Roawenwood: Design & Craft

Recently a little bird snuck up on me and whispered in my ear…. she was quite convincing, one of those types that you just tilted your head listening while they talked… so, while I was pondering the thoughts that were running rampant around in my brain (like usual) the idea blossomed.

Last week we released the blacksmith and butcher, bakers ovens alongside… quite a bit of work, men heaving heavy hammers and working around the forge… sweat pouring down over their brow and at the end of the day making their way home ready to relax.

Not everyone has the luxury of a full bath, and not everyone even wants one but still likes to have that intimate service performed for them, and what could be more intimate than a nice lengthy sponge bath.  Hence the latest release down here at Roawenwood…

Roughly hewn wood, a bucket with cloth and towel beneath.  The bench has 3 couples sets included in it.  One bathing animation that runs over the chest, along the legs, up along the inner thighs….. mhmm, it’s a good one.  Then two more sets, one sitting at the feet… the other sitting at the feet but a little bit closer, nestled up against Masters knee.  This is a nice addition I think.  See pic for more info and to get an idea.

This week there’s a nice big update.  A couple weeks ago or so a customer came to me and said they had this idea for a firebrick oven.  I’ve heard of them and had honestly thought about creating one but one for the kitchen more than anything.  Smaller.  Hadn’t considered making a larger one but when I started looking into it and from their ideas I read about how communities used to at times have these large brick ovens.  People would come and bring their dough taking turns baking within it.  I just was tickled by the idea… so I decided to go ahead and try to build an oven.

I will admit, I had a hard time at first.  Couldn’t get what I wanted out of my head and into the prims…. but I kept at it and pop, there it went, it started to come together.  The good thing, I simply adore these.  I got a little involved in making them and getting everything just right… and then when I was almost done with the bakers stuff I was all excited because… what if I decided to take the basic shed and design I’ve been using and expand on it.  Butcher and blacksmith were the next two to roll around in my workshop.  Things I’ve been meaning to rework or do anyhow but hadn’t gotten around to.  Well when the mood strikes that’s when you take advantage!

So this week I released them all!

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ BUTCHER:  The butchers set has a shed with a small smokehouse type thing along the back.  Included with the shed is an animated butchers table, fires, hanging lantern, shed, and an extra set of barrels with meat lying across the top.   The bench can be purchased separately from the shed too which can be nice if you don’t want the whole thing.

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ BAKER:  One more basic version, the oven with a bread making animation, placing the bread in and out of the oven.  It comes with a couple accessories for your scene.  Looky looky:

The REALLY nice one is the shed.  I like this one a lot.  It has the brick oven, PLUS it is accessorized AND you can go all the way through the makings of your bread or baked good.  Animations included: washing hands, mixing dough, kneeding, rolling dough, baking it and then sweeping up afterwards.  Animations needing props will automatically give you what you need to wear and you’re set!

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔  BLACKSMITH:  The last release for now is the blacksmith.  Of course I couldn’t skimp on this either so it is being released in three pieces.  The actual Blacksmith Shed that handily goes along with the rest of the sheds though it is the biggest of the three.  Accessories are included, see the picture attached.   A blacksmith of course needs his anvil, and for good measure a grinding stone.  The anvil has a relaxing animation at the base of the stump… then set to do your blacksmithing in two ways… one with a sword, then one with tongs and a horseshoe.  I figured this would be less limiting so those in different kinds of rp can still use it.  The grind stone turns when you sit and stops on its own when you get up, click it to receive a sword to work with and wear it.

Now the scary part is… I still have a few pieces working up in my shop that I am going to be adding to this, so there should be at least one larger thing and maybe a few smaller to round it out.  I think it is turning out nicely really.  The Haunted Forest hunt is coming to a close after this weekend and then Roawenwood isn’t in a hunt until Dec.  I have quite a few going on though so you won’t miss it at all.  I updated and added a twisted candy cane hanging cage over at Splinter’d in the mini mania… If you don’t want to try to win it, you can purchase it… I set it out easy to find.  Hard to miss really. lol

Have a great weekend and talk to you soon.

So much going on like usual.  Sometimes headed in one direction then it’s like… “oh shiny” something else gets my attention or grabs it, sometimes something I want to get into… sometimes not but I’m having fun in general so it’s all good.

Writing to do a few updates, later on I’m going to pick the monthly contest winner for October and announce the Nov. contest.  This month I’m upping the prize I think… just for this month.  It’s Roawenwood’s 4th anniversary so we’re going to make it a lil more than usual.  Can you believe it?  Seriously… I’ve been plunking away, creating, and meeting interesting people for the last four years!  Wow!  Sometimes just thinking about it… hard to believe.  So then I wonder, hmmm just what would people really like to see go on?  What brand new or old favorite would captivate the crowd and folks who frequent Roawenwood.  I’m not entirely sure, so I’m still thinking about it!  Anyone have some ideas drop me a NC, and mention you saw me talking about it on the blog and I’ll give you a 500L gift certificate… give me a few ideas and you never know what might happen.

