Kilted Up and Struttin’
Before I begin this post I just want to make a few notes.
1) Thanks to all the many wonderful bloggers out there who are an inspiration to me both as a shopaholic and as a blogger. You people rawk.
2) Thanks to all the many designers who keep on doing your thing and for all your kind gifts this week during blogger appreciation week. I’d have nothin’ to write about without you. 🙂
3) Regarding my photographs, I cannot use the antialiasing setup on cool viewer as mentioned by Ana Lutetia – it just makes my view black. Soooo, if my pictures seem a little wonky that might be why. Other than cropping, fixing semi transparency as mentioned in this tutorial and setting them on backgrounds I do not retouch my blog photos in order that the items may look as close as possible to how they would look in world on your avatar. (Unless I specifically say that the picture has been edited, of course.) I use a lighting preset for all my photos that is adapted from one recommended by Maitreya, Caliah Lyon and others. And, all photos are clickable to larger size versions for greater detail without clogging the feed with giant pictures.
4) Credits for my poses, backgrounds, any brushes, patterns or other photoshop resources used are included near the bottom of every post.
On With The Show!
To read more, see more pics and get all the info, click here.
Please, Stop and Think
Please, hug your mom, your dad, your sister, your brother, your dog, your cat, whatever.
Please, be grateful for the people in your life who love you and that you love.
This last month I’ve been going through some hard things in life, whether sl or rl and when I look at the feeds lately all I can think is – is this all that we care about? This? (And no, I’m not belittling fashion blogging, that’s not the target of this.)
Many of my nearest and dearest sl and rl friends are going through hard things too and I’m too far away often to do more than to pray and cry and think and worry for them as well as myself.
No, I don’t think of SL(tm) as just a game, far from it and it makes me sad that some people do think of it that way. Yes, I’m well aware many people need to make some real money out of their creations in SL (I’d like to make some too some day.) Yet, this sniping back and forth and constant drama and put downs and criticism and on and on and on, is that really who we are as people? Is this really what reflects us? Is that really what we want people to look back on when they think of Second Life?
It’s bad enough that Second Life residents are mainly thought of as sex obsessed perverts by mainstream media because most people in the mainstream don’t seem to bother to look deeper than something sensational. It’s bad enough that many of us with the mind set that can understand and enjoy Second Life for the benefits and pleasures it can bring in terms of conversation, creativity, beauty, and so on feel as though we don’t fit into the world many times or can’t explain what makes it enjoyable or unique to those in our real world lives. Do we really have to snipe at and tear down and piss on each other as well? Do we really have to criticize others in order to feel better about ourselves? Do we really have to take the tone of superiority under the guise of “teaching” someone else?
All I know is that I am deeply sad today and that perhaps I am as guilty of all these things as anyone else. That’s why I say we and not you and not they. All I know is that I have loved Second Life for a long time and now I barely want to log in any more, or read the feeds or plurk, because it seems as if I’m hit with more drama and meanness and cruelty all the time from somebody or other. Even if it’s not happening to me, it’s happening to someone I know and care about. So, please, stop and think and appreciate loved ones both in sl and in rl. Please, stop and think about who we are behind our monitors and our avatars and when we turn the computer off and walk away.
Photo is edited. Picture in no way does the creations of these artists and all the many others justice. Wearing some of my favorite things.
Outfit: the Laughing Academy by Tabitha Ninetails, Ceri includes lovely hat and adorable shoes.
Necklace, the Laughing Academy by Tabitha Ninetails, Maire
Earrings – Miriel, Countess earrings in gold
Hair – Euphoria in Chestnut, Zero Style
Skin – Belle, Candy Kisses Sunkissed by Belleza
Ring The Alarm
Ring the alarm
’cause you ain’t never seen a fire
like the one I’ma cause – Beyonce
I caught a post on the shoe addicts bible “On Your Toes” blog about cute shoes and FREE shoes at a place called Pixel Fashion. (Read Anessa Stine’s post here.)
I’ve only been to Pixel Fashion once or twice before but I headed on over to check out the shoes and stayed to check out the fashion. This post includes three outfits I bought all in one go. All three are sexy, sassy and appropriate for clubbing, partying and generally strutting your stuff.
Tixy dress in beige.
I used almost the same hair, jewelry and shoes throughout with a few changes which are documented farther along 😀
Anny pants, Ellea top both red
Russ dress, black
View pics larger for best look, to get all the info and shopping slurls click here.
