A Christmas State of Mind

Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.    –Mary Ellen Chase

I am enjoying the holidays a lot this year. I made a crapload of cookies (that are now in the freezer). I tied special ribbons all over the tree. I remodeled my family room and sewed a special holiday runner for my mantel. I went to a cocktail party last night and noshed on the holiday special treat in these parts: raw beef and onions. And I have been knitting like mad to get some gifts done too. So… I kind of dressed up elfishly to feel it in my heart.

I started with Shai Delacroix’s boat-neck top, a casual mesh piece with a great texture change HUD that allows a variety of looks, all with stripes. I wore red, of course, and matched my socks (cuz matching socks with shirt is very festive). And I put on Isabelle Requiem’s new winter shorts for a little elfish fun. Merry winter boots with pompoms from Anessa Stine make the look complete.

My face is speckled with stars from Airedine Poe’s darling gift for the KittyCats Advent Calendar. In fact, I have two more gifts in this blog from the Calendar—first, my silly darling poses from Gidge Uriza and if you look at my nails, some awesome candy striped nails from Giela Delpaso, who has been giving in holiday spirit for both this and the Peace on Earth hunt. She offered TWO sets for the KittyCats Advent Calendar. Go give Giela some of your linden by buying one of her regular nail sets—she deserves some thanks.

PeachieMuah has come out with a new doll skin, which I wore with elven glee and Isabelle Requiem’s moody eyes have a certain twinkle. I tied my hand up with a bow with Cherella Capra’s gacha ring (one of many) that she is offering at the Christmas Market Event, that is still open. Of course, M4ri1yn Magic’s cute hair with eensy ponytails makes the look—how much more festive can I get?

If there is no joyous way to give a festive gift, give love away.

Hair: ~Tableau Vivant~ Cho Hair – Dark red by M4ri1yn Magic for Tableau Vivant *

Skin: {FF Doll} Evie Snow by PeachieMuah for Fresh Face *

Makeup: +>A&A<+ Star Blush for KittyCats by Airedine Poe for Adore and Abhor, available at the KittyCats 2013 Advent Calendar at KittyCats Winterland *

Eyes: [Brixley] Moody Eyes – green by Isabelle Requiem for Brixley, available at Kustom9 *

Top: *Shai* Sailor Sweater by Shai Delacroix for Casa del Shai *

Shorts: [Brixley] Winter Shorts – red plaid by Isabelle Requiem for Brixley *

Leggings: [Renegade] Red Striped Leggings by Kaejo DaSilva for Renegade

Ring: [CIRCA] – “Festive Holiday” Stacked Bow Ring – Red/Silver by Cherelle Capra for [CIRCA], available at the Christmas Market Event *

Nail Appliers: Nailed It – Slink – KittyCats Advent Set HUD by Giela Delpaso for Nailed It, available at the KittyCats 2013 Advent Calendar at KittyCats Winterland *

Boots: DCNY MESH_Cozy Boots_Crimson by Anessa Stine for DCNY

Poses: PRETENSE POSES The Cats Meow by Gidge Uriza for Pretense Poses, available at the KittyCats 2013 Advent Calendar at KittyCats Winterland *

QTπ

Somehow it’s O.K. for people to chuckle about not being good at math. Yet if I said, ‘I never learned to read,’ they’d say I was an illiterate dolt. ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson

I’ve been off a few days, nursing a cold and taking care of RL, and.. well… indulging in math. I know that seems weird. Who likes math? Well I do! The Khan Academy has a great site for working on math skills and it’s the kind of puzzle gaming I love to do—with the added benefit of improving my mind. Look, if Danica McKellar can do it, so can I!

Simple math tells me if I put together a great top with terrific jeans, I’m going to have a fabulous look. Erratic Rain has recently released this mesh top that fits perfectly over any mesh bottoms you can come up with. That’s saying a lot because, if you haven’t noticed, mesh from different creators doesn’t always play well together. But Erratic has designed the ultimate sexy but casual blouse in several colors that does the trick. Shai Delacroix has recently released these bootylicious jeans with a color changing HUD that includes 8 shades. Who needs a separate mesh booty when you already have it going on? Moonbubble Gothly made the darling mesh sneakers I wear with this casual look.

A pale and lovely skin, Aida Ewing’s latest skin line is a knock out. With her finely drawn brows, beautifully defined eyes and gorgeous lips, she has once again given the grid beauty. M4r1lyn Magic offers this sexy mesh hair with one of four color HUDs for your most gorgeous hair-down looks. It all adds up to wonderful!

Doing math is like going to the gym – it’s a workout for your brain and it makes you smarter. ~ Danica McKellar

Hair: ~Tableau Vivant~ Vlodovic Hair by M4r1lyn Magic for Tableau Vivant *

Skin: -Glam Affair – Vera – Europa 01 A by Aida Ewing for Glam Affair *

Eyes: 2moro* Be the light eyes – blue by Reira Islay for 2moro, available at the Halloween Mini Market

Shirt: erratic / keira – shirt / pink by Erratic Rain for erratic *

Jeans: *Shai* Slim Jeans Mesh by Shai Delacroix for Casa del Shai *

Bracelets: BoHo HoBo Three Friendship Bracelets together by Trill Zapatero for BoHo HoBo *

Socks: [Crash Republic] stripey knee socks – blue by Isabelle Requiem for Crash Republic *

Shoes: [ bubble ] Mesh Sneakers – Bloom by Moonbubble Gothly for [bubble] *

Poses by Valencia Southard for Marukin

Double Trouble

A sister is both your mirror – and your opposite. ~ Elizabeth Fishel

There were two sisters. They both had their father’s eyes and their mother’s figure but in that the similarity ended. While one was outgoing, the other was introverted. One was naïve and trusting; the other worldly and cynical. One was dangerously silly and the other was deadly serious. (You get the point here.)

