from left to right: [we’re CLOSED] summer flowers and shrubs, Silver Birch from Studio Skye, Lark – Desert Retreat Deck – Painted, [ba] hollyhocks, Trompe Loeil – Brooklyn Carriage , Sway’s [Door Mat] international, [we’re CLOSED] tree 01D spring
My outdoor decor is pretty limited, just a few shrubs and bushes from We’re Closed, a couple trees and the gorgeous deck from Lark that was released at The Liaison Collaborative a few month’s back.
The Old Astronomer is not a very good poem, but it does end well. Stars were on my mind thanks to the adorable Lootia shirts from Somnia for My Slink Obsession. Sanura Snowpaw of Somnia may have my head for how I am wearing it though. The shirts are actually long-sleeved, but I chose to wear them on my Slink Physique and then opted to not apply the sleeves for a tank top instead. A surprise benefit to wearing appliers – or an unintended consequence if you don’t like it, I suppose.
I wore the top with a grey denim skirt from Mai Bilavio who is also a creator for Vive9. While I was a My Slink Obsession, I also found some great nails from Licked & Painted and Adore & Abhor. I tag all my pictures on Flickr with the store names. If it’s more than one word, I have to put quotes around the store name. That makes me wish for more one word store names.
I am in love with this picture from Leica Arado called Through the Flowers. It reminds me of a Mary Cassatt painting with the lovely blue-greens and the soft impressions of flowers, flashes of sunlight on the water and the romantic mood. There are two interesting elements to the composition of this photo I want to highlight. The first is quite obvious – the placement of the boat one-third from the left and one-third from the top, following the rule of thirds in the composition. The background also nicely divides into thirds, the upper bank, the river and the lower bank. 
The picture also forms geometric shapes such as the rectangles of the upper banks, the river and the lower bank. but the most striking the triangle formed by the clusters of red flowers in the corners as illustrated here.
Versus Magazine did a lovely tribute to Squinternet Larnia that was released on the 4th, the one-year anniversary of her death. Tania Tebaldi who wrote and managed Squinternet’s blog for her wrote an essay that showed a different perspective on Squinternet than the one I knew. That’s one of the reasons people come together to mourn their loved ones – because we all know people through different lenses and in sharing our grief, we all get a fuller, rounder perception of the person. Continue reading
Some of you may remember my former column, What I Like, at Shopping Cart Disco. I have decided to revive that effort, though with a few differences. At the end of the column, I will add a gallery of 50 photos that caught my eye as well and that I considered including because it’s impossible to highlight every worthy picture.
Tyra Eiren has created a very dramatic photo. It is called Princess Warrior of China and it does seem like something out of an Ang Lee action movie. The drama is created in several ways. 
Her hand is forward, projecting in front of her face. It captures our attention because it lies one-third of the way across the picture, following the Rule of Thirds. You can see that her face is not directly centered in the middle of the shot. Except in rare circumstances, positioning the subject right in the center makes for a static picture. That small shift off center creates a more dynamic picture full of life and movement. You can see her hair, he kimono and the flashes of fire and sparks all radiate away from the center – another way to make the picture more dynamic. Notice as well, her sword is held at a slight angle – just one more way to create a feeling of urgency and drama. I like it. Continue reading
There’s only a few designers with the confidence in their design aesthetic and creative skills to resist the tides of change while simultaneously surfing the waves. Monica Outlander is one of those artists. Her new MiaMai Black Label collection is the perfect exemplar of that duality of leading and trailing edge design.
What do I mean by that? Well, she is using appliers for Slink Mesh attachments to enhance her clothing. Meanwhile, she provides system layers for people who use the default avatar. She is using mesh in many creative ways. Meanwhile, she will use flexi-prims when they suit the design better. It is that flexibility that leads her to use whatever method best suits the design – not just the newest method, that shows confidence and commitment to her own vision.