Simply Summer
The temperature today where I live hit 78 degrees and in my upstairs office it felt more like 88 at least. I was building and wanted to feel cool and comfortable and came up with this little outfit to help me do that. (Ever notice if you’re warm in first life you’ll dress your avatar for that weather in second life ™ and so on?)
Click the pic for larger view.
Read the rest of this post, view other pics and get shopping info by clicking here.
Beachy Keen with Cupcakes, Laqroki, Truth and more!
This post started out with nothing more than the purchase of a few new items from Cupcakes, the brainchild of Rosemary Galbraith and Mimi Coral. The outfit itself – comprised of the corset tank top in Tropica – Blue and the summer shorts in Green 1, just shrieks of warm summer and playtime but also of long lazy vacations somewhere romantic. My accessories are meant to reflect these ideas along with a touch of a ’60’s beach movie vibe. I love the rich colors and satiny texture on these and bought other color combos also.
Click through to read more and get the shopping slurls. 🙂 Picture is clickable to view larger.
Hoppy Easter or Spring Holiday of Your Choice
Just a quick greeting to wish you all peace, joy and warmth this year.
This looks better in large so please click through.
I am wearing:
Skin – Tuli – Natalie Group Gift in Tan
Hair – ::69:: – NW in Umber
Lashes – Beauty Avatar – Celebrity 05
Top – Tuli – This was a top that came up when I searched inv for Bunny. I believe it was a hunt gift last spring, worn in blue.
Skirt – Tuli -Worn Denim skirt in Bleached
Boots – Maitreya – Dune Boot in Blue
Earrings – DeLa – Berlioz in sky
Bracelets – VG Republic, Double Gold color change bangles set to sky
Other – Bunny Boppers by JAS in white – part of a gift from the MiaSofia fried egg hunt. The ears emit tiny carrot particles.
All props used in this shot were created by me for my not yet opened shop “Delight-ful Creations” except the Easter bunneh.
Please bear in mind that this shot has been edited for sharpness and lighting.
Yes!
Yes
I’m wearing:
Skin – Vixen in Sundust skintone, Capri makeup by Curio
Hair – Lua in Cinnamon by Analog Dog
Shoes – Pinup Pumps by Stiletto Moody in Blush
Outfit – Bahama Mama in Pink by Stellar Designs
Jewelry – Luicee set in pink by Hibiscus Flossberg (Puarangi Designs opening soon)
What I do on my blog
I want to say first of all that I support Sasy’s “Stop The Hate” initiative 110 percent. In my comment to her I did say that I think people have reasons for disliking or being annoyed by certain things, but I don’t feel the need to be malignant about it and having said my piece months ago, I’m not interested in repeating it.
That’s not what this post is about. I found this quote from her post to be especially meaningful and it got me thinking.
Lastly another thing is the difference between reviewing and featuring, I see comments a lot about how bloggers don’t do proper reviews, well thats an assumption on the readers part that the blog is a review blog, mine for one is not now and never will be a review blog,
To begin with, if your blog is featured on the “Fashion Planet” feed in particular, as well as Carissa Crimson’s feed and the Metavirtual fashion feed and some others, then obviously, your blog is intended to have some focus on fashion. However, there’s a great many ways your blog could be about fashion within that broad label.
Maybe you’re a designer showing your items. Maybe you’re a photographer looking for a way to show what you can do and a fashion post will help you do that. Maybe you’re a model or a modeling agency looking for exposure. Maybe you’re a professional stylist or shopping consultant and your blog helps you demonstrate the kind of things you can help a resident do. Or maybe you’re just a regular girl or boy, interested in fashion, and for whatever reason you decide to start blogging.
Even then, maybe you only want to do Looks of the Day. Maybe you only want to respond to Blogger Challenges. Maybe you only do reviews. Maybe you only do features. Maybe, maybe, maybe. (All you’s generic of course)
When I started my blog, I did it strictly at the urging of my two best SL friends. They would say things like, “You have such a flair for putting things together, you should blog.” or “I bet a lot of people would love to see that outfit you have on.” And so on. Each time, they said things like this, I immediately disagreed. I was just a girl in SL enjoying the chance to dress up and use Fashion as the art form I believe it can be. I wasn’t anything special like some of my idols of the Feed, like Sasy Scarborough or Milla Michinaga or Ana Lutetia.
