One Belle Avenue, Second Life

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I'm a week behind. And I have lots of excuses for it too.  One of which was having some well-earned fun.  Such a slacker, right?  

I had these bowling pieces for a while now and I always wanted to use them and the teal week in the 52 Weeks of Color Challenge allowed me that opportunity. I also found a bowling alley too! AND I got a STRIKE! I ended up with 3 strikes in the 10th frame....well, my son did anyway. :-D

Credits:

Pants: Zenith=Dark Blue Jean Capris
Shirt: HellBop - Mike - Teal bowling shirt
Socks: Maitreya Scrunched PrimSocks * Faded Teal
Bowling Shoes: Jeepers Shoes - Strike!
Skin: Tuli Zoe / pale :: 04 Electric
Hair: TRUTH Kymberly Streaked - java
Pose: Olive Juice: Stacie makes me jump for Joy

I went to the Vanity Universe Skin Fair's Bloggers day this past weekend and grabbed loads of demos and proceeded to spend the rest of the day trying them all on. It took me awhile to whittle them down to the ones I liked and then to the ones I loved.

One of those skins was Grixdale's Emery skin line. There is a quiet softness to the skins. I pretty much love all the skin tones, which there are six options.



There are seven makeups available but you can only get the Bullet Proof makeup in the fat packs. Many options are available with each makeup: day or night makeup, freckles and cleavage.  The picture below shows the skin without the cleavage option on the left and with the cleavage on the right.



The only unfortunate is the lack of blonde brows option. But I have left my blonde roots behind me, so I am cool with this.

Other Credits:
Hair: TRUTH Betty -  dark browns - Cocoa
Panties: Whippet & Buck Grace Knickers in FOAM
Top: Pig - Lazy Sweater White
Pose: Olive Juice Handsy Runway

First up for Cheeky Pea this weekend is the Folly Beach Daybed Set for Super Bargain Saturday (SBS). I always love the cute poses that come in Cheeky Pea's furniture. The backdrop for this photo is the Coastal Living Skybox from fucifino (to be blogged about at a later date).  I am wearing some of my favorites in this picture: Neve from Truth, my favorite pair of jeans from Surf Co., and the Precious Pink tank top from Fishy Strawberry.



Next up is Spruce Up Your Space (SUYS).  It's the one year anniversary of SUYS!  I can't believe it's been only that long! Cheeky Pea's offering is Dandelion Clocks. I am in love with this clock!  All the furniture shown is included.  Snatch this up this weekend because it will go up to full price afterwards!

Oh, by the way, I am wearing Milk Motion's cute offering for this week's 50L Friday!  You still have 7 more hours to snatch this up!



Cheeky Pea's SBS and SUYS items are out now and will be available all weekend!

SBS Credits:
Furniture: Cheeky Pea Folly Beach Daybed Set for SBS
Top: Fishy Strawberry Spaghetti Strap Tops - Precious Pink
Jeans: SC Surf Couture - Belmar Skinny Jeans - Original
Shoes: [LeLutka]-Saffron Pumps (Neutral Black)
Skin: tres blah-  {Tan} Blessa
Hair: Truth - Neve (Cocoa)

SUYS Credits:
Furniture: Cheeky Pea Dandelion Clocks Set for SUYS
Skin: tres blah-  {Tan} Blessa
Hair: Truth - Neve (Cocoa)
Shirt: (Milk Motion) My  flounced shirt FLF
Skirt: (Milk Motion) My black long skirt FLF

So I was standing up on my platform in the sky, letting my kitties beg for my attention, as I tried to figure out what to wear for this week's challenge. Outfit after outfit tried on and then taken off. Nothing was doing it for me. Nothing screamed "THIS IS IT!" And then I got the message that there was a new group gift from Kyoot. I started to get hopeful but I had doubts - maybe it wasn't red, maybe it was pink. Then, I saw the three letters: RED.  YES!  I squealed when I tried it on! Va-va-voom!  


Credits:

Dress: Kyoot - He Loves Me Best Dress (Red - Group Gift)
Earrings: R.icielli - EUSTAQUIA earrings #gold / quartz (Part of this week's Dressing Room offering)
Skin: Mother Goose's Sophie--Moss Rose(Cellar event)
Hair: TRUTH Sandra -  dark browns cocoa
Pose: Olive Juice - Crystal

One of my favorite stores is at it again. Cheeky Pea has released Doris' Saturday Night In exclusively for CHIC Limited (for more information about CHIC Limited, check out their blog). The theme this month is anti-Valentine and what says that better than a Saturday Night at home with coffee, books and a box of tissues. The chair comes with many animations and has a texture change menu (as does the lamp shade and the pillow in the cat bed).



