Memories in a Box

“I imagined a small lacquered box inlaid with silver and gold in a pattern of curling waves, inset with silver cranes. Into this imaginary box I placed all my memories… and secretly tucked it away in my heart.”
~ from The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby

As the year closes, I will tuck into my box a few wonderful memories—the thank you from Marianne McCann at SL7B, the last views of my beautiful villa on Avant Garde before I took it down, the way RFyre looked when we first remodeled it, the day I got a proposal from Callie saying, “C’mon, you know what you to” in my email, how fun it was modeling for SC Tracy and then meeting him and Raven and Nevar and Amethyst and Cashel in Florida.

The beautiful fictional Murasaki reminded me of this with her words. Therefore I choose to show a dress as elegant and regal as Murasaki, made by Nicky Ree. Leave it to Nicky to still be able to come up with a dress that makes this jaded old fashionista still gasp with wonder. The textures are absolutely exquisite and the prim building is, as always with Nicky’s work, rock solid. Nicky’s translucent textures make the most of alpha clash, allowing the beautiful flowered train under the sheer overcoat to shimmer through when the flexis move. The front skirt includes the magnificent vision of a phoenix embroided on these royal robes. If this is a peek of what Nicky will be doing in the coming year, 2011 will be a great year!

I have donned one of  Hart Larsson’s newer skins, which he has fashioned with an eyeshadow layer as the makeup for the skin rather than a different lip color. I wonder which is more successful on the grid—optional lipstick or optional eyeshadows. I wear a retired hair from Elikapeka Tiramisu, who has blessedly come back to make more such beautiful pieces.

“Though the body moves, the soul may stay behind.”
~Murasaki Shikibu

Hair: ETD Loraine 2 – Black by Elikapeka Tiramisu for ETD (sadly no longer available but her new styles are at Elikatira)

Skin: [PXL] Kasumi SK BlushLips with [PXL] Kasumi SK Black Eyes by Hart Larsson for [PXL]

Dress: *DNR* Phoenix Costume in Black by Nicky Ree for Designing Nicky Ree *

Earrings: Kunstkammer Black Forest Earring by Nuala Shippe (no longer available)

Blue Gardenia

Blue gardenia
Now I’m alone with you
And I am, oh, so blue
She has tossed us aside

The beautiful girl in the corner during the New Year’s celebration—she is gorgeous but melancholy. What’s on her mind? Her dress, from June Dion, slips across her curves beautifully. With its low cut back and draped front, this dress has elegance at an economical price. Her shoes are lovely little slingbacks from Pixieplumb Flanagan that include color changing scripts so you can dial in just the right color.

Our melancholy beauty needs a “colder” skin to match her closed demeanor. Karija Azalee has presented a series of rarified skins that are ideal for the sort of stylish photography that many like to do. It has a lovely back, nice collarbone, pretty drawn eyebrows (though I want to tweeze them back just an eensy bit from the nose), and the sort of flat matte skin many women like.

Blue gardenia
Thrown to a passing breeze
But rest in my book
Of memories
~ “Blue Gardenia” as sung by Dinah Washington

Hair: [e] Mood – Blonde 02 by Elikapeka Tiramisu for Elikatira

Skin: {Gasqhe} – [Ygrec makeup 05]hb by Karija Azalee for Gasqhe

Dress: ::: B@R ::: Nachtmusik Blue by June Dion for Bare Rose

Shoes: BM Mia Pumps – Blues & Greens by Pixieplumb Flanagan for Baby Monkey *

Tanto Tempo

Ando tanto tempo a perguntar
Porque esperar tanto assim de alguem
Sem saber
Sem qualquer medo de ver

~ “Tanto Tempo” by Bebel Gilberto

I love Brazilian women singers—Bebel Gilberto and Marisa Monte in particular. They sing from a lower part of their throat, very sultry and feminine, with those lovely eliding consonants of Portugese and a sort of languid sweetness. Today I am a Brazilian beauty in my mind, ready for dancing or a party in the summer air of December. AvaGardner Kungler makes it easy in this lovely dress she recently released. As always she includes rich textures, great system pieces, and a perfect silhouette. What you don’t see that I found so ingenious are the skirt prims… long rectangles on the outside, they are hollowed out with a circular inside, so they show very intriguing surfaces as the flexis move.

I danced over to boo Nakamura’s for an updo and found a whole set of great hairbases with hair pieces. Boo was probably thrilled about the new tattoo layer as hair sections had always been part of the inventory at booN but one didn’t know quite what to do with them until now. I like this particular style as it’s as if wild hair has been restrained.