The move is complete, the bags and boxes unpacked and I have settled into a chair to take a last look before crawling into bed.
The nice thing about moving in Second Life is that one does not have to look the part. I am wearing a mini-dress from 1992 that is the ne plus ultra of hot, sexy modernity. It’s revealing, edgy and definitely “designed” but not at all over-designed. It comes in a solid beige, a solid black or this print – and all can be found at The Dressing Room.
Well, I decided to go for it and move into the Brooklyn Carriage House from Trompe L’oeil. It’s smaller than the big brownstone I was living in and requires a lot less furniture, but I ended up buying some furniture anyway, because that’s what happens when you move. You need new things. Among the new things are this lovely vanity that’s also from Trompe L’oeil and a big blue velvet bed from there as well.
I added this glorious lounge/daybed from Mudhoney that can be found at this month’s Collabor88. The golden key embellishment at the bottom and the gorgeous tassels place it firmly within the Odyssey inspiration and that blue is a rich as the Aegean Sea.
I have been thinking about moving, downsizing from my lovely, but large, 5th Avenue townhouse and have been on the lookout for something marvelous. I think I found it at Collabor88 this month. I mean look at that red door! We need more red doors in our lives.
This month’s Collabor88 is inspired by the Odyssey and I am loving the many interpretations that designers are coming up with. I am fondest of those that are less literal – like this mini-dress from Tres Blah. It was a bit short for my taste so I added some leggings from Maitreya to avoid flashing my hoo-hah around.
So this carriage house from Trompe Loeil appeals to me as a new home. The only problem is that I will have to move. I hate moving – not as much in SL as in RL – but I still like to stay in one spot. However, I am pretty sure I will sign a lease on this place and move in shortly. I love carriage house apartments. When I was in college, I had a friend who rented a carriage house. It was gorgeous inside and the rent was reasonable, best of all, though, it was on an estate – so there were these magnificent grounds that he was able to use – so long as he scheduled with the owners. Lucky guy!
Queen Elizabeth I had it right some 450 years ago when she said “I would not open windows into men’s souls.” We all have opinions and we have a right to them — even if they are stupid, destructive and wrong. I think most of agree on that. Where we diverge is when our opinions move to actions that impinge on other people. That happens all the time in society. Much of politics is about building enough political power to be able to take our opinions and move them into actions that impinge on others whether it’s trying to prevent others from marrying whom they love or blocking companies from polluting our groundwater – it is about making our opinions trump those of others.
But there are places where moving from thought to action has no place. The particular circumstance I am thinking of is the effort people make to discourage others from giving to or supporting community efforts to help others in Second Life®. We all may have opinions about the relative merits of one fundraiser over another and we certainly should make no effort to support anything we disagree with. We might think this person is not doing enough to help herself or that person’s need is frivolous or distrust the circumstances or even doubt there is a real need. That’s fine. Skepticism is a healthy quality to have.
However, there is no Selective Service Administration drafting designers and ordering them to produce for this tour. Shoppers are not herded into venues to spend money against their will. Moreover, if you are a shopper and buy a pair of shoes for 250L at a fundraiser, you get a pair of shoes that would cost 250L or more at the store since designers often discount for fundraisers. You’re not donating, you’re shopping. You might spend a little more because you think it’s for a good cause, but you get a fair return for your money.You lose nothing. The only people who risk are the creators and if they have made the decision to contribute, that’s their prerogative.
There are a couple of fundraisers right now to help individuals with urgent family needs. The hair, dress, shoes, mani/pedi and necklace in today’s outfit come from one of those events, <3Ulaa. <3Ulaa is raising funds to help Ulaa Coronet to take her son to meet his grandmother for the first and final time. His grandmother is dying of cancer. For me, this is a compelling need and one that I think is worthy of my time and my lindens – and that’s my prerogative. If you don’t agree, don’t shop there. You will miss out on all sorts of adorability, but that’s your prerogative Continue reading
