Category Archives: Showcases & Discount Rooms

Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.

“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”Gizza recently released a skirt and shirt/jacket combo that is a rocker’s dream. Called Shake With Me, even the name acknowledges this rocking inspiration for this outfit.  A short flared skirt, a fitted crop top with lace topped by a leather jacket combine to rock your socks off.
“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”

You can trust me, I bring a book everywhere I go. I just finished the magnificent All the Light We Cannot See that I recommend to all of you. Meanwhile,  am busy reading The Culture of Make Believe which I read in small doses at a time because it is so rich in ideas and in detail and full of pain that I have to think about each concept before moving on. So, for relief, I am also reading Get In Trouble, but other than being intrigued already, it’s too soon to say how much I will like it.
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That’s how the light gets in

“There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.”

I love the music of Leonard Cohen. I have a playlist I love of Leonard Cohen covers and know nearly all his songs by heart. One of them, Anthem, is one of my favorites because although on one level it despairs of the world; it also calls us to act with hope. “Ah the wars they will be fought again.  The holy dove, she will be caught again, bought and sold and bought again. The dove is never free.” It is true, endless wars are a constant stream throughout history,  started by governmental leaders,  the “killers in high places who say their prayer out loud.”

But then there is the chorus.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.

Ring the bells that still can ring acknowledges that as bad as it is, there are still some things that you can do. Don’t let excuses stop you from doing what you can. “Forget your perfect offering” reminds me of Voltaire’s aphorism “The perfect is the enemy of the good.”  Do not wait for the perfect answer, the perfect solution, go with what you’ve got because good enough is better than nothing, and nothing is what you get if you wait for perfect. Everything we can do is going to be slightly imperfect, “there is a crack in everything” but it is those imperfections that reveal our humanity and “that’s how the light gets in.” I love how he asserts that it is in our imperfections that we will save ourselves.

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Go For It!

Sunset is still my favorite color, and rainbow is second

So, this is not one outfit, but pieces from two, or three if you count my shoes, outfits that I put together. The Nisha blouse is paired with a solid black flirty flip skirt and the Kenia pencil skirt is paired with an elegant halter top. I was immediately drawn to the pencil skirt. I always am, it is one of my favorite forms in fashion. However, as much as I liked the halter, I struggled to get it to work with the alpha cuts on my mesh bodies. I noticed the blouse and thought that the two prints would work well together and produce a more exciting, bolder look than each print alone with  a solid item. Luckily for all of us, DE.Boutique releases their items as separate pieces, even though they are in one outfit. This gives us the freedom to do our own thing.

I will confess I am a little in love with Deborah Vos and DE. Boutique even though I have never met her or even sent or received an IM from her. It is just that I liked this outfit (there’s a bit of a story there) so well, I checked out her Marketplace and found so many things I want, with that combination of sophisticated and classic style and bold, modern sensibility that is completely in tune with my aesthetic. DE.Boutique is completely new to me, a discovery at this month’s showcase event The Instruments that runs through October 6th. They have a new sim, so delete your old landmarks and Teleport to The Instruments‘ brand new home.

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

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 it’s hard at the end of the day

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

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

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

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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Parisian Getaway

Helena Stringer - IOF - Parisian Getaway

I tried something a bit different today.

It has become known that It’s only Fashion is not just a site to visit for fashion, stories, tutorials, and other things, but also a place to find Home & Garden items. I have seen many different little setups grace the feeds over the years and I have always wanted to try it myself. I find it hard to be motivated to take that first step, when there has always felt little need for the end result.

I don’t have a home, I never have. Prims have always been allocated to the use of the store. I sometimes will have something silly and unneeded out. My blogging area has all sorts of things around it. A home though, that has always been a fanciful wish that probably will never be. To be inspired to decorate, when you don’t have the need to do it, that just wasn’t coming to me.

I started my push forward by going though all the skyboxes, houses, cottages, buildings, and so on, that I had nestled in a folder. I threw about 100 out, haha no joke. H&G is the one thing in my inventory that you could consider an utter mess, as my venture in those folders happen so infrequently.

A lot of the items had rez scripts that no longer worked, as LL likes to update certain things from time to time. One house made me really sad, loved it, but it was no mod, and the rezzer totally borked it.

I think for a first real try, I did okay with this room. I am happy with it. I can imagine some cute little avatar sitting there, reading a book, playing with the cat, musing about her day.

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[CIRCA] is in the new round of Swank this month, bringing you a new set to play with. It is called French Connection , and comes with Chair(24 Animations, with Male and Female options), Table(with Book and Decor), Travel Case(9 Animations, with Male and Female options, as well as Colour Change Blanket), 2 Cookie Plates, Mirror and a matching Rug. To put the whole setup out, it is only 15LI,100% Mesh and all components are Transferable. There are 2 colourations, the one shown here in Paris Purple, as well as the Paris Tan. They are currently 30% off from Sept 7th until the 30th, only at Swank.

  Visit CIRCA @ Swank

Other Room Styling Credits – You can find Store Links HERE or by Ingame Search

Skybox – Candy Cloud – White Vintage Skybox – 9LI
Chalkboard Wall Art – MELONopolis – Wonderland Chalkboards – 3LI
Lamp – Alchemist – Flower Lamp Ver.1 White(Common Gacha Prize) – 2LI
Mannequin – {anc} – Mannequin SnowWhite(Rare Gacha Prize) – 5LI
Cat – Birdy – Mr. Bigglesworth Naked Cat(Common Gacha Prize) – 15LI – *NEW* @ The Arcade
Floor Decor – ChiC buildings – Geo Spheres – 1LI
Candles – [CIRCA] – “Bali” River Rock Candles Set of 3 in Slate – 7LI