The Witches Brew Gridwide Hunt

I'm very excited to be participating in the SL Discovery Witches Brew Gridwide Hunt which runs from October 1, 2009 to October 31, 2009. In total, there are 119 shops to find treasures at. You're looking for a witches cauldron filled with goodies. Hopefully I didn't make mine too hard to find :))
This hunt is circular so you can start at any location and follow it through. Here is my main store Tatiana's Tea Room

Have fun!

L'Amour Comédien Commode

This exquisitely detailed commode was designed for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette by Joseph Stockel in 1786.

Bronze gilt delicately covers the mahogany while porcelain plaques grace the front (the actors or "comédiens") and sides (a bouquet of flowers). The top is of white marble with a beveled edge.

This luxurious piece is equally at home in an old world chateau or modern apartment.

You can find this piece at my main store or on the SL Marketplace: L'Amour Comédien Commode

Hot Air Ballooning

The first manned hot-air balloon, designed by the Montgolfier brothers , takes off from the Bois de Boulogne, Paris, on November 21, 1783

The first clearly recorded instance of a balloon carrying passengers used hot air to generate buoyancy and was built by the brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier in Annonay, France. These brothers came from a family of paper manufacturers and had noticed ash rising in paper fires. The Montgolfier brothers gave their first public demonstration of their invention on June 4, 1783. After experimenting with unmanned balloons and flights with animals, the first tethered balloon flight with humans on board took place on October 19, 1783 with the scientist Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, the manufacture manager, Jean-Baptiste Réveillon and Giroud de Villette, at the Folie Titon in Paris. The first free flight with human passengers was on 21 November 1783. King Louis XVI had originally decreed that condemned criminals would be the first pilots, but de Rozier, along with Marquis Francois d'Arlandes, successfully petitioned for the honor. The first hot air balloons were essentially cloth bags (sometimes lined with paper) with a smoky fire built on a grill attached to the bottom. They were susceptible to catching fire, often upon landing, although this occurred infrequently.

Only a few days later, on December 1, 1783, Professor Jacques Charles and Nicholas Louis Robert made the first gas balloon flight, also from Paris. The hydrogen filled balloon flew to almost 2,000 feet (600 m), stayed aloft for over two hours and covered a distance of 27 miles (43 km), landing in the small town of Nesle.

From Wikipedia: History of ballooning

Can you imagine the excitment this must have generated! I do get a chuckle thinking of Louis XVI decreeing test pilots should be condemned criminals. What a great way to make an escape! I also love the connection between hot air balloons and wallpaper as the story of Jean-Baptiste Réveillon reveals. It seems his papier blue d'Angleterre was a favourite of Marie Antoinette's.

Thanks to the work of Harleywan Haggwood, the Duché de Coeur has many hot air balloons available for public use. It's a wonderful way to explore the Duchy especially now that the trees are such vivid autumn colours. Visit le Jardin Francais, Provence Coeur Est2 Hot Air Balloons & Carousel for free rides. Wane's Baroque Balloons are also available for purchase at this location.

Royal Courts of Second Life

Royal Courts of Second Life: A gathering of courtiers from the virtual world of Second Life®.

I'm delighted to report that the social network Royal Courts of Second Life has returned. Originally launched by Elizabeth Cavendish, the site attracted members from many of the historical royal courts operating within Second Life®. With Elizabeth moving on to other adventures, I decided to jump in and recreate the site giving it a bit of a different look and adding some new features. Since its opening on Friday, the site has been growing in leaps & bounds. Many of the old members have returned and new faces are being seen.

One of the most exciting features of this social network is the ability to announce & coordinate upcoming events. This section is open to all members and is a wonderful way to build the community by fostering connections between the various SL courts.

You will see that the forum is divided up into various categories. Some of the categories, like General Discussion, are old standards. Other categories, like Court Etiquette, may prove to be popular. They may also prove to duds and will then be adjusted as we go :)) The Architecture category is already growing; not a surprise considering the fantastic builds that are happening throughout the courts.

Royal Courts of Second Life is open to anyone that has a Second Life® account. I invite you to take a look and see what you think!

