HOME EXPO 2012

The 5th Annual Home & Garden Expo benefiting Relay For Life of Second Life, part of a fundraising campaign for the American Cancer Society, has less than 12 hours left. It close at tonight 10pm SLT, May 28th and covers 14 Sims with all kinds of amazing home and garden & breedables wonderfulness. That wonderfulness will include everything from prefabs and furniture to flowers and swimming pools not to mention living, breathing, breeding creatures from a mix of well-known and some not so well-known creators. There is actually a really impressive list of 1s and second level event sponsors this year, and I would strongly encourage you to make sure you visit before the opportunity is up. You can find a list those sponsors here: http://slhomeandgardenexpo.wordpress.com/expo-sponsors/.

One of this years biggest sponsors has become near and dear to my heart as it is one of my most recent SL addictions, one which I never thought I would succumb, Breedables! Yes, it is true, I am just starting to raise KittyCatS. Breedables. You have probably noticed several of my cats in recent pictures and those sprinkled through this article, and they aren’t the only breedables there this year. There is so much to see I will barely even be able to touch on any of this, but here goes. So don’t waste time reading all the details of the article. Glance over the pictures and then run for the Expo before it is too late. Check out the official website, http://slhomeandgardenexpo.wordpress.com, for all the details of maps and TP points.

KittyCats Sim as shared with the KittyCats Addicts Group

All the Exhibitors is selling two original exclusive-to-the-Home-Expo items, the sales of which are earmarked for Relay For Life.  These items are new to the grid, making their first appearance in the SL market at the Expo.  The price of these items are set by the designers and every penny will go to RFL.  After the Expo ends, creators are free to continue selling the items in their main stores, if they so choose. Some of the creators are also participating in the event Hunt. The items will be hidden around the 13 sims at each participating exhibitors display. This is NOT a free hunt – Hunters pay a fee for each hidden object that is donated to RFL.  For more info, those interested in hunting can visit the Expo Hunt  info page. There is also the RAFFLE FOR RELAY! you can still get in on. Lots of awesome prizes, including some valued at more than 10k each!  Daily & Grand Finale Drawings. No need to be present to win Expo Fair Entertainment (19,97,23).

Event sponsors

1st LEVEL: Dream Seeker Estates, (what next), BattleBeast Breedables, Cheeky Pea, Dutchie, Island Dreams Realty and Seaside Lounge, Kaerri, Kismet, KittyCatS, Maven Homes, Michigans Shack, Prim Perfect, PRIME, Stonewood Homes & Interiors, UrbanizeD, and Zwicked Textures

2nd LEVEL SPONSORS: Brennan Homes, Galland Homes, E’lan Fine Furniture & Accessories, Park Place Home Décor, PrimPossible 1 Prim Furniture, Roawenwood, Rustica, Sweet Romance Furniture, The Virtual Kennel Club, Thistle Homes, Tropical Escapes, Inc., and Tropical Escapes, Inc.

Below are Home Expo Maps & Exhibitor Locations, Hope you enjoy the show I will be posting extra pictures from items from this event on my flickr but sadly not till after the event is over.

If you are looking for the Breedables Sims they are tucked in between sims 13 and 9 in the middle of the square of sims. You can find the relay for life donation KittyCatS there at two locations. The first is http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//216/91/23 and the second location is http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/RFL%20Breedables%20Fair/141/88/23. The four shown below are my four little babes. They are SteamPunk Nickel (♂), SteamPunk Nicki(♀), SteamPunk Goldie(♀), and SteamPunk Golden(♂). Each one is 1K L and the entire amount goes to RFL. If you have been thinking about getting into KittyCats, this is a great place to start.

My RFL SteamPunk KittyCats – Found on the sims between 13 and 9

FULL MAP:

See individual SIM maps below

DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 1
Sponsored by: UrbanizeD &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    UrbanizeD – SPONSOR
B    L2 Studio
C    Sleepy Bones
D    D&M Dream Furniture
E    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
F    Windowshopping With Neva Crystall
G   Urban ARTs
H   New Trails
I    Melino style moroccan & more
J    Designer Prims
K   Interior Addiction

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Home Expo – What Next Display

DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 2
Sponsored by: {what next} &
Thistle Homes (2nd level Sponsor) &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

What Next – RFL Loungin Chair & a Half (yellow/blue and pink/green) – 100% Sales go to RFL

Check out these Loungin Chair & A Half from  {what next}. Entire purchase price goes to charity. Also * {what next} VIP group members get 50% off the new mesh Charlotte Living Room Sets. (Three color combos – A, B, & C- and I recommend all three). http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamseeker%20Home%20Expo2/126/129/23

