Merry Christmas!

I wanted to first thank each and every one of you for your wonderful interest and support of my blog, it's greatly appreciated! Secondly, I wanted to tell you thank you so much for your support of both the Enchanted and Bewitched sims, it means alot. Here's wishing you and yours a lovely Christmas holiday! Hope it's your most magical yet :)

New and Updated Gallery!

The fantasy gallery over Enchanted of Elven Realm has just been updated and renewed. Before we had a mix of artists on display only. We now have 11 artists' works on display, each with their own donation option along with an artist's bio and website (flickr stream) giver. Some have chosen to sell their work, while others are only accepting donations. Due to the kindness and generosity of all the artists, most monies collected are going back to benefit the upkeep and maintenance of the Enchanted sim along with the gallery. Please be sure and stop by and enjoy the new gallery updates!

SeleneLily Galicia is still our Featured Fantasy Artist through the end of this month. If you haven't been by to see her works, please do so soon before it's gone. There are 17 of her works on display right now. Once this is over, about 6-7 of her works will be an ongoing display in the gallery.

Bewitched Photo Contest Winners!

Well, we have some winners of the Bewitched Halloween Photo Contest! Totally there were 95 entries and as always, it was very difficult because there were so many that were excellent! It's amazing how many creative and talented people there are within Second Life, I enjoy all of their artwork so much. I did limit entries to 3 pictures per person this time, and I feel that worked out alot better. I will post all the pictures of the winners below so you can see them all in one place.

And the winners are ....

BEST HALLOWEEN PICTURE

1. Elvina Ewing (witch on broomstick)
2. Rociel Fenua (purple wings)
3. Tamzin Xigalia (Red Riding Hood)


BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME

1. Tamzin Xigalia (Mushroom Guardian)
2. Bianca Erin (headless woman and skeleton)
3. Shuri Dreamscape (Colorful Mentality)


SCARIEST COSTUME
Lili Ivanova (Off With Her Head)


MOST ORIGINAL COSTUME
Shuri Dreamscape (Frog Princess)


MOST HALLOWEEN SPIRIT
Serg Sonnino
Ursula Floresby (pumpkin clown)



Here are the pictures...(please click for a bigger view)

FIRST PLACE: BEST HALLOWEEN PICTURE by Elvina Ewing

SECOND PLACE: BEST HALLOWEEN PICTURE by Rociel Fenua

THIRD PLACE: BEST HALLOWEEN PICTURE by Tamzin Xigalia (Red Riding Hood)

FIRST PLACE: BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME by Tamzin Xigalia (Mushroom Guardian)

SECOND PLACE: BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME by Bianca Erin

THIRD PLACE: BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME by Shuri Dreamscape (Colorful Mentality)

SCARIEST COSTUME by Lili Ivanova (Off With Her Head!)

MOST ORIGINAL COSTUME by Shuri Dreamscape (Frog Princess)

MOST HALLOWEEN SPIRIT By Serg Sonnino

MOST HALLOWEEN SPIRIT by Ursula Floresby

I will have these displayed in Bewitched of Elven Mist as soon as possible.

I wanted to thank each and every person who entered the contest and submitted pictures. You all did an incredible job!

Feature Fantasy Artist: SeleneLily Galicia

We have a new feature artist at the Fantasy Kaleidoscope Gallery! She happens to be a resident at Enchanted and a great friend and sister to me :) SeleneLily Galicia has been creating pictures in Second Life for quite a while now and is exceptionally good at it! My favorites of hers are her fantasy pictures (of course), and she is a natural at them along with being her forte. Selene is a professional photographer in real life and that talent shines through in all her wonderful works. Please stop by the gallery over Enchanted and see 17 of her pieces on display. Just go to the Enchanted of Elven Realm landing point and then use the door to your right to teleport to the gallery. It was hard to narrow down what I wanted to showcase because all her pictures are amazing. Thank you for your support and enjoy!



Selene's amazing Flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/selenelily_galicia/

Past blog (July 2010) about Selene's artwork: http://nataliemontagne.blogspot.com/2010/07/fantasy-art-focus-selenelily-galacia.html
She has come out with many new masterpieces since this blog was written.

