthe, named after the green fairy, because it is delicate looking and flutters gracefully in the wind as you walk. It comes in 6 beautiful colors, shown above is a light green and navy blue. This dress also comes with 2 skirt options a tiered ruffle (shown in blue) and an asymmetrical version (shown in green). Comes in pink, purple, black, red, navy blue and green.

NEW release #2!


Next, I've added two new uniforms to Cheeralicious! Both are influenced by Saturday Night Live's famous and lovable Spartan cheerleaders! Available in both the male, Greg, version and the female, Arianna version. Uniforms come complete with basic tennis shoes.

NEW DOLLARBIE!

I've also added a new dollarbie to the store and a whole new dollarbie section I plan on filling up! Terri is the newest addition to that area, it is a strapless pink ribbed terri cloth minidress!

SALE!

The Missy skins and bodies are for sale for ALLOT less than they were! Skins are marked down to $120L each and the megapack with all of them is only $600! With this pricing you can get the entire pack for LESS than the regular price of one! The body pack is only $100L and includes 9 different full mod body shapes, this is a steal! The skin and body pack is now only $645! I'm not sure how long I'll keep these marked down this low, so if you like them get them now.

COMING SOON, sneak peak!



TELEPORT NOW! SLURL: Amariah Haute Couture

I Wanna Be a Celebrity- Episode 3 aires

This was the first episode where we saw someone leave from a challenge. This elimination was so difficult! We all were so sad!



Watch it in larger format here.

I Wanna Be a Celebrity- Episode 2 aires

This was a very tough Episode as you will see.



Watch it in larger format here.

I do want to clarify one thing. In what I said about Micha's store and fashions. This was a difficult task because I wanted to explain to the other contestants what I thought were his strengths and weaknesses, so we could make a good decision on who to vote off. His stuff is very impressive for one, and yes I did feel he was my biggest contender being that we both focused in on the fashion area of SL. My critique about the items that I bought was very sincere in saying he excelled at ideas and concepts but lacked in attention to detail, mainly seams. Specifically, the items I bought were done using the appearance sliders and not alpha channels, and most designers know that using the sliders will lead to very noticeable jagged edges. To Micha's defense allot of these seams were covered up by prim pieces, however not all, and yes I'm picky even about seams near my armpits. I still think his stuff is awesome and I still wear the items, jagged seams and all. :) I am serious when I say he has big ideas that are outside of the box, he is definitely a very creative person and someone I will watch for new releases. But if it were me, I would have taken the additional time and created an alpha layer on those items for nice clean seam, it's just me. My attention to detail does drive me insane at times but I am proud of what I release, and I slave over it until it is perfect zoomed in closer than anyone normally looks at it down to the single pixel. My expectations for fashion in SL are high only because I put allot of pressure on myself to release perfect items, and I expect that from other creators. None the less, I applaud Micha for his creativity and wish him the best in all he does.

Oh and I have to toot my horn for a bit here, I had given myself an extra challenge during the course of "Celebrity." The challenge I gave myself was to always be wearing something that I had made. Now, since when I started the show I only had 2 dresses in my store that was going to be difficult if I made it past week 2, which you all just saw I did. So I spent the week up to the episode brainstorming and slaving over an outfit clear up until show time almost. Yes it does take me that long to finish a creation. I know I'm slow, but I'm also extremely detail oriented. So be watching for what I'm wearing, in episode 1 I'm wearing Cemi, week 2 I wore Mist . . . and after that, well I can't say ;) just keep watching and then teleport to my store if you see something you like!

TELEPORT NOW! SLURL: Amariah Store

I Wanna Be a Celebrity- Series Premiere Episode!

I am so extremely excited about the first episode of this reality series that I was a contestant on! Words cannot express how happy I am to have been a part of this show. Everyone involved was awesome . . . from the sexy camera men (lol yes! oh guess I better say women too) to the eloquent hostess, Trinity Serpentine, from my fellow contestants to the producers,absolutely everyone was wonderful and a delight to work with! I couldn't be more proud to show this off! The picture above is taken behind the scenes while we waited in the lobby to go in front of the firing squad, oh I mean the judges for our interviews. :) It's been a wild ride and definitely one I'm glad I did! Woot!