A    Beach Street Home and Garden
B    Insight Designs
C    Funky Junk
D    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
E    Sway’s
F    %Percent Furniture & Lighting
  G    (what next) – SPONSOR
H    Thistle Homes
I    Zanzo / Ambient Designs / Knick Knack Paddy Whack
J    L&K prefabs
K    Angie’s Home Interiors
L    *ionic*
M    [ D E C O ]

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DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 3
Sponsored by: Maven Homes &
Tropical Escapes, Inc. (2nd level Sponsor) &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    Antique Square
B    Tropical Escapes, Inc.
C    Shabby Tabby
D    Maven Homes – SPONSOR
E    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
F    Green & Wild Garden Centre
G    Aphrodite Shop
H    FLOOD and Xenian Furniture
I    Synz Creations
J    Dekute Dekore
K    Elefantu Furniture Co

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DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 4
Sponsored by: Dutchie &
Rustica (2nd level Sponsor)
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    Scarlet Creative
B    Rustica
C    The Loft
D    Dutchie – SPONSOR
E    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
F    Abiss Designs
G    Stuff Store
H    ARIA
I    The Domineaux Effect
J    Trompe Loeil
K    Weather! or not?

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FD Decor’s Kristalis Manor – I actually helped with the design on this one

DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 5
Sponsored by:  Michigans Shack &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    BoatHouse
B    FD Décor (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamseeker%20Home%20Expo5/146/177/23)
C    DEER
D    Soul Effects
E    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
F    Michigans Shack – SPONSOR
G    BagLady Design
H    PDN’s Potpourri
I    Tranquility Way Station
J    The Strawberry Box
K    εïз Butterflies™ εïз
L    Cleo Design

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DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 6
Sponsored by: Stonewood Homes &
The Virtual Kennel Club (2nd level Sponsor) &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    Ethereal Nature
B    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
C    Southern Comfort Furniture and Homes
D    Stonewood Homes & Interiors – SPONSOR
E    The Virtual Kennel Club (2nd level Sponsor)
F    The Forest
G    Sculpty Republic
H    Sandry’s
I    Abby Lane

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DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 7
Sponsored by: kaerri &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    Prism Furniture and Senzafine
B    Lustre/Shoreman Designs -THiNGiES
C    AtiXx Design
D    Kaerri – SPONSOR
E    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
F     *Finishing Touches*
G    L’aize Dayz
H    Kaligawa Originals
I    StoraxTree
J    Sher’s Cottage Gardens
K    NACH Homes and Furnishings

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DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 8
Sponsored by: Cheeky Pea &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    Second Spaces
B    Clutter
C    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
D    [ba] barnesworth anubis
E    Cheeky Pea – SPONSOR
F    MudHoney
G    Fucifino
H    Artilleri
I    Homes by JLZ
J    Organica

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DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 9
Sponsored by: PRIME &
Brennan Homes / Sweet Romance Furniture (2nd level Sponsor) &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    B&S Designs
B    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
C    Landscaping by Felix
D    RE Blueprint Designs
E    PRIME – SPONSOR
F    Brennan Homes & Sweet Romance Furniture
G    Tether’s End
H    Kabuki Creations &  ::WetCat::Builds&Poses
I    [SD] Designs
J    Black Tulip

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DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 10
Sponsored by: Zwicked Textures &
PrimPossible 1 Prim Furniture (2nd level Sponsor) &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    Bee Designs
B    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
C    WorldWide Designs
D    Zwicked Textures – SPONSOR
E     PrimPossible 1 Prim Furniture
F     neXXus
G    Katy’s Kreations Sculpties
H    Gator Creek Designs
I      NowHere Creations
J      Exquisite Eye Decorations

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DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 11
Sponsored by: Island Dreams Realty &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    Glas Houses by Sandi Glas
B    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
C    Warm Animations
D    Island Dreams Realty and Seaside Lounge – SPONSOR
E    MESHWORX
F    .:buddhabeats:.
G    Mushporium
H    Dominion Custom Homes
I      Harry’s Houses & Outdoor

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DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 12
Sponsored by: KISMET &
Roawenwood (2nd level Sponsor) &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    Morphe Inc.
B    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
C    Creative Fantasy Home & Garden
D    KISMET – SPONSOR
E     Roawenwood
F     LOTTIE Garden & Home
G    Dysfunctional Designs
H    T R I D E N T
I      Bearsfoot Beaches

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Alchemy Immortalis RFL Items

DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 13
Sponsored by: Prim Perfect &
Park Place Home Decor (2nd level Sponsor) &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    Mission Home Store
B    Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)
C    [LeeZu!] Furniture
D    HomeKraft
E    Alchemy Immortalis (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamseeker%20Home%20Expo13/239/190/23)
F     Patron
G    Prim Perfect – SPONSOR
H    Park Place Home Décor
I     SL Flying Tigers & Nexgen Aviation
J     Minnesota Modern
K    AZ Emporium
L    True North Designs
M   Nexus Arts

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CIRCA – “LivingLife GreenHouse” – Mini Size (RFL Ed.)

