In or Out?

It has been snowing all day. The pond is finally frozen over and people are skating…



I am a wuss when it comes to the cold. I am not even wearing boots…



Ice fishing anyone? Ignore me as I perform a perfect face plant in the snow…



I have been here before…years ago I wandered in here one September and a guy in a red suit gave me the grand tour. I am told he is really busy…



My kids have a snow day today. I am told that our ski hills will be opening a week early. Winter is not officially here for another few weeks but don’t tell Jack Frost!

Credits: Pics shot @ New England Lakes, All Poses by Rogan Diesel of Dieselworks Kalli & Cyn {R}. Skin by Glam Affair Eva Skin Winter Makeup (Dressing Room), Outfit by Jane (All on Sale) aviator Jacket (raven), Essence Pants (raven), Aviator Sweater (blush), Shoes Surf Couture Saturday Moccasins (black), Hair (with hat) Clawtooth Cuddle Puddle (Vampire Red) (sale).

Kallista

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste:
 


Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow,
For precious friends hid in death's dateless night,
And weep afresh love's long since cancell'd woe,
And moan the expense of many a vanish'd sight:
 


Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,
And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er
The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan,
Which I new pay as if not paid before.
But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All losses are restored and sorrows end. William Shakespeare/Sonnet 30
 


Credits: Skin Rockberry Kallista O Light, Djinn & Tonic (Potter’s Field) The Widow Boot and  Rosalind (Hair Blonde), Tattoos CrowJane Silent Sparrow, Dress Kyoot Army Exquisite Corpse Gown. Pics shot @ Cari Lakebusch and Decay, Twas. If I am remiss in not saying more about all these items, I plead exhaustion, but please check them out, especially the new skins from Rockberry, there are some amazing make-ups here.

Because it’s Kyoot!!

Whenever life takes a turn to something new, I find myself changing many things in my day to day routines and this tends to affect my SL as well. In my part of the world, people move this time of the year, as soon as the kids are out of school, the moving trucks pull up and large numbers of people are going from one part of the country to another. And so again I have moved in SL. Unlike RL, moving in SL tends to be pretty easy, you need to inform your landlord or estate owner (or sell your property), get all your stuff from the original location, place it in your inventory, make your move, buy your new land….in my case I moved into larger digs on the estate, and voila!



The fun begins when you start decorating. I live in a post apocalyptic sim, which surprisingly gives a lot of leeway with the designs, the only thing you can’t have is a place too neat and tidy or trendy. This kind of sim invites a lot of creativity, there are a lot of bunkers, towers, ramshackle buildings, pretty well anything that would survive a disaster or exist in a desert environment will do. I have been putting together a collection of rustic dwellings, bone piles, windmill and water storage, weird trees etc.which is appropriate to an area called the Fissure!



I bought many of my stuffs, at Botanical Straylight, buildings (windmills etc.) from an interesting builder specializing in rustica…called Never You Mind. (interesting and versatile) bones on XStreet, LC Sculpts,and other items out and about at various stores specializing in all things dystopian. People might wonder why a fashion blogger would pick this sort of place as the inhabitants tend towards the odd and malformed variety but I have found it a perfect contrariness to always trying to get things right. Mainly because the opposite is true here… I tend to build my skyboxes myself and am looking forward to moving on to a texture search…



I have been dressing fairly casual of late and my looks today reflect that. Clothing from the sale at Kyoot, hair Lamb and fashionably dead, skin the gorgeous and beautiful new skin from Tuli Asturias (I love the make ups and eyes), boots shiny things and UBU (some of my most worn shoes are from here). New Tatts from HUZ and earrings from LC, Dreams belly rings. I have to say that I am missing blogging a great deal but know that as I adjust, I will find my way back here as well.

