For Caroline

Some friends of mine threw a surprise rez-day party for me this week at the lovely Paradise Beach Restaurant and it was so much fun. Caroline tends to be the odd-blonde girl out in a group of dark-haired people, and one of my other blonde friends named Nat had yet to arrive. As I was taking pictures for posterity I noticed my friend Caroline’s animations were a little off-kilter. When I looked at them later I could only laugh…so here is my fun, beautiful friend for your viewing pleasure!

Thanks to such great friends for a wonderful day, and also props for the idea to Bourbon Zenovka and Yvette Donner, who are hands down the conversation-bubble queens of SL.

Rez Day #3

Today is my third rez day. I have to admit that when I first started in SL I didn’t think I would be here long-term. These past three years have been full of love, learning, fun, friends and the inevitable drama and heartache. I have learned that my av shouldn’t have legs as long as Chile, and that sunken cheeks are not a good look! Now three years is a blink compared to how long some people have been here—I can only hope to last so long!

So on to today’s post. We have had a relatively cool spring. I am not complaining about that, especially since the only good thing about summer, in my opinion, is that kids aren’t in school. Everything else I can do without. Heat, bugs, humidity, you name it. I like wearing clothes. I like being able to take my dog out without having her suffer heat stroke. I like to get in my car and drive it without suffering second-degree burns from touching the seat belt. I should be living in Alaska or Northern Canada or Sweden, because I hate, hate, hate to be hot.

The Las Lagunas sim gives you the sense that it could have a hot, tropical environment or a breezy island climate. I choose breezy! And what is better for a breezy day than this soft, billowy top from Arisaris that keeps the edge off but lets that cool air in?

My great necklace and earrings today are from Amorous and I love their great geometric design. Ikon Innovia keeps putting out new styles and colors, but one thing I really appreciate is that from time to time he gives us a luscious new color in the good old Sunrise design, which I still love. These are called Summer, and they reflect the dreamy haze of the season to perfection.

Hair: >TRUTH< Roma 2 – espresso by Truth Hawks

Skin: [HUSH] Christine - Bronze – Cream by Hush Darkrose

Jewelry: : Amorous : Wishbone by Matchbook Monday

Top: ***Arisaris Rig50 Loose Blouse Butterfly by Ariadna Garrigus

Shorts: ::Petunia:: Chino Shorts, Vanilla by Aree Lulibub (no longer available)

Shoes: Slink Shaz Platform Red Denim by Siddean Munro

Handbag: FAUXY WALKS Bandana Handbag RED by Enrice Dudek

Poses: pda

Location: Las Lagunas

Free Time

Now that classes have finished there is a bit more time for relaxing and keeping up a bit better with this blog. To celebrate this found time I dragged Stewart off for yet another photo shoot and this time made him wear mesh clothes and body parts. After a bit of consternation he sorted it out very quickly, and is something of a natural at matching skin tone for attached body parts. He’s a smart cookie. I also really wanted to wear the new mesh shorts from Mon Tissu, so it was time for some warm-weather wear!
Today I am using a couple of poses from Veridian Frog at Mood Swings that I thought were super cute. The first is called Can’t Break Her Fall, but Stewart appears to be doing a pretty good job of breaking mine. He tends to do that in many aspects of my SL.



Stewart’s mesh shorts are from Box. They have a great texture. I do confess that I look forward to the day when natural wide-body movements do not distort clothing textures, but if you are just looking for some board shorts to run around in, these are nicely done.


Stewart:
Hair: Exile Owen/whiskey by Kavar Cleanslate
Skin: -Belleza- Shawn Tan by Tricky Boucher
Shorts: (BOX) Board Shorts Plaid II by Kain Xenobuilder
Feet: Slink Natural Bare feet Men’s by Siddean Munro


Eliza:
Hair: ::Exile:: Secret Summer:Swiss by Kavar Cleanslate
Skin: [HUSH] Grace - Natural – Cream by Hush Darkrose
Bikini: *GF* Floral Bikini red by Cerberus Noel
Shorts: {mon tissu} Cuffed Denim Shorts by Anouk Spot
Poses: Mood Swings Can’t Break Her Fall and Gently Templated by Veridian Frog

52 Weeks of Color Challenge: Cobalt

A few weeks ago I did a post about a character in a novel I recently read called Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Well, this week’s color reminded me of that character’s Earth-living alter-ego who likes to hang around public cafes and who keeps her hair a brilliant blue by using magic. I have to say I’d be tempted myself if I were magic!