Here's my cute little kitty, Imen, enjoying her new bed.



And here's my other kitty sticking his tongue out at me because I am home by myself on a Saturday Night - Damn Cat! Who wants him???

Credits: 


Furniture: Cheeky Pea Doris' Saturday Night In available @ CHIC Limited
Outfit: R.icielli - ALEXIA moleton + ASH jeans
Flats: Tee*fy You&me Flats PINK
Skin: tres blah-  {Tan} Blessa with freckles
Hair: TRUTH Neve -  dark browns Cocoa

I love weekend shopping in SL.  Maybe it's because everyone sleeps in (except me) and I have some quiet time to just chill and concentrate on shopping. I tend to spend lots of money on the weekends. It's the only tradition I have kept since I started SL - weekend shopping - and I am sure the merchants love that.

This past weekend, Cheeky Pea released the Sofia Desk.  It's the exact same desk I have been looking for to put in front of my RL bedroom window. The desk has such a romantic feel to it, with the curves of the desk and the tulips in the pitcher. I also like the added whimsy of the paper airplane. It made me giggle when I saw it. All the items on the desk come with the desk as does the chair. The included chair has quite a few animations and you also have the ability to adjust your position, which I always have to do because for some reason I made my avatar have long legs. (*note to self: maybe think about changing the length of my avatar's legs)


On the wall above the desk are Cheeky Pea's new memo boards: Birdy and Damask. I couldn't decide which one I like better so I put both of them on the wall.   :-)

Credits: 
Desk and Accessories: Cheeky Pea Sofia Desk
Memo Boards: Cheeky Pea Damask and Birdy Memo Boards
Bookcase: Kosh - Bookworm Shelf
Shirt: NINIKO BIG SHIRTS(check-Red)
Jeans: This is a Fawn - Pegged Jeans [grass stained]
Heels: LeLutka Saffron Pumps (Black)
Hair: TRUTH Kymberly -  dark browns Cocoa

Absolution is taking part in the I <3 Originals fair, with FOUR new releases. First up, is the Adrienna Dress. It's short and sexy and comes in many colors. The red one is a limited Valentine's Day edition that won't be sold anymore after the fair is over.



The Barely There Shoulder Top comes in the colors shown below as well as pink, purple and white.



Next up is the Strapless Top. This is my favorite out of the releases. I love that all these releases have many layer options which is great because these tops are great for layering with jackets or other shirts.



Finally we have the Tulip Back Shirt. It frames your booty so nicely. ;-)


The I < 3 Originals Fair runs until February 13. More information can be found at the following website: http://artistsvoicesl.com/

Other Credits: 

Jeans: This is a Fawn - Pegged Jeans [grass stained]
Skin: Belleza Erika Group Gift
Hair: TRUTH Kymberly Cocoa
Pose by Olive Juice

I won't bore you with lots of words today - my head is starting to ache and I'm super tired: a side effect of being a mother with a sick son.

I am really enjoying exploring SL to get a new location for each shot. This week I went to the sim, Verfinstern, home of Soulless Productions. A greeter welcomed me to the Whitechapel district of London, Year 1888. There are lots of meandering city streets, so be prepared to walk (it's a no fly zone).  It seems to be a RP sim, but not entirely sure.



Credits:

Dress: Elate! - Mei (Emerald)
Skin: Belleza Erika Sk group gift
Hair: TRUTH Odette -  dark browns Java
Nails & Rings: VIRTUAL/INSANITY INTO THE SKULLY BLOOM RINGS & NAILS
Pose: Olive Juice - Profile, Yo!

***Part of Luna Jubilee's 52 Weeks of Color Challenge

The 52 Weeks of Color Challenge is about the only thing I have made time to blog the past month or so. RL has kept me quiet busy...and here, I thought after the holidays things would slow down. I was sorely mistaken.

I love the Truth Hawk's hair color Cocoa. I pretty much have the same color in RL and I love my shade too (well, except for those stupid STUPID gray hairs peeping in lately). As for my skin, I am wearing Belleza's new Erika group gift in Sunkissed. How I wish my RL skin was sunkissed right now? Instead mine is kissed by snow and clouds and bitter cold so as you can imagine it is an ultra pale! :P



It's so hard for me to get into warm weather clothes right now, so I am currently bundled up in SL. I love the Two Sugars Top for Kyoot (and to be honest, the only item in my inventory that came up when I searched 'Taupe'). The cords from Doppelganger have been a favorite since they came out last fall.