I’ve been wondering for so long
Why to expect so much from someone
Without knowing
Without any fear to see

Hair: booN PKJ371 hair chocolate with booN gathered raised hairbase chocolate by boo Nakamura for booN

Skin: *League* Amber Br Sunkiss -Apricot- by Nena Janus for *League* *

Dress: (Kunglers) Virginia – mocca by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers *

Earrings: *CentoPallini* il Bosco[Earring} Rusty by caran Jaran for *CentoPallini*

Shoes: [e] Move Pumps – Java by Elikapeka Tiramisu for Elikatira

Incognito

I will admit that I read US Weekly and People when I go to the dentist or the doctor. Frankly, it’s about the only thing that gets me there—the shiny new copies of the newest dish on the stars. One of the most interesting columns I have seen in these mags is the one about how stars are just like us. “They wash their dog, just like us! They shop at Whole Foods, just like us! They spend $50,000 on diamonds, just like us!” Sometimes the object of their attention is dressed incognito, especially walking the streets of Manhattan, simply out shopping or returning a book to the library. What makes them different still is that they are  casually wearing incredibly expensive designer boots and people are snapping photos of them.

Our celebrity has a gorgeous poncho-styled overcoat that looks like she gotit  from an artisan in Taos. Made by Khea Karas, this beautiful mix of embroidery and knitting creates the drama our star incognito adores without showing off her signature figure. Underneath she wears a cherry red turtleneck from Nyte Caligari, which she just got on discount at Nyte’N’Day’s end of the year sale because the stars like sales just like we do. Her leggings are pure designer (none of that Walmart stuff for her) made by LeeZu Baxter.

With a Nena Janus skin, our star can rest assured she looks as beautiful as she needs to, even without a lot of make-up. Her DIY hairstyle from Lamb Bellic—is that a wig? Huge sunglasses, tinted red to coordinate with her outfit, are a fashion do from Polyester Partridge.

Finally, her boots. Yes, stars rush to Elikapeka Tiramisu’s sim to snatch up her latest boots, just like us. With their leather legwarmer styling and stylish buckle, these boots reveal our star to be a woman with discriminating taste.

What about SLebrities? I am partnered to one—Callie Cline. I have a secret for you–she walks around bald and once in a while she is a cloud–just like us ;)

Hair: !lamb. DIY Haircut – Ink by Lamb Bellic for !lamb.

Skin: *League* Amber Br Sunkiss -Natural- Hair by Nena Janus for *League* *

Jacket: .:MALT:.  Domonic Swancho – Midnight by Khea Karas for .:MALT:.

Turtleneck: Nyte’N’Day Clothing – Division Sweater Cherry by Nyte Caligari for Nyte’N’Day

Leggings: Maria Tights (Pants Layer) /black by LeeZu! by LeeZu Baxter for LeeZu! *

Sunglasses: (Yummy) Mom Glasses – Feeling Sassy Black by Polyester Partridge for (Yummy) (modified)

Boots: [e] Secret Boots – Black by Elikapeka Tiramisu for Elikatira

Plum Pudding

I am blessedly not encumbered with too many leftovers this holiday, but I do have tons of clean up (after doing all the housecleaning BEFORE the holiday—ugh). Today I am taking it easy, entering all my iTunes GCs, shuffling through the boxes and enjoying the post holiday glow. Tomorrow I dig into the mess….

A warm sweater from LeeZu Baxter is called for—fashionable and cozy all at once. The sweater itself is named after a wonderful lady—Barbara Nicholls—and this holiday I got a glimpse of RL LeeZu, which was a great treat as  I heard the voice of this amazing creator. Again we see LeeZu’s ingenious combination of textures—this time an argyle with the regular knit texture (seems to be a k2, p2 on that ribbing). She supplies this sweater in a  collection of her muted but gorgeous colors as usual, so it can be mixed and matched with her other pieces, but I chose to pull on a pair of tweed wool pants I picked up as a gift from jomatshere Allen.

Tuli Asturias is redoing her sim and promising new skins. I am going nuts waiting for that but in the meantime I will enjoy her Claire skin, offered as a Black Friday set for the Skin Addiction group.

My boots are luxe footwear from Monyka Benelli, sexy and warm all at once, a pretty sight for my feet as I step gingerly among the opened gifts and tossed wrapping paper strewn all over the house. Their fab shiny quilted legs remind me that New Years is just around the corner.

"DON’T EAT NONE OF THE PLUM PUDDING. ONE WHO WISHES YOU WELL." — Agatha Christie

Hair: Adam n Eve – Cristina _3plum by sachi Vixen for Adam n Eve

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Claire (tone 3/dk) :: 01 with []::Tuli::[] Claire (tone 3) grape lips by Tuli Asturias for Tuli

Sweater: [LeeZu!] Barbara Pullover /mauve by LeeZu Baxter for LeeZu!

