Bittersweet

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~Carol Bishop Hipps

Around the fireplace

Welcome to this omnibus blog, where I show photos of my living room from Barnesworth Anubis’ house for Collabor88 jam packed with wonderful goodies, mostly from this month’s Shiny Shabby, showing you CAN do one-stop shopping and walk away with a sim’s worth. I can’t comment on everything shown but will make passing comments on each photo.

There are a ton of gachas at Shiny Shabby, including those from Kunst and Hoorenbeek, Toro, Reverie, Apt B, and Concept. ConceptDesign’s awesome plywood chairs come with color change for the cushions and pillows for lots of mix and match fun.

The horse’s corner

Take a ride on Eku Zhong’s antique horse for Shiny Shabby. Rugs abound among the gachas, of course, but if you want an alternative, Whimsy Winx and Sasy Scarborough have cooked up several sets of wonderful rugs for décor, sold at their stores.

The bay window

Barnesworth chocked this house full of cozy bay windows for sitting or decorating. I threw Kunst Himmel’s pillows up there (which include poses), and put a fern from ConceptDesigns out.

The front window

A sitting area by the front windows (with a crisp fall breeze floating in) includes hand chairs jammeh and a pretty chest of drawers and mirror from Paolla Flux’s gacha at Shiny Shabby.

The “kinky” bookcase

ROMP is opening today, and I will be featuring more from that later this week, but I couldn’t help but put one of Anaisterpellie’s kinky lamps from ROMP up on the bookshelf from ConceptDesign, holding a very cute country shelf from FadeArcade.

My obligatory close-up shows Abraxxa Anatine’s funky eyeglasses matched with jewelry from Maxi Gossamer for Fameshed and the yummy sweater set from Theatra Blackheart for Shiny Shabby. An easy ponytail from Karla Marama makes sense with this casual look and another one of Sawsan Secretspy’s luscious skins has hit her store.

And yeah, this was a fuckload of work with more coming. Thanks again, Sabein, for helping me get there.

Hair: pr!tty – Nahla – {Medium Roots} by Karla Marama for pr!tty, available at Shiny Shabby*

Skin: .::WoW Skins::. V2 Fatma Golden 03 by sawsan Secretspy for .::WoW skins::. *

Eyes: [theSkinnery] Flirtacious  eye collection – 4 by Umazuma Metaluna for [theSkinnery], available at The Cosmetic Fair *

Lashes: .LeLutka.Kornelia lashes.01 by Thora Charron for LeLutka *

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V3.4 by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Sweater/skirt combo: E-Clipe Jolie V4 by Theatra Blackheart for E-Clipse, available at Shiny Shabby*

Eyeglasses: EarthStones Eyeglasses – The Classic – Brights by Abraxxa Anatine for EarthStones *

Necklace: MG – Necklace – Celestine Heart – Short by Maxi Gossamer for Maxi Gossamer, available at FaMESHed *

Leggings: erratic / basics – leggings by Erratic Rain for erratic *

Boots: shine by [ZD] VINTAGE COWBOY BOOTS cognac by Cecilia Blachere for shine by [ZD]

House: [ba] tabor cottage by Barnesworth Anubis for Barnesworth Anubis, available atCollabor88 *

Around the fireplace:

• concept}  Corner set –  08 Chair Classic- RARE by ConceptDesign for concept}, available at Shiny Shabby*
• concept}  Corner set –  07 Chair Colors – RARE by ConceptDesign for concept}, available at Shiny Shabby*
• concept}  Corner set –  09 Chair Pastel – RARE by ConceptDesign for concept}, available at Shiny Shabby*
• Apt B // Snuggle Up Basket by FadeArcade for Apt B, available at Shiny Shabby*
• Soy. Solid Wood Center Table by Soyoy for Soy., available at Shiny Shabby*
• Toro. Magazine + Espresso shot by jammeh for Toro., available at Shiny Shabby*
• Soy. Book one is reading by Soyoy for Soy., available at Shiny Shabby*
• .08 [ kunst ] & [ hoorenbeek ] – Mason jar & candle by Kunst Himmel and Limer Hoorenbeek for [ kunst ], available at Shiny Shabby*
• W.Winx & Flair – Rug Set – Striped by Whimsy Winx and Sasy Scarborough for W.Winx & Flair *
• Soy. Mini Leather Stool w/ texture change by Soyoy for Soy., available at Shiny Shabby*
• {Reverie} Day Dream – World’s End Clock  – Autumn [RARE] by Paolla Flux for {Reverie}, available at Shiny Shabby*
• :HAIKEI: white cosmos pot by qo0op for :HAIKEI:, available at Shiny Shabby*
• Con.&floorplan. framed poster / football by Tegin Serin and Wavie Haller for Consignment and floorplan *
• Apt B // Snuggle Up Logs by FadeArcade for Apt B, available at Shiny Shabby*

