With the immensity of Relay for Life’s Christmas Expo, how in the world can you choose what to write about? I’m at a loss for the answer, so I just decided to let fate make the choices for me as I randomly strolled around, checking out the stores.
First of all, major cudos to ALL of the shops, merchants and service providers who donated their time and products to make this winter fund raising event such a success. Relay for Life continues to support the American Cancer Society’s research efforts to fight cancer, find a cure and make life better for those battling the disease.
There are four sims which comprise the Expo shopping area, done in the style of a Victorian Village. Just walking through the sims is a treat. The buildings were designed and made by Cassie Eldemar, who stepped in to solely complete the assignment when her co-builder had to leave due to family issues. The facades look so real and give the village a look which makes you want to search your inventory for those Victorian clothes you’ve stored away. Add twinkling lights and snow covered landscape and you have a perfect holiday shopping setting, not to mention photo ops galore.
Each sim is sponsored by a premier merchant, which serves as the anchor store. I visited the JOY sim first, sponsored by Black Tulip. Black Tulip was known to me from various grid hunts I’ve engaged in. I found lots of fun items of an instructional and building nature inside the store. In addition to sponsoring the sim, Black Tulip participated further by placing vendors inside their store, with sale proceeds of these items going directly to the ACS. The vendor item I liked was a neat Snow Globe, available either finished or a base that you could use to create your own.
I walked next door into a store called Potomac, which I was not familiar with. I was delighted to find many really cute crafty items. I’m a RL quilt lover, and the red Christmas cutie available in the RFL vendor will be going home with me. Also offered in vendors was a bird house and candle arrangement.
I strolled a bit further, and discovered the Bliensen and MaiTai store, well known for their bulldog logo and excellent jewelry. There was plenty to choose from, with their RFL vendors offering a cute white Christmas tree necklace (you can purchase matching earrings) and some festive holiday nail designs.
Another store I’ve encountered many, many times while hunting (a favorite past time) was Roawenwood. Roawenwood is a favorite of mine for their excellently made items. They lean toward Gorean and fantasy theme things, but I’ve found they work very very well in any country/rural setting.
Roawenwood’s RFL vendor items included a terrific mesh Christmas tree, mesh Victorian gown and mesh fireplace set. You’ll note I specified the word mesh about these items. That’s because Roawenwood’s mesh does not contain an anchor prim, so I was bounced from SL when I tried to touch the item. Just a warning for those of you with that funky graphics card which causes this … try before you buy.
If you like your photography using props and poses, then you must check out Eternal Dreams. They have a couple of RFL vendors with very cute items, perfect for group photos at holiday events. The one that my husband and I loved was a simple family pose set on another wall, which is not in a RFL vendor. We tried the pose, minus the child, and he commented this would be perfect for taking pictures with our grandchildren.
My last visited store was River Beds, which I went into just because the name was so catchy. River Beds is a bed store, and they have generously offered each style of their for-sale beds in a RFL vendor — a total of eight vendors in all. The beds were very comfy and full of pose options — with the first one we tested already set to, ahem, a private bedroom scene. The only item not available in a vendor is their auction item, which you should definitely consider bidding on. It’s lovely.
Like I said at the beginning, too many stores to write about in a magazine article, as there are over 80 stores on the four sims. Hope you enjoyed this small taste of what you have in store when YOU visit the 2013 RFL Christmas Expo.