O What A Thrill

Woman words fail me
Your skin is sweet and warm
I want to console you
And hold you in my arms
O once you were my baby
You’re my baby still

~ “O What A Thrill” by the Mavericks

I know y’all think I’m a city girl. Well… I am but sometimes some country gets into me, and I feel like talkin’ about what Momma’s taught me and callin’ everyone “Darlin’.” When such a thing happens, I put on a pretty frock and some cowboy boots and get it out of my system by listening to some Mavericks (and Raul Malo’s luscious voice). Luckily Arianrhod Garnet made this dress that makes my country girl perfect in every way with its sweet floral pattern and darling cap sleeves. JB Gazov makes THE BEST cowboy boots in SL (Dex told me so and he knows cowboy boots) so I just slip these on and feel so country.

My skin is a new one from Rosemary Galbraith, who is coming out soon with a set of skins sold under her own Cupcakes label that won’t go full perm. She’ll be adding further makeup enhancements and eyebrow options very soon. I chose this skin because of its lovely hue and pretty features. It was perfect for my country girl.

My long lovely locks are from Truth Hawks and a Truth specialty, flowing over shoulders and in a tangle of wavy beautiful curls. The hair band is, of course, color change, and this new style does feature streaks (which I don’t show).

O what a thrill
O what a thrill
Stars in the sky
Stars stand still
O what a thrill

Hair: >TRUTH< Lacey (Upper) – copper by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: *CUPCAKES – Abigail – Pale:Limey by Rosemary Galbraith for CUPCAKES *

Eyes: FASHISM ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Light Absinthe (ML) by Ikon Innovia for FASHISM *

Dress: suzy / french sleeve dress * palegreen by Arianrhod Garnet for suzy

Earrings and ring: Ear Candy ~ Chunk of Jade Earrings and Chunk of Jade Ring by Maeve Mortlock for Ear Candy

Boots: J’s WesternBoots ( 10Colors ) by JB Gazov for J’s

Behind the Scenes

A lot of you who read my blog probably already know some of what goes into making the images for the blog. Basically I have to dress my avatar up and stand on a pose stand in a photo studio and take some snaps. (Some prefer to do location shots or take green screen photos or who knows, but this this is how *I* do it.) I had been loyally using my Photosphere from Saeya Nyanda for quite a while but I have FUBAR’d it with all my tinkering. So I am looking for a new studio.

I lucked out in meeting Ava Rage. She has created a studio that may well fit the bill for me. It’s basic, and that’s a good thing—simply a modifiable background and floor with a separate pose stand and lights. She includes some tasty backgrounds, chosen specifically to enhance your photos. (The ones I have seen besides this are incredible—go see them on her website.) The studio is small and low prim so it will fit in a tight space. And it’s COPY so I can tinker to my heart’s desire and when I screw it up, just rez a new one. Best of all, the price is reasonable—a mere 350L.

I am using this opportunity to show you a cute little dress from Maylee Oh. I love how she has taken a photosourced texture and run it over the bodice and sculpty prims of the skirt so skillfully with great shadowing. The blue “fold” on top of the bodice is actually another sculpty prim—great work! I am very impressed by the skill of Maylee’s work and her funky aesthetic.

My skin.. oh Tuli Asturias answered my psychic call (read: scream) and sent out word that she has reopened. This is a peek of one of her newest skins—Emma—with its accompanying lipstick. According to Tuli, “Included in each purchase are 6 full skins (bare version + 5 eyemakeups), 2 additional cleavage tattoo layers, 3 lashes tattoo layers, 12 lip tattoo layers, freckles tattoo layers and the shape used in the vendor posters.” Tuli is taking advantage of the additional layers V2 is offering, so time to get used to it, I guess ;)

My hair is from the prolific Mouse Mimistrobell. I really like this red color and the je-ne-said-quoi of the pony trail. My jewelry is matched to my hair—a beautiful set from Jon Ree, who captures the beauty of the southwestern US in his jewelry for both men and women.

Studio: SecondSnaps Studio II v1.1 [*]’s by Ava Rage for SecondSnaps * (Read more at her website and find it on the Marketplace.)