Pirate Raid over Normandie

Ahoy, The local Gentry of the Duchy de Coeur desire to be entertained by a race of combat (SPD/TSS) vessels in the waters of Normandie Coeur. All Seaman, Pyrates and Landlubbers who can Captain a ship invited to attend.

~~~~~~~ Captains ~~~~~~~
Captains must come with their own ship and enrol in the race a few minutes minutes before the race starts. Of course, Captains could participate with his usuall crew or enrol some of the assistants to the event at their own discretion.

The race will start in Normandie Coeur East Bay and run through Normandie Couer Harbour. The Captain who scores the highest total of points (100 to the 1st to complete 5 rounds of the course.. 50 to each who completes the course and 10 bonus points for each mine hazard destroyed) will be judged the winner and have the honor of being awarded a trophy by the Duc and Duchesse de Coeur.

Slower vessels proving to be a hazard to navigation of the course may be hastened along by cannon fire as Captains deem fit to engage. Mariners are cautioned that spectators may also fire upon their vessels from ashore in an effort to tip the scales for their favorites. Additionally it is rumored that Normandie waterways may be mined. Vessels which are sunk during the race will be considered beyond repair and disqualified from further competition.

In the event that no vessel remains sufficiently sea worthy to complete 5 rounds of the course the winner will be determined by the last vessel remaining afloat and able to make way.

The race will begin on Sunday Sept 13 th at 8 bells ( Noon SLT). Please do feel free to come and practice the course in advance. Fair winds, following seas and good shooting to all participants.

~~~~~~~ Civilians ~~~~~~~We encourage specially all the residents or friends of the Duchy of Coeur to come and help against this naval attack. We have place around the docks and shores all the cannons that we found ready to use and need your help to shot the ships and sink them all, avoididng a possible terrible raid over our beautiful lands!!!!

The Duc and Duchesse de Coeur will award civilians that show their decision and good aim against the assault forces.


~~~~~~~ Party ~~~~~~~At the end of the event, all people, winners and losers, civilians and seamans, pirates and landlubbers will be invited to participate in a great pirate party in Languedoc Taverne, near the beach, where all together we will finish all the rum and wine that we find in the Duchy's cellars!

Contact Seamus Garbardini & Trasgo Beaumont for further information.

Turn, Turn, Turn

To everything
(Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season
(Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose
Under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

A time of war, a time of peace
A time to love, a time to hate
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sow
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late.

From the book of Ecclesiastes via Pete Seeger.

Marie Antoinette's personal "en gaulle" and professional "à la rose" guises as painted by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun.

Oh the Labour Day Weekend!! Not even New Year's Day can rival it as a time of transitions. The summer is all but over as children & young adults head back to school. The days are shorter, the temperature is cooler and those of us that are lucky enough to have taken a summer breather are gearing up for the next foray into our working world.

As usual, I have accomplished about twenty percent of what I had planned to do during my summer break. The house is a bit cleaner, the garden a bit tidier, my health a bit better especially since my stress level is a bit lower. My SL version of le Petit Trianon has grown (but just a bit!) and I'm looking forward to continuing with all of my projects through the fall and winter.

All of this put me in mind of Marie Antoinette and her eventual pursuit of a more private and simple way life. She would retreat to le Petit Trianon, just as we retreat to our cottages or our backyards during a "staycation", to enjoy her gardens and the company of her friends. She abandoned the restrictive court dress and heavy makeup in favour of white muslin gowns and simple straw hats, telling her visitors that "I shall be quite alone so don't dress up; country clothes and the men in frockcoats".

Thanks to two paintings done in 1783 by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun a visual comparison of the private and public Marie Antoinette is easy to make. Elena Maria Vidal has blogged about both of these portraits and their deeper implications at Chemise à la reine and Marie-Antoinette à la Rose .

I always hope that Marie Antoinette found both joy and peace of mind during her times away from her professional life at court allowing her to return rejuvenated, ready to tackle the mountain of tasks at hand. Come to think of it, that's also my wish for myself! May we all find pleasure in going forward as the wheel turns.

Petit Trianon as Blogged at Vain Inc.

Gaia Laval in a "Robe a l'Anglais" at the Petit Trianon.

I was delighted to discover that Gaia Laval mentioned my work in her blog Robe a l'Anglais (English Dress) over at Vain Inc. It's so exciting to see the Petit Trianon and the Queen's Hamlet through someone else's eyes. And am I ever glad that I took the time to texture the underside of that gueridon nicely :))

Thanks Gaia!!