During the Black Out

The other day I logged out while I was shopping a cart sale on the Flawless sim and meant to just come back and poke around a little more the next day. I logged in to find SL was locked up in some crazy grid-wide mess. Of course I couldn’t tp out, so I ended up spending the day on that one sim. I heard people in voice as I wlked around and then I heard “Harper!” It was Kira Paderborn (who has a fab voice, by the way) and she introduced me to her friend, Aisha Convair. We had a nice chat and then Aisha showed me her baby—the Designer Showcase, which was on that sim. A boutique featuring items from some terrific designers, every piece is under 100L, and the offerings are quite nice. She changes selections every 15th and 30th.

I, of course, had to shop immediately after the all-clear. (Well, I shopped before but it all went through—I couldn’t wait.) I picked up this great little sweater from Sira Savira with its funky design and great color and textures. I paired with it this skirt form Jazmyn Diesel, part of a whole other cute outfit she is selling.

My casual updo was also available at the Designer Showcase, made by Carina Larsen and available in a pack of essential colors. I dug in my inventory and found these great boots from Paul LaPointe, part of the L&B donation for Fashion for Life. (Yes, I bought all 20 colors.) My socks were a pair made by Eshi Otawara on a day when she was feeling like making socks, I guess.

I love this little bicycle from Winter Thorn that she sold at the Pose Fair. It has three simple poses, but it’s perfect for a little photo shoot in a garden.

Live is what happens while you were on another sim.

Hair: Amacci Hair Boa ~ Coffee by Carina Larsen for Amacci, available at the Designer Showcase

Skin: Akeruka Blanca Medium Cleavage Mk14 by Agony Helse for Akeruka *

Eyes: IKON Horizon Eyes – Deep Green (ML) by Ikon Innovia for IKON *

Sweater: 1 Hundred. Uptown Sweater. Olive by Sira Savira for 1 Hundred, available at the Designer Showcase

Skirt: Jazmyn D: Muted Tones Sculpt skirt by Jazmyn Diesel for Jazmyn D, available at the Designer Showcase

Socks: Sap Green Knee Socks by Eshi Otawara for Eshi Otawara *

Jewelry: // the egg // Crescent by Yolks for // the egg //

Boots: .:L&B:. “Simone” Ankle Boots :Olive by Paul LaPointe for LaPointe and Bastchild

Bicycle: {what next} Summertime Bicycle Pose Prop by Winter Thorn for {what next}

Sara

Sara, you’re the poet in my heart
Never change, never stop

~ “Sara” by Fleetwood Mac

I was shooting this look and this song popped up and “poet” seemed a perfect description for the look. With flowing scarves, this poetic look comes courtesy of Sonatta Morales. I went shopping this weekend, having a little mad money, and treated myself to this gorgeous dress. Reminiscent of the flowing robes of Erte models of the 30s, this beautiful piece takes my breath away with the styling and pure elegant “otherness” if it.

I also bought some new hair.I kept hearing in groups that Pocket Mirrors had some nice vintage pieces. The last time I saw them at Hair Fair, I found a nice updo but not a ton. Well Alair Cortes has been darn busy making hair—vintage hair, men’s hair, swank hair, short hair, long hair, up hair, down hair. I love this bob—not *quite* Louise Brooks—more contemporary.

My earrings are from a new creator—Sax Shepherd—who is offering contemporary mesh jewelry for discerning women. I liked the few pieces I saw. I look forward to seeing more.  And I love these poses from Olaenka Chesnokov, based on vintage looks. I bought up all her 30s possibilities.

Drowning in the sea of love
Where everyone would love to drown

Hair: **Pocket Mirrors** Svetlana Bob Black by Alair Cortes for **Pocket Mirrors**

Skin: -Glam Affair- Leah MedTan – 04 D by Aida Ewing for -Glam Affair- *

Eyes: IKON Horizon Eyes – Hazel (ML) by Ikon Innovia for IKON *

Dress: Black Orchid by Sonatta Morales *8* vintage by Sonatta Morales for Sonatta Morales

Earrings: SSD ~ Frills ~ Drop Stone Earring (L) ~ Copper Bone by Sax Shepherd for Sax Shepherd Designs *

Shoes: N-core CAPRICE “Champagne”  by Nuria Augapfel and Claire Messenger for N-Core

Poses by Olaenka Chesnokov for .oOo Studio

In My Garden

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”  ~ Henri Matisse

I just sold my sim—it was getting to be too much to hassle with—and my friends and I all moved to a half sim with Dream Seeker Estates. When I went to sell my sim, it was such a marvelous things because my friends all rallied and we decided to go together. Of course, they ended up meeting up in Paris in RL right after the big move while I stayed at home, but if it means I can live among them virtually, I am perfectly happy.