Horse’s corner

• Soy. Mini Leather Stool w/ texture change by Soyoy for Soy., available at Shiny Shabby*
• Trompe Loeil – Classic Newsprint Wall Art Penn Station by Cory Edo for Trompe Loieil *
• Dutchie hanging fern by Froujke Hoorenbeek for Dutchie *
• .07 [ kunst ] & [ hoorenbeek ] – Wood planks stool (b) by Kunst Himmel and Limer Hoorenbeek for [ kunst ], available at Shiny Shabby*
• W.Winx & Flair – Rug Set – Creamy by Whimsy Winx and Sasy Scarborough for W.Winx & Flair *
• Culprit Beloved Rocking Horse B by Eku Zhong for Culprit, available at Shiny Shabby*
• 6. Apple Fall Shauna’s Chair by warehousefifteendesign for Apple Fall

Bay window:

• .04 [ kunst ] & [ hoorenbeek ] – Wood planks table by Kunst Himmel and Limer Hoorenbeek for [ kunst ], available at Shiny Shabby*
• .10 [ kunst ] & [ hoorenbeek ] – Autumn carpet by Kunst Himmel and Limer Hoorenbeek for [ kunst ], available at Shiny Shabby*
• .03 [ kunst ] & [ hoorenbeek ] – Pillows (wall) by Kunst Himmel and Limer Hoorenbeek for [ kunst ], available at Shiny Shabby*
• .02 [ kunst ] & [ hoorenbeek ] – Pillows (floor) RARE by Kunst Himmel and Limer Hoorenbeek for [ kunst ], available at Shiny Shabby*
• concept}  Corner set –  01. Plant box by ConceptDesign for concept}, available at Shiny Shabby*
• Dutchie hanging fern by Froujke Hoorenbeek for Dutchie *

Front window:

• {Reverie} Day Dream – Dreamers Frame – Autumn [RARE] by Paolla Flux for {Reverie}, available at Shiny Shabby*
• {Reverie} Day Dream – Dreamers Dresser – Autumn by Paolla Flux for {Reverie}, available at Shiny Shabby*
• [ zerkalo ] Fall in Love – Chair by DanielEstro and Anaisterpellie for [ zerkalo ], available at Shiny Shabby*
• Toro OK handchair by jammeh for Toro., available at Shiny Shabby*
• Toro Plain handchair by jammeh for Toro., available at Shiny Shabby*
• Toro. Shinjuku Floor Lamp by jammeh for Toro., available at Shiny Shabby*
• Trompe Loeil – Enfield Wall Art Wood 1 by Cory Edo for Trompe Loieil *

The “kinky” bookshelf

• [ zerkalo ] Kinky Games – Lamp3 by DanielEstro and Anaisterpellie for [ zerkalo ], available at ROMP *
• Apt B // Snuggle Up Shelf by FadeArcade for Apt B, available at Shiny Shabby*
• Toro. Shinjuku Rug by jammeh for Toro., available at Shiny Shabby*
• concept}  Corner set –  05. Book box by ConceptDesign for concept}, available at Shiny Shabby*

The Clerihew

Fashionista Harper Beresford
Blogs what all this great hair is for.
She went shopping to satisfy her muse
and came home with a shitload of shoes.

