A Good Saturday Afternoon

“So many books, so little time.” ~ Frank Zappa

There is nothing more wonderful than a lazy Saturday afternoon browsing books. I took a trip over to Saffronia’s Books after a stop at Café Rosewater, both on the Crestwick Island sim, to get a cup of coffee (large, soy milk, splenda) and browsed through the books. I am never really looking for anything in particular—just looking. I might end up with a book about knitting or a romance novel or even a book of poetry or I might just browse. Once in a while a good art book will catch my attention.

Of course, dressing chic on such occasions is in order, and I assembled several pieces from Shiny Shabby that fit the bill. First a cute shorts set from Giz Seorn with a texture change HUD for the belt and top so I can choose from one of six top colors and two belt colors to coordinate my look. Then I slipped on Cocoro Lemon’s fitted blazer over the top. The blazer comes in several colors and has the option to have a tank underneath. A chic necklace of emerald stones from AvaGardner Kungler and bangles from Jaycee Dover embellish my look. My low-caught ponytail is Mina Nakamura’s ‘do for Shiny Shabby, a beautiful look with strands tucked behind the ears, and cute poses (some of which I modified using my Avimote PoseMaker) from Anne Dakun, allow me to browse at leisure with a coffee in my hand.

The big news to this look, however, is the release of Bax Coen’s Regency boots, now fit for several mesh bodies and available at her store. Yay! Any oldbie in SL can tell you how Bax made the number one, most desired boot in SL for the longest time, and when mesh came along, Bax had to reconfigure her boots substantially to mesh and with the advent of mesh bodies, she has reconfigured them once again to fit mesh bodies. I found the boots fit my Maitreya body perfectly and looked fabulous. She offers them in several colors (including bright jewel tones) in leather, and then in suede and metallic.

Monicuzza Babenco has really gotten into making mesh head appliers. (She does wonderful ones for the Lelutka heads.) She has now come out with Omega appliers expressly made for the Logo heads, which allow for a variety of expressions. I also chose to use Thora Charron’s lashes with this head and Ikon Innovia’s mesh eyes. It’s a great time to experiment with the things you have in your inventory to see what will work with the mesh heads to create your own look. Of course, Monicuzza’s skin is gorgeous on this face and includes hair bases!

Hair: MINA Hair – Anais (no materials) by Mina Nakamura for MINA, available at Shiny Shabby *

Mesh head: LOGO Infinity Alex Omega Hybrid Mesh by Maximillion Grant for LOGO *

Skin applier: *YS&YS* Erika Tone 03 – Skins Applier for Logo Mesh Head Alex by Monicuzza Babenco for*YS&YS* *

Eyes: IKON Triumph Eyes – Green by Ikon Innovia for IKON, available at Shiny Shabby *

Lashes: .LeLutka.Kyra lashes.02 by Thora Charron for LeLutka *

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – HUD V3.3 Lara by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Jacket: *COCO*_StretchBlazer(DarkBrown) by cocoro Lemon for COCO, available at Shiny Shabby *

Jumper: GizzA – Bonnie Set [Stone] by Giz Seorn for GizzA, available at Shiny Shabby *

Necklace: (Kunglers Extra) Triss necklace – Emerald 1 by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers Extra, available at Shiny Shabby *

Jewelry: LUXE. Margi Swirl Bangle Gold and LUXE. Margi Wrapped Bangle Gold by Jaycee Dover for LUXE, available at Shiny Shabby *

Boots: BAX Regency Boots Chocolate Suede (Maitreya Lara) by Bax Coen for Bax Coen Designs *

Poses: Label Motion – Karla by anne Dakun for Label Motion, available at Shiny Shabby *

Seat: [Con.] Checkered Cab Seat by ValiantCo for Consignment *

Book: +CONVAIR+ Studio Sketch Book by Tobias Convair for +CONVAIR+

Gadget: Avimote PoseMaker PE 1.02 by Avimote Dreamscape for Avimote *

Taken at Café Rosewater and Saffronia’s Books on Crestwick Island

The Great Outdoors

“

To me the outdoors is what you must pass through in order to get from your apartment into a taxicab.” ~ Fran Lebowitz