DREAMSEEKER HOME EXPO 14
Sponsored by: Dream Seeker Estates &
Galland Homes (2nd level Sponsor) &
Dream Seeker Estates (underwriter Sponsor)

A    Envision Prefab & Décor
B    C&D Designs – Styled Living (AKA CIRCA – http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamseeker%20Home%20Expo14/130/170/23)
C    Bliss Garden Center
D    [RNP] Animations & Sculpts
E     Lilleshall Luxury Low Prim Furniture
F     Dream Seeker Estates – SPONSOR – (underwriter Sponsor)
G    Galland Homes
H    Ambiance Interactive Furnishings
I    -Hanaya- Yummy Collectibles
J     made by Moo Textures / the Sculpt Depot
K    Garden Oasis
L    R(S)W Home & Garden

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Don’t miss this opportunity to say “THANK YOU!” all you fabulous creators that make Second Life the beautiful life it is! The Keep Calm and Keep Shopping event is a two week shopping event, from May 14th until May 28th, 2012. So you still have a few days to check it out.

KC&KS features a wide range of stores including furniture, apparel, animations, houses, and more. All participating stores will have one (or more) brand new, exclusive, never to be sold again item(s) placed in their stores. It’s NOT a discount event, items will be full price. It’s also NOT a charity event, all the money will go straight to the designers. This event is aimed purely at supporting Second Life® designers and the money they earn goes towards creating new and amazing items for all of us Second Life consumers. This money goes to things like upload costs, paying land rent/ tier, software and resource costs, and for some even helps cover their real life bills.

There are some rules the creators have to abide by:

* Items must be excellent quality.
* May have up to 5 items.
* All items must be brand new (not recolours of existing items) and must not be sold after the event.
* Items must be full price, it’s not a discount event!

Here are a few of the adorable items which you can pick up while supporting some of those creators:

The Dress Maker’s Studio by [dirty.little.secret]

Dirty Little Secret’s Dress Makers Studio Click picture for more in this set

Skirt and Top by ~CoLoReTa’s:] and hair by Tameless Hair & Avatars

Vintage Floral Dress by Sleeping Koala /Hair by Tameless Hair & Avatars / Necklace by je suis…

Sleeping Koala – Vintage Floral Dress and je suis – l’amour long necklace

Leopard Lingerie by Sleeping Koala /Hair by Tameless Hair & Avatars / Necklace by je suis…

Sleeping Koala – Leopard Lingerie and je suis – l’amour long necklace

Dress by urbana. /Hair by Tameless Hair & Avatars / Necklace by je suis…

Urbana – Yulia Dress (Dynasty)

Participating stores are listed below. Click the store name for the SLURL!

Summer Fashion Festival

ArisAris Sim is organizing their first event, the “Summer Fashion Festival”, for June 8th to 24th, 2012. The event plans to showcase a sample of products from a variety of stores. The organizers from the festival are: Ariadna Garrigus, Moonshine Allerhand, Rams3s Kirax and Derek Altneu, Dagda Bumer and Estrellita Gagliano, and they plan to have all an avenue with an stand for each designer (hoping for approximately 100 stores) showcasing one creation exclusive to the event.

The theme for the event is “summer fashion,” but it doesn’t mean bikinis and swimsuits. The aim is to show a design from each store that  highlights the the style of the store in the theme of the summer. Stores wishing to participate can still apply on the event blog: http://thesummerfashionfestival.blogspot.com.es/. In addition to the items for sale, organizers and some of the participating stores will provide some freebies and gifts, too.

Below is a list of stores already signed up for the festival:

ArisAris
Moonshadow
MDL
Rams Tattoo
Freedo.om
Chop Zuey
My Precious
Censored
Modish
I <3 Fashion
Retro
Beautycode
Candymetal

With new stores being added every day, check  here for updates to the above list: http://thesummerfashionfestival.blogspot.com.es/p/tiendas.html.

I encourage you to check out this event as it promises to have some wonderful surprises.

Event ad picture by Suvi Breil.