Pants: [VS] Style  Winter Pants 1 by jomatshere Allen for [VS] Style

Boots: *YS&YS* Soho boots Burg by Monyka Benelli for *YS&YS* *

Getaway with Santa

Rumor tells that Santa goes to an undisclosed beach after the holidays, away from all the noise and commotion of Christmas, a beach without the surfeit of sugary cookies and room temperature milk, tomes of lists, and cranky ankle-biting elves. I think Santa needs to reserve a spot on his sleigh for me to join him this year.

If I went, and that’s a big if, I would be certain to pack lightly. A bikini, some sunscreen, sandals, and my iPad. Santa can supply the rest. The bikini that would go with me would be monica Outlander’s sexy one-piece with sequins (clearly not meant for swimming). For seeing and being seen, it’s the perfect tiny piece of material.

My skin will be Mallory Cowen’s newest with its luscious sun kissed glow and sexy sensual body. My hair? A gift Queue Marlowe gave out to her group for the holidays—a great pulled-back ponytail with her wonderful matching hair bases.

And my shoes will be these great new sandals from Oct Oakleaf. With their pretty little toes, beautiful decorative gems, and versatile hud, these sandals will complete my look with the kind of dazzle Santa appreciates.

Post holiday pina coladas all around!

Hair: joy scarlet with AD hair base – scarlet by Queue Marlowe for Analog Dog *

Skin: LAQ ~ Vilda 01 [Peach] Glow skin by Mallory Cowen for Laqroki

Bikini: Miamai_Bea Swimsuit Blue by monica Outlander for Miamai *

Shoes: +ADDiCTIA+ Metro Sandals -Turquoise by Oct Oakleaf for +ADDiCTIA+

2000 Miles

Outside under the purple sky,
Diamonds in the snow,
Sparkle.
Our hearts were singing,
It felt like Christmas time.
2000 miles.
Is very far through the snow
I’ll think of you
Wherever you go.

The worst part of SL is that friends are often physically far far away. As the lyrics say, “2000 miles is very far through the snow.” I am thinking of many friends from SL with whom I can’t share this time face-to-face, and I do miss them. (Though I had the wonderful pleasure of having Eshi with me this Eve.) I did not send out an in-world holiday card. This is my card for all of you, my dear friends.

This morning I will wake up in my Christmas jammies (which I can only legitimately wear one time a year) and enjoy the morning sunlight coming through the windows while we open gifts. My jammies, from Antonia Marat, are cozy and warm, and I almost didn’t get out of bed to be honest. It was so snuggly.

When can you wear bare feet in winter? Well when you’re in your jammies, of course, and Siddean Munro’s feets are perfect, especially as I can color the nails red—instant pedicure!

My skin is the new fresh beautiful face offered by Mallory Cowen. She really created a beautiful set with this newest release. I love the freshness of the skins—how the make-up is not overdone. It creates a beautiful palate on which you can potentially put other make-ups later. My hair is a messy-out-of-bed piece from Truth Hawks—one of his new releases this week.

2000 miles,
Is very far.
The snows falling down,
It’s colder day by day.
I miss you.
I can hear people singing,
It must be Christmas time.

~’2000 Miles” by the Pretenders, covered by Lucy Schwartz (proceeds from it’s sale go to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County and their music therapy program)

Hair: >TRUTH< Kai – cherry by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: LAQ ~ Vilda 01 [Peach] Glow skin by Mallory Cowen for Laqroki

Jammies: /artilleri/ Holly PJs *red* by Antonia Marat for /artilleri/

Feet: SLink Jolie Pied Barefeet Low by Siddean Munro for SLink

All I Want for Christmas

What was on your list for Santa when you were a kid? I know there were lots of dolls on mine, particularly Barbie dolls. As a budding fashionista, I was interested in the little molded plastic mules, the lilac-scented barrettes, the sparkling diamond earrings, the huge tulle skirts and tops that I would clumsily fit over Barbie’s bent arms with my little fingers. (And I loved her fruity vinyl smell.) It makes total sense that women love dressing up in SL—these are our dolls.

Monica Outlander has made a perfect set of dresses for holiday doll dressing (and for dancing). I show here one of the set, a beautiful deep blue ball gown with white fur accents. In monica’s typical manner, the textures are outstanding and clean and the overall look is dramatic without being overdone.

A beautiful updo from my darlin, Queue Marlowe, tops the look. Piles of almost white curls heap in abundant splendor with a band barely containing them. A glowing skin from Tuli Asturias completes the look. You know, I don’t Barbie ever quite looked THIS good.

 

I want a dolly and some clothes and a pretty house for her….