Bewitched Halloween Photo Contest!

Okay, it’s time to dress up in your favorite costumes and get on over to Bewitched of Elven Mist (sim name) and take your pictures in the perfect setting for Halloween! We will have several categories, so a lot of opportunity to win, but most of all, just have fun! Here are the guidelines:

1. Dress up in your favorite costume (scary or not) and take pictures anywhere in Bewitched of Elven Mist. You may submit up to 3 pictures and they can be edited or unedited, as we will have several winning categories.

2. You may submit the pictures within Second Life in a notecard to Natalie Montagne OR in www.flickr.com within the Bewitched Halloween Contest Group. Here is the link:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/bewitchedphotocontest/
Please be sure to put your avie’s full name on every entry and put the title “Bewitched Photo Entry” when submitting.

3. You have until end of the day on October 27 to submit all pictures. We will use a few days to process all the pictures and then announce the winners on October 31.

Here are the winning categories and prizes:

1. 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place for Best Halloween Picture (1st – 5000L 2nd – 3000L 3rd – 1000L)
2. 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place for Best Halloween Costume (1st – 5000L 2nd – 3000L 3rd – 1000L)
3. Scariest Costume – 2000L
4. Most Original Costume – 2000L
5. Most Halloween Spirit – 2000L

Yes, it is possible to win in more than one category. Please, no nudity in the contest submissions…they will be disqualified if this is the case. Please contact Natalie Montagne or SeleneLily Galicia if you have any questions. Good luck and have fun!

Legend of the Lost Unicorn

We are having a fun game of "hide 'n seek" on Enchanted for all Enchanted Dreamers group members. You have the opportunity to win 500L if you find the lost unicorn colt/foal on the sim! It could be ANYWHERE on the Elven Realm sim only, not Elven Mist. It is also ONLY below on ground, not above the sim at all. The unicorns have not learned how to teleport yet you know :P It's simple, find the missing unicorn and you win 500L and we plan to do this at least twice a day at random times so hopefully everyone has a chance. We will announce through a notice and group chat when the baby is hidden and then announce again when it's over. Below I've copied the rules for the game......

Legend of the Lost Unicorn

Please help! One of the unicorn mares has lost her colt somewhere on Enchanted! The two of them were galloping around the field and mushroom forest and stopped to take a breather. The mare stepped over to drink some water from the nearby pond and when she turned around, her precious colt was gone! Please help her find him! He could be anywhere in Enchanted….hopefully not the dark forest!

Guidelines of the Game

1. Starting Monday, September 5, a baby unicorn will be hidden somewhere on the sim…it could be ANYWHERE, so think creatively. The only places it can’t be are the above the sim or on the Elven Mist sim. An announcement through group chat and a notice will be sent each time one is hidden. We will try and hide one a couple times a day so everyone has a chance.

2. This game is for Enchanted Dreamer group members only. All you need to do is look for the unicorn, and when you find him, take a snapshot of him and put it in a notecard stating where you found him. Be sure and put your avie’s full name on the notecard and “rename” the notecard “I Found the Unicorn”. Please send it to Natalie Montagne. Also, please send a message to the group through IM stating, “I found the unicorn!” so other members will know not to look anymore at this time.

3. The person who finds the unicorn first will win a reward of 500L, plus we will donate another 500L to the Friends of Animals fund. If more than one notecard is sent, we will go by the date and time on the notecard to know who sent it first. We will also make sure the notecard was sent between the alotted times and that the submission is from an Enchanted Dreamer group member.

Have fun and happy hunting!