Credits: 1&2 – Skin by Tuli Jade Tone 2 10c glow eyes {R}, Outfit Kyoot Tiny Collar cropped Jacket, Zipper Cords (dark gray), Belt (on all) CoCo group gift, (fd) Messy Bessy (salt), Shoes UBU pornstars low-tops, Dreams Gothic Cross belly rings {R},  Huz Tatts Kanji reborn (black). 2&3 - Skin by Tuli Jade Tone 2 4C eyes honey {R}, Outfit Kyoot Laced Top Knit, Nonsensical Pants (argyle or something), Shiny Things Ginger Boots (oil) {R}, Hair Lamb Lost (powder)LC pierced Heart Earring {R}, Sanu Sticky Notes {R}.Poses by Everglow. If you need help finding any of these stores, send me an IM or note and I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction.

Knock, Knock!!

A knock sounds at the front door and the kettle is boiling….

I wrote my first post in this blog September 24th, 2008. At the time I blogged solely for myself. Through the next year and a half I  honed my skills, learned a great deal about shooting pics on location, reviewing for designers, attending sales and so many things I could never mention them all. I have gone to fashion shows, multiple fairs and had the privilege to meet and talk to a whole host of talented people. I have seen my share of drama but rarely commented on it and generally gotten more out of blogging than I have put into it. I have learned about editing my work, writing and even the fact that you don’t need very expensive programs to be creative within SL.

I started to learn the process which designers use to create clothes, skins and other items for sale within this virtual world. Second Life can be an all consuming passion, and while I blogged I realized that the demands of this world cannot supersede real life concerns.  I knew one day, real life might come calling and I wondered how I would respond to it. I have seen many farewell posts from people too busy to blog, design or be in SL any more. I have always felt sad about this but hopeful as well, as one chapter ends, a new and exciting chapter can begin.

Therefore this is not a farewell post. I am not going anywhere but it is with some regret that I must set aside the review side of blogging, at least for a while. This is not for any reasons of discontent or dislike for the process. On the contrary, if my skills as a blogger have improved I hold reviewing in large part responsible. This type of blogging requires one to be self disciplined, organized and creative. I have thoroughly enjoyed blogging skins, reviewing fairs and trying new looks which maybe aren’t my style but challenge my views. A very wise designer once said to me “ Don’t ever feel you have to blog an item or apologize for being late..” That’s not me I’m afraid. I value the relationships I have built in SL, with our designers too much,to continue to receive items gratis if I cannot promise that I will be able to blog them. Now that I am working full time and spending the rest of my time taking care of my family, I do not have the energy to put in the hours that my style of blogging requires.

I love blogging too much to say goodbye and for me it is something totally mine, a little bit of sanity in a sometimes insane world. I don’t know what the future will bring, I like to think that there is always something new to learn and that moving out of one’s comfort zone can be a very good thing. At the same time …SL and blogging is my cup of tea.

A knock sounds at the front door and the kettle is boiling….

Every Picture tells a story…

 

It is only recently, I have noticed that my blogs have a strong narrative or editorial feel to them. I look at an outfit and if I can see a story in that dress or pair of shoes then I just run with it and where I end up no one, not even myself knows. If I can’t see the story then I have to find one… This is probably because of how my mind works, my imagination is often in overdrive. So when I see a new outfit or I open a folder of pieces sent by a designer I often ask myself…where’s the story?…what is the visual that I associate with that piece?




This Outfit is called Bjork, by Ginevra Lancaster, and I realized that I was going for a story which would be open for interpretation.  Luckily, I found myself in an amazing group of SIMs created by Bryn Oh (and a number of other Artists of SL, more info here.), some of the most fertile creative minds in SL. The description of the SIMs stated that they are for the Worlds Exposition in Shanghai. This Machinima was filmed in the first SIM, Utopia 01, and is being shown in the Madrid pavillion of the World Expo 2010. “The Event begins May 1st and runs in Shanghi for 6 months. We will be showing Second Life Machinima of these islands measuring 4 meters each” - from Bryn Oh’s profile. I am in complete awe of this woman’s talent, she shows that we have only scratched the surface of what is possible in this Virtual world we live in…



Ginevra Lancaster makes clothes which are dramatic, dressy and stylish, with a strong visual element. Bjork (420L) was fun to work with especially with the EMO-tions hair and new VIP skin from Dutch Touch. I made myself taller and more model’y to highlight better the clothes.