Hair: Dark Mouse Kate/Red4 by Mouse Mimistrobell for Dark Mouse *

Skin: [:T:] Emma / sunkissed / br :: 04 Flare with [:T:] Emma / sunkissed / lips :: Ruin by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Dress: The Secret Store – Pretty Poppy by Maylee Oh for The Secret Store

Necklace and earrings: MTP Ladies Desert Rose [red] set by Jon Ree for Mustang Trading Post

Boots: J’s Western Boots (S)L 10Colors by JB Gazov for J’s

Change of Heart

Well, I guess you must have had a change of heart
You don’t treat me like you did at the start
Your campaign of love was quite a work of art
Now I guess you must have had a change of heart

~ Change of Heart by Teddy Thompson

Melancholy country and western songs are my secret pleasure. A little Teddy Thompson or Mavericks or Alison Krauss, and I am pleasantly emo. Then I want to wear somethign a little country, a little bohemian. A trip to Twill Tymet’s place finds a great off-the-shoulder sweater and a tie-dyed skirt with belt to make this bohemian girl’s heart melt. The skirt is fantastically made from what looks like a photosourced texture (that it isn’t instantly apparent to me shows that it’s nicely done) and topped by a nicely engraved two-buckle belt.

AtomicSparkle Skytower and her incredibly long name make my face new and fresh with a matte makeup that was offered for the Black Friday sales through the Skin Addiction group. I bought the fat pack—I couldn’t resist. What most attracted me were the eye shadows and the even tone of the face. While the lips are still a little overfull (I tried to use the sliders to cut them down with no luck), they have a really nicely done matte look.

Written while listening to Teddy Thompson sing “Take Care of Yourself” and “Change of Heart”:

Hair: >TRUTH< Gwyneth Streaked – copper by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH<*

Skin: AtomicBambi-Sara-Sunblush-Rd-Cleo by AtomicSparkle Skytower for AtomicBambi

Top: Boho baku teal off shoulder knit sweater by Twill Tymets for Boho Baku

Skirt: Boho Baku~ Seaweed tye dye skirt set by Twill Tymets for Boho Baku

Jewelry: MTP Ladies Santa Rosa set by Jon Ree for Mustang Trading Post

Boots: J’s WesternBoots by JB Gazov for J’s

Final Flowers

The final flowers of the season are blooming—the fall mums, the purple sedum on the side of the house, a screwy clematis who apparently didn’t get the note about the seasons changing.

AvaGardner Kungler is clinging to those final flowers for all she’s worth in her two latest offerings. First the dress, which is her Dressing Room Blue contribution this week and which I am seeing on every pretty girl on the grid. With its lovely floral pattern and great shading, it’s a great buy, as most everything at Kunglers is.

Then there is her beautiful Camelia jewelry set, fashioned from prims into gorgeous stylized flowers hanging from a chain and earrings. There is a certain joy in AvaGardner’s jewelry work. You really feel like she is sitting in her workshop, fashioning beads and wires and other findings into these necklaces—they have a human hand-crafted touch that so much SL jewelry lacks. She has this available at the 2010 Jewelry Fair in three colorways along with several other beautiful pieces she has fashioned.

Launa Fauna’s newest skin makes my face glow, especially with her deeply shadowed eyes. I am a huge fan of her eyebrows. I am of mixed feelings, sometimes. Launa’s skins have a very specific lip style that sometimes seems overblown on my shape at times–I feel too many bees got to sting me. Chatty argues the pout is the thing–what do you think?

Written while staring out my window at the sunlight on the golden birch tree leaves.

Hair: >TRUTH< Anya – chestnut by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH<

Skin: L.Fauna {Lola . Tan 1} [Whisper] by Launa Fauna for L.Fauna

Dress: (Kunglers) TDRB #9 – short dress by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers, available at The Dressing Room

Necklace and Earrings: (Kunglers Extra) Camelia – aluminium by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers, available at the 2010 Jewelry Fair *

Shoes: J’s Real Toe Wrap Front Sandals (Dark Brown) by JB Gazov for J’s

The New Yorker

I have never been to New York City. I have been many places—London, Paris, Berlin, San Francisco, Chicago—but not New York City. It’s amazing. I have several friends who are from there, many more who live there, but I just haven’t made it—not even the airport. But I will some day!

