In Memorium – A Gathering of Friends in Memory of Squinternet Larnia

I appreciate everyone’s kind offerings of help and the many people who reached out to help make a meaningful tribute to our lost friend, Squinternet Larnia. After many notecards, IMs, and personal conversations, I’ve followed my heart and many of your suggestions to a simple but elegant solution that I hope meets everyone’s needs and wants.

Saiyge Lotus gracious stepped up to offer to build us a beautiful memorial garden on the ground level at the homestead sim where the Donna Flora main store is currently located. She is in the process of building at this time.  She has also created a beautiful memorial tree, which will be available for everyone to take, in memory as a keepsake. We thank her for her generous donation of time, effort and love for this.

The garden will be open this weekend, for anyone who wishes to visit – go to the Donna Flora main store location and take the teleport to the ground level. At 9 AM SLT on Saturday, September 14th we will be holding a secular gathering of friends. All are welcome to come and share their memories of Squinternet with us.

Anyone who would also like to use this space for their own memorial, in Italian,  for a Mass, or whatever you would like, is welcome to do so through the month of September. We should all use the place to celebrate Squinternet’s time with us and remember her with love and respect.

The garden will be open for the rest of the month of September for anyone to visit and remember Squint.

Thank you so much, for all of your ideas and contributions. I appreciate all of you very much, as would Squinternet.

 

May eternal light shine upon her,

Gidge

I am Giulia

Hello everybody and thank you, Cajsa, for inviting me to post here.

I’m here for Squinternet and I would like to say a few things about her.

Last year, thanks to Cajsa’s Donna Flora A to Z Project i had the chance to know Squinternet Larnia. I knew her brand, her fabulous creations, of course, but i never talked to her before. After my post Giulia (yes, it’s her name) contacted me and we had a long talk, followed by others and i finally understood why people loved her so much not only as creator, but, most of all, as woman, as person.

Giulia told me her story, we talked about life, cancer, treatments, about fighting for life, about feelings, about friends, about love, we talked about many things. We never met before and we were talking like two old friends, it was simply amazing. Maybe speaking our own language (we’re both Italians) helped alot, you know it’s so much easier to say things when you speak your language 😛  She put one million smiles on my face and she left me speechless: someone in her conditions, in her situation would easily give up. She had the strength, the will and the hope not to give up. She loved life. Giulia loves life and she makes people love life.

Second Life is a fantastic virtual world made of real people: feelings and emotions are even more amplified here. So i know, Giulia, that you are reading this. Hey, sweet flower, look, you are so much loved and that’s wonderful, see what you’ve done! Don’t give up, you’re not allowed to!

I am with you, we are with you. My heart beats with yours.

I am Giulia, we are Giulia.

Tesoro, la vita riserva sempre continue sorprese, tu non smettere di combattere, di sperare. Chiudi gli occhi e senti l’amore che ti giunge da tutto il mondo attraverso questa pazza realtà virtuale, oltre agli affetti della RL. Non vedi quanto è bello? Tutto per te. Solo per te.
Ti sono tanto vicina, ti voglio bene.

 

CREDITS

• Dress: Donna Flora – Adel / wine silk 
• Necklace + earrings: Donna Flora – Arturo set
• Hair: Clawtooth – Tootsie – Silent Movie Star pack – at Hair Fair
• Skin: Glam Affair – Lulu / Europa 03 – at Collabor88
• Eyes: Poetic Colors – night rain
• Poses: Adorkable Poses
• Location: Elysion

 

Please, people, go visit the Love Donna Flora event or Donna Flora’s mainstore, purchase items or donate whatever you can.  Just do it now.

Thank you.

Dear Squinternet – A Love Letter from Second Life.

I just spent a couple of hours going through my Donna Flora posts over the years and reminded myself of her voice in the narrative of my Fashion Journey in SL. Gosh there are pages and pages in my blog of her designs, both as stand alones and compliments to some of my other favourites.