Credits: Outfit by Ginevra Lancaster Bjork, Hair EMO-tions Lily Snow (also Glitter earrings free), Skin Dutch Touch Isis Cream (trueblue) VIP 500L, Shoes Maitreya Gold Shanti (silver).

We Don’t need another Hero…..

But at the same time, the commonplace statement about them is true: every character is the hero of his own story. Each has a justification for his actions that is convincing to him. It's fun to give these people voices.
Thomas Perry



And each man stands with his face in the light. Of his own drawn sword, ready to do what a hero can.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning



The noir hero is a knight in blood caked armor. He's dirty and he does his best to deny the fact that he's a hero the whole time.
Frank Miller

Credits: Outfit Ripped Azreal Male 400L {R}, Hair Exile Kavar River (black) {R}, Shapes MADesigns Valien {R}, Skin Belleza Thomas Group gift (tan). Pics shot @ Duteushe Berguine. Poses By LAP (mens 50L fri) & Dieselworks (dante).

RFL Mer-Elf

Today I am showing you a few of the RFL items from Morgaine Price of Mer-Elf Creations. All of these items are exclusive to the fair (though Morgaine has said that she may keep the RFL vendors up in her store for a little while after). That said, they are all available in different colours in her store. She is also opening a new store which she is now setting up for an opening date of May 1st.

Yesterday I found myself walking through the Mer Sim of the Fantasy Faire. This is one of the largest areas, with lots of fins, coral and underwater accessories for sale. When I rented land in the Elven sims, I was lucky to have an area that I could make into a small Mer haven, with coral and fish and a little shell seat.


Below are some of the other pieces for the Fantasy Fair, RFL… Very pretty! When I visited the store Morgaine was having a sale as well . One of the issues with a short fair is that for Bloggers it’s difficult to show everything before the event is over. I enjoy seeing new stores and at this point have not even seen all of the Sims!!

Credits: All clothes from Mer – Elf Creations. Tulip Merrow, Tulip Fairy, Wish RFL Edition. Hair Hal*Hina Viola (milk beige) and ILoveOlive Olivia (platinum) Skin Curio (GP) petal Bluebell, Turnstyle Sand dollar earring, Magika Realle Prim Eyelashes, Shoes SLink Eve summer sandals white. Pics shot @ Mermaid Ocean. Fantasy faire is here.

Spellbound, RFL Fantasy Faire

Welcome to the 2010 Fantasy Faire!



It would be an understatement to say that Fantasy has been a big part of my RL and Sl. I am a voracious reader of both Sci.Fi and the Fantasy Genres, as well as liking a bit of Gothic/Horror. If I had never stumbled into the Elven Sims and Isle of Wyrms, I doubt I would have stayed long enough to discover all of the imaginative things people do in Sl and I certainly wouldn’t be blogging them.  I am part of Evies team of Bloggers doing our best to cover as much of the fair as possible during the one week long event. What is different about this Fair (as opposed to any of the other fairs I have done I the past) is that the official bloggers have been given a list of different stores to blog in the hopes of a wider coverage than is usual at these things. I have had a look at my Sim Avatopia and a quick glance around the rest and the builds are pretty impressive. I am looking forward to seeing it all, wearing low lag and no scripts. As I a writing this I am also at the Faire, and I just won a prize for being the lowest lagster on the SIM!



This dress is by Spellbound and is one of the RFL Charity items. It also comes with a few parts that I haven’t worn in these pics (red top and  strings on the corset). The dress is available for 400L and can be found here at the Faire. The necklace is part of a set from HoC. This hair BC322 Ogre Hair, I fell in love with when I saw it worn by Arabella Steadham in one of her posts. I can’t conclude without mentioning the wonderful soon-to-be-released skin from Tuli, you know I love black lips!!



