Awws, look, My friend Maribel Buttons was kind enough to use an Icing on the Kake decal in her gorgeous example of just how lovely a good pic, unedited, can look in her post, Unedited, on her blog, So . . . Buttons!

So... Buttons!

Something I hear a lot is that in order to be a good photographer in SL, you must have mad Photoshop skills. While Photoshop can definitely be used to enhance your photos, I wholly disagree that if you don’t have or don’t know how to use PS, you can’t produce great photos in SL.

My dear friend Harlow Heslop has issued a challenge- Unedited: A blogger/photographer challenge. For this challenge, you are able to use any windlight setting but may not enhance the photograph in any way. It is a fantastic way to test your photography skills and think of new ways to take photographs that don’t need to be altered. Here are a couple of my entries so far:

One thing I have learned that is really important to SL photography is angle. Some angles tend to distort your images, and no amount of editing will be able…

View original post 240 more words

I’m So Vain, I Definitely Think This Song Is About Me

Vanity

Styling Credits:

Panties: !dM – MoulinRouge diamondPanties **BLACK** (from Chanimations)

Skin: -Glam Affair Layla Natural – D 12

Lipstick: -Glam Affair – Layla lipstick – desire

Hair: ::Exile:: Famous For Nothing Sable (Festival of Sin Exclusive)

Lashes: [Lelutka] – 2011 lashes/curl/touch me

Tattoo: [sYs] LILITH tattoo – hand 1 (Festival of Sin exclusive)
[sYs] LILITH tattoo – lower 1 (see above)
[sYs] LILITH tattoo – upper (see above)

Cleavage: Glam Affair – Cleavage – natural – tattoo v2 layer

Eyes: IKON Utopia Eyes – Pale Green (XL) (Gift from creator – IKON Innovia)

Shoes: Slink Firefly Stiletto Gold (Exclusive for One Eleven event – no longer available)

House: Trompe Loeil – The Ka’u Beach Skybox [mesh] (exclusive for Festival of Sin)

Pose: *~*HopScotch*~* Envy Me 5 (exclusive for Festival of Sin)

TP to Festival of Sin

Lusting Over The Festival of Sin

The Festival of Sin, an event themed around the Seven Deadly Sins and brought to you by exposeur owner/creator RubyStarlight Writer is, oh em gee, so lust-worthy. In short, it’s filled with top-notch creators and content, in a wonderful sim, and has inspired some truly breathtaking content. The event opens on Saturday February 18, 2012 at 5pm slt (pst). Some things to keep in mind. First, it IS an adult event on an adult sim with adult content. It is NOT for the faint of heart or those easily offended by sex, violence, nudity, etc. (Yes, it’s filled with all the yummy stuffs *grins*)! Second and perhaps most important and innovative, there is a script-counting gate at the main entrance. If you’re not under 60 scripts, you ain’t gettin’ any farther than the landing point. Hopefully, this should help reduce lag to an extent. Last, but certainly not least, for those of you mesh-lovin’ folk out there, you’ll be in hog heaven. The Festival of Sin creators include many talented designers using mesh and doin’ it well. Totally lust-worthy indeed. And now, on to the necessities… the styling credits…

DECOR:
Bed: Mudhoney Taylor Bed (comes in Adult & PG versions for Festival of Sin: Lust-themed)
House: ::MH:: Weekend Skybox (Modest House)
Picture: Mudhoney Vintage Postcard Framed
Champagne: 333 – Ice Bucket Champagne Dom Perignon Rose’
Table: Bokja small side table from Melino Style

FASHION:
ME:
Shirt: [Aura] Retro Henley – Malibu (available at Festival of Sin – Lust)
Shorts: league Booty-Shorts~D.Blue
Bracelets: erratic / silver cuffs
Socks: erratic / striped socks / white-pink
Sneaks: INDI Designs – Olivieri Sneakers white/pink
Hair: Wasabi Pills/ Kamiko Mesh Hair – (BOOBS) – Rye
Shape – This is a Fawn (now defunct) COCO (it’s mod/copy and this is version 30, I think, modification-wise, if that tells ya anything)
Skin – [Aura] Helena – Honey – Breast Option – Used (Available at Festival of Sin – Lust)
Eyes: IKON Utopia Eyes – Black (XL) (gift from creator – IKON Innovia)
Eyebrows: -Glam Affair – Eyebrows Shape B (came with one of any number of skins)
Lipgloss: [sauce] pink elephant ; lipgloss (from a previous collabor88)
Tattoo: .::Delusions::. Forever 1 (for Festival of Sin – Lust)