I have enjoyed “feathering my nest,” as it were, and I have plopped down birch trees I got a few years ago at the RFL events, a bunch of flowers and a little gazebo, where I put this great new mesh furniture from Cory Edo, which she is selling at her store for Stumblebum. The set includes table, chairs as you see and a great fire pit plus a lantern.

It’s a perfect environment for showing you this great new mesh pantsuit from LeeZu Baxter with its beautiful brocade textures. Look how great I look sitting in this! It’s chic and fit me perfectly, allowing me to accessorize as I please.

This fresh skin from Aida Ewing is PERFECT with Kavar Cleanslate’s mesh hair. I matched Aida’s red-haired skin with one of Kavar;s newest in a bright red. My blue eye make-up echoes the blue in my Ikon Innovia eyes, all put together to echo the color of the flowers and the beautiful outdoors.

“You can’t be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet.”  ~ Hal Borland

Hair: ::Exile:: In The Meantime:Persimmon by Kavar Cleanslate for ::Exile:: *

Skin: -Glam Affair- Leah MedTan – 05 Red by Aida Ewing for –Glam Affair- *

Eyes: IKON Utopia Eyes – Trojan Blue (ML) by Ikon Innovia for IKON *

Outfit: [LeeZu!] Combinaison Douce /blue by LeeZu Baxter for [LeeZu!] *

Jewelry: (Kunglers Extra) Pitanga – silver by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers *

Shoes: Maitreya Gold * Foxy Silver by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Furniture: Trompe Loeil – Curve and Loop Patio furniture by Cory Edo for Trompe Loeil *

Pixie Dust

“All you need is a little faith, trust, and pixie dust.” -Peter Pan

This pixie is darling and amazingly constructed. Ameshin Yossarian has taken mesh and made some really great little things from it including this little pixie. A generous creation for RFL, this is a darling little avatar for those who want to flit around SL as a purple pixie. She sells the boots and dress, the horns and the necklace as separate add-ons and they really enhance the look. And all proceeds to go to RFL, so go get it and find your inside pixie.

Why am I wearing this little pixie? Well it IS cute but it’s not part of my normal blogging line up. This is one of the four items from the four specific designers that were assigned to me to blog for Fantasy Faire, and certainly this was a very generous piece to be given for blogging and a generous offering to benefit RFL.

Avatar: Evil Fairy Avatar (L$3000) by Ameshin Yossarian for Curious Kitties, available at the Fantasy Faire *

Dress and boots: Enchanted Purple Scary Pixie Dress & Boots (L$700) by Ameshin Yossarian for Curious Kitties, available at the Fantasy Faire *

Horns: Horns of Chaos (L$10) by Ameshin Yossarian for Curious Kitties, available at the Fantasy Faire *

Necklace: Mystic Blossom Choker – Enchanted Purple (L$1) by Ameshin Yossarian for Curious Kitties, available at the Fantasy Faire *

Submission

“The submission of her body without love or desire is degrading to the woman’s finer sensibility, all the marriage certificates on earth to the contrary notwithstanding.” ~ Margaret Sanger

Maybe it’s time to give Fantasy Faire a little sex appeal. All the fairies and pixies notwithstanding, nothing sells as well as sex, and I am here to dish it up. First I start with the tempting entry title—Submission—and then I lay it on thick with this sexy outfit from Nenya Eun. One of her submissions (pun intended) for the Fantasy Faire, with all proceeds going to Relay for Life, it’s skimpy yes, but that’s intended. Consider the pieces valuable—each little square inch much more so because you get such a little garment to give so much to Relay for Life.

I submit to you that nothing is more sexy than a long lush head of hair, especially in a beautiful blonde like this one from Truth Hawks. He is bringing sexy back in his mesh hairs, which finally sit right on my head and provide all the amazing textures and life we have come to expect from Truth.