Reblogged from FD Decor:

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With the opening of my new store location, I figured what better time than to have a party! And it just so happens that the date I chose fell on Cinco De Mayo ....sooooo I decided to make it a Cinco De Mayo sim warming party! There will be music, freebies, and tons of fun. I've invited 2 guest designers to join me for the party.

Read more… 78 more words

Above you can see one of the many things that has distracted me from blogging much lately. I have been hanging out with Fallacy DeCuir, while she has been getting ready for the opening of her new sim. She has relocated her store this week to a sim all it's own with a complete redesign and lots of gorgeous newness. The sim is really beautifully designed and her store has a great natural easy to follow feel. I encourage you to drop in today for the party any time from 2-4pm SLT. She has 2 guest designers and a DJ who will be just some of the folks hanging out and celebrating the new sim in this Cinco de Mayo themed party. All the details are in the above post so just click that link to see all the details While you are there you should take some time to explore the sim. There are some really great hidden nooks to get some great pictures. If you follow me on flickr you will probably have seen a few of the great scenes. One of my favorites is the mermaid cove, and this is one of my favorite pics from the cove. You can see the rest of the set by clicking on the picture. Warning, all the shots are rough shots with no editing not even cropping. The only thing used is a variety of windlight settings. Style card I am not doing a traditional style card here since I am wearing so little. All the SLURLs for stores are in my SLURL page linked at the top of this blog. The mermaid outfit is one of the 10 that Glitterati had available at the pose fair (*Guilty admission, yes, I did by all 10 colors because every single one was gorgeous. This one is the blue.) The pose, however, is actually from oOo Studio and is available in the rocks at the cove along with the other 9 in Ola's Mermaid set. The hair is one of the newer mesh hairs from Exile, called the best of Best of You. If you would like a better veiw of the hair you can see it here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislingmacmoragh/7083093903/. It is a great look and extremely versatile and the rigging is done very well so you can count on it moving naturally with your body when you wear it, which was one of the many reasons I chose it for these contortionist type poses.

This is my 150th post as a blogger of SecondLife®. It just happened to coincide with my recently turning 41. Strange that I have been blogging as long as I have. It started just to see if I could do it, and what a wonderful hobby has it been! I am grateful for all the wonderful people and experiences that blogging has brought into my life. I decided to keep this blog post short and sweet, like the sculpti cupcake dangling from my mouth that was a birthday gift from a friend.

After cupcakes we went and played on one of the most beautiful sandboxes I have ever experienced. We were both tickled because, though you won’t see it in the pictures thanks to derendering, the sim was populated with four-wheeling, off-roading Furries. Lucky it was a sandbox, because it meant I could one of the new poses I had splurged on at Glitterati for a photo op at this lovely setting. We took the first photo we have ever taken together in the 2.5 years we have known each other and called it a night.

Looking back, it was a lovely end to a lovely birthday, and it has been an amazing life so far and a wonderful 150 posts. Thank you for my blessings and here’s to 150 more posts.

Style Card

Store SLURLs available on the SLURLs page

On Ais:

Skin: [Ill] Illusory Skin – Paige_Milk – Soft Touch (cleavage) – by Crushed Clarity
Lipstick: -Glam Affair - Leah Lipstick 09 – by Aida Ewing
Hair: ::Exile:: – Rumour has it (Rouge) – by Kavar Cleanslate
Eyes: [SLB] Eyes – July’09 – Green R – by SLB Wirefly
Eyelashes: Crissy Designs – Irresistible Look Eyelashes – by Cristina Sugita
Mouth Toy: VD cupcake (on mouth) (gift so no idea the store but the creator is huuu)
Top: coldLogic top – segel (blue) – by coldLogic
Skirt: coldLogic – skirt – hemlock (khaki) – by coldLogic
Shoes: Maitreya Gold – Shanti (Nude) – by Onyx LeShelle
Nails: *Sexy Mamas* – Prim Nails – by Tigerlily Hyun

Location: Blue Galaxy Sandbox – Caisteal

Poses: Glitterati – Beauty Series – by Katey Coppola

This Corona Moment Looking Forward

It’s lazy days like these that make me not want to leave my home in SL, just spend all my time fixing it up, inviting friends over, and hanging out there. Thank goodness I have help in figuring out how I am going to fix it up, because there is a new group just for this purpose, and, based on the track record of the group organizers, it promises to be a good one. The Homestuff  group is brought to you by Ivy Maverick and Rob1977 Moonites, the organizers of Menstuff and Womenstuff. The group launched March 28, 2012 and designers are invited to fill out the application, if they have home related products and wish to participate as a designer in the group. So far more than 20 creators have taken them up on this invite and placed gifts out in the lounge for collection by group members. The above scene is one of the free gifts that the group members are eligible to get simply for being a member. It’s from Piddler’s Perch and below is the view from the front of the same perch.