MALE MODEL: Chua Gunawan – no styling details available at this time

POSES:
(.:exposeur:.) Lover To Lover (available at Festival of Sin – Lust)
(.:exposeur:.) Never Gonna Leave This Bed (books provided) (available at Festival of Sin – Lust)]

where it’s at – my beloved beach retreat

Okay, so you are all already familiar with part of where it’s at, whether you realize it or not. Featured in my previous post, I Gave Myself the Beach, where it’s at is home to my by-and-large well-received beach cottage, which was the focus of the previous post. where it’s at is what I named the parcel the house stands on, therefore, guess what? You FINALLY get to SEE the WHOLE friggin’ beach! Bout damn time, right? Le sigh, what can I say? It’s been a rough month. My sincerest apologies for the delay, regardless. I like to think I used the existing terraforming and landscaping – provided by my wonderful realty company, YourHOME, in such a way as to both complement it and enhance it. Though, really, you be the judge. Like . . .

NOW!

Purple Bush: Tiki Tattoo – Bougainvillea Pink

Trampoline: Tiki Tattoo – Trampoline

Fallen Palm: Tiki Tattoo – 2009 Palm Fallen Scripted

Everything pictured on mat: Tiki Tattoo – 2010 duo lounge set Ocean Box

Bottle palm with orange flowers: Tiki Tattoo – Strelitzia

Deck: DIGS – Edlyn Covered Dock – SLH (for Royal Living Summer Lovin’ Hunt)

Picnic table and accessories: {what next} Garden Picnic Bench

Towels on dock: Tiki Tattoo – towels

Yellow Bush next to dock: Tiki Tattoo – Bush yellow

Purple Bush next to dock: Tiki Tattoo – Bush Purple

Pink Bush on far side of dock: Tiki Tattoo – Roses Red

Fishing pole/fish: Tiki Tattoo Fishing set

Blue Chaises by ocean: /artilleri/ Bette sunlounger *grandma floral* (x2)

Multi-colored bush by house: PINK LAUREL – Tiki Tattoo Garden

House: Bazar WHITE BEACH COTTAGE

Butterflies: *alirium* butterflies yellow A (part of free gift available at alirium)

Palms/hanging furniture: Tiki Tattoo – 2010 BANYONS Palm Sofa 2010

Clothesline: Tiki Tattoo – Girly Washing line

All other landscaping provided by realty company – YourHOME

Red Bush: Tiki Tattoo – Anthurium

Hot tub: Abiss Envy Tub

Candles: Small candle by Abiss (part of Abiss Envy Tub set)

Wine bottle and glasses: :: Awesome Blossom :: Ladoix White Wine set

Orange Bush: Tiki Tattoo – Bird of Paradise

Tree with twisted trunk: Tiki Tattoo – Green Tree Large

Green Bush: Tiki Tattoo – Phenix

Other landscaping provided by realty company – YourHOME

Trampoline: Tiki Tattoo – Trampoline

Deck: DIGS – Edlyn Covered Dock – SLH (for the Royal Living Summer Lovin’ Hunt)

Clothesline: Tiki Tattoo – Girly Washing line

Palms & Swings set: Tiki Tattoo – 2010 BANYONS Palm Sofa 2010

Rum tray on table: Tiki Tattoo – Rhum Cocktail Giver

House: Bazar WHITE BEACH COTTAGE

Butterflies: *alirium* butterflies yellow A (part of free gift at alirium)

Deck: DIGS – Edlyn Covered Dock – SLH (for the Royal Living Summer Lovin’ Hunt)

Fishing Pole with fish: Tiki Tattoo Fishing set

Red Bush: Tiki Tattoo – Roses Red

And, as you’ve heard before, that’s all she wrote, folks! (For now, anyway). ❤

I gave myself the beach!