My location this week was AM Radio.  This location is very desolate - not much here, but this is how a desert should be. Play with your windlight settings while you are there - very cool!

Credits:

Top: Kyoot - Two Sugars Top (Taupe)
Pants: Doppelganger Inc. - Cuffed Cords - Brown
Shoes: G Field Platform Shoes *Rosette* Brown
Hair: TRUTH Courtney -  dark browns cocoa
Skin: Belleza Erika Sk group gift
Pose by Olive Juice: Neck Cramps

I can't believe it's Week 11 of the 52 Weeks of Color Challenge. This has been a great challenge to be a part of. I have come across so many great blogs. If you blog, I highly recommend you do this challenge - you won't regret it!



Now onto my inspiration....I knew the moment I saw the glow studio Benelli Pumps at The Dressing Room that I would be wearing them in my post.  They are sparkly without the dreaded 'SL bling'.

The dress I am wearing is by Absolution. It's called the No Resistance Dress and it's available in Black, White, Purple and Blue (which I am wearing).  The dresses are exclusive to the CHIC Limited event and once the event is over, the dress will no longer be for sale! You don't want to miss out on this!

And to continue with my New Year's Resolution of exploring of SL and sharing my locales, these photos were taken at the Skin Deep store on the Huntress sim. Some great landscaping on this sim with a nice covered bridge. Definitely worth a trip to check it out!



Credits:

Dress: Absolution - No Resistance Dress Blue *
Shoes: glow studio Benelli Pumps Blue (diamond 2 versions) TDR 
Hair: TRUTH Yolanda 2 -  dark browns Cocoa
Skin: Curio Petal Frex [Dark] Ice Queen-Snow Globe 2
Pose by Olive Juice: Pic 1 & 3: I <3 Conditioner; Pic 2: How's My Makeup


* review copy

Every time I thought of this week's Color Challenge, I pictured Burnt Sienna and that didn't make me happy. I never liked that color and when I was younger and colored, I would never used it. I know, I'm such a color snob :-P

So I was happy when I saw Whippet & Buck's 50L Friday offering this week, I was happy.  I really liked this hue of Sienna. The top comes with multiple layers and that makes it easier to create outfits. And I know I have blogged Reek's Papercut Cardigans before, but they are one of my favorite items in my inventory. Speaking of favorites, I love long skirts (especially ones without systems skirts).



So in keeping with my blogging resolution for 2011, it's time for the location. This time I went to Farm House @ Lee County, MS, Mississippi Delta East.  There is a neighboring sim that you can visit as well. Think Rural, Farm Land and a nice big wooden water tower.


Credits:
Sweater: Reek Papercut Cardigan (Cream)
Top: Whippet & Buck Maddy Lace Top (Sienna)
Skirt: Amerie Summer Skirt (Brown)
Boots: Mon Tissu Provence Riding Boots (Chestnut)
Skin: Tuli Emma Sunkissed (Sweetheart)
Hair: Truth Diana (Mahogany)
Jewels: fairy tail wood choker; Lostwood bangles
Pose by !Bang (Pic #1: Freestylin 3 Pic #2: Freestylin 4)

For this week's Color Challenge, I decided the only place I would frequent for this challenge would be my inventory. So that meant I would not buy anything. AHHH - the pressure!  But I've been doing some New Year/New You type cleaning of my inventory this week: better organizing, mass deletion. I started at above 60,000 items and am at a little under 48,000.  Not bad, but my goal is to get under 40,000, so I've been really trying items on as well and this is how I came up with my outfit for the Color Challenge by just trying on all the items in my Silver folder. I organize my clothing by Color/Type of Clothing(i.e. shirts)/Clothing Sub Type (i.e. tanks). I also add a date (month/year) to each folder and any unique identifiers like 50L Fridays (FLF), The Dressing Room (TDR), Project Themeory (PT), etc. I have an entire system - it may be a little too meticulous for some, but it works for me. I am the same way with all my other objects - you should see my Objects folder!

Let's get back to Silver:



One of my New Year's Blogging Resolutions was to tell my readers where I took my pictures. I hope to explore more and more places this year and get down from the safety of my platform in the sky. This week's pictures were taken at barbee, a very nice Japenese Sim. It's very monochromatic which I really liked for this week's challenge.



I almost went all the way with the Silver theme, but I just couldn't go with the ultra, ultra pale vampire sparkly skin. (snickers) Actually, the first skin that came to mind for this post was Curio's Ice Queen. I chose the Blizzard makeup and the lip gloss lip tattoo.