Summer is coming. I know it is! I am ready! Tobias Convair and Tya Fallingbridge have a few outdoor accessories that I have put to good use on my parcel. First Tya has this wonderful hammock at the Liaison Collaborative that comes in two wood tones with color change pillows and single and couples poses plus some adult for romantic encounters. I set it on the front porch of my house so I could lounge by the water, reading the New Yorker on my iPad and getting some fresh air.

Tobias has made a darling cabana house in “Crayola colors,” which goes well with his Pinewood Cottage. I can imagine all the colors lined up on a beach. (Would be great accompanied by cabana boys, hm?) Tya has made these fabulous lounge chairs in four different iterations and mirrored so you can set them up as you please. They include great single poses too. These are also available at the Liaison Collaborative.

Even in the great outdoors, I need to dress up, even if my heels sink in the lawn. Mistahmoose is a new guy on the fashion scene in SL, a game/graphics designer who has decided to ply his trade in world. These shoes are an example of his work. Designed for the Slink mid foot, they include a great texture-change HUD. (And the textures are a sort of suede, which shows brilliantly in the colors.) With a sexy shape and a new look, these shoes are some of the first pieces Mistahmoose has released. I look forward to more!

Movin’ on up, I wear a great artistic dress from Bamshyl Bookmite, one of her offerings for Fashionart. She has made a series of this mesh dress with solid colors and artistic/abstract patterns like this one, perfect for fashion and art. My jewelry I found while shopping from a recommendation in Skin Addiction. Velvetskin makes this necklace and bracelet with a HUD that has several texture change options for the different pieces and also offers the necklace in pieces (so you can wear, say, just the hanging stone on the chain). The set comes with the necklace, bracelets and earrings. I chose to wear a cute little cuff from Jaycee Dover that I picked up at Kustom 9 on my other wrist. Brightly colored nail polish from Di Hoorenbeek brightens my look.

I love these low ponytails from Kimberlee Miles. With three different hair color sets to choose from, I chose the middle set which carries mostly gingers and reds and browns. I love this bright ginger as it matches the playful nature of the style. My skin is one of Inka Mexicola’s lovely pieces for the Dressing Room Fusion with peachy lips and beautifully shaped eyes and brows.

Marry an outdoors woman. Then if you throw her out into the yard on a cold night, she can still survive. ~ W. C. Fields

Hair: (Chemistry) Hair – Prairie (Rigged) by Kimberlee Miles for (Chemistry) *

Skin: Essences – Siggy TDRF03 *blonde* by Inka Mexicola for Essences, available at The Dressing Room Fusion *

Eyes: [Brixley] Spring Eyes – evergreen by Isabelle Requiem for Brixley *

Dress: B BOS -Julie Dress-Thought by Bamshyl Bookmite for B Bos, available at Fashionart *

Necklace: **RE** LUX Liana Necklace – A+B+C by Velvetskin for RealEvil Industries

Bracelets: **RE** LUX Liana Bracelet – A+B – R by Velvetskin for RealEvil Industries and L U X E – Wooden Cuff Grayscale by Jaycee Dover for Luxe, available at Kustom 9

Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Elegant1 Right and Slink Mesh Hands (av) Relaxed Left by Siddean Munro for Slink

Nail Appliers: Di’s Opera – Fingernails HUD – Fruits by Di Hoorenbeek for Di’s Opera *

Feet: Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance) – Mid by Siddean Munro for Slink

Shoes: [Shimmer] Uptown Girl Heel by Mistahmoose for Shimmer *

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

In the great outdoors:

• [PM]Pixel Mode – Ocean Breeze Deck Lounge – B – Mirror by Tya Fallingbridge for Pixel Mode, available at the Liaison Collaborative *
• [PM]Pixel Mode – Ocean Breeze Deck Lounge – A by Tya Fallingbridge for Pixel Mode, available at the Liaison Collaborative *
• [PM]Pixel Mode – Ocean Breeze Hammock – Light Wood – Adult by Tya Fallingbridge for Pixel Mode, available at the Liaison Collaborative *
• +CONVAIR+ Crayola Cabana Yellow (boxed) by Tobias Convair for Convair, available at the Liaison Collaborative *

Today

If ever there were a spring day so perfect,
so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze

that it made you want to throw
open all the windows in the house

and unlatch the door to the canary’s cage,
indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,

a day when the cool brick paths
and the garden bursting with peonies

seemed so etched in sunlight
that you felt like taking

a hammer to the glass paperweight
on the living room end table,

releasing the inhabitants
from their snow-covered cottage

so they could walk out,
holding hands and squinting

into this larger dome of blue and white,
well, today is just that kind of day.

~ “Today” by Billy Collins

It’s still National Poetry Month in the U.S., and since I have a moment here to share another poem, I will from one of my very favorite poets, Billy Collins. I keep two of his books in my Kindle at all times and read a poem every day the way my grandmother read daily devotionals. I can’t say enough about his work. Read the poem again. Enjoy it, please.

And today is the day when I want to unlatch the door to the canary’s cage and celebrate the sunlight with flowers in my hair. CrystalDoll Lemon is offering this darling dress in several colors at the 100 Block, and I was mightily impressed. She does her own mesh—this is not a template—and her textures are light and pretty. I love the evocative drapiness, the well-fit alpha and the lovely shadowing. I am definitely going to be checking out more of her work!

I paired it with Maxi Gossamer’s newest sandals, also mesh and also made by the creator without a template. I think I take for granted that Maxi does amazing work in mesh—she puts out so many great designs. I was absolutely delighted to see she is offering sandals for Slink feet now. My pretty necklace is from Ellantha Larsson, who is offering this as part of a set that includes face and belly piercings at the 100 Block.

Truth Hawks has come out with this lovely hair that comes with several flower add-ons that he will be offering at The Seasons Story just in time for spring, but I chose to wear Jaycee Dover’s flower hair band from the 100 Block. My gorgeous skin is one of Shantia Soulstar’s lovely creations, beautiful without makeup but I felt that I needed to make it bloom with her add-on eyeshadow and lipstick. Today is a beautiful day!

“Today is just that kind of day.”

Hair: TRUTH HAIR Fleur – Browns by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH<, available at The Seasons Story *

Skin: Zoul Creations – Robyn – Tone 6 – Dk Brows with Zoul Creations – Robyn – Tone 6 – Lips 07 and Zoul Creations – Robyn – Tone 6 – Eyeshadow 06 by Shantia Soulstar for Zoul Creations *

Eyes: PC pearl – columbia – small bright by Lano Ling for Poetic Eyes *

Dress: {dollle*} 082 Long Sleeve Off Shoulder – Pink by CrystalDoll Lemon for {dollle*},

Hair flowers: luxe. – Fleur Branch (cherry blossom) by Jaycee Dover for luxe., available at the 100 Block *

Necklace: .:ellabella:. Empress Crow – Necklace by Ellantha Larsson for.:ellabella:., avaavailable at the 100 Block *

Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual Right and Slink Mesh Hands (av) Elegant Left by Siddean Munro for Slink

Nail appliers: [ bubble ] Fishnet Nails – Light Set by Moonbubble Gothly for [bubble], available at the 100 Block *

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

Sandals: MG – Sandals – Lotus Flower Blossom 1 by Maxi Gossamer for Maxi Gossamer, available at Collabor88 *

Poses: .[ pose+ivity ]. 100 Block Blog Pack by Meccaa for Pose+ivity, available at the 100 Block *

P.S. Come back tomorrow for hints for Miamai!!