Yup, that’s right. I wanted the friggin’ beach so bad, I would’ve sworn to you Second Life was scratch and sniff and somewhere where I wasn’t you could smell the salt air, if only you had the right viewer. Alas, that is not the case. That aching for sea and sand and windblown hair and salt air is somewhat abated though if you rent yourself (supposedly for just a month but we’ll see how strong your resolve is on that one) a slightly more expensive than you intended to get but, oh. so well-done, beach parcel. YourHOME, the rental company I found my parcel at, is highly skilled in the art of artful terraforming, landscaping, and the like. They even provide a raft and swim balls! I returned the raft and a few items of landscaping (randomly placed palm fronds only, if I recall correctly). So, unless it’s listed in the styling section, any landscaping items (i.e., rocks, palms, off-sim items) were provided by the wonderful folks who kindly rent me my oasis and retreat. “where it’s at,” as I have dubbed my new home, is only partially house — I created a network of little hangouts decorated and landscaped into the framework of the existing terraforming and landscaping. I got to play a lot with this parcel since I didn’t need to use as many prims on plants, etc, as I might normally. And, of course, the first thing I did was find a great coastal hideaway and rez it in the most scenic spot. I know! You must be itching to get to the pics by now! However, despite all the yummy goodness coming your way, I do have to give you bad news first. I promise to follow it with immediate good news, though!

See, here’s the kicker: you aren’t going to get to see the whole parcel today. I decided it was too much of an undertaking, involved too many styling notes, too many pics, etc, for one post. So, I broke it up into two sections: the house and the rest of the parcel, of which only one section is included in today’s post. Now, for the good news — you do, however, get to see the entirety of the house today! So, without further ado, I’ve got six pics you might like to take in, if you’re so inclined . . .

where it’s at (my current Home base/Beach Cottage/Parcel):

House creator = Ria Bazar, only available on the marketplace, On sale for 999L!

Styling:

House: ~Bazar~ *White Beach Cottage* (creator’s name = Ria Bazar, on sale for 999L, only available on the marketplace)

Butterflies: *alirium* butterflies blue B (only 1 prim and part of a freebie pack at alirium)!

Tree Light: Tiki Tattoo – Forest Light Duo

Potted Plant: Tiki Tattoo – Hawaiian Palm in Pot

Chairs and Table: :CP: Morrisey Lemon Rocker w/Lamp, :CP: Morrisey Lemon Table, :CP: Morrisey Lemon Rocker (from :CP: Morrisey Lemon)

Roses: 2 x Tiki Tattoo – Roses Red

Lights on upper deck: LISP – Tearose Lantern String copyable (mod too!)

Welcome Mat: {what next} Marin Doormat

Plant to side of house/behind deck: PINK LAUREL – Tiki Tattoo Garden

 

Next up: you get to see me kickin’ back and chillin’ in my beach abode!

Beach Cottage Living Room Furniture & Decor

Styling:

Window Seat: built-into house

Pics above Window Seat: :CP: Vintage Posters

Coffee table, books, candles, blanket, basket with blanket: :CP: Scattered Table

Wine bottle/glasses: :: AB :: White Wine Set (part of :: AB :: Sephia Chaise Set for SUYS, copy/mod)

Rug: {what next} Coastal Cottage Rug (blue)

Fish on wall: LISP – Shoal of Fish with Spare back Shadow

Couch: /artilleri/ Glasgow couch *yellow* (texture-change pillows, different sits in all three seats, copy/mod)

End table/fruit bowl/coffee cup next to couch: /artilleri/ Elgin side table (for FLF)

Surf Books on Elgin side table: Prop Surf Books 2 (creator Nanu Ragu)

End table/decor next to armchair: :CP: Milly’s Garage Sale Table (for FLF, 6 tabletop textures,
4 rez item theme options)

Armchair: :CP: Porch Chair – Coastal (6 pillow/seat texture theme options, comes in copy & trans versions)

 

I tried to inject a touch of sophistication into an otherwise funky/shabby chic  interior, via the side room:

Kake's Coastal Elegance

Styling:

Rugs: {SS} Spring Cleaning Rug – Mother’s Room (blue from Sea Salt), {SS} Roadtrip Rug – Omaha (light pink from Sea Salt)

Watering Can Flowerpot: LISP – Sunny Sunflowers in a Cornflower Jug

Dark Chest: :CP: Old Saybrook Daybed Chest (Copy) (from Saybrook Set)

Candles on Dark Chest: **InteriorAddiction** Candle (small), (medium), and (large)

Daybed, Canopy, Sconces: :CP: Old Saybrook Daybed (Copy), :CP: Old Saybrook Daybed Canopy (Copy), :CP: Old Saybrook Sconce (Copy)

Glass Bottles/shelf: LISP – Message in a Bottle Collection

Glass-top table: {what next} Keepsakes Table

Wine cupboard: :CP: Greta Wine Cabinet (:CP: = Cheeky Pea; with everything rezzed; also comes in boho version)

Mail Sorter: elefantu [Memories in written form.]

