Author Archives: Cajsa Lilliehook

About Cajsa Lilliehook

Santino Rice's little ditty "It's only fashion" seems a perfect title for my little fashion blog as you and i know that fashion means the world to him. Co-founder of It's Only Fashion and Blogging Second Life.

One stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night

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one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night

“The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night.”
― Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance

The Instruments, a monthly themed showcase of Second Life fashion and design opened today.  I was instantly drawn to BYRNE’s Eternal dress. It’s a shape I like and I love batik fabric. It always make me think of my three housemates in college who were from Malaysia and their seemingly endless supply of batik sarongs. It seemed like the only thing they ever wore. They gifted me with beautiful sarongs, though I never got the hang of making them secure enough to wear rolling skating like they did.

I like the form of the dress as well as the fabric. The ruffles complicated finding poses, of course, but that happens with most dresses that have ruffles off the side. I do wish the cuffs had not been rigged. It is easier to adjust the cuffs than adjust the arm. Alphas hide the arm, but the alpha cut on the mesh body did not line up with the cuffs, so I had to play around with my shape. It’s not that big a problem, I always save a copy and then go back to the original that I never edit.
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and the sun wields mercy

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and the sun wields mercy
JUMO just released Arthuriana – a skirt and top combo in chocolate, oil, marsala, navy and violet The dress comes with a luxe wreath of gold and pearls, earrings, bracelets and a headpiece. However, I was inspired by the print  to take the outfit in a different direction.
and the sun wields mercyAs you can see, Arthuriana has Wow! factor aplenty with its design details such as the dramatic sweep of the skirt and drama of the cutout back.
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and it’s hard at the end of the day

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And it's hard at the end of the day

When Sarah McLachlan wrote Angel, she was not thinking of the sort you might see in a Sunday school lesson, but one more like this perhaps. The song is about seeking comfort and escape from life’s pain through a needle, through heroin addiction to be precise. Inspired in specific by Jonathan Melvoin of Smashing Pumpkins who died of an overdose about 20 years ago, the more general inspiration came from McLachlan’s own experience of seeking comfort and reassurance from other drugs. McLachlan, when speaking about the song, seems to think the feelings of inadequacy, of insecurity, of alienation are part of the music industry. Personally, I think they are part of life.

And it's hard at the end of the day

there’s always some reason
to feel not good enough
and it’s hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
oh beautiful release
memories seep from my veins
let me be empty
and weightless and maybe
I’ll find some peace tonight

in the arms of the angel
fly away from here
from this dark cold hotel room
and the endlessness that you fear

I thoughy this blood-tipped “angelic” gown paired with the needle-sharp Say wings from Glam Affair would be a great representation of McLachlan’s “angel” whose comfort is only temporary unless, of course, it is the final comfort of death. Incidentally, Maylee Oh of The Secret Store who made this gown also made a video of her weight painting and texturing it and while I have no idea what she is doing it is strangely hypnotic to watch.

And it's hard at the end of the day

The gown is a gorgeous brocade with a delicate blood tip. You see more red in this picture than the other because of the red projector I was using to light the scene. The wings are white and plum and the projector lights them as well. I actually selected the plum textures in the wings and tinted them bright red to go with the dress and the jacket.

And it's hard at the end of the day

My shoes are from Hucci and are incredibly elegant. I love how the leather comes to a point and echoes the feathers and the wings.

And it's hard at the end of the day

I always wear lingerie under my clothes. After all, sometimes when you TP in, your clothes seem to arrive a few seconds after you do. Luxuria is my go to brand.

And it's hard at the end of the day

A chose Truth’s Anouk hair style with the color-change bands and Donna Flora’s Julia set with rubies.

And it's hard at the end of the day

My makeup comes from Glam Affair’s newest release Mavi, a Lelutka mesh head applicator. I opted for the brightest, reddest lipstick.