Watch it in larger format here.

New Releases! Mya and Paola!

Paola is a colorful release, as promised! 5 yummy bright colors, and classic black. This dress comes in all layers, the flexi skirt has two attachment points (wear them both for a nice full look), the colored dresses also come with nail polish that matches perfectly to the dress. The skirt has a top semi transparent toile layer with sparkles. The teal dress is what I wore in the Avenue issue for the "I Wanna Be a Celebrity" feature article. This dress was inspired by the necklace I am wearing in the vendor, **RS** Designs - Gem flowers multi-color necklace. I love this necklace and didn't have anything in my inventory that complimented it's beauty, so I made this dress collection pulling colors from the necklace.


I was on a roll so I decided to release this dress that I've had sitting in my inventory for awhile now. And while I was at it, why not do it in 5 pretty pastels?! LOL. This is a sexy sequin shift dress, available in white, blue, flesh, pink, and lavendar. As always, the clothing comes in all possible layers and the skirt prim is modify.

TELEPORT NOW! SLURL: Amariah Haute Couture

More Coming soon . . .

Well I weathered the storm, and we didn't lose power, yay! Anyway, I've been working on new releases. This next one is something new to me, COLOR! Yes, trying to get away from grey and black, the next dress I release will be available in several bright beautiful colors! So keep tuned into my blog, a release is coming very soon, I promise. :)

BLIZZARD!

Ok, I am posting here because our internet is already acting up, going on and off. We are under a blizzard in RL. I live in a small town in the rural mid-west. The last time we had a storm like this we lost power for 6 days. I know I have allot planned for this weekend, but if I go MIA I either have no power or no internet, or both.
Local weather news, YIKES!

New Release! Olivia Dress and it's a only $1L!

I'm feeling generous this week, so I've added a $1L item to my store! Go get it and enjoy! It's on the ledge next to the manikins in the gift box. :)
TELEPORT NOW! SLURL: Amariah Store

Spring In The Park, Fashion Showcase

Friends, fans (lol as if!), you all are invited to my Graduation Showcase at Moda. March 17th,7pm slt. Here's the SLURL to the show: Moda Showcase

New Release! Mist, Sexy Crochet Lace Top with Satin Bubble Skirt

Hello fashionistas! Okay another release, yay!

This dress is sexy, sophisticated, and simply stunning! It's definitely a head turner! The sculpted skirt is sculpted to perfection, resisting the evil LOD of SL. Pasties come on both undershirt and shirt layers. And the top comes on all layers, for those of you with tatoos. You can wear the top without pasties for a DARING super sexified look. :)

You also get the cute feather hair accessory, which looks great when paired with an updo or hairstyle with a headband. The hair I'm wearing in this photo is LeLutka Ribbon Beach Blonde. Shoes are by J's Main Shop. Necklace is Paper Couture.

TELEPORT NOW! SLURL: Amariah Store

The Making of Window Frost

Early in January, when I won 1st runner up in the Ms Second Life Pagent, one of the prizes I received was a gift certificate to Insolence. So I went to the store and saw the poster for the Intimate Light contest (Not sure how I missed this when I was there just a couple days earlier to pick up the newly released Animated eyes.) and decided to submit an entry. The theme for the month was "Icy weather, cozy at home." This was my entry photograph:


Here are the steps I took to create this photo:

Step 1: Shopping! First I had to pick out my lingerie to wear, as this was one of the requirements of the shot. I decided I needed something white- thinking icy, snowy, etc. I picked the Alice White set, because I loved the little lacy prim skirt and it just looked delicate (like a snowflake).