Light Chest: LISP – Sea Chest – Touch Middle to Change Texures (only 10L, texture-change, sits, no copy, at LISP’s discount garden)!

 

This is where we meet, greet, and have a seat in my home!

Beach Cottage Foyer Furnishings & Decor

Styling:

Memory Board: {what next} Life’s a Beach Pin Board (SMALL) updated (scripted for texture change/mod/copy)

Framed Starfish & Sand: {what next}Boathouse Cottage Print 1

Spool Stool: LISP – Net Reel Seat – Texture Change (touch rope) ((only 10L, texture-change, sits, no copy, at LISP’s discount garden)!

Runner Rug: MudHoney Green Zebra Rug (bought at Designer Remix)

Bench: :CP: Laura’s Bench (Part of an old Themeory Set of the same name)

Baskets: :CP: Book Basket (Part of :CP: Laura’s Bench (Themeory) set)

Lantern: LISP – Lullaby Lantern Noir – Click to change texture

Guitar Bookcase: {what next} Norwegian Wood Guitar Bookcase

Tambourine: hey mr. tambourine man (creator Woodrow Stapleton, gift)

Boat Paddle Curtain: {what next} Boathouse Cottage Drape

 

And, now, what you’ve all been waiting for —  where the magic happens!

Staring at the ceiling in my calm bedroom loft

Styling:

Beanbag Chair: Boho Lounge pouf (from Second Spaces)

Pics over Beanbag: :CP: Vintage Snaps

Rug: MudHoney Knitted Rug (bought at Designer Remix)

Guitar: ::{u.f.o}::accoustic collabo -punky – bag (from the Community Thrift and Trade Event Gatcha, modded to be used as decor rather than worn)

Sheet Music: {what next} Pile of Music Papers *free*

Microphone: = JBX = Stand_MIC 55SH (same creator as :YONEYA: – Yonemaru Allen, 4 prims, 150L, wire is color-change, copy/mod)

Books: ~*GOD*~ Old Books – TypeE – 2 (~*GOD*~ = *Garden of Dreams*)

Candle: :: AB :: Wnter’s Warmth Glass Candle (lid off) (:: AB :: = Awesome Blossom)

Bed: MudHoney Amaris Bed (bought at Designer Remix, 3 texture-change bedding themes – 2 w/ headboard decals, cuddles and singles animations)

Framed Pic: [what next] Memory Box (Dearest) (with pic of me and mine in it)

Rose in Vase: LISP – Glass Bowl of Roses – copyable

Fan: Kari – Vintage fan (L)(Shadow)

Pics above table, table, table decor, and vase under table: elefantu – [Gorgeous Little Beachhouse] Art Wall (slightly modded)

Boat Bookcase: elefantu [Gorgeous Beachhouse] Lil’ Boat Bookshelf

 

And now, here’s where I end my evenings, in the most utterly chic way possible – with champagne that’s sitting on a pirate’s treasure chest!

Kake's Coastal "Classy"

Styling:

Lights: LISP – Tearose Lantern String copyable

Lantern: [ba] modern mesh orb lantern – silver (Part of [ba] SUYS special – all new out door lights)

Adirondack Chairs: Tiki Tattoo – 2010 Honis Chair1, Tiki Tattoo – 2010 Honis Beach chair 2 (sold separately)

Chest: Tiki Tattoo – Pirate Simple Crate

Champagne Bucket/Bottle/Glasses: : FF : Royal Set – Champagne set (: FF : = Fluid Furniture, part of : FF : Royal Set [boxed] (a Royal Living Hunt set), copy)

And that’s all she wrote, folks! Stay tuned until next time (which should be very, very soon)! And don’t be shocked if my one-month Second Life vacation home (the concept of which is, in and of itself, ridiculous) turns into my permanent digs! Le sigh. (Yes, I know! I have an addiction but, please, don’t try to cure me of it)!