My glowing skin is one of Hush Darkrose’s newest, and uniquely hers with a blushing demeanor and sexy sexy features like the soft sensuous lips and beautiful skin tone. For once a cleavage look makes total sense and in this outfit, with my abundance of fine uh.. features, I can offer myself to the most worthy and know he deserves my submission.

“Fear may induce the show of submission; but love only can truly subjugate a haughty spirit.”  ~ Mary Cowden Clarke

Hair: >TRUTH< Cassie w/Roots – beach by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: Hush – Marin – Natural – Honey (lb) by Hush Darkrose for Hush *

Eyes: IKON Horizon Eyes – Deep Green (ML) by Ikon Innovia for IKON *

Silks: ~Sa-eela~ Skadhi Silks 12 Hearts by Nenya Eun for ~Sa-eela~, available at the Fantasy Faire

Feet: N-core FEET BOXED by Claire Messenger and Nuria Augapfel for N-Core

Fairy Tale

Let the little fairy in you fly! ~ Rufus Wainwright

Fantasy Faire opens today across 9 sims and there are many beautiful things to buy which benefit Relay for Life. Take, for example, this lovely dress with wings from Evangeline Miles. As always, Evangeline lends her luscious textures to the making of this beauty with the deep red almost shimmering with richness. I love how the halter top gathers up to a clutch of flowers, lending this otherwise sexy dress an otherworldliness.

I went over to Rhapzody Wilde’s store to find a skin that would suit this fairy look and while I found many pretty skins, the one I liked the most was her group gift, so I happily joined her group and put it on. With its pretty blush and expressive eyes, it’s the ideal look for the lovely fairygirl. I put Mocksoup Graves’ dimples on because.. I dunno… I think fairies have dimples.

Queue Marlowe’s newest woven hair is ideal for this look. With its fantastic woven side and rich color plus her distinctive wild curls, it’s the ideal fairy hair. And I keep my hair back with a new gold barrette from Tiffy Vella, ornate and golden beautiful.

If you see the magic in a fairy tale, you can face the future. ~ Danielle Steel

Hair: check mate paprika with .b paprika hair base by Queue Marlowe for Analog Dog

Skin: ~Mynerva~Group Gift~Sara Pure by Rhapzody Wilde for Mynerva

Makeup: [mock] RIOT GRRRL Dimples by Mocksoup Graves for [mock cosmetics]*

Dress: *Evie’s Closet* – Elora II (Ruby)- RFL 2012 by Evangeline Miles for *Evie’s Closet*, available at the Fantasy Faire

Barette: Eclectica Vintage Barette-gold-side attach by Tiffy Vella for Eclectica *

Feet: N-core FEET BOXED by Claire Messenger and Nuria Augapfel for N-Core

A Tale of Two Sisters

“Of two sisters one is always the watcher, one the dancer.” ~ Louise Glück

The Fantasy Faire opens April 21 with nine sims and many great fantasy designers. Kouse Singh, who has always supported Relay for Life generously with her content and time, has produced these two beautiful dresses that I am showing on two beautiful sisters. Each is embellished with red roses at the hips and neck and as usual, Kouse lends her dreamlike imagination to the construction with a laced up bodice, lace sleeves and a flowing skirt.

My sisters wear the same set of skins from Aida Ewing, the absolutely breathtaking Leah. What I love about this set is the availability of different brows and make-ups. And of course, it has Aida’s perfect touch with classy deep make-ups and a glowing skin, which has been dusted with freckles.

“Sisters are different flowers from the same garden.”

 

The Dark Sister:

Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Shiki Mesh Hair – (BOOBS) – Cinnamon with /Wasabi Pills/ Hairbase – LONG – Cinnamon by MissAllSunday Lemon for /Wasabi Pills/ *

Skin: -Glam Affair- Leah MedTan – 11 Red by aida Ewing for –G by lam Affair- *

Eyes: IKON Utopia Eyes – Black (ML) by Ikon Innovia for IKON *

Dress: [K~*~S] FF 2012 – Raphaela (Onyx) by Kouse Singh for Kouse’s Sanctum, available at the Fantasy Faire *

