I’m sure by now you’ve heard that Home & Garden Expo benefits RFL, and that many of the best designers have special items out for their donation items, but I’ll tell you again. I don’t know how many there are for sure, but there are 14 sims full of them. At this late date, I’d suggest you quickly check the Sim Listing page and pick your favorites and head on over. Turn your graphic settings down low, de-script yourself, dress comfortably, grab your beverage of choice and get power shopping now. Expo ends tomorrow, so seriously, Run! Don’t Walk! Run! Immediately! I’ll be back home in a few days, so keep an eye on my flickr and I’ll get a few of my favorite pics posted there.

Some of the places Catty moved into during Expo week, in no particular order:
Dutchies, Rustica, Insight Designs, L2 Studio, What Next, Sway’s, Windowshopping with Neva Crystall, New Trails, Organica, HomeKraft, Tether’s End, Funky Junk, Thistle, Abiss, Weather! or Not?, Trompe Loleil, Barnesworth Anubis, Hanaya, Interior Addiction, Cheeky Pea, Second Spaces, Mudhoney, Clutter, reBourne, Alchemy Immortalis, True North, Leezu, KittyCats and sooooo many more that I didn’t get time to look at. Make notes, as I did, and make sure to visit the main stores after the Expo.

Have a great holiday if you’re in the US, and a great day if you’re not, and see you at these shops, or others, soon! Say hi if you see me out and about, you just might find yourself in a future blog post!!

Links you’ll need for Expo

Home & Garden Expo Official Blog – You’ll find maps, and much more here
DreamSeeker Estates – Expo Underwriters – That means without them, nothing. These people are amazing, they do so much for us all. See them for all your land needs.
Sim Maps and Listings – You’ll need this for power shopping.
Preview Pics of Exclusive Donation items you will want to get while you can.
RFL Official Site – More amazing people doing amazing things.
RFL of SL Blog (Includes a listing of events happening)

There’s still time to hit Breedables Fair, which covers two sims along with the Home Expo until the 28th. Feeling the need to breed? Here you go, or perhaps you’re just a sucker for cute and cuddly. There’s that too. And then there are some I’m thinking I wouldn’t cuddle, too pointy! YOUCH! But then there’s the irresistable… Booshies is at the fair with their breedable, battleable fantasy pets. With a nice range of elemental creatures, it’s surely easy to find something to your liking. Be sure to check out the site to see the story and all the info. They’ve brought some of their Booshitars to the fair, and show above are two of the RFL items, Felitera and Girecko. See, instead of breeding the Booshie, you can BE the Booshie! This makes me grin ever so much. Just look at Feli there, watching those cattails, thinking how they simply can’t compare to his/her glorious tail. This Booshie has the poofy! And Girecko has a face that simply says, “Take me home with you, I will eat all your things and you will love me for it!” Much cuteness to be had, without a doubt. Go on, head over to Booshies at the Breedables Fair and lose your heart to a critter.

Egads does time ever fly. If you’ve not been to the Expo yet, this would be a good time to go, before it ends on the 28th. So let me get to the enticing with a few pics of the nom to be found, eh? First off, one of my favorites, L2 Studio. You’ll find the Zapallar Renovation house available, and like I tend to find with Lindini’s houses it has a sweet comfortable charm about it that makes it very liveable. A nice patio for lounging and having a bbq, spacious rooms to fill with ALL THE STUFF… Heck, it’s lovely even for those who have the habit of putting up a house and forgetting to put the… you know, furniture in it! Not that I’ve ever done that we won’t discuss my current nearly empty house oh no siree Bob!

Interior Addiction has a number of darling items at the Expo, among which you will find the My First Outdoor Slumber set, and the Sweet Picnic set. Once again we have sweet and charming in bunches, the romantic flowered tree lends well to the picnic setup. Oh where did that hubby of mine sneak off to? I’m lounging all alone next to the tree as I type, it’s such a soothing setting! And the slumber set takes me back to delightful childhood memories with the adorable tent and the monopoly game. Who can resist cookies and milk? Bah, forget the hubby, I’m dragging my bestie over to play!