Step 2: Brainstorming. The idea that popped into my head when I read the theme was me looking out of a window, with frost on the window. I also love how when it's cold outside and warm inside, if you put your palm to the window it puts a hand print on the glass with a "vapor" around the hand print. So this was the idea I was going with, I wasn't sure of the angle of the shot, but I had the basic idea.

Step 3: Pose. I did my pose next because I needed something with me leaning into the window pressing my palm against it. I did some searching in SL, and while I found something close, it wasn't perfect. And me being a perfectionist, I decided to create my own pose. I used DazStudio to build my pose and import it into Second Life.

Step 4: Scene creation. One thing I definitely wanted was a fireplace somewhere in the shot. So I found one in my inventory and began building the room. I wanted a cozy homey look to reflect the theme. So I added a couch and an ottoman. I needed some wallpaper, so I created a floral pattern with some shadowing in the corners and uploaded it to SL. I chose a deep red to enhance the cozy warmth of 'inside' and chose a warm wood flooring texture and tinted it to suit the scene.

Step 5: Scene cont. Window texture. Next I started to work on a frosty window texture. I downloaded some free frost brushes from deviantart.com by the artist obsidiandawn. Also while I was there at deviantart, I found some great Stock photos of winter scenes by artist Resurgere, so I grabbed several of those, knowing I would need them later to build the 'outside' scene. I used the frost brushes to build a frame with a transparent center to use for my window, and uploaded it into Second Life, put the texture on a prim and used it for my window.



Step 6: Camera Angles. After the scene was built I played around with my camera angle. I wasn't sure if I was going to do the camera behind me with me looking out the window with the room reflected in the glass, or with the camera angle in front of me looking through the glass with the outside scene reflected in the glass. In the end, I decided that the camera in front showed off the lingerie the best and plus showed off my pretty face. :) I got a good angle and set my camera and went to adjust lighting.

Step 7: Lighting & Snapshots. I added a light near the ottoman to give the room and my avie a nice glow. I also wore my CG face light hud and played around with the controls until I was happy. Then I went into the environment editor and played with the settings until it looked like I wanted it to. Then snapped a few shots, adjusted the environment settings again and snapped some more. I usually do this several times to get as many frames/shots to pick from later on.

Post production- The key here is restraint, I try to keep things 'true to SL' while at the same time enhancing the photo. I think, and this is just my opinion, that some SL photos on sites like Flickr are overly done post production and don't even look like an SL snapshot, with hair painted on etc. I try to keep a good balance and not go too far overboard. I know for some that even my post production is over the top, it's all a matter of taste of course. The program I am using is Photoshop CS3, and here is the raw SL snapshot I started with:


Step 8: Smooth soft avie. First I selected only my body, and used a blur filter called Smooth Surface on a very low setting, which will blur things but keep edges. I also used the lasso tool with a feathered edge to select certain areas of my body and used guassian blur to give myself a nice soft look. I also used the stamp/clone tool to smooth any squared edges of my avie like my shoulders and waist.

Step 9: Frost. I loved the way the frost looked in the raw snapshot, but I felt it was a little blurry and needed some enhancement, so I took my frost brushes and added some sharper frost to the window. I also added some house siding with snow on it for the lower left corner of the photo.

Step 10: Glow. I used this technique to add a slight glow to the room, the opacity on the glow layer is very low so it is a subtle effect. I also masked the effect over my face so it didn't distort it. I also created a spot light glow for the light on the vase.

Step 11: Glass reflection. Using the Resugere Winter Scene Stock photos, I tried out a few before I found one that fit the file format and looked good reflected. The reflection is an easy technique, all it is is the photo on a layer above the image and opacity set very low. I also used a layer mask to control where the reflection was strongest, where it was absent, and where it was slight. I made the highest reflection show on the upper left of the photo, completely masked it for my face and top part of my body, and made it slight for the right side of the photo.