They both went shopping at Love Donna Flora when it opened at midnight. The went in opposite directions—one to the left and one to the right, covering the perimeter of the sim, going from cart to cart. One chose the sexy brocade mini dress from Kiddo Oh and clicked the HUD for a crème colored dress. The other chose the same dress but clicked for the chocolate dress. Both loved the lace system piece with the dress, the bow at the collar and hip, and the gorgeous silhouette it created. Both were also delighted that 100% of the purchase price went to Squinternet Larnia as they discovered with most everything they purchased that day.

With poses from Olaenka Chesnokov (meant for a premiere red carpet photo op but perfectly useful for other modeling), the sisters happily wandered the sim and found gorgeous skin from Amesha Jewell. Each chose the tone she felt best suited her—one a darker skin and one a lighter but with the same makeup—a wicked cat eyeliner and glossy lips.

Their wavy tresses came courtesy of M4r1lyn Magic but as one sister was more a winter and the other a summer, they chose accordingly and tinted their hair with his handy HUD to suit their desires. When they met up on the other side of the sim, they were astonished to see each other, discovering while they had differences, much was the same.

“I was too young that time to value her,
But now I know her. If she be a traitor,
Why, so am I. We still have slept together,
Rose at an instant, learned, played, eat together,
And wheresoe’er we went, like Juno’s swans,
Still we went coupled and inseparable.”
~ William Shakespeare, As You Like It

On one:

Hair:  ~Tableau Vivant~ Larnia – Summer by M4r1lyn Magic for Tableau Vivant, available at Love Donna Flora *

Skin: A // Flora ~ Tone 6 // Vintage Gloss [Mid Cleavage] by Amesha Jewell for Aeva // Heartsick, available at Love Donna Flora *

Eyes: IKON Lucid Eyes – Coffee (M) by Ikon Innovia for IKON *

Dress: .::DD::. Dead Dollz – Love Donna Flora – Chocolat by Kiddo Oh for Dead Dollz, available at Love Donna Flora *

Nails: Nailed It – Prim Nails – Love Donna Flora! Set by Giela Delpaso for Nailed It, available at Love Donna Flora *

Shoes: [Gos] Eva Slingback – Colour Collection by Gospel Voom for Gos Boutique *

Poses: oOo Studio: Premiere for Love Donna Flora by Olaenka Chesnokov for oOo Studio, available at Love Donna Flora *

On the other:

Hair: ~Tableau Vivant~ Larnia – Winter by M4r1lyn Magic for Tableau Vivant, available at Love Donna Flora *

Skin: A // Flora ~ Tone 3 // Vintage Gloss [Mid Cleavage] by Amesha Jewell for Aeva // Heartsick, available at Love Donna Flora *

Eyes: IKON Lucid Eyes – Coffee (M) by Ikon Innovia for IKON *

Dress: .::DD::. Dead Dollz – Love Donna Flora – Chocolat by Kiddo Oh for Dead Dollz, available at Love Donna Flora *

Nails: Nailed It – Prim Nails – Love Donna Flora! Set by Giela Delpaso for Nailed It, available at Love Donna Flora *

Shoes: [Gos] Eva Slingback – Colour Collection by Gospel Voom for Gos Boutique *

Poses: oOo Studio: Premiere for Love Donna Flora by Olaenka Chesnokov for oOo Studio, available at Love Donna Flora *

Hydrangeas

The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life. ~ Jean Giraudoux

The heat this past week has made the hydrangeas burst with bloom, nodding their cumbersome blossoms in the weak hot breeze and making everything glorious. Quark Fallen has made some beautiful oversized hydrangeas on display at his sim Leroy, and so I shot photos among them.

I am pleased with this 20s-influenced look I put together. I donned the long gown from Ariadna Garrigus that includes a beautiful back strap  and a glittering beaded Art Deco-influenced pattern. I added beads from M4r1lyn Magic and used Siddean Munro’s mesh hands to show off Giela Delpaso’s great new manicure set. I love being able to paint my nails in SL. It’s like going to my local manicurist and seeing the shelves of hundreds of colors and being able to pick and choose.

What makes the look, of course, is this 20s hair cut from Plurabelle Laszlo. The hair includes a HUD to let you change the color of the flower and the hair tie. I absolutely love how she brought Louise Brooks back to life with this cut.

Of course the icing on the cake is Aida Ewing’s gorgeous Katya skin, being offered now at the Liaison Collective. With Aida’s characteristic style, the skin is elegant with gorgeously lined eyes, deep ruby lips and beautifully defined brows.

“I must have flowers, always, and always.” ~ Claude Monet

Hair: Bliensen + MaiTai – Come to the City – Hazel by Plurabelle Laszlo for Bliensen + MaiTai, available at Hair Fair 2013

Skin: -Glam Affair – Katya – America 04 B by Aida Ewing for Glam Affair, available at Liaison Collective *

Eyes: pearl – warm onyx – medium medium by Lano Ling for Poetic Eyes *

Dress: ***ArisAris Igs81-C Diva gown by Ariadna Garrigus for ArisAris *

Necklace: ~Tableau Vivant~  Mina necklace by M4r1lyn Magic for Tableau Vivant, available at the Gallery Gift Shop

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

Skin applier: Glam Affair – Slink Hands Skin Appliers ( America) by Aida Ewing for Glam Affair

Nails appliers: Nailed It – Dark Set by Giela Delpaso for Nailed It *

Shoes: {{BSD Design studio}}Posh(L)black by BabyChampagne Sass for {{BSD Design studio}}, available at The Shoes Fair *

Poses by Trieste Minuet for !bang

Taken at Leroy