Congrats to Mayala Loon who wins the Croire Triple Portraits Pendant this week. Next week I wanted to give away this jacket from Lapointe & Bastchild, with which and am completely in total double-dutch love with, but sadly it was a Fashion For Life exclusive. So I went to see if they had anything similar and thank goodness the jacket is not gone forever! I will give away the next best thing (and really the only thing that’s available…the whole “Drift” outfit! And for once there is an option for the gentlemen as well! Just leave your comment below to be included in the giveaway drawing.

Have a great week everyone!

Hair: >TRUTH< Roma 2 – blueberry by Truth Hawks

Skin: Hush - Amy - KissMeBlue – Cream by Hush Darkrose

Eyes: IKON Horizon Eyes v2 - Deep Azure by Ikon Innovia

Jacket: .:L&B:. S'Wear womens "Drift" Jacket by Paul Lapointe

Top: ISON - bandage suit (cobalt) 3 by Harry Hyx

Jewelry: MOOD Prato Earrings & Necklace/Cobalt by Jori Watler (not sure if these are still available)

Scheherazade

A friend of mine had his rez day recently and another friend threw a party for him with an Arabian Nights theme. Now I am not one to get into role play or even costume dress-up unless it’s something I am interested in. What we do for friends, right?

Anyway, the women’s Arabian-esque wardrobe options in SL left me frankly quaking in my boots—as one of my girlfriends says, it takes a lot to cover a girl up in SL! In my case, I needed two outfits to achieve comfort level that also fulfilled my diva attitude about fashion. The first is the Shahrazad by the talented Elvina Ewing. My sleeves, skirt veil and pants are all from the outfit. I am so impressed with the gauzy, glowing fabric of the sleeves and pants and the rich tailoring on the skirt. Gorgeous.

My top is from FallN Angel Creations and it won the shirt prize due to it’s delicate beading on the torso that also served to cover up a bit more Eliza! Well, that’s what made me look twice, anyway. That second look revealed beautiful texturing and sparkle, so this was a total win.

I just love the floaty feel of the leggings and sleeves as well as the tiny details on the knees and ankles.  And a more gorgeous Princess Jasmine-like hair than Elikatira’s Abbey I have never seen, so all in all it was the perfect combination. Sometimes it’s all about mixing and matching! All wardrobe drama aside, it was an evening of fun and friends and music from the amazing Samm Qendra. I hope you get a chance to hear this lovely lady sing sometime!

Here is the whole crowd:

Hair: [e] Abbey - Black 02 by Elikapeka Tiramisu

Skin: [HUSH] Christine - Bronze - Cocoa by Hush Darkrose

Outfit: Caverna Obscura Shahrazad Gold by Elvina Ewing

Top: FallN Angel Creations FallnLuciOutfitTopBrown by Azriel Demain

Shoes: Zaara : Ilaida Mojri *jeweled black* gold by Zaara Kohime

52 Weeks of Color Challenge: Lemon Chiffon

Such a light, springy color this week!

Congrats to Rudh, who wins the new Hush Grace skin this week! If I didn’t already have this skin I would be very jealous of you Rudh!!!!

Last year at the Jewelry Fair Emily Kaestner at Croire put out these Triple Portrait Pendants. I have always loved them and I have worn the different ones I have often. I am wearing the Citrus Gold one today. So next week I will give away two fatpacks. Have a fabulous week, everyone!

Hair: >TRUTH< Dee w/Roots (Mesh) – cocoa by Truth Hawks

Dress: -LaViere- Romper Dress (Pale Yellow) by Azure Electricteeth

Necklace: [croire] triple portrait pendant (citrus) (gold) by Emily Kaestner

Shoes: - uRbAn GiRl - Mesh Ballet Flats (gold) by MW Boa

Pose: {Just A Pose} Fine Feathered Friend Bird Prop by Glamouramama Boa

Lonesome Road

The beautiful T-Town by Tya Fallingbridge brought to mind one of my favorite songs as I was walking around the sim today.

Walk down that lonesome road
All by yourself.
Don't turn your head
Back over your shoulder,
And only stop to rest yourself
When the silver moon
Is shining high
Above the trees.

If I had stopped to listen once or twice,
If I had closed my mouth and opened my eyes,
If I had cooled my head and warmed my heart,
I'd not be on this road tonight.
Carry on, carry on, carry on, carry on.
Never mind feeling sorry for yourself,
It doesn't save you from your troubled mind.

The Lonesome Road, by Nathaniel Shilkret and Gene Austin

I admit to some troubled walking sometimes, but today I know I walk stylishly in my bright pants from DCNY and sexy new halter-top from coldLogic. The new round at Designer Circle has begun, and I am wearing a couple of my favorites today—the Opal jewelry set from Graffitiwear and this short, sassy cut from Calico Ingmann.

