Cytranized Designs

Nerd Test

I couldn't resist!

Wacom and Whip Cream

BabyDoll Island
I just placed an order for an island in Second Life today... hurray!  I've been hoping to do this since December but things never play out as you think they will.  We also got a new car in December, and spent way too much during the Christmas holiday, and just now am I able to take a deep breath and jump into buying an island.  In a week I'll be breathing in virtual island air... haha

I bought the island with BabyDoll.  My Cytra avatar was invited to the Concierge party in Second Life but I don't do anything with her now due to her being gender challenged. So who the hell is Cytra now... well I write this blog... haha  Anyway... the whole time at the party I wanted it to be BabyDoll at the party, not Cytra, so this is the first step to making her more than just a brand.

Wacom Tablet
My husband gave me a gift the other day.... a 6x11 Wacom tablet! :o  Now I know I can use it.. I know I can, I know I can!  It's actually pretty fun to use it in photoshop, but I'm still going to the mouse to hit some filters and run some commands. I need to keep practicing... I'm hoping that in time I'll be so comfortable using it I can play some WoW with it if I wanted to.. hehehe

Apparel in Second Life
On that note... I've taken a step back after I released my Valentine's collection in Second Life just to train, research and take it easy before the March madness commences.  The whole point of it is to increase my skill level.  Since I first started designing, I decided to approach the quanitity over quality way of doing business in Second Life.  Now, my quality is not horrible, seams match and all that stuff, but when I look at other people's work it really hits me and I get all depressed that I could be doing better.  My seams match up, my cuts are fine, and I believe I have a great eye for color.  The imagination certainly isn't lacking when I do more more creative works such as themed costumes.  I need to spend more time detailing.  I'm already making couture seams, and adding texture to fabrics, but I'm unhappy with the quality of my lace, or the originality of my lingerie sets.  I went for basics.. and it worked.  But the artist in me is not satisfied.

March Madness
Everything I will have learnt will be poured into my March theme: swimsuits.  Yes, I am throwing myself another challenge!  Not as hardcore as the October one.. lol  March Madness will constitute of 22 swimsuits in 31 days... I'm taking weekends off, and spending one day a week on a new swimsuit style.  Swimsuits are one to two pieces, 3 at most with a skirt or sarong, so I'll be able to put a lot of time into coming up with new sexy cuts, and then a lot of time detailing the hell out of it.  This exercise will be as beneficial to me I believe as spending a month in school.

A Tidbit about my Work Style
I'm not a socialite.  I'm very hard working and driven.  I like bulk.  I like to do things big.  I believe in specializing. Yeah. ;))

What that means in english is... Yes, I make things that I'd like to wear, but whats more important to me are my customers and I want them to find something in my store that they like.  So in my store, I have stuff for the frilly girls, and stuff for the hardcore bdsm crowd, and everyone in between.  I have from innocent styles to very kinky ones. When people think lingerie, I want them to think...I wonder what's new at BabyDoll's.

17 Weeks Pregnant
I'm growing along quite nicely.... My belly's really poking out now!  I'll be knowing its sex soon. Woohoo! I still have morning sickness though which is no fun at all.  I've had it for 3 months now, and I hope it subsides soon.  I have a really weak stomach.  What would I do with out the morning sickness pills!  It's getting harder and harder to do some things for sure.  I'm not working as much as I'd like to, napping more frequently. I also need to spend time playing both stay at home mom and housewife.  Not to mention how often I have to pee.

Whip Cream
I almost forgot!  Lite Cool Whip is the bees knees lol  Possibly my greatest discovery of 2007 so far.. hahaha It doesn't taste as rich as the real stuff, but makes a fine substitute!  If anyone has ever been curious for whatever reason... my favorite cake is Strawberry Shortcake... for the strawberries and oh my goodness the whip cream.  I could do without the cake.. I really don't enjoy bread and cakes so much... but I'll take some whip cream and fruits any day.  Mmmm!

MySpace and Kids

There's an article about MySpace,  A Towering Danger to Kids, and what they should do to protect our children.  Basically it talks on how MySpace could ask for kids SS#, or have parents validate their children's accounts, to make sure that they are truly underage.  This would eliminate predators and pedophiles trying to pose as kids to lure them to a semi public place or even a private place.  The interview also says a couple interesting things...  if they did this, won't it alienate customers?  Personally, it should make us feel safer about who they are interacting with but it makes you worry about them trusting too much... there are always people who find a way to break the rules.  After all, rules are made to be broken right?

Another point from the article that I liked was where they talked about it being the parent's responsibility to teach their children some of the dangers found on the Internet... also known as never trust anyone you meet online.  This goes for adults too! lol  One rule I will definately enforce when my kids are old enough is that they will not have a computer in their bedroom, not until they turn at least 16 or 17 and are mature enough to understand that the world isn't all sugar and lollipops.

The bottom line, as stated in the article, is that not enough is being done.  Sure, MySpace is not the only social network out there that doesnt do enough *cough*There*cough* but they are a leader and solutions they develop will surely be used by other social networks who don't want to be sued for not doing enough.

Oh yeah.... I'm 13 weeks pregnant already... time sure does fly!

A New Year is Upon Us!

Today is another update day for Second Life so I thought I'd take a few minutes and blog.  This year is going to be an amazing year for me.  First, I'm pregnant.  I'll have a second bambino added to my family around July or August.  I haven't seen a doctor yet but I have my very first appointment tomorrow. Yay!  This is very exciting news for me as I've been hoping for my kids to have 2 years apart and no more.  My closest sister and I are only 11 months apart, and I loved having someone my age to get in trouble with.   