Store info at Blogging Second Life
****SHOPPING LIST******
Poses: Di’s Opera
HUDS: AnyPose Expression HUD v1.0 – Wear Me
Slink Ankle Lock
Skin: Glam Affair Mavi Asia
Mesh Attachments: .LeLutka.Mesh Head-STELLA v1.1
Slink Avatar Enhancement Feet High & Handas
Slink Physique Mesh Body V2.4 (ADD ME)
Appliers: Flair Mani-Pedi 13
Glam Affair Mavi Asia
Luxuria Serpentine Red
Eyes: pc eyes by LL – shallow water – medium
Hair: TRUTH HAIR Anouk
Clothing: [Slink]The Secret Store – Avianna Dress – Blood Dip @ Collabor88
[Slink]The Secret Store – Harpy Mantle – Blood Dip @ Collabor88
Glam Affair – Sya Wings Plum @ Collabor88
Shoes: ::HH:: Hucci Minerva Sandal – Collection (Slink) @ Collabor88
Jewelry: Donna Flora Julia
(Yummy) True Fate Ring – Gold – Rainbow @ Collabor88
Location: Kalopsia Broken Floor, anc Bubbles

The Scents of Autumn

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bags full of leaves are light as balloonsFirst things first, Strawberry Singh wrote an important post about an ongoing fraud happening in SL right now. You should read it to best protect your own account. Of course, a good rule of thumb is not to execute or agree to anything from objects given to you by strangers. While it’s not true that you can never cheat an honest person, it is true that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
bags full of leaves are light as balloons
So autumn is here. Here in Oregon, it’s raining, bringing sweet relief from the heat and let us hope, from the fires that are destroying so much habitat in the Pacific Northwest and California. Here in SL, though, there are no fires and the rain is holding off for another day. However, the state fairs are all over and all the 4Hers have their ribbons and are back in school. Fruits are being harvested and canneries are running around the clock. For me, though, lounging by the barn is a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Schadenfreude’s black squirrel is much more industrious, picking up a small pumpkin to store away.
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Light as balloons

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bags full of leaves are light as balloons

Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

bags full of leaves are light as balloons

But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.

I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?

bags full of leaves are light as balloons

Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.

Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who’s to say where
The harvest shall stop?   …Robert Frost

bags full of leaves are light as balloons

Location:
03 – 8f8 – Storyteller’s Burrow – Reader’s Pier & Boat RARE @ The Arcade
Ariskea[ Terre Automne ] Fall wagon RARE @ The Arcade
Ariskea[ Terre Automne ] Fall Greetings Bench RARE @ The Arcade
Ariskea[ Terre Automne ] Pumpkin Batch @ The Arcade
+Half-Deer+ Shiba Inu – Please? (rez) @ The Arcade
Mon Cheri *MC* Last Summer Days / Wild Flowers White #4 @ The Arcade
*MC* Last Summer Days / Tree Sack #3 @ The Arcade
Mutresse-Cheeky Raccoons-Peekaboo @ The Arcade
Pixel Mode – Fall Harvest – Barn @ The Arcade
Pixel Mode – Fall Harvest – Fence Corner 2 @ The Arcade
Pixel Mode – Fall Harvest – Fence Post n Slats Mirror @ The Arcade
Pixel Mode – Fall Harvest – Bell @ The Arcade
Pixel Mode – Fall Harvest – Wagon Wheels @ The Arcade
Pixel Mode – Fall Harvest – Clucky’s Feed @ The Arcade
Pixel Mode – Fall Harvest – Barrel Display @ The Arcade
PLAAKA SmallFigTree @ The Arcade
PLAAKA GardenToolHanger @ The Arcade
PLAAKA TinMetalWateringCan @ The Arcade
Schadenfreude Autumn Bounty – Quail Guests, dad @ The Arcade
Schadenfreude Autumn Bounty – Black Squirrel Guest @ The Arcade
Sway’s [Camp out] Oil lamp . rusty @ The Arcade
1. {theosophy} Shiba Inu (Hurry Up / Red) @ The Arcade
—-
3D Trees Spruce
Botanical – T2C Aspen Tree 1, 2, 3
Botanical Hay Bales & Hay Stack
:Fanatik Architecture: CLIFF COVER Island Ramp 1024
Just Animals, Pigs, Goats and Cows
Mesh Flowers – =MF= Flower Barrel Display [F-CS]
Rix Spyker Sliding Door

There is another sky

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There is another sky...

There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;
Never mind faded forests, Austin,
Never mind silent fields –
Here is a little forest,
Whose leaf is ever green;
Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;
In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Prithee, my brother,
Into my garden come!                        …Emily Dickinson

There is another sky...