This Corona Moment Front View

The gift, the Fun in the Sun deck set, is quite elaborate and includes the deck, two torches on the deck posts (touch on and off), the two palm tree cluster and shadows, two chairs (each with multiple male and female poses driven by an easy to use touch menu), the table, the 3 candle cluster (touch on and off), and the ice cooler of beers. I know the name was fun in the sun, but I just couldn’t resist shooting the pics at dusk / night so that you could see how lovely it looks when you use the built-in lighting. Rowan Attis, the creator of Piddler’s Perch is not just an exceptional creator, capable of setting an adorable scene, she is thorough, generous and approachable. She strives to make her work better at any opportunity and welcomes comments or questions from her customers. I actually had a question about the freebie and honestly didn’t expect much because it was a free item, but not only did she respond, she treated me to first rate customer service and took the time to make sure that all the issues I had were addressed and taken care of to my satisfaction. If that is the sort of caliber of designers this group is attracting, I can’t wait to see more.

Homestuff Logo

Now for those of you who just want to join the group and take advantage of the benefits such as the adorable freebies like the one shown in this blog, you can do so by joining the Homestuff group in world. You can pick up the free gifts once you are a member at the SLSTUFF LOUNGE http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gizza%20Creations%20II/21/16/72, and you’ll find more information about the group and the creators that are part of it on the Homestuff home page. There will be more blogs posted there soon as they get the staff up and going for the blog. I also will be expecting a pretty awesome Homestuff Hunt one day to go along with the amazing ones already thrown by the organizers. Keep your eyes out for more information on Homestuff.

Style Card

Store SLURLs available on the SLURLs page

Furniture and palms:

Piddler’s Perch – Fun in the Sun deck set (Free gift for Homestuff group members)

On Ais:

Skin: *VERSHE* – Andrea Deep: Aruba (Brunette)*
Freckles: -Glam Affair – Leah Freckles C*
Hair: ::Exile:: – Perri:Sable (TDR)
Eyes: [SLB] Eyes – July’09 – Green R
Lashes: Crissy Designs – Irresistible Look Eyelashes
Nails: *Sexy Mamas* – Prim Nails
Bikini Top: (seen from front view) REEK -
Sweater: (seen from back view) *VERSHE* – Chic Sweater: Sea*
Shorts: *VERSHE* – PumPum Shorts: Dark Wash*
Shoes: *VERSHE* – Mimi Flats: Dots*
Glasses: [ glow ] studio – Club! Glasses vol. 2 (silver) (TDR)
Earings: [MANDALA] – tukemono earrings (silver) (TDR)

On Dhirk:

Skin: *REDGRAVE* – [03] DeepTan Skin -David-/ unshaved+hair
Hair: *Coma* – Varsity Hair – Blonde 2
Eyes: [SLB] Eyes – July’09 – Blue B
Tattoo: *REDGRAVE – Arm-Tattoo -David- (Torso)
Finger Tape: Luck Inc – *SL* Finger Tapes w/ nails
Facial Piercings: [NikitaFride] – Piercing(MHO4)
Necklace: G&T Creations Fashion and Romance – Dragon Tribal male necklace (MHOH4 # 36)
Boardshorts: [Armidi] – Ibisco Boardshorts / Blue

*blog review copy

The Velveteen Rabbit is one of my favorite stories. I think of it many times a year but always at this time of the year, because of the association of bunnies with Easter. My love for this story is one that I share with my friend, Khloe. So I decided to make this blog post dedicated to her, because of my desire to do something for her this Easter that both represented this story we both so love and gain strength and inspiration from and that represented how much she means to me.

For those of you who don’t know the story of the Velveteen Rabbit, you can find the full story here: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/williams/rabbit/rabbit.html. It is known as the story of how a toy becomes real. Now if you don’t know the story the smothering with love might not make that much sense and you might not understand how that is part of the journey to becoming real. It is the story of a stuffed rabbit that becomes the favorite toy of a sick little boy, who eventually is loved so much he is worn and so much he becomes a real bunny.