~ Me

I subscribe to A.Word.A.Day, and this week they are featuring light poetry words. One of the words was “clerihew.”

PRONUNCIATION:

(KLER-uh-hyoo)

MEANING:

noun: A humorous, pseudo-biographical verse of four lines of uneven length, with the rhyming scheme AABB, and the first line containing the name of the subject.

Of course, I had to take my turn at it, which you see above.

I satisfied my fashionista instinct this blog post with a darling little dress from Beanster Potato that comes with her fantastic texture-change HUD that allows different top colors, all for one low price. My shoes from Kim Lysette have the same fantastic option as does my necklace from Bastchild Lotus. Even my little lunchbox from Moonbubble Gothly’s gacha at Luck of the Irish has a HUD! (And I show several versions on this blog for kicks.)

Shylah Honey made waves on waves for the new Liaison Collaborative, the theme of which is Bon Voyage. I think she was trying to channel Rose with the casual elegance of these locks. (The back is just as pretty with waves tumbling down.)

Skin Fair is going on and Systi Cisse is offering two skins, one of which is this one that I wear without a mesh body but with Slink hands and feet. The face itself has a very clean gentle palette so I played with the lipstick and eyeshadow included with the skin, having a bit of fun in the process and created a lovely look, especially with Soleil Reid’s eyes from The Men’s Dept.

Hair: *~*Damselfly*~*Gardner Rigged-Mesh by Shylah Honey for *~*Damselfly*~*, available at The Liaison Collaborative *

Skin: [sYs] SKIN – AYU M01 (brown brows) with [sYs] SKIN – Tintable Eyeshadows (modifiable color) (new) and [sYs] SKIN – AYU Tintable Lips (modifiable color) by Systi Cisse for [sYs], available at Skin Fair *

Eyes: {D.A} – Marble – Aqua by Soleil Reid for Dead Apples, available at The Men’s Dept.

Dress: 20.FIVE Mesh: Sus Dress by beanster Potato for 20.FIVE *

Necklace: L&B “Pear Drop” Necklace by BastChild Lotus and Paul Lapointe for Lapointe and Bastchild *

Lunch box: [ bubble ] Random Lunch Box by Moonbubble Gothly for [ bubble ], available at The Luck of the Irish *

Hands: Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands V2.1 Casual and Bag by Siddean Munro for Slink

Nail appliers: Flair – Fingernails Applier Slink A/E – set 223 by Sasy Scarborough for Flair *

Shoes: [LaVian&C0] FW2015 Amanda Heel by Kim Lysette for LaVian & Co. *

Poses by Fanny Willis for Everglow *

The Crocus’ Coming

You might think that after thousands of years of coming up too soon and getting frozen, the crocus family would have had a little sense knocked into it. ~ Robert Benchley

I’ll be honest. I am so over winter. I just want it to be all over and for spring to slide in quietly and happily with crocuses peeking out and snow melting and sunshine and greenery on the trees. Crocuses came to mind when I wore this dress, a deeper purple than a crocus but purple nonetheless and a harbinger (I hope) of spring. Mami Jewell has made this gorgeous dress for Miss France MVM with a full mesh sheath accompanied by mesh and flexi prims to embellish the dress. Mami is using her great expertise from the past in creating movement and lushness in the dress but bringing it to the new mesh so now her dresses can be fully worn on a mesh body. Yay!

Sawsan Secretspy has released this skin for Designer Circle and this time I am wearing it on the system body. Because she has appliers for Slink hands, I can wear it flawlessly. I added makeup from Constance Daehlie to enhance the beauty of the skin and also the beauty of this jewelry from Zuri Rayna, which she made in an extraordinary number of versions. I wanted to make a comment that Zuri does a lot to ensure great customer service, including an engraving service and sales people active on her sim to help model jewelry. It’s a shopping “experience” at her store.

My updo is a lovely piece that Shylah Honey made for Fameshed with a great texture-change hairband. It’s a remake of an old hair that Elvi Hartley loved with whispy tendrils in back and a great elegant style. And of course, you get the full compliment of textures in the fabulous HUD.