Credits: Pics shot @ Dragon Rose Isle. (Combat RPG sim so wear an observer tag or go when its empty..).
Outfit from Spellbound, Clarissa R/B, Hair BC322 Ogre Girl, Jewellery HoD Mercenary part1&2, 295l, Boots PacadiJasha (NLA) (sale) Ankle boots (black), Skin Tuli, Sayuri Tone 1 F 8b release date April 22nd., Poses by Everglow. Weird effects that most won't like ... Sky Monochromes Redflog/HORROR - and Water Eyeballin Windlight (Thanks to Torley).

Caught in a time flux….

Whenever I take a holiday, I return relaxed, refreshed and somewhat out of the loop as to what’s going on… This time it’s no exception. Which is why I am showing you over the next few posts a couple of dresses I picked up at the Tokyo Sim of the RFL Clothing Fair. Late though they be I thought them worthy of posting since Japanese designers don’t always get a lot of coverage in the western feeds. This dress reminds me of something one could wear on the Orient Express. The hat comes with hair included and there are a number of ways this dress could be worn.



Credits: Dress KWZ (sweetlemon jewel) Orient Eileen, Skin Rockberry Lily G Light Dk Brows, Shoes Anexx Vaudvillian Shoes. Poses by Everglow. Shot @ Japan Dream Kenjin.

I’ll have some Hucci with that!

Every now and then I like to drop into Fabulous fashion with Angie Mornington, on Mondays at 6SLT @ Northpoint Studios. Besides interviews, its nice to see a designers clothing on the model and hear something of their thoughts about their clothing and what they were trying to achieve with it. As well you can hear about their own experiences within SL and what drives their desire to create in a virtual world. Eboni Khan has been in SL since 2004, so she has some interesting things to say about her experiences. This dress really stood out for me as a really fine example of her work.



Being in the audience also has its perks, there usually is a gift of some sort for the audience and Eboni generously gave everybody a gift card for her store. This Necklace is one of her jewelery pieces and works really well with the Boho look I was trying to achieve.



I love anything that reminds me of the 60’s and this dress is very well designed with all the things I like in a dress, cleavage and versatility! The necklace is by Secret Serenity (Dearly Beloved Set) and works well with the ensemble. After putting together this look, I realized that the dress could be styled many ways, leather boots or net stockings, a belt or sweater would all look good.



Pics taken @ Triborough, New York, and Battery Park, NY. Treet TV is here, you can see older shows from Fabulous Fashion. You can see shows live @ Northpoint Studios.

Credits:
Pic&2 –Dress by House of Hucci Wild side (pink leopard) Plush Jewellery set, Hair Simply Brittney Brit BDay (noche), Boots Kookie 50L Armarda, DC Dernier Cri leggings (lt Brown), Skin LFauna Lapine Pale1 (morphine), Maitreya Slouch socks (aubergine).
Pic3&4 – Dress by House of Hucci Warm Key Dress (camel), Eye Chai Allure(hazel), Jewellery Secret Serenity - Dearly Beloved Sapphire and Pearl Pendant and Earrings 100L, Shoes Digit Darkes Wicked Bow Heel, League Metallic Shine Leggings (night), Hair ILoveOlive LuLu (dk blonde), Skin LFauna Lapine pale2 (mulberry).

Meet me at the Numery mart…

Rockberry has a pretty new skin called Luan and I thought it would be cool to shoot some pics in a Japanese Sim. Neo Osaka fit the bill perfectly, it has so many interesting spots to visit, with a mix of business and pleasure….



Luan comes in 4 tones, light, natural tan and dark, with 6 make-ups and freckles available as a separate skin. Rockberry has some of the nicest freckles on the grid, and all skins have a cleavage option with the skin. Each skin is available for 450L (with light and dark eyebrows) or in a full pack of light (or dark eyebrows) for 1250L. Freckled skins are 300L per skin and 1250L for the 6 make-ups. I am also featuring some new items from Luck Inc. The sweater and super short skirt are available in lots of colours.