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”
“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.
“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

So off I set, on a journey to find an outfit, some poses, a bunny which I could I could smother with love and maybe someday help become real, and a place to take pictures of it all. Khloe wasn’t available for dressing up like a bunny, but fortunately just in the nick of time Olaenka Chesnokov, creator of oOo Studio, released this bunny pose set, complete with accompanying bunnies that I could use. Once I had the poses and the bunnies the FreebieFriday hunt gift (a skirt, bodysuit, shoes, glasses, belt and bunny ears) from VERSHE landed in my lap. I was ecstatic and decided to use it when, Vershel made the decision to extend the freebie hunt for this outfit through Sunday. That way anyone seeing the pictures would still be able to get the free item. I used everything in the outfit except the adorable shoes. I was just in a barefoot kind of mood and wanted to show off my new Gaeline bare feet. I also wanted to remind folks that in addition to this freebie outfit from VERSHE (The item will be hidden in a small eggs somewhere around the store and for group members only.), group members at VERSHE would also be getting my Spring Eyeshadow from my blog on LpD. By the time this article is published there will be an extra egg added to the hunt with that free gift will be set out at VERSHE.

So the only thing remaining for this endeavor was a place to take some spring inspired pictures. After TPing around the grid to several promising but not quite right locations, I tried out one that I found through Flickr, Frog’s Garden. I discovered Frog’s Garden (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bonaire52/35/56/23) because of this picture, http://www.flickr.com/photos/liqueur/6892608244, posted on flickr by Liqueur Felix. When I TPed in to check it out, it was the perfect spot. Exactly what I had in mind. Small and quaint and beautifully decorated. A store in the most unobtrusive way. It inspired be so much to create my own similar space that purchases are sure to ensue in the future, but at the time I was all about the picture taking. I am pleased with how they turned out and there are a few more I posted in my Flickr stream. I had a blast playing with the windlight options and various presets and combinations of my own. I strongly encourage you to go get some pics of your own and either before or after drop by VERSHE to pick up your freebies and the last ever Fashionably Late to get your own set of bunny poses.

Happy Easter Everyone! Here’s hoping that this year you are loved so much you are worn to the point of becoming real.

And Happy Easter, Khloe.

Style Card

Store SLURLs available on the SLURLs page

Skin: *VERSHE* Andrea Tan: GoGo (Brunette)*
Freckles: -Glam Affair – Leah Freckles C*
Hair: elikatira – [e] – Listen – Brown 04
Eyes: [SLB] Eyes – July’09 – Green R
Lashes: Crissy Designs – Irresistible Look Eyelashes
Nails: *Sexy Mamas* Prim Nails
Outfit: *VERSHE* Easter Chic Outfit (Free to group members)
Ears: *VERSHE* Chic Easter: Ears (Free to group members)
Glasses: *VERSHE* Easter Chic: Bunny Glasses (Free to group members)
Earrings: [MANDALA] – tukemono earrings (SILVER)
Bare Feet: GAELINE – MOCAP ANIMATIONS & AOs – SHOES – HAIR – FASHION – *GA* – Tip Toe Bare Feet

oOo Studio: Easter Bunny #4 (Fashionably late)

*Blog review copy

Prelude - Tonight Tonight - Satisfaction Headshot

That youthful feel which the new hairs from ::Exile:: is what inspired me to combine the hairs with the new Glam Affair skin, called Leah. Leah feels a very different skin than anything Aida Ewing, the creator of Glam Affair, has done before. With 5 skin tones, 22 different lipstick layers, 3 freckle styles, 3  colors each of which gives the option to include the same color hairbase or not, and 13 base makeup skin options (12 makeups and one clean option), you can have pretty much any look you want. I went with a very neutral base makeup skin, -Glam Affair – Leah MedTan – 02, which had almost no eye makeup and a very natural lip color, as you can see in the picture of the Exile style called Satisfaction and the beige Maggie Outfit from [ m ]. That picture has no lipstick color or any other form of added tattoo layer makeup. The only make up added to the other two looks are the lipstick. You can see what a huge difference it makes in the look just to add a different lipstick color.

Prelude - Tonight Tonight - Satisfaction Full Body With M & Vershe

During the process of deciding what to do with the hairs, I had come to the decision that I was just going to do headshots showing just the hairs and the make up and then Magnifico Miggins, the creator for [ m ], sent me a collection of two of her upcoming releases to look over. The first was an adorable, perfect for spring mini dress she calls the Maggie Outfit. When she sent it over she included all of her upcoming color releases – aqua, beige, black, green, grey, pink, and red. Accompanying that outfit collection was her exciting new watch. A chunky, fun, colorful watch, she calls the Miracle Watch. The miracle is the face of this watch which has a subtle rainbow coloring that reminds me of a sclupti map that constantly changes. Mag says that the face will never repeat, that color combinations might be close or similar, but will never be exactly the same at any given time when you look at it. I personally found the watch mesmerizing to watch. LOL I had fun watching the watch – that sounds so funny to me, but it is true, I did.