This is my very favorite version of this song—I think I heard it sometime in high school and thus began my love affair with the King’s Singers!

 

 

Hair: Calico Ingmann Creations Jolie by Calico Ingmann (@ Designer Circle)

Skin: [HUSH] Grace - Smokey – Cream by Hush Darkrose

Eyes: IKON 'Sunrise' Eyes - Deep Caribbean Blue by Ikon Innovia

Jewelry: Graffitiwear Opal Earrings and Necklace by Chalice Piers (@ Designer Circle)

Top: coldLogic top - phaeton.cyan by coldLogic

Pants: DCNY_Wide Cuff Legging_Orchid/Teal by Anessa Stine

Shoes: Koko Zipped high heel right (cyan) by Akira Cybertar

Poses: Adorkable

Liquid Light

Arkesh Baral released a new line of system and mesh eyes last week. I wore them in one post this week, but they really deserve their own post! If you haven’t tried mesh eyes yet you really should give them a whirl—they are very economical at 99L a pair. And unlike Keshie’s system eyes, the mesh eyes are resizeable. This is a huge plus for me. I usually have to do a little bit of editing to get the size to work right in my eye opening, but it’s worth every bit of extra effort. Here is the difference:

In the photo on the left, the system eyes are admittedly lovely, but the iris larger than looks natural, at least to me. This is a matter of personal taste, of course, and I know that many people probably prefer the larger iris size. The mesh option on the right is set to size 7. Am I being too picky? Oh, maybe. But the option for people to make small changes like this can only be a good thing.

Liquid Light eyes come in the same color combinations as Keshie’s Deep Sky eyes, with some changes to the reflection and the pupil. You can check out the difference here:

You can see that the Liquid Light reflection is a bit more subtle than the Deep Sky and projects a little more depth. Depending on what you want your eyes to reflect either one of these lines is a good choice. I was feeling earthy so I went with mostly greens and browns today, but there are a whole lot more where these came from!

Top Left: Absinthe Shadow
Top Right: Paris Green Shadow
Bottom Left: Dusky Hazel
Bottom Right: Hazel

Top Left: Olive Hazel
Top Right: Molasses
Bottom Left: Red Mahogany
Bottom Right: Espresso

Hair: ^;^CaTwA^;^ Emma/Espresso by Catwa Clip

Skin: [HUSH] Grace - Smokey – Cream by Hush Darkrose

Eyes: Mayfly Liquid Light Mesh Eyes, various by Arkesh Baral

Stepping Back

Tuesdays are a relatively light teaching day for me, so I always try to get caught up on whatever grading and paperwork is piling up on Tuesdays. Of course the minute you make plans five million other things happen to keep you from getting them done. Such was this day. So at the end of it I hid myself away where no one could find me, thanks to this high-walled garden from Barnesworth Anubis. What a gorgeous place to escape for a bit!

I have been trying on all the different colors of the new Grace skin from Hush Darkrose and loving every single one. I so look forward to each new release! Another new release today comes from Arkesh Baral at Mayfly with the new Liquid Light line. I will definitely be taking more pics later, but don’t they look dreamy?

And lastly, I have to mention my earrings. They are from a new-t0-me designer, Jackeline Kronfeld At JKTrends. I love the depth and texture of the metal and the lovely inlaid jewels.

Hair: >TRUTH< Georgina – espresso by Truth Hawks

Eyes: Mayfly - Liquid Light Mesh Eye (Green Tourmaline, w2) by Arkesh Baral

Skin: [HUSH] Grace - Smokey – Cream by Hush Darkrose

Earrings: JKTrends JKT ESV7 by Jackeline Kronfeld

Tee: ISON - v-neck tease shoulder (white) by Harry Hyx

Vest: <Geometry> Sigh > Teal > by Geometry Clothing

Shorts: Ever An' Angel Rolled Cuff Shorts Sage by Ever Courtois

Shoes: [PM] Fae Wedge [A] Key Lime by Tya Fallingbridge

Garden: [ba] songo courtyard garden with furniture by Barnesworth Anubis (@ Collabor88)

Poses: Adorkable (@Collabor88)

Holding On

Summer vacation is one month away. I confess that this year it is getting increasingly difficult to hold on—especially since I was ready for summer back in March! So today I am imagining myself in a summer getaway and doing some dreaming in the shade of palm trees and Barnesworth Anubis’ gorgeous tableau hut.