Hair: AD-kathryn creme with hibi band by Queue Marlowe for Analog Dog

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Jade (tone 3/bl) :: 04a by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Dress: Miamai_ChristmasSpecial_Estaria by monica Outlander for Miamai *

Christmas Guilt

I am sitting here writing this blog and dressing up and feeling very anxious that I should be doing something else. Is everything set, wrapped, hidden or not, decorated? Could I be doing more? Is Christmas supposed to feel this anxious? This is what comes of working ahead and not leaving it til the last minute. You think you should be doing more….

I went shopping.. for myself for once. I felt guilty. I should be cleaning, decorating, cooking. Gah, the guilt. But this dress from Cerberus Noel was calling me, and I felt NO guilt at all as she is offering it for a mere 100L til Christmas Eve so get it NOW. It comes with two skirt options and the absolutely amazingly textured top and skirt plus these incredible prims. On the shoulder is a wonderful rose grouping that curves over to the back and is echoed in a hair piece. Look at the texturing on the roses! The guilt I feel about this is having paid so little for this dress!

My skin was one of a set that Ryker Beck generously offered as part of her and her partner’s 12 days of Christmas on their sim a couple days ago. What a wonderful gift! I have put it on a modified Harper shape to show a different facial structure which would be more appropriate to a woman of color. I am glad that Ryker has offered a darker skin in this most recent set. I would challenge her to modify the nose details to make it work with a wider nose. The skin tone is gorgeous.

Will anyone notice I didn’t make another batch of cookies or dust behind the buffet? Nope.

Hair: Tukinowaguma Deborah A ebony by KateForster Akina for Tukinowaguma

Skin: :: Exodi :: Isolde Corneille – 23 (Dk) by Ryker Beck for :: Exodi ::

Dress: *GF* Mermaid Dress “Layla” -Limited ed./white&red- by Cerberus Noel for G Field

Earrings: **PISA**Pink Moonstone Red Coral earrings by Emi Woller for **PISA** (No longer available)

Shoes:  *GF* Ribbon Slingback Shoes[V2] -red- by Cerberus Noel for G Field

Merry Freakin’ Cussmas

This yuletide has been a trying time for me. First there were the putzy cookies with the chocolate that slid off when I dipped them and the jimmies that flew into every crack and crevice of my kitchen. Then there was the infamous gingerbread house that required a half hour of sanding to get the edges straight, had frosting that was like cement (which dried all over my fingers), and used gumdrops with a suspicious aftertaste. Then there were the fifty oddly-shaped gifts to wrap, the tape roll that shot under the sofa into a dusty area (I suck at housework, ok?), the huge rolls of flimsy wrapping paper to handle in a small space, the darn Pillow Pets which could not be wrapped or packaged. And I won’t even tell you about shopping in my small local grocery store during the holidays, which involves half-blind elderly ladies in fur coats steering oversized carts down the narrow aisles and picking through the stollen and pfefferneuse.

Since SL is a place of fantasy, I have enjoyed the fantasy of having a gift-wrapping room like Candy Spelling’s infamous room, one where all I do is wrap gifts. Gin Galtier indulged this fantasy with her Gift Wrapping Station, which I installed in a corner of my sim and merrily wrapped gifts unencumbered by mess, dust bunnies and the aggravation of finding enough room to wrap that impossibly shaped box of candies.

I wear a cozy sweater from salire Landar, which is very nicely textured with the prims lining up with the system piece on the avatar extremely well. This is not an easy task at all and salire pulls it off (and at a very tasty price—this was 50L). Salire meant this to be a mini dress but I am wearing jeans underneath because chances are I will get Sharpie marker all over my skin if I am not protected.

I still love me some Tuli Asturias. This was part of a set offered through the Skin Addiction group’s Black Friday sale. She needs to release some new skins before I really start swearing! My scarf was Machang Pichot’s offering last year in a holiday gift, and my boots are this season’s answer to looking sexy and festive all at once. Bax Coen once again hits it out of the park, with her Prestige boots offered in this color changing boot with fleecy tops. Not only do you get red and dark red, but also green and blue if you want something less.. cussmassy.

On my cookie tray: Repressed Rage Roundabouts and Preholiday Meltdowns (with nuts—deal!)

Station: elefantu – Gift Wrapping Station (Linked, 105 Prim) by Gin Galtier for elefantu *

Hair: [e] Melody – Red 08 by Elikapeka Tiramisu for Elikatira

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Claire (tone 3/dk) :: 04 with []::Tuli::[] Claire (tone 3) red lips by Tuli Asturias for Tuli

Sweater: *salire nordic knit/White by salire Landar for *salire

Jeans: Ibizarre Lolo Jeans by Anyusha Lilienthal for Ibizarre

Scarf: AOHARU_BT_KnitScarf_G2_Christmas by Machang Pichot for Aoharu

Boots: BAX Prestige Holiday Boots by Bax Coen for Bax Coen Designs*