Hair: *~*Damselfly*~*Morrsy Non-Rig Mesh by Shylah Honey for Damselfly, available at FaMESHed *

Skin: .::WoW Skins::. Ana Bronze by sawsan Secretspy for .::WoW skins::., available at Designer Circle *

Makeup: #adored – cruz shadow – purpley and #adored – belle sheer gloss – purple 1 by Constance Daehlie for #adored *

Eyes: #adored – firstborn eyes – purple by Constance Daehlie for #adored *

Dress: -AZUL- Camille/Amethyst by Mami Jewell for –AZUL- *

Jewelry: Zuri Rayna~ Belle Heart Necklace and Earrings-Amethyst/Plum/Black by Zuri Rayna for Zuri Jewelry *

Hands: Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands V2 – Elegant1 and Elegant by Siddean Munro for Slink

Nail applier: Flair – Nails HUD Slink A/E – set 237 by Sasy Scarborough for Flair *

Poses by Luth Brodie for Reel Expression (no longer available)

Got It

You think it’s love
but you think too much

~ “Got It” by Marian Hill

This sexy fierce song needs a sexy fierce look and I got it with this dress from Ariadna Garrigus. With a handy texture-change HUD, Ariadna allows you to mix and match textures between the skirt and top (though they aren’t very matchy across each other). The outfit includes materials, which I am not sure the creator intended, but it’s an interesting look nonetheless. Great spills of pearls from Maxi Gossamer, who gets the drape of pearls like no one else, and absolutely sexy little mary janes with a chain strap from Glamistry complete my look.

Umazuma Metaluna is in the Arcade again this round and presents a group of absolutely gorgeous new skins, all a keeper at the low price she has set them for the gacha. Trade with friends to get a set that is a bargain, which includes add-on freckles and moles and pretty lipsticks. I opted, however, for a lipstick from Constance Daehlie and with a great shadow from two new sets she has recently released. Mr. Kavar Cleanslate is also in the Arcade with two hairstyles, one of which is this almost windblown long hair with a sort of glamorous style that can be colored up with his great HUDs. “I’ve got this thing gonna blow your mind.” Indeed.

Hair: ::Exile::Give by Kavar Cleanslate for ::Exile::, available at the Arcade *

Skin: [theSkinnery] Cristy 1 (toffee) RARE with [theSkinnery] Cristy Lipstick 5 and [theSkinnery] Cristy freckles & moles by Umazuma Metaluna for [theSkinnery], available at the Arcade *

Makeup: #adored – eclipse shadow – moonlight and #adored – belle sheer gloss – magenta by Constance Daehlie for #adored *

Eyes: #adored – cloud eyes – mystic – a by Constance Daehlie for #adored *

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V2.1 by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Dress: ***ArisAris AA85 Declaration by Ariadna Garrigus for ArisAris *

Necklace: MG – Necklace – Violette Cut Bead Boho – Group 1 by Maxi Gossamer for Maxi Gossamer, available at Uber *

Hands: Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands V2 – Casual by Siddean Munro for Slink

Nail appliers: Flair – Nails HUD Slink A/E – set 234 by Sasy Scarborough for Flair *

Shoes: Glamistry : LINARIA Heels – maitreya by Glamistry for Glamistry *

Poses by Fanny Willis for Everglow *

Suddenly

Suddenly, I walk on by a vision of your blue eyes, so lovely
And suddenly, you’re back with me, over hills and valleys deep you find me
Oh the nights seem so long and the days carry on in spite of how I long for you
And the stars up above are invited to fall Into these open arms of mine.

~ “Suddenly” by Ala.Ni

This song just won’t leave me alone. It’s lovely and beautiful and sentimental and though the lyrics aren’t the best, the singer makes it work. So I had to use it for this blog, where the dress, from Fashionboi Landar and Justice Topaz, makes it. From the Shiny Shabby event, it’s a perfect mix of silk and girly with a little sexy in the mix. I styled it with applied corset stockings from Moonbubble Gothly, the cute flats from Shaleene Kenin, and a jewelry set from LouLou Teichmann, the latter two from Shiny Shabby as well.