Thistle always makes me smile with darling little houses and decor in an array of colors to delight the eye. The Coastal Cottage is no exception, lending itself nicely to all kinds of settings. I find it equally as pretty set up in my wooded lot as I do down by the beach. With a nice deck and rooms in soft bright colors it wins my heart. And the dormer window upstairs gives me glee.

Looking to add a bit of life to your decor? Then head over to CIRCA and take a peek at the goodies you will find there. With an assortment of greenhouse items, you’re bound to find something to delight. Perhaps the Birth Of Venus birdbath to take up residence in your yard. The little bird perched upon it is darling, and there are even seahorses in the water. So cute! The Meadow Potted Iris would be a nice accent in any room, or perhaps the Multistand to keep all your greenery close at hand. Now enough of my babbling, go forth and shop!

L2 Studio at Home & Garden Expo
Interior Addiction at Home & Garden Expo
Thistle at Home & Garden Expo
CIRCA at Home & Garden Expo

Culture Shock has brought in 1,421,966L for Doctors Without Borders so far and as it moves into the final couple of days looks forward to raising even more. If you’ve not been yet, do go… So many fabulous designers participating. Ivey of Sn@tch has a delectable little slip of a dress, mesh even! I’ve teamed this up with a girly hair style from Exile (Not at the event) I have mad love for her eggplant color, I do. The necklace and earrings with this set are from Amorous (Not at the event), a fun jewelry shop that has so won the way to my heart. Then I took a little spin in the denim frill shorts from G. Field, cute and flirty, just the thing for me. Paired up to darling perfection with the simple tee from Somnia, some funky cool accessories from HANDverk (There are earrings that match too!) and some truly fun hair from Exile, I’m ready to… shop! And stuff. Always stuff.

Iren has a nice selection of patriotic mesh tanks with deliciously scooped sides. I chose to show off the Canadian one because that’s where my beloved bestie is. And then we have the leather mesh halters from Razorblade Jacket. Simply delish! Now wait, why are you still here? Go forth and shop! The event ends on the 26th!

Culture Shock Items
Clothing from Sn@tch, Somnia, G. Field, Iren and Razorblade Jacket
Red Accessories from HANDverk
Hair from Exile

Other items
Skins from Glam Affair by Aida Ewing
Eyeshadow from Mock Cosmetics by Mocksoup Graves
Earrings from Amorous by Matchbook Monday
Eyes from Insufferable Dastard by Audrey Lamede
Mesh Lashes from Maxi Gossamer by Maxi Gossamer
Shorter Hair from Exile by Kavar Cleanslate
Poses from oOo Studio by Olaenka Chesnokov

May is rushing past and I’ve hardly had a time to keep up. Finally I got a chance to delve into some SL and see what I’ve almost missed. First thing I did to catch up was take a peek at the Keep Calm & Keep Shopping event, going on now thru May 28,2012. Participating designers have created exclusive items for this event, that will not be available later, so you will not want to miss any! See the Keep Calm & Keep Shopping blog for full list of stores and other info.

Dirty Little Secret has something fun for KCKS, a Dressmaker’s Studio. You can see a peek of it here, it’s filled with furniture and decor and makes a great hang out for all designer and fashiony types, and its plenty roomy for creating in. Clutter, one of my fave stores, has a yummy chair out, I managed to find a special spot for it in the Studio. Coloreta’s is a store new to me, and this top they’ve made includes a very cool skirt but I opted to wear it with my favorite white jeans for a fun summer look.

I also got a chance to check out some new tatts from Essential Soul, and I’m loving this Koi Pond..I usually don’t go for colorful but I cannot seem to take it off. A few of my favorite groups have been sending gifts of late too, Belleza being one, with the nummilicious Lily V2 which has me thinking I need more of this skin for sure. Pixel Mode has gifted it’s subscribers with a fun pair of blue wedgies, perfect for summer wear.

