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.

I Gave My Mom a Water Buffalo For Christmas

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About ten years before my mother died, I discovered the perfect Christmas present for her that I was able to give her year after year. It was one she bragged about up one side of town and down the other. She just loved saying, “My daughter gave me a water buffalo for Christmas.” It just tickled her funny bone and best of all, she loved what the gift was for. Since then, more people in my family have taken to giving bee hives, chickens, pigs, goats and water buffalo for wedding presents, birthday and Christmas by making a contribution to Heifer International on their behalf. You still have time to check out the most important gift catalog in the world.

Heifer International fights poverty in the US and around the world by providing livestock and training so people can become self-reliant. Even better, recipients pledge to pay it forward, giving the first offspring to someone else in their community. It’s a great program and makes for fun, wonderful gifts. At least fun to talk about – because who gets water buffalo?

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The Mahrathon Has Started.

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I am hoping each and everyone of you will make an effort in the next 24 hours to pop over to The Velvet and contribute to the annual fundraising event for Heifer International. This is a combination First and Second Life event that takes place at The Star Lounge in Chicago and The Velvet in Second Life and raises a little over $1500 or so for Heifer International each year. If every reader stops by and makes a contribution – you will blast through the past and break records. As a treat, Maht Wuyts will even play some of his own recordings – and believe me, it’s a treat.

 

Winter Coat Love

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1214_003While my family was very poor when I was growing up, I seldom felt the pinch of poverty. For one thing, the county I lived in was one of the poorest in the nation so a lot of people were poor. Even with the casinos that have opened since then, a quarter of the population still lives below the poverty level. Poverty is relative, so with so many other people being in the same boat, it was just the way things were.

My parents made a comfortable life for us despite poverty with hunting, gardening, fishing and making everything from soap to candles to clothing. Nearly everything was hand made   – even my hockey sticks and skis. And my winter coats.

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Testing…1,2,3

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Testing SL to Flickr Snapshots

I thought it might be fun to test the direct to Flickr® photography in Second Life®. Since I wanted to shoot this fabulously minimalist dress from NYU which is on sale for Fifty Linden Friday, I thought this was the perfect time to try it out, cutting out the intermediate steps of cropping my photos in Photoshop and uploading them to Flickr. It seemed to work fine, though the text limit cut off my credits and I had to rewrite them. I just specified 3000 by 3000 for size to get a square picture and lined it up in SL. Since you can see the preview, it’s just a matter of refreshing until you get it framed the way you want it before uploading.

Testing SL to Flickr Snapshots

There’s a fabulous mesh jacket from Compulsion at FaMESHed that is designed to work well over your mesh tops and dresses. It works perfectly and comes in several colors.
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Hanging Around

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I actually did have a hanging bed when I was growing up. My bedroom was U-shaped, a loft room curving around a staircase and overlooking the living room. That U-shape made getting furniture to the far side of the U very difficult. It was also very narrow and would have been difficult to sweep and clean under a regular bed. My dad has the bright idea of hanging it from the ceiling so there were no legs or any other obstructions to clean around. It was the best bed ever. He used regular swing set sized chain link rather than iron rods as is used in this bed.

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Interestingly it didn’t really swing wildly as you might expect, but would basically rock an inch or two when I would shift in my sleep. It took real effort to make it swing more than 3 or 4 inches. However, I never had insomnia or sleepless nights. It was definitely the best bed ever. So of course, when floorplan. made a hanging bed, I absolutely had to have it. It makes me nostalgic.
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Art and Fashion

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One of the most shocking moments in Project Runway history was when Nina Garcia declared, “Fashion is not Art. Stores are not museums. You go to stores to buy clothes. You do not go to stores to look at clothes.” Seriously? Her fashion credentials should have been revoked then and there. Also her membership in the sisterhood. Has she never gone window-shopping? Has she never gone “shopping” with her friends just to look?

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Marc Jacobs also declared that fashion is not art, though his argument was more cogent and fully-formed. “Fashion to me is not art because it is only valid if it is lived in and worn. I make clothes and bags and shoes for people to use, not to put up on a wall and look at. I think clothes in a museum are complete death. I have seen exhibitions of the clothes of Jackie Kennedy and I am not interested in her wardrobe. I am interested in the life and the women who wore those clothes.”

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Of course, the answer to that question depends on how you would answer the question “What is art” If you define it as static and inviolate objects separate from function and use, then fashion cannot be art. If you define it as the combination of craft and materials in a creative expression of ideas about form and function, then fashion is clearly an art. I think, however, that one Alexander McQueen dress is also a definitive proof that fashion is art.
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Hibernating

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This month’s Collabor88 theme is hibernation – that urge to stay home, warm and snug and sleep through the cold, bitter winter. Today is a rare snow day in Portland and I would love to hibernate at home, but I have to go out into the cold.. Brrr! I ran out of time to blog before the bus arrives, so I hope you like the slideshow.

Store info at Blogging Second Life
****SHOPPING LIST******
Poses: MaVie
Skin: -Glam Affair – Mokatana skin – America 01 D
Tattoos:
Eyes: [UMEBOSHI] Eon eyes Duo Green (med)
Lashes: Lelutka
Mani/Pedi: SLink Mesh Hands & Feet with FLAIR mani applier
Hair: *Dura-Boy*37(Sienna)
Clothing: ISON – asymmetric tank dress (cloudy)
ISON – oversized infinity scarf – (frosted pink)
ISON – raw hide vest (frosted pink)
Shoes: (Kunglers) Celine pump – Jeweled ED – Sand
Jewelry: (Kunglers Extra) Nirvana Earrings
(Kunglers Extra) Yara necklace – Silver

Scout Reports

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I get scout reports.

I get scout reports.

One of the blessings of blogging is that people come to know my style and send me scout reports of finds that are “oh so Cajsa” and generally they are right. This time the report was spot on. In fact, why is this dress not named Cajsa?

1205_005The Twist Dress from Coquet can be purchased in black, cream or red versions. The white tube dress that  lies under the black, cream or red wrap dress comes in a lovely broderie anglaise. You can purchase HUDS that allow you to tint the white portion. There are three sets of 3 or you can megabuck for all 9 options. Add that to the 3 wrap colors and you can see that this dress has a lot of possibilities – and every single one is lovely.

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Tis Better to Give

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While babysitting young Sophie for Gidge, I was watching the snow fall and thinking about the coming Christmas gift-giving. Luckily I come from a family that has never been big on giving lots of gifts. With such a large family, it was pretty much essential that we draw names and set spending limits and focus on homemade gifts. I have always had a strong preference for homemade gifts because they are often so much more creative and fun to give and to get. While reading folks on plurk worrying about how to afford Christmas gifts and all, I thought it might be fun to share some of the things that can be given as gifts.
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