This vest is from Milk Motion. I love the furry appearance even though it is horribly difficult to shoot pictures of clothing with sculpties on the body.The pieces move every which way, and so many poses just do not work. Love soul is best known for the many prim nail styles but there are also some well designed hair styles to be had. Black colour in hair can lack texture but this one is well detailed and easy to see.



Credits: Skin Rockberry Luan {R}, Eyes Chai Allure(hazel,blue), Hair Love Soul 023A Black, Vest Milk Motion My Fur and Leather vest, Luck Inc. Linc Ruffled MiniSkirt, Shortsleeve Cashmere top 150L ea {R}. Pics shot @ neo Osaka.

5th&Oxford

What better way to show off the new Lingerie from 5th&Oxford, than to pair them with the new skins, Brooke? Brooke is available in 5 different make-ups, each with their own personality. I have included my favourites, each gorgeous in their own way. You may have noticed some of these in some of my posts. Nightfall has great Smokey  eyes and dramatic lips. Rebel/Rebel’s eyes are strong but masterfully shaded with strong lips. Kitty has cat eyes and I love the freckles. Natural and Subtle are more low key, letting the shading and tone speak. Like all skins by Roslin Petion and CJ Carnot, they photograph beautifully and have quality all their own.


The new Lingerie, The Tease comes in brilliant colours and  numerous options. As Lingerie, these pieces work very well, and they are designed in such a way that they can be paired with different outfits, shirts etc. The gloves alone come in 3 lengths so they can be added to different looks. I can see the underbust corset being lovely paired with a shirt and bra or corset also. The basic lingerie set comes with bra, panties and garters and a pair of stockings that are nude and matched to the colour. In one of the pics I used a pair of stockings from another set and they worked too. It’s important to note that all of the Tease items are available in copy/mod and trans versions, so you can also gift them.



I have included a new piercing set by Aydan Darcy of HoD. The three textures come with male and female versions. A note about the picture below…. I TP in clothed, found a quiet spot, shot the pic and hightailed it out of there asap. Some nudest I’d make…



Whenever I blog new items I usually try to find a sim which follows the theme of the clothes I am wearing. This is why I took myself over to Insilico, which if you’ve ever been there is/was a gritty nightime futuristic city. Well, no more. Insilico it seems has been invaded, razed to the ground and under construction. I am interested to see what will rise. pics 1&4 were taken in Insilico. Pics 2&3 were taken in Pteron.

Credits:
Clothing – 5th & Oxford, The Tease – 6 colours – Sapphire, Cerise, Amethyst, Ruby, Onyx, Emerald. Corset 120L, Underbust Corset 120L, Lingerie (bra, panties, garter, garter panty, stockings in nude and colour) 180L, Gloves (3 lengths) (mod/copy or trans) {R}, Bax Coen Ankle Boots (black patent), Jewellery HoD Knock Out Piercing (graphite) 119L {R}.

Skins - 5th & Oxford – Brooke – 3 Tones Fair, Medium, Tan. 5 Make – ups Subtle, Rebel/Rebel, Nightfall, Natural, Kitty (6 variations/3 tones/18 choices per make-up). 600L/skin. Hair Junwave Marie fatpack (sale).

La Maison de la Couture

Rajae Diavolo of La Maison de la Couture makes clothing that tends to follow a theme. This outfit is very tropical so naturally, in my quest to find places in sl which match the clothes, I found myself in Polynesia.



All of the pieces are part of one outfit which can be mixed and matched according to taste. Needles to say, this may be a response to cabin fever but I seem to be encountering eyes everywhere I go!!



The earrings and shoes are from G Field, matching the theme perfectly, and were reasonably priced at 150L. The hair is one of my favourites from Zero Style. Skin is Gwen from Dutch Touch and I added the glow Studio eyeliner.