Pic 1
Skin – Belleza – Lily V2 – Med – Group Gift (Fee)
Hair – Truth – Vicky – Java
Tattoo – Essential Soul – Koi Pond – Faint 2
Top – Sn@tch – Chastity Bralet Tops – Blue
Pants – Zaara – Classic Jeans – White
Shoes – Pixel Mode – Fae Wedge – Denim – Group Gift
Eyes – Poetic Colors – Night Rain
Poses – Glitterati

Pic 2
Skin – Belleza – Lily V2 – Med – Group Gift (Fee)
Hair – Truth – Andrea – Night
Tattoo – Essential Soul – Koi Pond – Faint 2
Top – Coloreta’s – Insy Top – Grape – KCKS Item
Pants – Zaara – Classic Jeans – White
Shoes – Miel – Ant Flats – Nero
Eyes – Poetic Colors – Night Rain
Chair – Clutter – Madison Chair – KCKS Item
Background and Props – Dirty Little Secret – The Dressmaker’s Studio – KCKS Item

The Home and Garden Expo started up this past Saturday, runs til May 28th and benefits RFL. You’ll find 14 sims of home and decor delights, so get to exploring and shopping! There’s so much to see, but for the moment I want to share a couple of spots that gave me much glee. The build at Alchemy Immortalis really struck me, drawing me in for a closer look. They’ve a gorgeous Emperor’s Chair and these Chinese Peace Lanterns, and all I can say is you MUST go see these. You see, in Asia the blue lanterns represent immortality and peace. The lanterns are scripted to be released, and are a wonderful way to honor those you have lost, or even the brave spirits of the cancer survivors you know. Prim Perfect is hosting a Lantern Release each day of the expo at 4pm SLT. And the chair, a lovely piece featuring animations for men, women and couples!

Another exhibit that brought smiles to me was Kismet, and the Gatehouse Manor. I remember when I first discovered Kismet when I was still a newling. I fell madly in love with the celtic medieval theme, it spoke right to the very core of me. Be sure to stop by and see what the lovely Lady Cierra has to offer, from a gorgeous birdbath to garden statues and more. Roam the high ceilinged rooms of the manor and let your imagination carry you away to another place and time, a place to inspire stories in your mind.

Alchemy Immortalis at Home and Garden Expo
Kismet at Home and Garden Expo

The initial event opening rush at Culture Shock (Handy dandy info/maps/slurls at the link) is all gone and so are the script gates, so excuses for not heading over for all the shopping glee are out the window. So of course I took the chance to play with some more of the pretties that can be found there, I do so enjoy pulling things together in a way that pleases me. The Malena dress from PurpleMoon has a deliciously fae feel methinks, so I took the opportunity to play up my own kind of fae look.

I teamed up with my favorite thigh high boots from SLink, some fabulous tribal makeup from La Petite Morte and feather earrings from Amorous in place of traditional fae wings. Naturally I had to mix my makeup up, adding some scrumptious eyeshadows from Mock. Now, what does one do once they’re all dolled up like this? Well naturally they go wandering SL to look at statues of naked men! That’s the Fae influence, I swear it.

Dress from PurpleMoon by Poulet Koenkamp at Culture Shock
Tribal Makeup from La Petite Morte by Voshie Paine at Culture Shock

Hair from Dura by Chiaki Xue
Skins from Glam Affair by Aida Ewing
Eyeshadow from Mock Cosmetics by Mocksoup Graves
Boots from SLink by Siddean Munro
Earrings from Amorous by Matchbook Monday
Eyes from Insufferable Dastard by Audrey Lamede
Mesh Lashes from Maxi Gossamer by Maxi Gossamer
Poses from Miamai by Monica Outlander
Scenery from Stone Misery by Syrdin Morrisey