Shoes: (ST) Criss-cross ballet flats – black by Fallingwater Cellardoor, available at Shiny Things

 

The Light Sister

Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Shiki Mesh Hair – (BOOBS) – Powder with /Wasabi Pills/ Hairbase – LONG – Powder

Skin: -Glam Affair- Leah MedTan – 01 BL by aida Ewing for –Glam Affair- *

Eyes: IKON Horizon Eyes – Light Blue (ML) by Ikon Innovia for IKON *

Dress: [K~*~S] FF 2012 – Raphaela (Snow) by Kouse Singh for Kouse’s Sanctum, available at the Fantasy Faire *

Shoes: (ST) Criss-cross ballet flats – white by Fallingwater Cellardoor, available at Shiny Things

Cat Ladies on the Web

My partner has a KittyCats problem.

She called me today and said, “You know, Harper, I realize you hate coming here to feed my cats when I am gone, so we have come up with a new system.”

She shared her screen and showed me “The KittyCatS Cattery.”

I said, “Callie, are those your cats in a website?”

“Yeah, isn’t this cool? There are safe and secure there. I can access the website from any browser and feed them and breed them wherever I am—Paris, Palm Springs, or Pensacola, and I don’t have to worry about you forgetting them and letting them all starve.”

(Needless to say, I breathed a sigh of relief.)

“But does this mean I can’t come over and play with your kitties anymore? Are they stuck in a website now?” I have to say I hate feeding them but once in a while a little cuddling is needed.

Callie laughed. “No! I can get them any time using the Dock. All I do is click the kitty on the website, and it rezzes immediately in-world on the Dock. Besides, I’m not putting all my KittyCatS there—just some of them.”

She starting clicking cats on the website to make them rez and immediately kicked them out the door again into the website for fun. It got a little much until I interrupted her. “So you breed these on the web too?”

She stopped clicking. “Oh yeah! I can just mate two ‘ready’ cats and they can breed on the web. This way I don’t have to be in-world to see if my cats have done their thing. And there are over 24 million combinations of cats available once they breed.”

“So no more feeding in-world? I don’t have to come over anymore while you are off on your jaunts?” I was SO happy.

“Nope,” she grinned. “When I go on vacation, I can put them all in the KittyCatS Cattery, purchase enough KittyDollars to get food online, and I am set.”

I guess KittyCatS has done it again—revolutionized breedables in SL. Now if they could just sort my inventory, I would be very happy.

Don’t own a KittyCat yet? Go get one at KittyCatS or log on to www.kittycats.biz and check out the new KittyCatS Cattery. (And do it in bed on your iPad!)

My Brand New Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat

Well, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
Yes, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
Well, you must tell me, baby
How your head feels under somethin’ like that
Under your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat

~ “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat” by Bob Dylan, as sung by Raphael Saadiq

Now see this is why I like Kimmera Madison. I IM her to request a leopard-skin pill-box hat for no other reason than I really like a song (see above), and she makes it for me! (You can get your copy at her store FREE for the You Go to My Head Hunt.) What’s even cooler is I hit the Bay City Fashion Week, which is chock full of vintage content creators in a great area built by my little friend Marianne McCann. Great job, Marianne!

This dress from Anabella Llewellyn is a vintage beauty with its sleek textures and beautiful side tie. I can see Joan in this or… me in a brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat. I will be honest, I had to dig around in my inventory for my accessories—I won’t tell you that the items are available at their respective stores (like the shoes, which were a 50L Friday item a couple years ago), but I needed to complete the look as I pleased. (And now we know why my inventory is so bloated!)

What DOES complete the look is Hart Larsson’s new skin, which includes luscious eye and lip make-ups. I have been using Hart’s cat-eye everywhere and loving it. His skin has a more refined, almost vintage look that I love. It was suggested to me that this skin made her look a little haughty, I said the song is perfect for her—a little ditty to give her uptight demeanor a tweak.