As I understand, women in New York wear a lot of black (it’s just not a pink kinda town). So I donned this jacket from AvaGardner Kungler, a double jacket—leather over a snakeskin (what luxury!). AvaGardner has done a great job of shaping the jacket with sculpties, making it wearable AND fashionable. The jacket also comes with a single layer for you ladies who don’t want to get too warm but in the fall New York City has its moments of warmth and then it can turn chilly. My jeans are from California’s prettiest girl, Callie Cline, but their blackness makes the outfit so right coast. And a pop of color is provided by Janie Marlowe in the red tank.

My hair, oh.. my hair.. I was beyond excited when I found out that Elikapeka Tiramisu has brought herself back to life in SL and is selling hair in the new SL Marketplace. I immediately grabbed all I could and I was not disappointed. This updo from Elika comes with her classic styling and perfect textures. Welcome back, Elika. We have MISSED you!

How do women in the city stay so thin and beautiful? Well they walk everywhere. These boots from JB Gazov are heels a woman can walk around the city in (and climb in and out of taxis in). My skin is one of Minnu Palen’s gifts for the lucky LeLook recipients. The flawless makeup is ideal for our New Yorker. And a statement ring makes its case on my finger, this from Cora Lu. I realize I am missing a handbag, which is a VERY important part of being a New York woman. Oh crap! I left it in the last taxi….

Someday…

Hair: [e] Rumor – Blonde 07 by Elikapeka Tiramisu for elikatira

Skin: LeLutka : LE.LOOK! la femme – Skin – Estelle Dark Brows by Minnu Palen for LeLutka (no longer available)

Jacket: (Kunglers) Soraia – black by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers *

Tank: **MIS** Essential Tank – Tomato by Janie Marlowe for Mischief (no longer available)

Jeans: Dark Jeans by caLLie cLine for Callie Cline

Ring: P.C; Black Pearl Ring by Cora Lu for Paper Couture

Boots: J’s Ankle Boots Round by JB Gazov for J’s

Easy

It’s only love
It’s only love
You know how it feels
Feeling is easy
I know

~ Easy by Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale, sung by Norah Jones

We’re deep in the middle of summer when things just need to be cool and easy—a tank top, a short skirt, wedge sandals. The tank top is from Dick Wiesel, who knows about making it easy, with this rich green color and great rendering of wrinkles and lace. The short skirt is a Japanese sim find with two tiers of skirt (and two more to switch out to change the look) from kinbo Akina.

Finally the wedge sandals with the pretty toes from JB Gazov, one of his newest offerings. I get the fat pack immediately—denial about my need for every color is fruitless. These shoes are available at the Shoe Fair, which opens today noon slt and goes til Sunday, August 22. I got a tour of the four sims, which are cuter’n heck (designed and build by Delora Starbrook all by her own self and amazingly done), and there are a wide variety of shoe makers offering some tasty pieces. It’s a budget breaker, but worth it as proceeds benefit Soles4Souls.

Finally this lovely summery skin from Lorac Farella, who has just reopened the Pulse store, remodeled and revitalized. Look at the glow on these lips, the soft vulnerable lips, the smokey and sensual eyes. And this beautiful jewelry set from Tiffy Vella, who is herself in the deep dark of winter on the other side of the earth and happily assembling pretty tiny prims while she waits for her own summer.

I’ve been shown
The other side
And now I see the way
Things are

Hair: >TRUTH< Sylvia Streaked – almond by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: Pulse Skin Dance With Me-M2 by Lorac Farella for Pulse *

Top: :. WoE .: Madison Lace Cami (Mustard) by Dick Wiesel for :. WoE .: *

Skirt: oyakin*fril-miniskirt(used*flower) by kinbo Akina for oyakin

Jewelry: Eclectica Nouveau Rose-moccha set by Tiffy Vella for Eclectica *

Shoes: J’s Real Toe Wrap Front Sandals—Olive Green by JB Gazov for J’s, and available at this year’s Shoe Fair

Shoot to Thrill

My second guest blogger is Raven Haalan, scripter, builder, artist, thinker. I met Raven initially through the fashion bloggers’ group and then got to know him at Burning Life. Raven and I clicked pretty quickly—we’re both very task-oriented people; hanging out and doing nothing in SL is not for us. As I got to know Raven, I found out that he was pretty public about his alter-egos, Jaime, a beautiful redhead with looks that kill, and Bin, a brainy coder.