Culture Shock opens today, 4pm SLT! So let’s get a move on with some more goodies, eh? How about a bed you can take on the road with you? Art Dummy’s Repose bed is so that, love those wheels. And I swear there’s little that gives me as much joy as a bed I can jump on. It’s the details like that which give me glee. Today I’ve teamed my bed up with a comfy look in some nice button flap shorts and a darling top from Somnia, and delicious mustard boots from Ingenue. Because bed jumping is boring without a challenge like doing it in heels! Go ahead, try it without breaking your pixel neck! A bit of jewelry finishes off the look, a pretty cage necklace with bird, Free As A Bird from Caroline’s, cause I am free you see! Free to roll down the road in my bed. And finishing out this party are my fashionista bangles from Apple May designs. You’ll find all this and more when the event opens. And remember, be mindful of what you wear for the adventure, keep your scripts to a minimum ladies and gents so you can get through the handy dandy gate. (50 scripts or less! Trust me it’s so much easier on you.)

Bed from Art Dummy by Gala Charron for Culture Shock 2012
Shorts/Top from Somnia by Sanura Snowpaw for Culture Shock 2012
Boots from Ingenue by Betty Doyle for Culture Shock 2012
Necklace from Caroline’s Jewelry by Caroline Apollo for Culture Shock 2012
Bracelets from Apple May Designs by Apple May for Culture Shock 2012

Hair from Exile by Kavar Cleanslate
Skin from Glam Affair by Aida Ewing
Eyes from Insufferable Dastard by Audrey Lamede
Mesh Lashes from Maxi Gossamer by Maxi Gossamer
Pose from TeaSoup by Tea Soup (No longer Available)

Only a couple more days until CHIC opens Culture Shock 2012 and everyone will be able to feast their eyes and wallets on all the goodies the designers have come up with this year. There are 184 designers bringing at least one new exclusive item to the event, all of which will contribute 50-100% of the profits to Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders.

Shinichi Mathy of Shiki has brought a delightful gown for your shopping pleasure. Passion features a nice full skirt and a floral print in colors to brighten up even the rainiest of days. I’d say more but I so am ready to go dancing now! Be ready for Culture Shock, it opens May 4th and runs til the 26th.

Gown from Shiki by Shinichi Mathy for Culture Shock 2012 (LM to come when the event opens)
Pose from oOo Studio by Olaenka Chesnokov for Culture Shock 2012

Skin from Glam Affair by Aida Ewing
Hair from Elikatira by Elikapeka Tiramisu
Makeup from Mock Cosmetics by Mocksoup Graves
Eyes from Insufferable Dastard by Audrey Lamede
Mesh Lashes from Maxi Gossamer by Maxi Gossamer

In fact Fantasy Faire is going to go on just a bit longer, and will be open through Monday now! Perfect for shopping time that was lost during the day of grid wonkery. I suspect the bridge trolls found their way into the servers, but that’s another story! Remember, the silent auction ends today (the 28th) at 5pm SLT and the live auction starts Sunday the 29th at 4pm SLT. So be sure to use the last bits of time to go check it all out, and I shall leave you with a peek at a couple more creators at the faire! Sachi Vixen of Adam n Eve has some dragon eyeshadows as her RFL item which would be doubly delectable teamed up with the Amaris fantasy colored skins.

And for your magickal needs take a peek at The Arcanum, where this witches spellbook can be found, as well as a darling wand for the petites. A little heavy reading anyone?

Skin from Adam n Eve by Sachi Vixen for Fantasy Faire (Jungle Bungle)
Spellbook from The Arcanum by Zachh Barkley for Fantasy Faire (Ruins of Nu Orne)

Hair from Elikatira by Elikapeka Tiramisu
Bodysuit from Maitreya by Onyx LeShelle
Eyes from IKON by Ikon Innovia
Mesh Lashes from Maxi Gossamer by Maxi Gossamer
Pose from Exposeur by RubyStarlight Writer