I have some exciting news!  I got into the Peace on Earth Grid Hunt this year.  It could be fun I think.  Also have a couple other hunts going on but mainly in December.  I had so many in October that I’m kinda sorta taking a breather through November.  Partly to make the things for December’s hunts, and keep up with normal store stuff.  I was teetering there on a bit of a burn out recently which I’m still recovering from… don’t want to push too hard else I might sort of fade for a bit.  I don’t really like those moods so I try to pay attention to them when they hit.

What else…. let’s see.

Well I did mention we were buzzin so that leads me to talk to you about last weeks release.  I had a customer come to me asking if I had any beekeeper supplies.  I had to admit I didn’t, and also admitted it was something I had considered doing but never got around to.  So we talked for awhile and of course then I just had to see what I could come up with for it.  I tend to take some of those types of conversations as a ‘challenge’ to myself.  So I poked around some, learned a little bit about beekeeping… you know it is quite fascinating really, almost made me want to try to raise a few honeybees… if I didn’t have family who was allergic I’d probably give it a go or consider it.  *laughs*  Anyhow… I created a set and broke it up in three pieces.  You can get it as a whole at a discounted price, or just the one or two pieces that you really want.  I do realize that not everyone wants a big set.. maybe just some hives, or something.  The one part is a set of Beekeepers Accessories.  There’s a set of shelves, pots, crates, honey jars that sort of thing and then a stool with a working animation.  When you click the stool you receive a honeycomb frame and a capping scratcher.  A capping scratcher is a funky little tool used by beekeepers to poke through the wax caps that bees put over the honey when it is in the honeycomb.  Sitting on the stool you begin working, wear the frame and the scratcher… you’re all set.

Another part of the set is the Hives and Bee Skeps… the most basic of needs are met with this part.  There’s two sets of skeps in cabinets.  The doors work on the cabinets, and there are particle bees buzzing around them.  The main difference between the two cabinets is that the one has a working animation in it.  Bee smoking, click the skeps get a smoker to wear and then right click to sit… you’ll work the smoker back and forth.  There’s also a more conventional and recognizable square bee hive with a top that hinges upwards on a click… a couple of honeycomb frames leaning on the side.  Included there is another Bee Smoker but this one is an avatar attachment, it is wearable and you can move around with it and still have the bee smoking animation.

The final piece is a Honey Extractor.  This was the part that took the most time really as I worked with an animator to try to get something that was ‘workable’.  The extractor has a crank handle… jump on and you begin to turn the crank while the gears and frames within the barrel actually turn and in general work as an extractor would.  It’s really quite fun I think adding an extra element of reality or fun to your role play if you feel like having it.

So that’s the set!  Like always I’ve embedded what animations I could so there isn’t a lot of poseballs (I have to admit that the extractor does use a poseball so it all works together), and textured it with fine detailing customizing some of them for this piece specifically.  You can see it in world, and at the moment it is at the landing point though it will be moved into the chore/work area.

Going to wrap up this post because I think it is getting a bit long.  Will write again soon with contest winners and the like!

Have a great Monday!

Woot!  I was able to get into this weeks 25L round.  It’s been tough even with a little bit of warning of when reservations are going to be I keep missing them.  Hard to catch the right time and I swear… scouts honor the last time I actually got into the round… it was almost entirely full ‘cept for a couple in the time it took me to get the notice reservations were open, try to tp there, crash, log back in and go to the spot.  *laughs*  All of maybe 10 minutes?  15 tops…. sooooo ya, I’m not getting into the rounds so well.

Sooooooo I put out something that I don’t have in my store even…. an animated tea tray with the tower pose.  It runs through the kneel, and then sits with the tray propped on your hands.  It’s not too bad, though I’d probably mess with it a wee bit more for an actual release it looks good.  Silver tray and gives out cups of tea to drink on click.

I also marked down the Skulls n Denim outfit.  Figured for the time of year why not… and I like that one even if not everyone does.

So for today only you can get these wonderful items for just 25L.

I’ll have more tomorrow, it is after all Hump Day.  I’m trying to decide when to put out more of my Halloween/Autumn type stuff.  Don’t want to too early, cuz yanno… well… you just don’t, but don’t want to wait TOO long either.  Plus plus…. it’s just well……… FUN!

Talk to you all soon.

Farm workers rejoice!  This weeks release is RIGHT up your alley.  Remember the vulo set I did awhile back… tons of birds, roosts, egg gathering chores.  Well I am kind of considering this an addon almost to that sort of thing, to that line.  Now we have chickens!  Some very nice ones too.  Only three prims apiece and the accessory pack is copiable so you can have as many as you want.

Not ONLY do we now gots chickens… I made a lil coop/hutch for them… it could be used for the chickens, vulos, or…. dare I say it…. Bunnies!  Ok, I got that out of my system.  This turned out nice with some very nice shading along the sculpts and throughout.

The one that I really wanted to let you know about is a new chore…. one I have been REALLY wanting for awhile but never had the animation to be able to do.  Scattering feed… like to chickens or birds.  I’m so hyped you wouldn’t believe it, and over something so simple too!  Low prim, it weighs in at 4… embedded animation, and near the landing so you can try it out.