Summer, I’ll see you soon.

I have had one or another of Hush Darkrose’s skins on probably for the last month at least. Every new one that comes out just makes me that much more of a Hush aficionado. This one is a newer skin called Marin, and I love the realistic lighting and flushed cheeks. You can’t be in the tropics and avoid this. Another favorite of mine today is the Inlaid Seahorse necklace from Maxi Gossamer. Maxi has a style all her own and this one has to be one of my favorites.

Hair: >TRUTH< Enisa – espresso by Truth Hawks

Skin: Hush - Marin - Natural – Cream by Hush Darkrose

Eyes: Mayfly - Deep Sky Mesh Eye (Bronze, w2) by Arkesh Baral

Necklace: Necklace - Seahorse - Pearl Starfish - Short – SILVER, Necklace - Seahorse - Long – SILVER by Maxi Gossamer

Top: coldLogic top - graham.sepia by coldLogic

Shorts: Ninight Creations Mesh Linen Shorts 4 by Nigella Nightfire

Hut and furniture: Tableau Hut and furniture by Barnesworth Anubis

Poses: Adorkable (Collabor88), Amacci

52 Weeks of Color Challenge: Deep Pink

I actually like the darker pinks. Of course when I saw the new Grace skin from Hush I knew that’s what I wanted to wear for this color. And thanks to JaneDark Miles and Maxi Gossamer for having such perfect color-complimentary accessories!

So down to business. Congrats to Caroline Endersleigh for winning the Miel Timber Boots!

Next week I am going to give away one Grace skin tone from Hush when it comes out later this month. I just love it that much!!!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Hair: TRUTH< Georgina – espresso by Truth Hawks

Skin: [HUSH] Grace - SmokeyPink – Cream by Hush Darkrose

Necklace: Gossamer Necklace - Dog Tags - Flowers Fleur De Lys + Jewels – Short by Maxi Gossamer

Earrings: Beauty Code Loop Earrings pink by Janedark Miles

Eyes: Mayfly - Deep Sky Mesh Eye (Bronze, w2) by Arkesh Baral

Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon is one of my historical crushes. This is one lady that I would have loved to know. The only one of Henry the VIII six wives who was born and raised to be a queen, and the only one who had any remote inkling of how to do it. Catherine was wife, mother, consort, ambassador and military strategist, daughter of two of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabel of Castile. Cast aside by Henry in favor of Anne Boleyn and separated from her only living child as a consequence, she maintained until her death her steadfast knowledge of who she was and her refusal to be anyone but herself. She also died of natural causes, which is pretty successful if you look at Henry’s track record.

I sometimes think she gets a bad rap, portrayed as a dour old woman dressed in black who did nothing but say the rosary over and over all day long. She was much, much more. And black can be quite beautiful, as in this gorgeous gown from Moonstruck:

Catherine’s hair was brownish or reddish if you believe the portraits. Black hair wouldn’t have endeared her to the anti-Arab sentiments of the day, but it’s just so pretty. The new Hawk hair from Wasabi Pills is the perfect style for a lady who wears a crown. And let’s not forget Catherine’s Catholicism. This gorgeous cross from the talented Maxi Gossamer lends an  essential ornament to her costume.

Let’s not have any claptrap about her physique, either, I am well aware she likely had considerably more meat on her bones than my av. Pish-posh. Let me have my crushes.

Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Hawk Mesh Hair - Night shadow by MissAllSunday Lemon

Necklace: Gossamer Necklace - Lost Eden Cross - Short - GOLD + Jet by Maxi Gossamer

Bracelet: Souzou Eien Penance from Rosary Jewelry set by Draconius Timeless

Dress: !! MOONSTRUCK !! CATERINA Black & White by Luna Barak

52 Weeks of Color Challenge: Pueblo

RL has taken over all available waking hours this week, and I literally ran off the concert stage in order to get home and post on time so all I have is a picture this week. I loved this pretty location at Red Rock.

Congrats to Fledhyris Proudhon and Starla Huntress for being the winners of the Ibizarre gift cards!
For next week I will give away one pair of the awesome Miel Timber Boots. Have a great week, everyone!



Hair: Analog Dog lara onyx by Queue Marlowe
Jewelry: Purple Moon Feather Fire Tones by Poulet Koencamp
Sweater: J.H. Couture *Maja* Zipper Sweater Red Brown by Jada Humby
Shorts: JANE - every day shorts.eggshell by Janie Marlowe
Boots: MIEL TIMBER BOOT NATURAL-Rust by Mika Nieuport
Pose: !bang