Now this dress may look as if it has sculpti or mesh attachments to give it that 3D look you see in the pictures, but that isn’t attachments, just really amazing texturing on the part of the creator. The only attachment is a basic prim piece for the skirt that goes between the legs that you are probably all familiar with in other outfits. The outfits were fun and I wanted to show a little bit of their versatility without changing it up too much. When trying things on I paired the dresses with shorts and pants and they worked wonderfully as a top. I also liked adding the Claw Belt from [ m ] which is one of Mag‘s recent releases for kind of a slightly edgier look that better fit the dark lipstick I had put on this version of Leah and the shiny black nails I had on. As far as color coordination, everything just kind of fell into place – the matching hair color accents the matching watches and shoe colors I happened to have and want to display, everything.

Shoes: Okara Sliders - Le Plateau - Mimi Flats

Only one thing remained to finish off the three looks before I would be able to head out and hit the town and that was shoes. So I pulled out two new releases from Vershe and an old stand by from [ m ] and the looks were complete and I was ready to hit the town. Now the cute clunky heals that are a new release from Vershe were something that all the members of her group had the option to drop by and pick up the store for FREE, last Friday. Yes, that’s right, I said  those shoes were FREE. Freebie Friday is something Vershe creator, Vershel Iadyl, does for her group. She puts out one never before released item that you do have to hunt for but if you are a member of the group you get it for free when you find it. This happens every week. This past week it was this adorable pair of shoes, and the previous week it was a PHATTY PACK of her new mesh Capri sweatpants she calls LabelWh*re Sweats. Yes a PHATTY PACK, 7 colors, of her never before released item. I have been in groups before that had great free gifts or frequent gifts or both, but never one quite like this. A weekly freebie of a brand new release and other random gifts just because the woman is feeling generous, all as part of a group that there is no fee to join? If you know of a group like this that has such huge benefits to join please share in the comments section because I would really like to maximize my group space. Funny, I remember when we survived on 25 and now 42 just isn’t enough.

Ok so back to the shoes. The adorable Okara sliders were a freebie that is now available for sale. Next is the classic chunky heel pump from [ m ] called Le Plateau Heel. I went with a basic black look with the top part patterned with white birds, a signature look for [ m ]. And finally I added the Vershe Mimi Flats, a new release, in the pattern she calls Dots. It is a cute fresh, summer, feel – perfect for a day of sight seeing or exploring around SL. Vershel would kill me for saying this, but my nicknames for her shoes are the Okra Sliders and the baskin robins shoes. Not sure why that is what comes to mind with the names and the patterns but my mind is just crazy like that sometimes; so if you ever hear me or see me “talking” about these shoes and I call them by the wrong name, you will now know which ones I am talking about.

Speaking of exploring, look out here for upcoming blogs on adventuring. I have scouted out some fun locations and hope to do another adventure sight seeing shoot soon. But for now I am signing off and sending you to the credits, so that if you saw any thing you like you can run out and get it. Everything except the dress and watch are available for purchase, now, and the dress and watch are only about a week away, so run right out and pick up your favorites.

Happy Shopping.

Style Card

Store SLURLs available on the SLURLs page

Worn in all outfits:

Freckles: -Glam Affair – Leah Freckles C (New)*
Eyes: [SLB] Eyes – July’09 – Green R
Lashes: Crissy Designs – Irresistible Look Eyelashes
Nails: *Sexy Mamas* Prim Nails
Watch: [ m ] Miracle Watch (Shown in Baby Blue, Pale, and Black) (Coming soon)*

Worn in Exile – Prelude:

Hair: ::Exile:: Prelude:Chardonnay (New)*
Skin: -Glam Affair – Leah MedTan – 02 BL HB (New)*
Lipstick: -Glam Affair – Leah Lipstick 09 (New)*
Dress: [ m ] – Maggie Outfit aqua (Coming soon)*
Shoes: *VERSHE* – Okara Sliders (New) (free for group members last Friday at Vershe’s Freebie Friday)

Worn in Exile - Tonight Tonight:

Hair: ::Exile::Tonight Tonight:Persimmon (New)*
Skin: -Glam Affair- Leah MedTan – 02 Red HB (New)*
Lipstick: -Glam Affair – Leah Lipstick 22 (New)*
Dress: [ m ] Maggie Outfit green (Coming soon)*
Shoes: [m] [m] Le Plateau Heel Special
Belt: [ m ] Claw Belt special

Worn in Exile – Satisfaction:

Hair: ::Exile::Satisfaction:Moreno (New)*
Skin: -Glam Affair- Leah MedTan – 02 D HB (New)*
Dress: [ m ] Maggie Outfit beige (Coming soon)*
Shoes: *VERSHE* Mimi Flats: Dots (New)*

*Review Copy

Composite - LpD - Mirage Minidress

For starters there is the Mirage Minidress, which comes in 3 colors – Red Tones, Blue Tones, and Violet Tones.  The fabric texture is this beautifully-textured, swaded fabric that is enhanced by luscious colors, and lovely paisley and geometric patterns. The dresses also come with matching tights, but they weren’t my particular style so I pared the dresses with these adorable Merino Leggins from League. They tucked in well to the boots that I also got from Nevery.