Also, I wasn’t too sure about my picture quality. I’d been interested in Flickr for a while and really marveled at the talent of some of the bright lights there. But, eventually my friends wore me down.
Then I had to think for a while, what would be the focus of my blog. What would I do with it? How would I show what I wanted to show without doing some of the nonos I saw some other bloggers doing. Nonos only to me of course.
To begin with, I knew I didn’t ever want to post a “bad review”. I developed a review policy based on this and a few other things. Most of the items I wear or review or showcase on my blog I bought myself. I couldn’t imagine asking for review items. I was still thinking of myself (As I do now) as just a regular girl showing some things she likes to wear. I figured any designer I asked would wonder who I was and what I thought I was doing.
Since then I have once or twice asked for review copies and done my very best to give an honest and thorough review of items I posted. Like Sasy, I will immediately tell a designer if I see some flaw that will make an item impossible for me to review.
I also spent and still spend time looking at and learning from tutorials, trying to make my pictures better each time. I’ve learned a lot and continue to do so. It’s true, I like to be able to show the results of my labor, but since I make it a habit never to edit my pictures beyond cropping and compiling so that the item looks as it does in world, most of my “better” pictures are only on flickr though occasionally I slide one through that I’m proud of.
The thing is, unless the title of my post says “Review” then my post is not a review per se and I don’t even consider it one. Yes, I take a page from other blogger’s books and talk a bit about the items, including mentioning reattachments or tinting or any problems I might have had. That’s again called honesty. If a blogger is not honest, what’s the point? Also, I want to tell the reader why i like these items and why i think they look good together, if they are interested in knowing. It’s perfectly okay if they just skip to the shopping bag at the end, whatever the reader does is fine with me.
I suppose you could say my blog is mostly looks of the day or Hey look at this outfit i put together today. So, if you’re expecting a particular thing from my blog, don’t. I consider my blog to be very personal. I show you, the SL World, (or at least the fashion interested part of it) what I like. I don’t expect you to agree, necessarily, and I’m fine with you scrolling past me if you don’t. But, since it’s my personal taste and my personal ideas, yup, it’s personal and therefore it can’t really be put into any particular “box” for what’s going to be on here.
Just for fun, here’s a picture I did and tried out some editing techniques on.
I’m wearing skin by Redgrave, hair by Truth, tattoo by Nardcotix, skirt by Stellar Designs, Top and jewelry by Zaara and nails by Candy Nail. Please note this is an “EDITED” photo so this may not look exactly the same in world. I’ll add slurls later when this god awful headache passes.
You can find my flickr pics from the widget on the lower right of this post.
Boom Boom Boom!
So, yesterday I was reading some of the entries of blogs on the IHeartSL feed when I caught a great post by Bubbles Komachi over at Closet Divers called “Boom and Digit Darkes Goodness”.
I was familiar with and a big fan of Digit Darkes clothing and other creations and I thought Bubbles’ pictures were wonderful. This was enough to dig deeper and therefore, Bubbles is to blame for this post. 😀
In her post, Bubbles ably shows off the Barely There tops and Getting Low jeans and that’s what I went to *BOOM* to get when my eyes latched onto the short pants version of the jeans. They have a really nice, almost dressy silhouette with that low, low waistline that some of us love. Right away I wanted to put an outfit together with these pants and so I started throwing things on til I got a match I liked.
I was trying on some of my Leezu Baxter Designs sweaters when I hit this blouse instead. I really love the stand up collar and the dressier look to this blouse with the cute peek at the tummy afforded by blouse and pants together. I loved this blue on blue combo with the pants with the red and gold belt -look. I decided all my accessories then should take their cue from the blouse to brighten things up.
As most of you are aware, Le.Look and Zaara both recently opened sims. Zaara was kind enough to give this jewelry set as a gift at the Le.Look opening. (I’m not sure it’s still available or not but it does come in many many more color combinations) I thought the chunky look of the bracelets and necklace, in particular, kept this outfit from going too far towards staidville.
Next I dug out one of my favorite pair of boots, these leather ones from Redgrave, in what else, bright red. I am in love with the smooth finish and nice foot shape on these boots with their dangling laces and wear them frequently. I did think, however, that the patch of skin between boot and pants looked a little out of place and tried on many many different tights and socks. These are the metallic tights from the former Viva La Glam tinted a blue grey to blend in. (I’m afraid the sim is closed right now and I’m not sure if these are available or not either, I’m so sorry.)