I found Squinternet’s shop when it was a tiny little two story shop with a couple of skins and some really pretty things in it.  Even then, in her infancy, there was something just very special and unique about her designs.

I followed her into a bigger space and watched her style really emerge and found myself anxiously checking back on the store each week to see what she would put out.  Squinternet was often there, busy putting up her new designs that never disappointed and always there was this table full of really outstanding freebies.  I always sent noobs there so they could get just a taste of what SL could offer if they stayed.  I consider it such a gift when someone can create an “experience” in SL and always when I attended her shop I found myself lingering, wanting to take in everything, consider every piece … the way we women do when we walk into a real life shop that we love.  Shopping at Donna Flora was a full meal deal, and you innately understood it was because this woman cared enough, was talented enough, to provide that for all of us.

Of course she exploded into the incredible empire most of us now know and love and branched into hair and shoes and so many other delightful things.

Who has not had an invent enhanced because of her participation?  Who has not immediately put her name at the front of the advertising so as to let people understand the quality of what is being offered?

Squinternet was one of the few people who ever spoke to me at an event.  Over the years as I worked in publishing and television, she was a class act with every contact and even stepped in to save a mess of a display for a Treet TV expo when Perfect World Productions needed help at the 11th hour.  There was not prima donna, make sure I get full credit attitude for her, just rolling up her sleeves and helping out.  It was probably one of our best displays ever.

It is sad that we wait until times like this to tell people their impact in our lives.  I know I made a couple of efforts to send her a note and let her know I appreciated her efforts, but even that seems so little in comparison to her impact on my virtual life.  We never know what is going on in anyone’s life, or what struggles they are dealing with.  I hope we will take this time not only to reflect on Squinternet, but on each other, and making a bit more effort in that regard.

I know that whenever I wanted something really special, I looked for my Donna Flora folder. It is one of only a few folders that will never be deleted because the clothes are relevant, the jewellery is exquisite, and all of it is timeless.  You could always tell that she cared about everything she made.  I suppose it is because of that so many of us feel like we shared a relationship with her.

As I looked at the pages of my Donna Flora posts this morning, it is like she has journeyed with me through so much of my SL experience.  I learned a long time ago that it is the experiences of our lives that we hold on to . . . the experiences, and the emotions they evoked/awoke in us.  I found myself smiling and remembering so many wonderful things … and I have Squinternet to thank for that and because of her gift to me, she will always be in my heart.

I believe in the power of love, and I believe that love can heal.  Sometimes healing is a literal physical healing and sometimes it is the healing of heart and soul.  My hope for you, beautiful lady, is that all of our love, brings you the gift of all 3.

 

LDF Group Now Open on Koinup

Among Second Life Residents, interest in and support for the Love Donna Flora projects is almost as high as interest in the new Prince of Cambridge who was born Monday morning RL.  Besides the main project, of which this blog is but one facet, other folk are offering their own contributions, sometimes collecting donations as well.  For instance, MIC-Imagin@rium is hosting an exhibition called Jewels’ Joy, a rotating slideshow of people wearing Donna Flora jewelry, which individual Residents can add a work to.

Residents have been photographing themselves and others in Squinternet Larnia’s creations for a long time, of course.  Flickr has a few groups that tap into the pool of photos for exhibition; but Koinup, the European VR photo service, didn’t have anything like that, at least according to my check yesterday morning.  Well, that has been solved.  Click through, and you will find a small, but growing group of photos featuring people wearing Donna Flora goodies.  You’re welcome to add your own, of course, be it couture or jewelry; all you need is to be a Koinup member, which is free and gives you 3GB of space to work with.  Come on and visit, and I hope you’ll add your own photos to the collection.