Feature Fantasy Artist: Tigre Milena (Doni Parlanti)

Our feature fantasy artist at this time in the Fantasy Kaleidoscope Gallery is the amazing Tigre Milena (aka: Doni Parlanti). Tigre specializes in fantasy art, although she's very capable of any style being as talented as she is. Right now, at the landing point of the gallery, I have 17 of her works (including her bio picture) on display and each and every one tells a story. In fact, one of the items on display, and now out on the sim for all to see, is a book of artwork Tigre made. It's great, you touch the book and a menu appears and you can actually flip through the pages of the book, viewing many of her wonderful pieces. Another unique fact about Tigre's work is that most of the art is unedited, but you can't tell! This is what amazes me the most! I posted a blog about Tigre and her work quite a while back, and the link to this is:

http://nataliemontagne.blogspot.com/2011/01/fantasy-art-focus-doni-parlanti-tigre.html

You can also visit her flickr stream at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/doni_fables/

Please be sure and stop by Enchanted (sim: Elven Realm) to see her art. Once at the landing point of Enchanted, please use the teleport door to the right to venture to the gallery.

Take the Portal to a Land of Snowy Magic....

Reflections of colorful sky dance upon the glistening snow that surrounds this magical land of white palaces, icicles and sparkling trees atop three floating mountains


Very high above the beautiful and magical forest below, snowflakes fall on another small world within this land of unicorns. My small palace home is here and at first it was my own private little world, however, I enjoyed it so much I wanted others to be able to. I decided to add some extra touches and open it to the public, so I did!

The area consists of three small floating mountains each containing a different setting. The larger main one is where my small snow palace rests. Please feel at home, relax and explore. This was the only section I had for a long time, then later I added another smaller mountain, connecting the two with a beautiful bridge. This mountain has a gorgeous ice gazebo, two rows of lovely lighted and sparkling trees, a campfire with seating, and several couples dance balls. If you go here and don't see the balls, put /1show in chat and they will show up. Quite a while later, I decided to add one more mountain and did just that. I also connected it to the other side of my home mountain with the same beautiful bridge. This mountain houses "Unicorn Falls", an absolutely beautiful structure with a pool and falls, along with seating areas. Of course there are several extra touches here and there I think you will enjoy. One of my favorites is the aurora borealis that appears at certain times, and with your setting to midnight, it's very stunning! I've taken many pictures and they've turned out really good.

Please take the time to visit my home in the snow when you can. The only way to get there is through a portal that can be found within the unicorn field area of the forest below. There's a large tree that has a small door, open it and you're there! :) I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

When there were only 2 mountains

Unicorn Falls

My snow palace home

The ice gazebo where you can dance on the snow

Feature Fantasy Artist: Serg Sonnino (Shoshisn Shilova in SL)

We are now featuring some fantasy pieces of Serg Sonnino, AKA Shoshisn at the Fantasy Kaleidoscope gallery entrance over Enchanted. Please take the time to stop by and enjoy his beautiful artwork. He has been involved in the art community for years, as he is a graphic designer and photographer by trade. His Flickr photostream is truly amazing and a must see:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoshisn/

The few displays in the gallery barely touch what he has accomplished as an artist! I know you will enjoy his works!

Feature Fantasy Artist: Yasmina Siamendes

Phoenix-Waterstart in Elven Realm

Not long ago I featured a new picture/pictures every week and then put them up in the gallery on Enchanted. Well, now I plan to recognize the artist and a selection of their pictures and also at times, recognize a theme or style of art with several artists. I will announce this in Flickr, here in the blog, and also display the artwork in the Kaleidoscope Gallery at Enchanted.

At this time I'm recognizing Yasmina Siamendes, a wonderful and very talented fantasy artist! For more information, I blogged in detail about she and her artwork on my other blog: http://nataliemontagne.blogspot.com/2011/06/fantasy-art-focus-yasmina-siamendes.html Her Flickr photostream can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yorga-secondlife/ Please stop by the gallery at Enchanted of Elven Realm and enjoy her work up close! She did a variety of pictures from Enchanted and Bewitched, too :) Enjoy!

Sad World (taken at Bewitched)

The Cottage Boutiques of Enchanted

As many of you may already know, we now have four amazing fantasy boutiques within the cottage at Enchanted of Elven Realm now. I plan to add one more, but would like it to be a designer that sells skins/fantasy accessories. Here are the shops we have now:

Caverna Obscura by Elvina Ewing
Deviance by Surreal LeShelle
Elvenbreath by Selina Forder
Studio Sidhe by Faery Sola

All the above focus mainly on fashion. Studio Sidhe focuses more on poses and pose props, although she also designs jewelry and fashions.