Hair and skin decisions took me a little while and I tried on quite a few. I ended up with the Tasha skin from Laqroki. This is the Olive skintone and the #8 makeup. The hair is by Novocaine and is called Tayanna. I’m wearing it in a slightly lighter haircolor than I normally wear called Chestnut. I thought the cute sculpted ponytails helped again to lighten the entire look.
Background pictures were taken at Le.Look and at Abiss Interiors and Prefabs. Poses are by the former Animah – please see the individual stores AnnaH and Persona for them. Please note that for some reason I couldn’t get good lighting on these pics so they have been edited for lighting, as well as the usual cropping etc.
Shopping Bag:
Skin – Laqroki, Tasha, Olive tone, #8 makeup
Hair – Novocaine, Tayanna Chestnut
Boots – Redgrave, Leather Boot in Red
Blouse – Leezu Baxter Designs, Henrietta, Plain Blue
Pants – *Boom*, Gettin’ Low Short Pants, Indigo
Socks – Viva La Glam (VG Republic) Free Metallic Medium Tights tinted blue/grey
Jewelry – {Zaara}, Kaya in Cornelian
Eyes – Adam n Eve, Chestnut
Lashes – Redgrave, Darling
Shape – my own
Let It Snow
Please note: I put this together a while ago (December 4) and then somehow didn’t push post. At any rate, enjoy.
Where I live, it’s cold, the nights are getting down around freezing frequently and we are all expecting snow any day now. As it happens, when I’m cold irl, I tend to want to dress my avatar for the weather.
This outfit is a bit old school, made up of items that are mostly not new but staples that have been in my inventory probably since last winter. I hear so much of deleting or boxing of items in inventory, and I personally mix up old and new items all the time. *clutches inventory*
The first thing I wanted to do last night was slap on a warm sweater and I’ve been leaning towards red a lot, probably cause yay Christmas is coming! I dug out this lovely cowl neck knit from AnnaH. It’s toasty with soft cuffs and collar. Unfortunately I did check the store and it is no longer available in world that I could find. However, you can find it at either On Rez or XStreet whatever the heck it’s called.
It seems we’re all saying it with plaid this year and after poking in my inventory for a bit, I picked out this cute skirt from Surf Couture (aka Sand Shack Surf Co) to wear with the sweater. It’s called the Classic Plaid Skirt and it definitely is that! I love the white, black, and red plaid, it looks warm and snuggly soft.
For something more recent, I pulled on a new favorite. This is the Waka and Yuki, #45 hair. The hat is texture change, and the hair itself is color change. It’s the perfect thing for looking stylish AND keeping your head warm.
Next, I took a page from Sasy Scarborough’s book and added this lovely sash from Persona. It is, of course, the Helena sash which seems to go with positively everything and helps break up so much solid red plus emphasizing the waistline.
The rest, was easy. I am a boot lover from way back and so have quite a selection, but in keeping with the older product theme, I used the pretty and stiletto heeled Diamonds and Pearls boot from Minx. The shine from the ornamentation on the boots picks up the white from the skirt rather than clashing.
Annnd, I think Lucas Lameth has done version 2 of his Chakra necklace and earrings but I’ve had this version for a long time. It seemed a perfect fit with the rest of the outfit. Please note, however, that I had to reattach the cowl neck of the sweater to the spine in order to wear skirt, sweater and necklace.
Last but not least, I’m wearing the newest Redgrave, Vivian. This is the pale skintone, something newish for me. It seemed appropriate given that it’s Winter in my neck of the woods. This is the smoky2 makeup.
Let It Snow! I’m ready 😀
The background on my pictures was taken at Spellbound Woods from Creative Fantasy and all poses are by Long Awkward Pose.
Shopping Bag
See slurls above.
Skin – Redgrave, Vivian
Hair – Waka & Yuki, #45
Sweater – Annah, Delilah in Carmine
Skirt – Surf Co. Classic Plaid
Jacket layer Belt – Persona, Helena sash in red
Necklace and Earrings – (Luc), Chakra Black
Boots – Minx, Diamonds and Pearls in Black
Eyes and Lashes – Adam n Eve, Garden and Wild respectively.
Sugarrlicious 