Well, I see you got a new boyfriend
You know, I never seen him before
Well, I saw him
Makin’ love to you
You forgot to close the garage door
You might think he loves you for your money
But I know what he really loves you for
It’s your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat

Hat: Harpers hat by Kimmera Madison for Tres Beau *

Hair: :: DUTCH TOUCH ::SjORs:: HairBAse (HB) Black BUN by Iki Ikarus for Dutch Touch with /Wasabi Pills/ Hairbase – LONG – Night shadow by MissAllSunday Lemon for /Wasabi Pills/*

Skin: [PXL] KATE SK NE DEB C3 with [PXL] KATE SK Cat Eyes (Tattoo) and [PXL] KATE SK Cherry Lips Glossy (Tattoo) by Hart Larsson for [PXL] *

Eyes: IKON Horizon Eyes – Pale Gray (ML) by Ikon Innovia for IKON *

Dress: *Vita Bella* Veronica Dress – Black by Anabella Llewellyn for Vita Bella, available at Bay City Fashion Week

Necklace and Earrings: Dark Mouse 50’s Strand Pearl Necklace and Dark Mouse 50’s Pearl Stud Clip by Mouse Mimistrobell for Dark Mouse *

Bracelet: Armidi Gisaci – Triple Pearl Bracelets – Classy by London Armidi for Armidi

Nails: Candy nail #P000 Basic Prim nails : Red nails by peche Bury for Candy Nail

Clutch: Adam n Eve Handbag (NO POSE) – Clutch – Black by Damen Gorilla for Adam N Eve

Shoes: SLink Winkles Heeled Black by Siddean Munro for SLink

PS Like this look? See another I did like it for Marketplace ;)

Tilting at Windmills

It sometimes seems that pursuing art in SL is like tilting at windmills. Just by encoding your creations in a specific term—“art”—you make a statement about the intent of your work—it is somehow “higher,” shouldn’t be commodified, should only exist in some sacred space of some aetherial otherworld consciousness, to be respected for itself without concern for design, utility or monetary value with the belief that if one builds it, they will come. Wouldn’t we all love to live within such lack of constraint?

It’s a conundrum because some of the finest artists, technically and evocatively, are the folks who create content on SL. There is nothing so heart stopping as a beautifully turned shoe or a dress that evokes a million instant thoughts from the smell of jasmine to the intensity of a new lover’s gaze across a crowded dance floor to the slight bind of a tight bodice enwrapping the ribs. Yet we don’t call them artists—we call them “designers.” And they easily spend as much time advertising, providing customer service, dealing with business issues, etc., as they do with creating. It’s no cakewalk.

It’s no wonder why the virtual marketplace rewards fashion rather than art. Everyone wants to sport the newest dress from Mami Jewell. You can’t walk around with a sim full of windmills on your back.

Nevertheless it’s worth seeing SL art. Some is quite beautiful, evocative, innovative and offers to residents the opportunity to leap outside the normal spaces of SL and into new environments. When done well, they tweak our understanding of SL, of virtuality, of the uses of this medium, of the several sly and clever tricks one can do to overcome the damn box SL puts us in.

Dividni Shostakovich has put his money where his mouth is by hosting the Split Screen Installation Space, where he invites artists to put up their work for a month-long showing on his dime. Calling himself “Curator,” he hosts the artists, provides them with the space (and time—they get a month to build with the month to show), and allows them free reign within the constraints of sim space, prims and capacity. He also does all the promotion, blogs about their art, and spends a lot of his SL time seeking out other artists to give space to.

It’s a generous gift Dividni offers—two months per artist per space. This month he is sponsoring two artists—Alizarin Goldflake and Blue Tsuki. I took these photos in Blue’s exhibit, enjoying the colorful ambience, the sounds, the motion. Douglas Story first brought me here, telling me he liked to visit to relax. I would not call it relaxing myself but it surely is inspiring and beautiful in a sort of strange surreal way. I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful it is for Dividni to be doing this–many artists would not be able to use SL as a medium otherwise.

Thanks, Dividni, for giving to the community :)

Hair: TuTy’s ADORABLE Updo hairstyle – Black by Tutys for TUTY’S HAIR

Skin: Hush – Marin – Natural – Honey (db) by Hush Darkrose for Hush *

Eyes: IKON Utopia Eyes – Trojan Blue (ML) by Ikon Innovia for IKON *

Dress: -AZUL- Annelisie/Amethyst (MAL2012/MissBrasil) by Mami Jewell for –AZUL- *

Jewelry: (Kunglers Extra) Pitanga – silver by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers *

Sim: Blue Tsuki’s “Adagio” at Split Screen Installation Space