❤

Numbah 554 (via So Many Styles)

Wow. At this point, I don’t knoow many more ways to phrase my utter, total, and complete grattitude to Irie Campese of So Many Styles, who, once again, has used one of my decals (available at Icing on the Kake in Summerland) in her lovely Look Book blog post. I adore the shade she tinted the decal and the color-scheme for this post. The pale shades of blue, gold, silver, grey, and white, used here, definitely evoke summer for me – they remind me of the blue of the sky, the white of fluffy cotton-candy clouds, and the golden rays of the sun. Once again, both in terms of the fashion aspect and the decor aspect, Irie has impeccably styled these pics. The pose reminds me of someone who’s arms are outstretched as if waiting for a hug so I’ll end on this note… I’m hugging ya back, girl! If only through wires which carry signals that allow us to connect to this miracle called the internet where we get to create such wonderful works of art as Irie’s fashion designs and Second Life (TM) photographs. Bravo, Irie, bravo! Once again, you’ve managed to create art and bring a tear to my eye! ILY! ❤

*Links and styling info by Irie Campese in the post below*

Skin: Vive9 – Ginta Base Ivory Hair: Maitreya – Lara Beach Blond Vest: *RibboN* – Lace Vest White Dress: ][AWRAM-VIIE][ – Dress White Lace Pants: priss. – Boyfriend Jeans Dark Wash Glasses: duboo. – M&M Glasses Necklace: Whippet & Buck – Peggy Buck Necklace Silver Shoes: Maitreya – Allure Ivory Poses: *agapee* Furniture: Chair: *halu* Wall Tatt: Icing On The Kake Curtain: siss boom … Read More

via So Many Styles

Numbah 535 (via So Many Styles)

Once again, So Many Styles’ (SMS SLURL) sole founder and designer, Irie Campese, has created an elegant and striking decor that acts as the backdrop to show off her impeccable fashion style and taste. This Look Book post from Irie’s blog (So Many Styles Blog) features clothing and accessories by mon tissu, Milk Motion, R.cielli, and Izzie’s, among many others, as well as furniture from some of my favorite Second Life decor stores, including POST, {What Next}, [North West], [mdrm], and more. Of course, the Marilyn Monroe quote wall decal is by Icing on the Kake, which you can buy at my store in Summerland (slurl).

As always, I’m honored to see someone with Irie’s incredible talent and unparalleled taste use my products in a blog post. I love what she does with the decals as well as everything else about this chick — her store, her blog, her dj sets, and her incredible personality and subtle yet insanely humorous wit. As always, thank you, Irie! It’s an honor and a pleasure to be featured on your blog! ❤

*For full style card and links, etc, please refer to the full So Many Styles post by Irie Campese, which can be accessed below.*

Skin: Glam Affair – Mary MedTan 11 (with *booN Gathered Raised Hairbase Black) Hair: [OH] – Alex Black Jacket: {mon tissu} – Loire Knit Shrug Black Shirt: Izzie's – Vintage Roses Top Brown Skirt: (Milk Motion) – My Black Long Skirt Earrings & Necklace: [bellballs] – Trendy Tribal Earrings & Necklace Jungle Leopard Bag: House Of Fox – Roman Bag Noir Poses: R.cielli / Body Language Furniture: Rug: rucott Console: POST Chair: [mdrm] Basket: … Read More

via So Many Styles

Multiple Colorgasms! Oh My!

Guess what? I’m fulfilling one of the promises I made to you yesterday – I haz Second Life pics, woohoo! And only a day after I made the promise! Am I on the ball or what?

Once again, I went for bright, rich colors, using pieces that generally could be seen as modern twists on the classic  and traditional in this take on the Molto Bene! Black and White Sky Parlor Skybox. Note that I retinted the sash on the curtains to match the teal damask walls, which I’ve retextured with a modified (by me) vivid textures Victorian wall texture, type2-blue. I also replaced the texture originally behind the fake windows with the stock panorama of Manhattan (see the last pic).

Tip:  to match the color of the curtain sash and the teal walls, I used the “show color under cursor” option at the bottom of the UI menu in the Advanced menu. Then, I let my mouse pointer rest, without touching it, so that it would truly stay still, over the point on the wall that seemed closest to the middle of the color’s variations. After jotting down the RGB values for safekeeping, I entered them in RGB boxes in the tint section under the texture menu when editing linked parts on the curtains. The linked part in question, of course, was the sash. And voila, my sash and walls matched!