Monica Outlander has released a set of her Sprites for the Arcade, a group of animals she has created from felted wool and crystals and herbs in real life that she has replicated in SL. Darling little animals, cute for decorating your home either singularly or in multiples, especially if you grab the cute shelf she gives for displaying them. My hair is Truth Hawks’ absolutely gorgeous piece for this month’s boho-themed Uber. I love the loose braid, the textures and the darling accoutrement that come with a color change HUD so you can mix them up, or just not wear them. I absolutely love this hair, and I am not usually a braid fan. I am again wearing Sawsan Secretspy’s gorgeous skin for Designer Circle because I felt like I had hidden it behind glasses in my last post and wanted to show how truly pretty it is.

Hair: TRUTH HAIR Delphine with Butterflies and Flowers by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH<, available at Uber *

Skin: .::WoW Skins::. Romina Golden by sawsan Secretspy for .::WoW skins::., available at Designer Circle *

Eyes: #adored – dawn eyes – dark brown by Constance Daehlie for #adored *

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V2.1 by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Dress: Rowne.Anouk Silk Dress – Pearl by Justice Topaz and Fashionboi Landar for Rowne, available at Shiny Shabby *

Jewelry: Bauhaus Movement – Natacha – Bracelet (Chantilly) with Bauhaus Movement – Natacha – Chain Optional and Bauhaus Movement – Natacha – Ring (Antique) by LouLou Teichmann for Bauhaus Movement, available at Shiny Shabby *

Stockings: [ bubble ] Beige Socks  Appliers HUD by Moonbubble Gothly for [ bubble ] *

Hands: Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands V2 – Casual by Siddean Munro for Slink

Nail appliers: Flair – Nails HUD Slink A/E – set 231 by Sasy Scarborough for Flair *

Feet: Slink Mesh Feet (Av) Flat by Siddean Munro for Slink

Shoes: Pure Poison – Le Ballet Flats – Black for SLINK by Shaleene Kenin for Pure Poison, available at Shiny Shabby *

Poses by Dove Swanson for Long Awkward Pose (no longer available)

Décor: Miamai_Sprites For Arcade by Monica Outlander for Miamai, available at the Arcade *

• Miamai_Sprites_Bear Strenght
• Miamai_Sprites_Cat Love
• Miamai_Sprites_Crow Protection
• Miamai_Sprites_Deer RadiantLove RARE
• Miamai_Sprites_Deer Spirituality
• Miamai_Sprites_Display FREE
• Miamai_Sprites_Fox GoodLuck
• Miamai_Sprites_Owl Friendship
• Miamai_Sprites_Protection Hanger RARE
• Miamai_Sprites_Wolf Focus

Sunday Laziness

“Whenever I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it goes away.” ~ Paul Terry

Some Sundays I just don’t want to get dressed. I want to laze around in my underwear on a comfy chair and not worry. Of course, in fantasy fashionistaland, that means I will look absolutely gorgeous doing so in this beautiful lingerie from LacunaInc, which comes with a ton of appliers so I can slip these pretties on to my Belleza Mesh body and roll around in a soft chair like this one, made by Whimsy Winx and Sasy Scarborough (the dynamic duo) with sexy, languid poses. Get both at My Attic.

Truth Hawks just came out with these darling curly ponytails, which I colored in this awesome light blue to show off the great curls and texture. My skin is Shyla Diggs’ newest for Uber, a starry-eyed confection of a skin, which is part of a set of beautiful skins she is offering. Pardon me while I lift a finger here to hit “publish”….