All are located at Enchanted of Elven Realm. Once you tp to the landing point, there is a tp door to the cottage right at the entrance :) Hope to see you there!

The Cottage at Enchanted

Deviance by Surreal LeShelle
Surreal specializes in lovely costumes and gorgeous gowns. For example, she carries a Snow White, Rose Red, Tinker Bell and Alice in Wonderland costume...all very well done!

Studio Sidhe by Faery Sola
Faery is the designer who created the wonderful unicorn pose prop you see out on Enchanted. She has several others too...like the Snow White prop, the moon, and many others that are top quality.

Caverna Obscura by Elvina Ewing
Elvina is one of the masters at creating true fantasy style! She has all kinds of designs that are colorful, beautiful and whimsical. You can't appreciate her work until you see it!

Elvenbreath by Selina Forder
Selina is one of my favorite fantasy designers. Her fantasy wear is lovely, classic and sexy all in one!

Each and every designer is wonderful and top notch at what they do! If you come visit the boutiques, I know you won't be able to resist spending a few Lindens while you're there :P I know I can't, and now I'm really going to have some problems, they're too convenient! hehe

And the Winners Are....

The Forest of Light 'n Dark Photo Contest ended Sunday, May 8 and we now have some winners! I was amazed at how many people entered pictures, there were over 100 entries, which made the decision even tougher. Next time I think I will put a limit on how many entries each, but it's so nice to see such wonderful pictures from both sims :) I want to thank each and every one of you for entering the contest and as always, for your gracious support of both Enchanted and Bewitched. Below I've listed the winners all together, and then posted their pictures below that. I will also send a notice in Flickr plus put a sign up on the sims about the winners. Their pictures will be displayed at the entry point of the gallery over Enchanted. Thank you again and CONGRATULATIONS to the winners!

Forest of Light 'n Dark Contest Winners

Best Overall Picture: Faery Portal by Tamzin Xigalia

I was so impressed with Tamzin's picture that I had to make a separate award for it. I thought the way she incorporated both sims into this picture was amazing and wonderful. It showed the significance of a light and dark side in many things, including fairies!

Enchanted Winners

1. The Guard by Shuri Dreamscape

2. Unicorn Protector by Tamzin Xigalia

3. Fairy Entry by Fina Ethaniel

Honorable Mentions

Little Red Riding Hood by Podenga

Golden Cave Entry by Yellow Core

Bewitched Winners

1. Step Into the Unknown by Oephelia1

2. Scarecrow by Podenga

3. Dark Dancer by Ursula Floresby

Honorable Mentions

Shine by Oephelia1

Sorceress Entry by Softpaw Sommer

Special Magical Mention

Lost in Paradise and Angel in the Dark by Maxwelle Gregan

I wanted to give credit to this artist for showing the contrast between light and dark in a very unique way. She placed a dark fairy in Enchanted and an angel in Bewitched, showing that there can be good and bad in both categories.


And here are the other winning pictures...

1st Place Enchanted: The Guard by Shuri Dreamscape

2nd Place Enchanted: Unicorn Protector by Tamzin Xigalia

3rd Place Enchanted: Fairy Entry by Fina Ethaniel

Honorable Mention Enchanted: Little Red Riding Hood by Podenga

Honorable Mention Enchanted: Golden Cave Entry by Yellow Core

1st Place Bewitched: Step Into the Unknown by Oephelia1

2nd Place Bewitched: Scarecrow by Podenga

3rd Place Bewitched: Dark Dancer by Ursula Floresby

Honorable Mention Bewitched: Shine by Oephelia1

Honorable Mention Bewitched: Sorceress Entry by Softpaw Sommer

Special Magical Mention Bewitched: Angel in the Dark by Maxwelle Gregan

Special Magical Mention Enchanted: Lost in Paradise by Maxwelle Gregan