Anyway, you’ve probably done all that before and are wondering, “what is this crazy woman doing going on like I don’t know how to rez a box?” Sorry! Just covering all the bases, trying to be as thorough as possible, and spell out every detail for anyone who’s never used this function before. It can be finicky, the RGB value finding, hence the need for precise lack of movement, to be oxymoronic. Okay, well, before I put you to sleep, here are the piccies! Yay! ❤

 

Just loungin' 'round

The Loft – Hufnie Hanging Light Rust

C&D Designs – “the Baroque” Sofa – Lime/Black (34 pos)

The Loft – Ethan Lamp Purple

The Loft – Suede Storage Bench Red

The Loft – Aphrodite End Table Turquoise

LISP – Jewel  Lamp – Touch On/Off

**InteriorAddiction** Candle (small)

[croire] letters from the attic

 

Kickin’ up mah heel!

<— sleepyhead

Loungin’ only:

LISP – Jewel Lantern Hanging

 

sleepyhead only:

**InteriorAddiction** Candle (large)*

*InteriorAddiction** Candle (medium)*

*InteriorAddiction** Candle (small)

*Y’s HOUSE*Cafe GIFT/agura(F)_book(Wear)

LISP – Gatcha Floor Cushion – Blue Flower

MudHoney Prestige Medallion Chair – Red Paisley

 

both:

The Loft – Mayer Chaise Jazzberry

MudHoney Prestige Medallion Chair – Lime Stripes

The Loft – Aphrodite End Table Yellow

MudHoney Daisies in Orange vase

LISP – Tearose Daisy Orange

<Kal Rau>  Cards

**InteriorAddiction** Rug Purple

Mrs. Browning’s Poems 1862 (Noctis)

[noctis] Longfellow’s Evangeline book

LISP – Gatcha Floor Cushion – Pink Flower

:: Awesome Blossom :: Ladoix White Wine set (not for sale individually)

 

Showing off the Icing on the Kake goods

showing only:

(iTuTu) Valentine Heart Sofa 3

The Loft – Addison Frame OrangeThe Loft – Addison Frame Pink

IOTK: Marilyn Wall Decal III: Imperfection Is Beauty (tintable)

 

I got all fancy with the frame in this last pic, for some reason.

Lost in the view

lost  only:

~*GOD*~ Old Books – TypeG

The Loft – Alex Pouf Pink Brocade

The Loft – Hufnie Hanging Light Mini Rust

 

And there ya have it! Hope you enjoyed! ❤

I’ve been bad. So very, very bad.

Yes, that’s right, I’ve done sinned and y’all know it best of all. I cannot remember the last time I blogged. Hopefully, I’ll rectify that properly with pretty Second Life pics soon. For now, though, I’ve got pretty real life pics for you! Yes, that’s right, this is the first of many real life inspiration pieces I hope to do. (Notice I said “hope” and promised nothing. Lulz).

If you’ve ever looked at the right-hand side of the blog (as most of us do), you may have noticed a poll. (Go. Look. Yes, this means now. We’re waiting. Don’t make me sigh dramatically as I tap my watch. Done now? Good, back to business). Okay, so the poll concerns whether you’re only interested in SL content or whether you’d be interested in RL content as well, especially links to and pics of the things that inspire me. Just under 93 per cent of y’all either didn’t care either way or were in favor of the idea. So, without further ado, let’s get on with the main event, what I hope will be the first of many revealing little looks at where I get my RL inspiration.

Up first, an amazing blog, and an even more amazing flickr stream by one of the contributors. The blog is design*sponge, a blog about interiors, primarily, with before and afters, DIY info, trend info, city info, podcasts, and what may be my favorite feature, and what led me to discover contributor Grace Bonney’s seriously stunning photostream, Sneak Peaks, which are in-depth looks at the inner sanctums of real life people, photographed by the homeowners themselves. Here is a pic of part of the home page. You may notice, sneak peaks are listed first on the left-hand side of the blog. \o/

partial design*sponge homepage

While Grace’s own pics, though few and far between (the flickr stream is almost entirely made up of sets of individual sneak peaks and it’s an enormous stream) are lovely, it’s the sneak peaks that make my hands shake as I wait not-so-patiently each day for my alloted dose (1-3 sets per day, and since I started doing this several weeks ago, I’ve barely made a dent in the collection). I both hoard the sneak peaks and scarf them up, like the addict I truly am. Okay, not a believer yet? Let me show you pics from five sets, as varied and beautiful and eccentric as I’m sure the owners of each home probably are.