Monica Outlander for Donna Flora

Squinternet Larnia of Donna Flora is one of the SecondLife creators I admire the most. I have known her for years. Our friendship is not the kind where you chat every day, but we talk often about our crafts, our taste, and our vision of being creators in SecondLife. As a person and an artist, I have the deepest admiration for the passion, honesty, and dedication Squinternet puts into her work. I admire the playfulness that exudes from her art, and the strong creative will that drives her. She is someone who does not compromise her vision, and someone that gives all of herself in her creations. That’s what makes a true artist, to me. This relentless dedication to her craft is something that shows in every piece of Donna Flora.

In the past few days, I have been immersed in Squinternet’s vendors, helping to move them to her new Donna Flora mainstore and Miamai satellite shop. I was moved, once again, by her fire. The pure determination to create. The breathing for beauty. If you sit in a room surrounded by her creations, you cannot ignore that force. From the simple elegance of a silky sheath, to the sophistication of a tailored suit; from frilly sleeves to flapper fringe – her style has such range that everyone can find something to suit their taste. Regardless of one’s personal style, one cannot deny the strength and liveliness of the bold, colorful soul that produced Donna Flora creations.

It conjures that spark of joy and life that ignites your mind when something inspires you.

I want to help my friend as much as I can. We both depend on SL for our living, and I can only imagine how worried I would be in her situation. There is always pressure for creators to release new items, because if you do not, traffic and sales dwindle. I also wanted to try and give her the opportunity to create and play, which she so loves about SecondLife and, for now, cannot enjoy. That’s how I came up with the idea of collaborating with her to design some new clothes for her brand.

When she feels ok, she stays in Skype and we chat about this and that. One night we went on a happy window shopping spree on the web to look for ideas. We brainstormed about shapes and colors, talking about every detail. I then made the mesh and showed it to her for approval. I then textured, rigged, made the materials, and very nervously showed her my screen so that she could see the sequins shimmering in the sunlight.
Why nervous?
Hey, she is Squinternet. She can be intimidating! ^^

Luckily for me, she approved it on sight, and decided to call it Noemi.
I made a small video to show you how pretty the sparkly sequin is in the sunlight. I am no video maker, so forgive the bumps and the sickly moving of the camera. It’s better than the Blair Witch Project anyway. ^^

You can see the video here: Donna Flora “Noemi”

 

The dress is now out at Donna Flora Mainstore.

100% of the sales go to Squinternet. I hope I did a good job in honouring her awesomesauce brand and creative genius and that you will run to buy it!
Thank you for being a bunch of sweet people hearing the call of one of us in need ♥

Dearest Squinternet…

I started Second Life many moons ago, never thinking that this game would matter to me. It was simply at the constant nagging of a then boyfriend who worked at a financial magazine that had recently run an article on Second Life. I rarely spent time on the PC at home, only at work and had no interest in the internet at all, aside from possibly shopping during my off hours. Nearly seven years later and here I am sucked in due to one of my great loves – fashion. During these seven years, a lot of wonderful and some tragic things have happened. Some of the most important amongst many, many things are;  I have found love that turned into the love my life, I have lost cherished  friends,  I have been guilty of big mistakes, grown up quite a bit  and I have met friends that I will carry with me for the rest of my days.  I also have had the honor and privilege of seeing some of the most brave and unbelievably strong souls at work.  Squinternet Larnia of Donna Flora falls into that last category.  When we first met, she had no idea that I had been collecting her pieces for years. I would always pay attention to new releases and tp right over to check them out. They were so intricate! I could not get over how much each little piece was so detailed, so exquisite! When we first spoke, Squinternet was a lovely jewel of a person, excuse my pun but I could not resist. Sometimes during long chats she would go quiet for a long time and I figured that she was busy with work or something in her physical life. Later on she told me about her very brave fight with cancer and how she would often fall asleep due to the strong medications. Yet, she never complained and would come right back to the conversation as if no time had passed and kept right on chatting. She told me about how she loved to design but that physically her body wasn’t always so merciful with the long hours and close detailed work her lovely pieces called for. Yet, she was there…day after day, doing what she loved to do, always with time to chat, say hello and always upbeat. One day we were discussing birthdays and I was bellyaching because I had a big one coming up with a 0 at the end and she sent me a picture of herself and she was just so lovely and serene looking with a gorgeous smile. She told me that every day is happy for her, even through the pain and you know…in looking at her picture she was not just acting brave…she was radiating it. This is my “love” letter to her, thank you for the beauty you bring not just to Second Life in the form of your beautiful work but also to the lives of those of us who are blessed enough to know you. You  will be in my every prayer, beautiful lady.