I love the sweater and skirt from ur favorite one (u.f.o.) for Collabor88. They come in a wide range of colors and have a hint of fall, but are still lightweight and open for summer. Perfect transition clothing for September. That big knit bow is perfection.
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The Light at the End of the Tunnel Is a Train

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The Light at the End of the Tunnel Is a Train

I went to Misfit Ghetto last night and saw this sign. It comes from Robert Lowell who said “The light at the end of the tunnel is just the light of an oncoming train.” Robert Lowell has been a favorite since I first discovered him in 7th grade. I was shy, a mumbler, constantly admonished to speak louder and my mother made me join the speech team. She believed in meeting challenges head on. I chose Extemporaneous Poetry as my specialty since I loved poetry and my mom made me memorize a poem a week. I figured I could get two for one out of the way.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel Is a Train

For my first competition I drew “For the Union Dead” by Robert Lowell. The imagery bowled me over and I fell in love with his way of writing, though the poem was not without its problems for my 7th grade self. It used the n-word once, in quotes to indicate that was not a word Lowell would have used. It was a word I had never used and was certainly not acceptable. I had thirty minutes to prepare an introduction and decide how to address this dilemma. I punted and inserted the word soldiers instead. You know, as an adult, I think the person who picked the poems that day probably had not read them.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel Is a Train

But also, from hindsight, I don’t mind, because that poem was thrilling to me. If you have seen the film Glory, you know the story memorialized in the statue he describes. But it was not the story, it was the images from phrases like his nose crawling like a snail on the aquarium glass and the yellow dinosaur steamshovels grunting as they work. Most of the poetry I had read (or my mom had chosen for me) had been prettier. She was a big Longfellow, Shelley and Shakespeare fan. Lowell was my introduction to a more robust kind of poetry. He felt rebellious and fierce and I gobbled him up. And yes, he was also bleak and grim and depressive – perfect for adolescence.
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Follow Your Inner Moonlight

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Follow your inner moonlight

Allen Ginsberg was asked to share some advice for writers. His advice was simple, to write what you want to say. Don’t stifle your instincts by trying to write for an audience that does not include you. “It’s more important to concentrate on what you want to say to yourself and your friends. Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness…You say what you want to say when you don’t care who’s listening.” I love that line, “follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.” Perhaps The Cat was right, “We are all mad here.”

Follow your inner moonlight

A good place to follow your inner moonlight and enjoy your madness is Strings by Cica Ghost. You can dance in the plaza while musicians play lovely instrumentals, explore the oversized homes of the musicians or wander the heath surrounding the homes. I wandered out to the cliffs where weather-whipped trees made stark silhouettes against the sky. I was wearing a projector which is why you can see me.

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Hints of autumn begin to gather

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People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.

NYU has released fabulous button front shirts that tuck in and by tuck in, I mean there really is a tail that tucks in, they don’t just seem to tuck. The top also has a gorgeous yoked back with a single center pleat adding volume to the body of the shirt. There are coordinating skies in several plaids. The color palette is subdued and autumnal, appropriate now that the northern hemisphere heads back to school and the freshness of fall is in the air. If you look, you can see the skirt has a couple design details to elevate it from the ordinary, including a thoroughly modern peplum that is very different from the usual in that is drapes close to the body and is longer than usual. Unlike most peplums, it is not adding a lot of volume at the hips.

People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.

I stopped off at Cape Juniper which is an interesting sim. It has a wedding venue along the shore and a small town with a retro vibe. There is also this derelict and crumbling old church (I am assuming a church) that caught my eye and drew me in.
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.

It didn’t really seem like part of the town, but it was still a lovely spot to visit and take pictures.
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Awaiting Myself on Both Sides

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I am the shore and the ocean, awaiting myself on both sides.

“I am the shore and the ocean,
awaiting myself on both sides.

I travel
always arriving in the same place.”     ― Dejan Stojanovic, The Shape

Yesterday was a hard day for me. My mind was occupied with thoughts of friends in extremis, whose difficulties and hardships I cannot lighten. It was also the second anniversary of Squinternet’s death and I still miss her open-hearted friendship and humor. I guess in Second Life, as in my my first, when feeling sad and ineffective, I head for the water for new energy. Whether I find myself lakeside or on the shore of the sea or an ocean, there is something about the inexorable sound of the waves that comforts me. No matter what, the waves will continue, an infinite sound loop that I find comforting. 

I am the shore and the ocean, awaiting myself on both sides.

I may have felt sad on the inside, but I looked anything but on the outside. I was wearing this indecently sexy new swimsuit from Liziaah. It comes in five colors. I chose the Aqua, as you can see. The folder comes with all the standard sizes plus one made to fit Slink Physique, which I am wearing. I love the marine inspired embellishments that make me think this is the sort of swimsuit that Diane de Poitiers might have worn if Henry II had been the king of Atlantis instead of France.
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