Step 12: Hand Vapor. I found an adult hand print photo and pasted it in, outlined it and deleted the white background. Then I added a layer effect, outside glow. I then rendered the layer, flattening it with it's effects. I then selected the hand print which was black and deleted it. What was left was the glow, then blurred the layer with guassian blur.

NOTE: Steps 10, 11, and 12 could have been done with step 5, by adding them all to the frosted window texture and uploading it to SL. I opted to do it post production because I have more control with masking.

And there you have it, that's how I made Window Frost. I plan on going into more depth on each of the steps at a later date for those that are just learning photoshop and need more explanation.

Here are the winners of the contest, 6th place isn't bad, and I got another gift card, yay! Congratulations to all the winners!

New Release! Cemi Dress, A Modern Take on Classic Tweed

Hello fellow fashionistas! Another new release, I must be on a roll. This one is a modernized sexified version of classic tweed.
It's short and sexy but still holds it's classy look. This is all hand-drawn by moi. I'm really proud of this one ladies, I created it for me to wear to the first episode taping of "I Wanna Be A Celebrity." At this point we aren't allow to talk in specifics about the show, just like a RL reality show, so you'll just have to wait in anticipation for the show to air. :) I love how this dress makes me look long and lean! Gotta love that!
TELEPORT NOW! SLURL: Amariah Store

I Wanna Be a Celebrity

Getting noticed in the eminence world of Second Life is difficult! The Ms Second Life pageant held by Alady and Pulse Skins was the first contest in Second Life that I entered, and having come in as 1st Runner Up was a definite honor and I think I've been bitten by the contest bug. I'm very selective on what contests I enter, I hate those voting contests. That's just me, the idea of bothering my friends on a daily basis to vote makes me nauseous. Those contests are won, not by who has the best photo or the most talent, but who has the most friends or alts or bots that voted for them and winning means little to nothing, well in my opinion. So anyway, I keep my eye out for new contests, by reading blogs, paying attention to group notices, and reading SL magazines. One such contest got my attention, Metaverse TV's new inworld reality series, "I Wanna Be a Celebrity."

After reading about this contest both on the Avenue blog and on the Official Show website, I decided this was a contest that was worth entering for several reasons. Not only am I a HUGE fan of Phaylen Fairchild's series DIVAs, it was also an opportunity to get my name in front of one of the most prestigious modeling agencies in Second Life, plus it just sounded fun, interesting, and challenging (I love a challenge)! So I entered by submitting a headshot and notecard with some carefully answered questions, and hoped for the best. I also made a friend in the application room Chance Greatrex, BONUS!

After waiting what seemed like forever, I got the IM that I had made it in the top 15! Woot! Chance made it, too! Double woot! So now we are awaiting face to face interviews to see if we make the cut and are selected as the 6 that will compete on the show. Oh my gosh, I know I'll be nervous! I already am, but also very excited at the same time!

Look for my headshot on the promo, this is the photo I used! Wish me luck!

New Release! Black Diamond Classic Grey Satin Dress

I'm so excited to release this dress. It has been forever since I released an outfit that wasn't a cheerleading uniform, since last summer actually! This dress has a satiny texture, and simple classic lines. The belt on this dress is absolutely gorgeous if I must say so myself! The jewels are multilayer sculptie prims, just the belt alone makes this outfit worth it. It's also copy/mod so you can wear it as a hair piece or pin if you wanted. Check it out:

SLURL: Amariah Store

What's in a Name?

I was reading the fashionplanet blog today and the post by Feles Seitan really struck a cord with me. The skin she was reviewing was absolutely beautiful but what caught me was her comment about her RL name, she says, "I have a boring name RL, don’t ask me, and was secretly jealous of girls who had unique names." I totally understand what she is talking about! I have the most common first name for the year I was born, and it continued to be the most popular or in the top 5 for years after. My maiden last name is also the 2nd most common in the US, so my RL maiden name was definitely boring and un-unique, not only that but I have met 4 people in my lifetime that shared my first AND last name, as well as someone famous. It's no wonder I married a guy that has a very unique last name, no one can pronounce it or spell it, which I secretly love.