Composite - LpD - OldBoy Boots With Socks

The boots have an option to wear them with or without socks and come in 8 different colors – Wine, White, Smoke, Sage, Jeans, Glicine, Brown, and Black. One of the great things about these boots, apart from excellent texturing, is that they are unisex. Considering that there are definitely more items made for men that work for women than vice versa in Second Life, It is nice to see a designer that designs primarily for females making a unisex item rather than the other way around.

Composite - LpD - OldBoy Boots Without Socks

Les petite Details is extremely well known for their skins. In fact, it was a couple years ago that I first met Nevery at an art gallery opening and asked her about the brilliant skin her avatar was wearing. That was when she told me she made it and that she made other things as well like the cool outfit she had on. Now to be fair, I think her skins look way better on her shape than on mine, but I always try on skins with my own shape. In some cases, that means I don’t review them, not because they aren’t good skins, but not every skin is going to look good on every shape. Now that said I do like how this skin looks on my face and the makeups are really fresh and light. In fact, they have almost no eye makeup at all (More on that later).

Composite - Alice (Darker) (Lashes) (Breasts 2)

The skin offers two tones (lighter and darker, neither of which is that dark), has five lipsticks, and options for either lashes or no lashes. The fatpack of skins I got came with an adorable shape. So if you aren’t happy with your shape or are just starting out, this will be a good option as well. Its a much more innocent, cherubic shape than mine.

Composite - Alice (Darker) (No Lashes) (Breasts 2)

Below you can see how much paler the lighter skin is than the darker one I have used for this post. If you needed something kind of exotic or unusual for a goth or a vampire look this skin could work. Say for example an Alice or an Esme look?

Composite - Alice (Darker vs Lighter) (Teeth vs No Teeth) (No Lashes)

So I mentioned earlier that the skins have almost no eye makeup then you see the three pictures below and you can see I am wearing eye makeup. That’s not just any eye makeup. I made it myself from scratch without a template for eyeshadow. It is my first time ever to make a texture for any type of clothing or body part. I wanted two different eye colors, one blue and one green, in spring colors that coordinated with the dress. I really liked the way this turned out so I have been working on a variety of makeup styles and colors, just to see if I could do it. Since this blog is called Ashes to Ashes, the makeups are going to be Dust to Dust. I will be doing a free gift for Easter for the members of the Vershe VIP group. So be on the look out for that.

Collar and Makeup Closeups

I decided to get some unedited shots of the outfit out exploring for the Unedited Challenge. I don’ think these are my best work but I am still having some problems with the shadows and depth of field. I have noticed I am having more problems now that I have moved to the v4 of Firestorm than I had on the last version of v3 that was out. It is probably me just needing to work with it more but never the less, it impedes my ability to get the shot I want exactly the way I want it. That said, I am enthused about the new interface (FUI) and the new Direct Delivery method for market place that have been rolled out.

Unedited Picture from Adventures in Malt

The above and below picture are unedited for the Unedited Picture Challenge (www.flickr.com/groups/unedited_challenge/). It is a Flickr group that anyone can join if they are interested in showing what can be done without Photoshop. Figures I am working on this post with two pictures the same weekend my full version of the Adobe CS 5.5 arrives.

Unedited Picture from Adventures in Malt

Style Card

Store SLURLs available on the SLURLs page

Skin: *LpD* Skins – *Alice* Juice (No Lashes) Breast 2 (Darker)*
Dress: *LPD* – *Mirage*  Minidress Red Tones (Shirt Layer) *
Boots: *LpD* – *OldBoy* Boots Sage*
Hair: [e] About – Red 05
Eye Shadow: Dust ~ Duo Tone Softened Eyeshadow With Duo Lower Liner (not available yet)
Eyes: [SLB] Eyes – July’09 – Green R
Eye Lashes: Crissy Designs – Irresistible Look Eyelashes
Leggings: *League* Merino Leggings -MidCalf -Teal (ul)
Nails: *Sexy Mamas* Prim Nails

*Review Copies