Raven is a very experienced and prolific photographer and blogger in SL himself. You can find his work in the pages of Prim Perfect or on his personal blog, Raven’s Roost.  This month, you can view his great photography at a joint exhibit with GM Nikolaidis at Tricia Aferdita’s Gallery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AC DC’s Shoot to Thrill was in the headphones as I was sending a friend the LM for a fabulous trench coat… at that precise instant Harper’s invite to guest blog arrived. It seemed fitting that great looking coats and guns should be the theme of this post.

Shoot to thrill, play to kill
I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will.

The coat mentioned above was Laine Markova’s stunning Red Trench. The secret is to combine it with rust Caela Jeans by Dick Wiesel – they fit in perfectly as the flexies show leg. A white basic cami from Heather Connolly and the red Bax suede boots round out Jaime’s ensemble.

It was time for Raven to catch up, building a look around the Redemption coat by Arken Soothsayer. Add in a Cowboy Hat from Whenever Timeless and Western Boots by JB Gazov. Include a black checked shirt by Yelmer Pfeffer and Zaara’s Classic black jeans (tinted darker than purchased) and we’re ready for a gunfight.

Classic weapons equip our intrepid protagonists for elegant action. Dual Colt 1860 Army revolvers by Vegoth Munro suit the Blackbird’s taste. Red gets nasty with an ornately styled 1864 side by side, double barreled shotgun by JoMilla Gears.

I’m gonna take you down – yeah, down, down, down
So don’t you fool around, I’m gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger

With the gunfight over, our heroes depart, stepping gingerly over the corpses. The victims might be lucky and live long enough to catch the rear view of these outfits as a final visual treat to aid their passing.

Jaime:

Hair: Valerie (Sangria) by Truth Hawks for Truth Hair

Skin: Sundust Vixen by Gala Phoenix for Curio

Eyes: Jaime Kenin Blue Skies Calm by Kitten Krakauer of Kitten Designs

Mascara (Natural) by amandine Arai for Pixelfashion

Coat: Trench Coat – Red Female by Laine Markova for LAINE’s

Basic Cami: Blanche by Heather Connolly for astraia

Jeans: Caela Jeans – Rust by Dick Wiesel for WoE

Necklace: Aubade (Silver/Blue) by Felicity Winslet for Mariposa

Nails: Manipedis – Ruby by Ryker Beck for Exodi

Ring: Celtic Knot Femme Wedding Ring by BastChild Lotus of Lapointe and Bastchild

Boots: Bax Prestige Boots: Red (Black Cherry) by Bax Coen for Bax Coen Designs

Weaponry: 1864 Side by Side Shotgun by JoMilla Gears for Gears Trading Co.

Raven:

Skin: Miguel Tan (with hairbase) by Tricky Boucher of Belleza

Eyes: Zbilja (Brown) by Ryker Beck for Exodi

Coat: Redemption Coat by Arken Soothsayer of Super Possessed

Shirt: Checkered Shirt – Black by Yelmer Pfeffer of Alphamale

Jeans: ZC Classic Jeans (Black) by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Tattoo: Huxley by Hatzfeld Runo for Tiki Tattoo

Hat: Timeless Cowboy Hat by Whenever Timeless of Timeless Hats

Gloves: Narcisse Black by Paul Lapointe of Lapointe and Bastchild

Boots: Western Boots (Black) by JB Gazov for J’s

Pistols and Gunbelt: Colt 1860 Army Revolver by Vegoth Munro for V&N Creations

Summer Dancing

Last night found me “stuck” (yeah.. stuck because the music was so good) at SL7B listening to the infamous Bradley Gazov doing his great blues set, away from Hotlanta.

I wore a cute outfit for my night out. First a top from Delora Starbrook, pretty and sexy all at once, very well drawn in a beautiful color. Then shorts from Barbra Kungler with cute little sculpty cuffs. And pretty bangles from kikunosuke Eel.

Finally new hair AGAIN from Truth Hawks. This one has streaks—I am totally digging these streaks! (They are subtle today—I used dark blonde.) And the shape of this hair is sexy! Finally wedges from J’s. I can’t day enough about these shoes and their pretty toes. They are so versatile, so chic and up-to-the-moment, and so sexy. Thanks to all these great creators, I looked great at SL7B!