Credits: Outfit from Maison de la Couture Lime with blue Tropic (includes 2 pairs of pants, 2 skirts and 2 tops) 600L {R}, Hair Zero Style Emma (golden wheat), Skin Dutch Touch Gwen (cream) Fluor Lips, Lashes glow Studio Vingue eyelinerB, Shoes and Earrings *G Field TStrap sandal Citrus (lime), Eyes Exodi Vetro (green). Poses used from Diesel Works and LAP. Pictures taken @ Polynesia.

Don’t go into the woods..

Walking into Bentham forest you walk into a fairy tale, with light streaming down, strange paths and haunting sights like an illustration by Brian Froud. Careful where you walk, you may just wake something up…..



This utterly sweet look is courtesy of Aikea Rieko of the Plastik. The Ellantha dresses come with various options for the top and skirt and all of the pieces work very well together. And there is a very good reason why Curio skins have such a loyal following, details are exquisite. You may notice in the top right picture that I am wearing one of the new Luck Inc. breast enhancers for Curio skins…



This hair is another one of my finds from W&Y, the bow was perfect for this dress and is texture change. The lovely lip rings and collar are from Dreams and lip rings have a number of different charms to choose from. The collar was a gift from the I<3 originals Fair.



Credits: Dresses The Plastik Ellantha – Black, Violet Vaudeville, Leather, Risen from the flames (many textures available with mix and match styles, prim skirts) 399L {R}, Hair W&Y 5 TypeB, Dreams Gothic Cross Lip rings set 75L {R} (different charms to choose from, colour change), Cloud Buckle Collar, Den-Dou Eyes (midnight blue), Skin Curio Cupid Allure (petal), Shoes Kalnins Sonata (with hud and tex change), Luck Inc. breast enhancer for Curio petal dark. Pics shot @ Bentham Forest.

Kess Kreations

Lately I seem to be traveling a lot in SL and I find myself visiting places on my bucket list…today it’s Venice.



When I first saw this Jewellery set from Kesseret Steeplechase of KessKreations (Jewellery and Wedding Acessories) and Hilarious (Clothing), I was a little baffled as to how I’d show the set to the best advantage. Then I saw her lovely Cocktail dress and I knew a plunging neckline would be perfect. Hair can be a challenge with jewelery as it so often covers the earrings so this cheeky short style from Calico Ingmann Creations is very pretty and worked. I have been planning on buying these boots from J’s for a long time and they add a little funky the look. Beautifully textured and detailed, these boots.



The Set is customizable, with options on the metals, pearls and gems, so it can be matched with a lot of outfits. Pieces are gorgeous with a high degree of detail. I have had a problem in the past with disappearing prims on jewelery and hair. If this is a problem for you follow these steps;
Show “Advanced” menu with Ctrl-Alt-D, or Opt-Ctrl-D (on a Mac), select Debug Settings (near the bottom), in the blank space copy and paste (or type) the word      RenderVolumeLODFactor  - set as high as 4 to make sculpted prims appear as they should.   Then set       RenderMaxNodeSize   -   9001



I am also wearing another skin from the Brooke line from 5th&Oxford, Kitty. I love the freckles on this one! One of the problems when I find an outfit I really am enjoying blogging is that I have to take it off to move onto the next one…



I<3 Originals Fair is here, continuing until February 14th. Pics shot @ Venizia Aria, Prada. Poses from Glitterati Poses.

Credits: Kess Kreations and Miau, Miau Tabitha (pumpkin) Cocktail dress 250L 9available in 6 colours), KessKreations Karen Necklace or Earrings 200L ea (tex change for metals, pearls and gems) (available at the fair) {R}, Skin 5th&Oxford Brooke Medium Kitty6, Boots J’s Western Boots (brown), Eyes Exodi LIM (look into my green), Hair Calico Ingmann Creations Mimi Golden (burnt golden), Magika reale prim eyelashes.