Secondly, Spore is due to be released sometime in the second half of this year.  This is also very exciting news as it will give me a new pet website to work on.  I've been following the progress of Spore at my other blog, SporeRevolution.com, since early April 2006, and the release date is still the second half of 2007.  The last source said July 2007, but I'm starting to think it will be a little later. 

At this point, I am looking to either sell or give away ThereInPerson.com.  I have lost my interest in it and I believe its time for it to be under new management.  When I last worked on the new design, I was trying to make it more of a self sustaining social network, but ran out of steam and commitment due to no pay.  I'm thinking about posting it to Ebay or something and see what happens.  You might be thinking, why would I start a new web project when I don't enjoy the current one?  There In Person was a great learning experience for me, but not anywhere close to the multi million dollar website I want to run one day. :)  I believe I'm ready to work on and manage a larger project that might actually have some return.  Also, I don't play There anymore.  With new, bigger and better things coming up all the time, I need to trim the fat and focus on the next step.

This leads me to my third reason why 2007 will be an awesome year for me.  Second Life has become a real job to me, and I am embracing it.  I do have plans to release more clothing for both There and IMVU in the next couple months as part of a strategy to extend to all clients, but most of my work will be for Second Life due to its business model.  My focus has shifted from socializing, to creating only, and I'm anxious to see my business grow two-fold, and perhaps even three-fold before the end of the year.

Coming up next:  my own island!

Oh Noooo! Not another Update!!

I am having a trip watching the events unfold for the update this Wednesday.  So after totally screwing up SL with the last update, they are rolling out another one this Wednesday and everyone is crying.  I sure hope to God that they choose to listen to the people and wait on releasing another buggy fix.  I'm a bit disappointed--and so are many people--about how the last update turned out. But you know what..... we keep coming back.  I'm starting to get used to the blows... are you? lol  As someone posted to the official LL blog:  Brace for Impact!!

Seriously though... its pretty bad when people beg a company not to release anymore bug fixes... lol

I'll definately have a drink Wednesday night if all is well after the next update!

My Brainchild BabyDoll

I posted over a month ago to say that I was a busy bee in Second Life.  Finally, the craziness has died down enough for me to let my hair down and take a deep breath, and tell you all about it.

Not being a man, I quickly ran out of steam making men's clothing.  For one, I did not enjoy dressing up as a man... being a shim may be some people's thing but not mine... ;)  I felt like I was losing too much touch with my girly side which I think every woman should embrace.  So going from one deep end to the next, the first outfit I made for women was a school girl outfit in 5 colors and lace lingerie in 10 colors.  I created a new avatar for this, BabyDoll LaFontaine, for a couple reasons.  Since I had decided to branch out with lingerie and fantasy clothing, BabyDoll was very fitting and was a keyword in itself. 

The hardest part about BabyDoll was not telling everyone about it!  As the advocate for children on the web and Internet safety I felt like I was being a hypocrite by doing this. But then I started thinking... I'm an adult, I am running a business, and if anyone should know about the dangers online and be able to do anything about it, it would be someone like me!   And the main grid is 18+ anyway, there is no need to hide it.  I know its a lot more than most people would do, but I feel comfortable making this type of apparel. I am selling sexy, not sex, and if anyone has that confused I am quick to clear it up for them. 

The school girl was an instant hit, and sold way better than most of my men's clothing... I decided to take her to the next level. So now, a couple months later, my inventory has grown a lot.  From nurses to bunnies to french maids, there is now something for everyone.  I am specializing in lingerie, with many different styles and different fabrics.  I have gotten really good with using lace, latex and mimicing suede, leather, velour, and those darn creases and shades. This October I made 31 outfits in 31 days and had a huge sale this last week and was wow'd by the results.  I can't wait to see what the future has in store for BabyDoll.

I have been thinking about making a website for BabyDoll, but haven't decided on what type yet.  I've been toying with catalogue ideas or a blog... or maybe both.  We'll see... First I need a good domain name!  So no, I wont be posting any of BabyDoll's designs here.  This is not the place for them.  I feel that BabyDoll needs to be her own entity, seperate from my Cytra alias.

And those are my stories for now!  After last month's madness I need a break to take care of whats been neglected!

Where am I!!!

Hello!

It's been a while since my last post here... I have been in Second Life designing like a mad woman! I am making more than flipping burgers now... yay!  I'll try to update more in the near future!

Cytra

Wedding Outfits with Gold Chains

I completed two outfits that are very similar today.  There is the white leather and gold chains above, and Black Leather and Gold Chains.  A couple weeks ago I was contacted by a couple and asked to design an outfit.  The guy wanted this type of vest with chains, one in white for himself and 4 black ones for his best men.  The difference between them, other than being black and white, is that the white version has a gold trim on the front of the vest and on the side of the legs. I am selling both at the Cytranized Castle now for L$400 per outfit.

Evil Eva T-Shirts

Evil Eva t-shirts are now for sale at the Cytarnized Castle!  The individual t-shirts sell for L$200, and the bundles L$800.  I was considering selling them for less, but ladies and gentlemen, not only is the artwork original, but its also exclusive.   

Quebec, Here I Come!!

I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning, headed towards Quebec! We'll be spending a couple days in Quebec City, a couple days furthur up North, a couple more days in Quebec City, and then a couple days in Niagara Falls.   My parents are hosting a family party and it is time to take out the camping gear!!

My sister who lives in Quebec City is quite the artist.  Here is some of her old artwork.  I will be buying some art from her and will be using them on t-shirts in Second Life. I'll be a designing little bee when I return.. Yay!!

This morning I made a logo for the There Games 2006 and sent it to Mackie.  Here it is. 

I hope you all have a great week!!