First, I will own this kitchen one day. I kid you not. Though with a different color scheme.

sneak peak Annette Joseph kitchen pic I aka Kake's future kitchen

sneak peak Annette Joseph kitchen pic II aka Kake's future kitchen

Next up we have a converted warehouse occupied one Mr. Rob Brinson. It is everything a converted warehouse should be for a human to occupy such a space and oh, so much more. For some reason, I’m especially drawn to the workspaces, but believe you me, the living spaces are just as divine.

design sponge sneak peak rob brinson workspace I

design sponge sneak peek rob brinson work space II

These next pics are uber-evocative for me. They make me remember my beloved and belated Aunt Lillian. When I see them the aromas of the brackish Pamlico River and of honeysuckle seem to waft in the air. I taste sweet southern iced tea, eastern North Carolina barbecue, and pecan pie. I feel papery thin hands graze my cheeks and hear southern accents so thick a non-native would be hard-pressed to understand what was being said. Anyway, without further ado, I present pics from Nancy Lendved’s sneak peek:

design sponge nancy lendved the study

design sponge sneak peek nancy lendved the hallway

Okay, who’s next? Let’s see… Oh, yeah, the loft that mixes so many different elements that it shouldn’t work at all. But, oh my god, does it ever. Anna Campa and Gerald Calm of Zoo Studio are geniuses who’ve made all these mismatched elements work beautifully in this amazing sundrenched loft with the single-most breathtaking view. Here, see for yourself:

design sponge sneak peek anna campa and gerald calm mainfloor overview I

OH MY GOD, THAT FRIGIN’ VIEW!

design sponge sneak peek anna campa and gerald calm main floor overview II

OH MY GOD, I *NEED* THAT FRIGGIN’ VANITY/BAR IN THE CORNER!

Anyway, if y’all thought that was something, wait until you see the last, but most definitely not least, pair of photos. Morgane is a European fashion designer, the founder of Los Composantes, and let me tell you, her taste and sense of style are impeccable. No, fuck that, let me show you.

design sponge sneak peek Morgane's girly-girl workspace

design sponge sneak peek Morgane's white-on-white living room

Good god, do you think I could hire her (for like maybe a grand total of 1000 usd) to decorate my place? All expenses included? Hehehe.

Anyway, that’s all she wrote folks. ❤

Try it, Believe it, Win it Sweepstakes

Hey, y’all!

To all you creative types out there, I found a great opportunity that may be of interest to you. Adobe is currently running a promotion where, if you download a Creative Suite 5 product via the link at the bottom of this post, then you’re automatically entered to win full CS5 software, as well as a $10,000 home office makeover!!! If you’ve ever considered  trying a product you aren’t familiar with yet or just want to try the latest version of these products, now would definitely be the time! I, personally, chose to download Adobe Design Premium CS5, which includes Photoshop CS5 Extended, Dreamweaver CS5, ExtendScript Toolkit CS5, Extension Manager CS5, Fireworks CS5, Flash Catalyst CS5, Flash Professional CS5, Illustrator CS5, InDesign CS5, Media Encoder CS5, Pixel Bender Toolkit 2, Acrobat 9 Pro, Bridge CS5, and Device Central CS5 (I hope I got all that right and didn’t leave anything out, lol)! Wow, that’s a TON  of stuff to play with for a month. However, do keep in mind that not  all features are enabled on the trial versions, but, hey, you can still do a TON of stuff even with some features disabled! Anyway, I just thought all you other photographers, designers, creators, and the like, might be interested in this. I, personally, am crossing my fingers that I win *something,* although, personally, I’m DYING for the $10K home office makeover, since my current home office is a total joke, which really cramps my style, since I work from home and am self-employed. Anyways, good luck to all of you! Maybe, if enough of us enter, at least one will win something? Okay, maybe that’s wishful thinking, but it never hurts to hope! 😀

Also, be on the lookout for (hopefully) several new blogposts in the coming week or so!

And, last, but most definitely not least, I wanted to thank everyone who came out to F.A.B. last Saturday night for the grand opening of my store, Icing on the Kake! Hope all of you are enjoying the freebies and purchases you made and I encourage you to check the store  frequently, as I’m making some major changes and (hopefully) rolling out several new products soon!

Love you guys!

Kake ❤

Try it, Believe it, Win it Sweepstakes.