Hair: TRUTH HAIR Ivana by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: -Belleza- Celeste Uber SK 5 Bl by Shyla Diggs for –Belleza, available at Uber *

Eyes: #adored – dawn eyes – light blue by Constance Daehlie for #adored *

Body: -Belleza- Venus V 0.02 by Tricky Boucher for –Belleza– *

Lingerie appliers: *LACUNA* Cleo Lingerie – Dusk Blue by LacunaInc for Lacuna, available at My Attic *

Nail appliers: [LB Ombre2] *Belleza* Manicure and Pedicure by Santana Lumiere for La Boheme

Shoes: [L.Warwick] Elation -Platform Heels- Mint/Candy (Belleza) by Lindsey Warwick for Livalle *

Pose prop: W.Winx & Flair – Temptation Lounge – Pink by Whimsy Winx and Sasy Scarborough for W.Winx & Flair, available at My Attic *

Baby Don’t Tolerate

Now a small and more ordinary man
might not appreciate the guidance of a good woman who truly loves him.
He might drift in despair after the ignorant dumb doins’
of his dirty daily existence.

That’s not me. No, Yessiree. I’m proof that true love will set you free.
Some things, my baby don’t tolerate
my baby don’t tolerate
my baby don’t tolerate
from me.

~ “My Baby Don’t Tolerate” by Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt

Loved these lyrics from Lyle Lovett and made a lady who won’t tolerate. I decided to layer mesh that perhaps wasn’t meant to be layered but I don’t care because I have been holding on to this fabulous mesh fur coat from Adrianne Stormcrow for months, since I got it at the last Thrift Shop at a discount. The new Thrift Shop is opening February 6, and I’m excited to see what bargains are in store. I wored it over a dress from Poulet Koenkamp which already had a fur coat over it, but I liked how the dress looked peeking under this coat because of Poulet’s fabulous textures, and if I hadn’t told you, would you have known?

My fabulous shoes are the almost-newest from Glamistry, the work of the former owner of Kalnins, who also did work for Redgrave. The great thing about Maris (Glamistry) is that he combines some awesome scripted pyrotechnics in his shopping experience with amazingly sexy design. Join his subscribe group and you’ll find out what I mean. You get a wearable HUD that delivers demos to your home and will direct you to his store or marketplace in the click of a button. Then purchase the shoes and you get a full-featured texture change HUD with the ability to purchase more options for add-on. And many of his shoes are made for more than Slink feet. This pair, for example, was fashioned for the Maitreya feet.

Nicole Button just released the applier for the Maitreya Lara body, and I was delighted to use it. Nicole’s skin tones are pretty unique—you can’t just choose a texture already on a mesh body to match—so using the applier is convenient. And I am thrilled to show this rich skin tone with Nicole’s lovely eyes. I donned one of Truth Hawks’ newest hairs, a wavy style, pulled to the side. I went for a ginger tone to mix it up this time and to offset my beautiful earrings from Kikunosuke Eel.

Hair: TRUTH HAIR Echo by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: Egozy.Hyolee (Coffee).SOFT by Nicole Button for Egozy *

Eyes: Egozy.Eyes (Brown).Light by Nicole Button for Egozy *

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Fur Coat: *Cosima* Fur Coat V1 by Adrianne Stormcrow for Stormcrow Designs

Dress: :: PM :: Heidi Coat & Dress ALL COLORS MESH by Poulet Koenkamp for PurpleMoon Creations *

Earrings: [MANDALA]Omochi  earrings/shell (double) by Kikunosuke Eel for Mandala

Nail appliers: Flair – Maitreya – Fingernails – Set 1 by Sasy Scarborough for Flair *

Shoes: Glamistry : ERANTHIS Heels by Glamistry for Glamistry

Poses by Luth Brodie for Reel Expression (no longer available)

Freedom

“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.” ~ Salman Rushdie

I can’t help but think that in this time of the Internet, the most important issue we will face will be the freedom of expression. Being the megaconduit of discourse, the Internet amplifies ideas. It can carry messages of good and bad. We each have a role to making things flow peacefully and openly. Part of that is thinking critically and part of it is simply not reacting without thoughtfulness.

With the attacks on Charlie Hebdo recently, it’s easy to champion free speech as if all free speech is ok and acceptable. But before you yourself say something think, “Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?” Think about your reaction. As a magazine of satire, Charlie Hebdo occupied a certain space of being able to say what others can’t and also of being able to push at the edges of our ideas. Not everyone can do that skillfully and deftly, and it comes with risk. But that risk should not be death. It should be… irrelevance. That’s why when people say stupid things in SL, almost always I just walk away. By not reacting or listening, I make them irrelevant.