xo,

Sophia Harlow

 

My First Donna Flora

Three years ago my friend Gogo blogged an incredibly beautiful necklace and earring set. It was a set with carnations and little strawberries with gold and jewel accents. I was in love with this set but at the same time I was intimidated by its beauty. I didn’t think I had what it took to style and display this set of jewelry in the way the creator intended. Gogo pushed aside my concerns and encouraged me to give it a try. “Its only jewelry,” she said, “You can do it.” Later when I logged in there it was the Gabriella Set waiting for me in my inventory. I overcame my fears and I did the best I could to show off the set in its proper beauty.

Since that day I’ve come to own several pieces from Donna Flora and all of them have been special. Special, like those real life earrings or pearls you pull out for special occasions only. You wear them for the special memorable times in your life. They become part of the memories.

Thank you Squinternet for giving us beautiful creations that have become a part of our memories.

The Place To Shop: Donna Flora

 I grew up in a small town, complete with a huge courthouse square around which all of the town’s activity took place. If you didn’t drive to the city to buy clothes, and you were from a “nice” family, you shopped at Newkirk’s.
Newkirk’s had a men’s section, a children’s section and a ladies section, each was it’s own store with it’s own entrance but were joined by very discreet doorways in between.  The front of the ladies section was labeled Club Wear. That means country club, not da club. Slacks, polos, cardigans, cricket skirts and sensible but fashionable shoes. The center was intimates, “foundation garments” and sleepwear. But the back, the back was what I thought was magical.

Soft, plush chairs for those waiting, tri-fold, fingerprint free mirrors and crystal chandeliers adorned the evening wear section. I had to sit quietly, while my mother tried on item after item. The sales lady would bring her boxes of jewelry to try on with the dresses. They sold hose and gloves – in boxes, not little plastic bags. It was elegance, and it was grace, in a small shop in central Indiana.

The first time I walked into Donna Flora in SL, I felt that same spirit. A sense of style and class, that it was hard to define yet I knew it when I saw it. The shop has always been a staple food in my diet of SL consumerism. But more than that, people who know me, always have known I love Donna Flora.

Not like some unattainable beauty – but that, this is where I shop. My husband hasn’t been in SL in probably two years, but when he was here and we were buying me new jewelry, he knew to take me to Donna Flora.

If I were only allowed to ever shop in one place in Second Life, it would be hard NOT to choose Donna Flora.

Thank you for bringing grace, and elegance to our Second Lives Squinternet. We owe you a debt of gratitude for all this beauty that we will be hard pressed to ever repay you.

 

 

 

 

The Event Begins

I love Second Life. Where else could you say wouldn’t it be great if we had an event to raise money for someone’s medical expenses and have a rush of volunteers and ideas in less than thirty minutes? It’s a testament to the human spirit that people are so quick to volunteer their time and their energy.

Status Report

These are things/roles we have in hand or assigned to someone:

• Vendor display – Milan Mode
• Donation split script – Gospel Voom
• Blogger Manager – Katya Valeska
• Logo – OMGWTF Barbecue
• Venue – Full Sim – Chablis Kinsella
• Timeline – Event will run from July 25th to August 24th
• Sim Decoration – Felicity Blumenthal

If you have ideas, let us know. This is a community event and will be as good as you all make it.

Your ideas and energy is welcome, you can IM Cajsa Lilliehook in-world or email me or add a comment below.