This brings me to the subject of SL names.
When I first discovered SL over 2 years ago I'm not sure how long it took me to choose my name, but I knew I wanted it to be unique. Sometimes in RL people call me Mariah, like Mariah Carey, because I can sing and back in the 90s I had full long curly hair like hers. But I wanted something special, so I added the "A," Awe-muh-rye-ah . . . rolls off the tongue like butta, doesn't it? Francis? Well, I just picked one from the list that seemed to sound good after it.

Names in SL crack me up, I have a friend that has the longest name ever. I'm not going to write it here but I've seen this technique used by others. The technique is to make your name be a conglomeration of everything you love, like this: Kittenglitterstarberry Fox. Now this technique can end up with an undoubtedly unique name but I'm not sure it's ideal. I mean, who is going to type all that in when they say hi to you, you'll probably end up going by a nickname, which isn't bad allot of people call me Am or Ama. I see others with risque names and some downright offensive. I guess it really all depends on your personality and what you plan to do in SL. I've been (somewhat) paying attention to the modeling world and I find that models with simple elegant names are the ones that are the most successful, so if that is your goal, keep this in mind. And if you mess up the first time around? No biggie, just create an alt! :)

Tip! If you find yourself not knowing what to name your avie or your alt, here's a great article that will help:
http://www.vintfalken.com/how-to-choose-a-second-life-avatar-name-10-tips/

Picture Info:
Swimsuit: Boho Beach Babe, by Nicanor Millions
Hair: 69, Still
Shoes: Beige Real Toe Wedge Sandals, by J's Main Shop
Pose: Zeb&Sly Sit Z14

Amariah Showing Fierce Model Moves

The idea behind this modeling music video is this. I love the catwalk and feel on top of the world. Walking smooth and composed, while my insides are dancing. Check it out!



Watch in High Def for all the pretty details!
Introducing Second Life Model: Amariah Francis
Details about the items used in the video are listed below, in the order they appear.

Black gown: Theresa Black gown, by Clio Cardiff
Necklace: Belle Amie, Your Heart in Mine, by Zanza Marx
Earings: Gift bling earings, by JCNY
Ring: Geneva Marquise, by JCNY
Hair: MADesigns Hair, Alex, by Maddox Dupont
Pose: SP_Sarah Jessica Parker_7 Pose (Striking Poses)

Leezu HansSolo Outfit, by Leezu Baxtor
Hair: Amy Jane in Dune, TRUTH
Shoes: Charlotte Black Low Boots, by INSOLENCE
Cane: Grandma Glitter Class cane, by Baiastice
Pose: 131-BB- standingstatic Pose (Baiastice)

Swimsuit: Boho Beach Babe, by Nicanor Millions
Hair: Linsey, Gurl6
Shoes: Beige Real Toe Wedge Sandals, by J's Main Shop
Pose: SP_Victoria Beckham_8 Pose (Striking Poses)

Pink Feather Outfit: Kira, by Leezu
Hair (blonde up-do): Felicity, by Gurl6
Hair (auburn): Talita, by Hair Solutions
Shoes: Charlotte Black Low Boots, by INSOLENCE
Pose: KSCreations_Pose3-10

Grey Outfit including tights, Brocade Zahir, by Baistice
Hair: Ribbon Beach Blonde, by LeLutka
Shoes: Verve Black, by Maitreya
Pose: Mine

Pinstripe Pant outfit, Savile, by Sonatta Morales
Hair: MADesigns Hair, Alex, by Maddox Dupont
Shoes: Charlotte Black Low Boots, by INSOLENCE
Whip: T&E Whip of Fedelity, by Elen Repine
Pose: SP_Sarah Jessica Parker_7 Pose

Dances: Abranimations

Camera Work: Shaindaman Fiertze & Amariah Francis
Set Design and construction: Amariah Francis
Film Editing, etc: Amariah Francis