That being said, this is a fashion blog, though sometimes I use it as my mouthpiece. I want to mouth off a little about what I am wearing. First I got this cocktail dress from Ariadna Garrigus before the holiday and never got to show it, but lucky me it comes with a HUD that allows three textures so I wasn’t just stuck using the more glitzy patterns. This flowered dress is lovely for any party, daytime or night, and the dress has a lovely silhouette. I was able to match Maxi Gossamer’s lovely necklace for Uber with the colors of the dress and get bowed pumps by Darling Monday, also at Uber.

I am wearing the Maitreya Lara body. I can see the appeal it has with a full apple bottom. I was not able to get the alphas to do much more for me with this dress than other mesh bodies have done—I still had to alter my shape. There are only so many pixels one can provide for cut out. Face it: you have to change your shape. Deal.

I wore the body because Voshie Paine made some terrific appliers for it. I love how the freckles from her skin run down to the body, making a very appealing girl. I added eyeshadow from Constance Daehlie, now at Anybody, to dress up. And I love Shylah Honey’s new hair for Season’s Story. This one is a keeper with tendrils slipping over the shoulder and the long hair flowing down the back.

Hair: *~*Damselfly*~*Kristi Rigged-Mesh by Shylah Honey for *~*Damselfly*~*, available at Season’s Story *

Skin: .la petite morte. ellen t5 by Voshie Paine for La Petite Morte *

Eyeshadow: #adored – cruz shadow – purpley by Constance Daehlie for #adored, available at AnyBody *

Eyes: #adored – cloud eyes – woodsman – b by Constance Daehlie for #adored *

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Skin applier: .la petite morte. maitreya applier hud FRECKLES by Voshie Paine for La Petite Morte *

Dress: ***ArisAris AA69 Beaded Cocktail Dress by Ariadna Garrigus for ArisAris *

Necklace: MG – Necklace – Selene by Maxi Gossamer for Maxi Gossamer, available at Uber *

Nail appliers: Flair – Maitreya – Fingernails – Set 3 by Sasy Scarborough for Flair *

Shoes: fri. – Isabelle.Heels (Coal) – Maitreya by Darling Monday for fri.day, available at Uber

Poses by Dove Swanson for Long Awkward Pose (no longer available)

The Christmas Candle—KittyCatS & Friends Advent Calendar, Day 21

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away.
~Eva Logue

The glow of a candle is the warmest sight on a cold dark winter night. Here in the Northern hemisphere, we are coming on our longest night, so a warm light is doubly welcome. I have fun these beautiful holiday lanterns from Winter Thorn to shed light on the beautiful gift that Monica Outlander is giving in the KittyCatS & Friends Advent Calendar. With a mesh bodice that includes materials (hence the light reflecting off) and a great flexi prim skirt, it’s a piece of Miamai couture you can get as the gift for today!

My beautiful illuminated face is Umazuma Metaluna’s lovely gift to her group members. The skin includes teeth, which you can vaguely see behind the lips I added. I never like myself with teeth so I used one of her lipstick tattoos. The eyes are absolutely fabulous and she generously offers it with freckles and, as I show, without. I have one of Mirja Mills’ just-released up-dos she made for MVW, a gorgeous french braided number, just in time for the holidays. And Poulet Koenkamp crafted this spectactular hair piece and earrings for the holidays, which dresses up my look just perfectly, creating a sparkle in the evening darkness.