“There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.”  ~Vicki Baum

Hair: >TRUTH< Rayne Streaked – almond by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: []::Tuli::[] The Dressing Room LE :: Gina 02 by Tuli Asturias for Tuli (exclusive for The Dressing Room) *

Tops: *HD* Sunny TankTop – TerraCotta by Delora Starbrook for Haven Designs *

Shorts: (Kunglers) Short Jeans Blue by Barbra Kungler for Kunglers

Bracelets: [MANDARA] Takara Bangle Dark wood by kikunosuke Eel for Mandala

Sandals: J’s Real Toe Studded Wedge Sandals – Brown by JB Gazov for J’s

Casual Blonde

Summer weekends are so easy. Throw on a top, jeans, sandals, put a pin in your hair, all set. It’s a good time to count blessings, to be grateful for what we have rather than what we don’t have.

In this case I have a new top and new capris. The top, from LeeZu Baxter, comes in sheer and opaque, but I chose sheer, because she has made the color so beautifully delicate, especially as it is draped at the decollatage. It’s a t-shirt, yes, of the silkiest sheerest material. I wear it over a bra from 5th and Oxford—a chic, sexy look that suits. The capris are well-drawn system pieces from Babyhoney Bailey. This is avatar fashion at its essential—no prims, no gimmicks. Babyhoney’s work stands the test with great seams, wrinkles, colors and a nice round booty.

My ‘do is a new one from Truth Hawks with his ingenious streaks. I have subtly applied white streaks to this delicious champagne for that sun-kissed look. Tuli Asturias gives me a healthy glow with one of her new Jade skins.

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

~ e.e. cummings

Hair: >TRUTH< Peyton Streaked – champagne by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Jade (tone 3/li) :: 01a by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Top: Oui Oui Shirt SHEER (Jacket Layer) /turquoise by LeeZu! by LeeZu Baxter for LeeZu!*

Bra: (5th&Oxford) The Tease – Bra *SAPPHIRE* 2 by Roslin Petion and CJ Carnot for 5th and Oxford

Capris: Djinn & Tonic [Clam Diggers, Darkwash] by Babyhoney Bailey for Djinn & Tonic *

Bracelet: *ByKay* ~ Isis Bracelet (White Gold) by Kayleigh McMillan for *ByKay*

Sandals: J’s Real Toe Belt Platform Sandals 8Colors (Silver) by JB Gazov for J’s

Poses: Everglow poses by Fanny Willis for Everglow *

It’s Raining, It’s Pouring

It’s Spring!! Here it means that one day it’s almost summer and the next it’s almost winter again. Today it poured and was freezing cold out. Like that sort of dampness that cuts through any exposed piece of skin and leaves you feeling like a shivering wet dog.

I pulled out this jacket from toraji Voom and put it on over a soft and cozy turtleneck from Aranel Ah (that almost went in the chest for next season when it seemed it was going to be summer forever). I pulled on this great box pleated (literally) skirt from toraji Voom over black tights and pulled on my trusty old cowboy boots from JB Gazov. Got my umbrella from Seagel Neville. Forget looking hip and fashionable—I just want to be warm. And this is pretty cute anyway.

Check out my cute hood with hair from toraji Voom to go with the jacket. Now this is ingenous. I can fit the whole look together without messing around with hair prims.

A fresh skin amidst all the gray and darkness is what is needed, and Rhapzody Wilde’s new store provided one for me, inexpensively (300L for this one with several different eyebrow shades). I truly like the coloring of this skin. I will say the eyebrows in this set have that sort of “anxiety shape” I am not very fond of but with light brows and the right bald head, it’s just fine. I did notice she drew in little dimples. That’s awfully cute.

The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Hair (with hood): **DP**mods coat — food with hair/honey by toraji Voom for **DP**YUMYUM (Yes, it says “food” on the name!)

Skin: Belita 5 Blonde Brows Buttercup BLUSH by Rhapzody Wilde for Mynerva

Jacket: **DP**yumyum:mods coat (female) by toraji Voom for **DP**YUMYUM

Top: *BOOM* The Cashmere by Aranel Ah for *BOOM*

Skirt: **DP**yumyum:mizutama skirt/brown by toraji Voom for **DP**YUMYUM

Stockings: **DP**Retro dress (green) retro socks by toraji Voom for **DP**YUMYUM

Umbrella: LADS London in the Rain Black Umbrella by Seagel Neville

Boots: J’s WesternBoots ( 10Colors ) by JB Gazov for J’s