Hair: .:EMO-tions:. * ELES* with .:EMO-tions:. HAIRBASE 10 – straight autumn by Mirja Mills for.:EMO-tions:. *

Skin: [theSkinnery] Estelle – Christmas gift 1 (toffee) BB+H CL1 by Umazuma Metaluna for [theSkinnery] *

Lipstick: [theSkinnery] Valerie Lip Intensity 4 by Umazuma Metaluna for [theSkinnery] *

Eyes: #adored – dawn eyes – light green by Constance Daehlie for #adored *

Dress: Miamai_Taylor Emerald by Monica Outlander for Miamai, available exclusively in the KittyCatS & Friends Advent Calendar *

Hands: Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands – Relaxed by Siddean Munro for Slink

Headpiece and earrings: :: PM :: Savannah Headpiece and Earrings by Poulet Koenkamp for PurpleMoon Creations *

Nail appliers: Flair – Fingernails Applier Slink A/E – Set 192 by Sasy Scarborough for Flair *

Poses by Dove Swanson for Long Awkward Pose (no longer available)

Holiday Décor: {what next) ‘Gold’ Alpbach Tree Lanterns by Winter Thorn for {what next} *

• {what next} Gold Alpbach Tree Lantern (snowflake) – large
• {what next} Gold Alpbach Tree Lantern (snowy) – small
• {what next} Gold Alpbach Tree Lantern (starry) – large

Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues

You never get nothing by being an angel child
You better change your ways and get real wild
I wanna tell you something, I wouldn’t tell you a lie
Wild women are the only kind that really get by
‘Cause wild women don’t worry, wild women don’t have their blues

~ “Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues,” sung by Francine Reed

A week or so ago I spent a few hours looking for good blues songs by and about women because all the great blues joints and DJs on SL have taught me to love the blues. I have a particularly warm spot in my heart for women blues singers. Finally, I found women who could sing it low and sing it high. Women’s blues embraces women’s sexuality and feelings with passion and humor.

This outfit reminds me of wild women. Start with the mesh clothes from Poulet Koenkamp. Poulet makes no beef about using mesh templates but her texture work and texture-change HUDs are so amazing that she lifts them beyond the run-of-the-mill. For example, you can find this jacket elsewhere but are you going to find it with such awesome zippers, such great suede and tweed textures, and most importantly this gorgeous embroidery on the back? Nope. Her jeans are just as nice with a tweedy texture and a variety of colors available on the HUD.

My necklace and ring are from Crashnoww, who is one of the folks at the Jewelry Fair. I have blogged his work already but can’t say enough about the great texture-change HUDs and the styling of his and his business partners’ work. Make sure you get over to the Jewelry Fair tout suite!

Then step down to my beautiful boots from Paul Lapointe and Bastchild Lotus. As with all their creations, the mesh is made from the pixel up by Paul and Bast and includes their brilliant proprietary texture-change HUD, which includes scads of color and metal choices so when you get this boot and the HUD, you get a very fat fatpack.

Umazuma Metaluna released this skin in full with all the appliers (including the Mesh Project face), add-ons and gorgeousness I just adore with these skins. The eyebrows are exquisite (I am big on eyebrows), the freckled skin is subtle and sublime, the eyes are expressive and the lips are full and drop-dead gorgeous. I love this skin on me! I wore one of Harry Hyx’s hairs from Hair Fair to give our sexy wild woman a sleeker look. Don’t think because her hair isn’t messy, she isn’t willing to get a little dirty.

Hair: ISON – Ruler by Harry Hyx for Ison *

Skin: [theSkinnery] Zuri – Bare face (toffee) DB CL1 by Umazuma Metaluna for [theSkinnery]

Eyes: #adored – siren eyes – kelp by Constance Daehlie for #adored

Jacket: :: PM :: Erica Jacket – All Colors by Poulet Koenkamp for PurpleMoon Creations *

Jeans: :: PM :: Acire Slacks – All 16 Colors by Poulet Koenkamp for PurpleMoon Creations *

Necklace: **RE** LUX Mia Necklace by Crashnoww for RealEvil Industries, available at the Jewelry Fair *

Ring: **RE** LUX Mia Ring by Crashnoww for RealEvil Industries, available at the Jewelry Fair *

Hands: Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands – Casual by Siddean Munro for Slink

Nail appliers: Flair – Fingernails Applier Slink A/E – set 227 by Sasy Scarborough for Flair, available at My Attic*

Boots: L&B S’wear “Carissa” Ankle Boot by Paul Lapointe and BastChild Lotus for Lapointe and Bastchild *

Poses by Dove Swanson for Long Awkward Pose (no longer available)