I'll shut up now and give you the credits!  I've got more Inventory Organizing to do!!!  :-)

Credits:

Top: R.icielli - TDR NEWYEAR SPECIAL SET BALLONE Dress Silver (available at the Dressing Room)
Leggings: HouseofFox :: SilverLeggings
Hair: TRUTH Avery - silver
Skin: Curio Petal Frex [Light] Ice Queen-Blizzard 2
Jewels: Hudson Clothing ANTIQUE SILVER BANGLE SET
Shoes: Tee*fy Comic Inspired Wedges
Poses from Olive Juice (#1 Alejandro 3, # 2 Dainty Lady)

I love everything about Green: my RL bedroom is a soft shade of green; I went to a school wear our colors were Green and White; I love being 'Green' in everything I do. My inventory had lots of green in there for me to choose from, but this week, I wanted to be different from my other posts - I wanted to wear a dress. I rarely wear dresses in RL...and SL. I would love to wear them more often but the occasion to do has been limited since becoming a mother. So a new years resolution for myself in RL/SL: to wear more dresses and feel oh so pretty!

This dress by Zaara is absolutely beautiful! The only fitting I had to do was to adjust it for my poses, but besides that, it was meant for me LOL! The shawl is from Zaara too. The detail is stunning (check the pic below).



It's amazing what a skin and hair color change will do for your look. I hardly recognize myself. I really enjoy this skin tone on me. So why do I always purchase lighter tones?? A thought I will ponder in the new year.

Speaking of the new year - I would like to wish all of you a very Happy New Year!!!

Credits:

Dress: Zaara : Calangute *lime*
Shawl: Zaara : Kashmiri Shawl (aari work) *black*
Hair: TRUTH Emme - espresso
Skin: LAQ ~ Mima [Peach] Glow skin
Bracelet: EarthStones Beaded Bangles - Ice
Pose: Pic #1: Olive Juice Girlish Figure; Pic #2: Olive Juice Regulators

I love pink! My closet is full of pink! I wish I could have a pink bedroom in RL but my hubby says no.  But I was really surprised to see that my SL was devoid of pink and the pink I had was a soft baby pink and not the bold hotness of Cerise. So I had a nice shopping spree, all in the spirit of blogging inspiration.

I saw these pants at Coco awhile back while shopping for another 52 Weeks of Color Challenge post and instantly remembered them. I love the wrinkles in them and that they come with multiple layers (not needed for this post, but I love to wear pants with an untucked shirt).

And my new fascination are ties. I think it's because I saw Pretty Woman recently and the whole naked yet for a tie scene is one of my favorites in the movie.



Credits:


Shirt: AOHARU BT OpenLongShirt PlaidPink
Pants: COCO_SlimFitPants_Purple
Shoes: Tee*fy Comic Inspired Wedges
Tie: Fishy Strawberry Lilac Cotton Tie
Hair: TRUTH Avery - espresso
Skin: Curio Petal Frex [Dark] Ice Queen-Charcoal 1
Glasses: Fishy Strawberry College Glasses
Pose: Olive Juice #1) Regulators and #2) Tee Hee

I'm not going to say this challenge was hard for me, because it wasn't.  It just required me to go shopping, so I guess it was hard on my L's.  :-)

My inspiration came from the open front COCO jeans. I mean, I was tempted by dresses but as I huddled in my blankets, I just couldn't find the power to click pay on them. *Side note* The shirt from artilleri comes longer but then you couldn't see the undies. 

Now on to the rest of the pics!








Credits:

Sweater: JANE -  tailgate sweater.charcoal
Shirt: artilleri Carlita top *yellow*
Jeans: COCO LooseStyleDenim - GenevaBlue
Socks: JANE - lil piggies socks.rugby.yw golden
Boots: BOOM Button Boot (olive)
Glasses: Fishy Strawberry College Glasses
Hair: TRUTH Avery - cocoa
Skin: tres blah - {Tan} Blessa: Excuses - Dark Brows
Poses: #1 LAP: Poofy Dress Pls., #3 LAP Not Listening, #4 LAP Poise

Furniture:
La'Licious Shabby Little Loveseat
La'Licious Shabby Little Rug
La'Licious Shabby Little Table
nocc. Gerbera orange
SunnyM. Little Book Pile (store closed)
MudHoney - Shabby Heart Floor Lamp
nordari - pinbee. - candy.
Awesome Blossom Amelie Skybox (modded)
Trinity_TriLevel Circular Table(DT)
what next Spring Flower Planter (natural)

The Snowflake Experience is up and running and making LOTS of money to benefit Toys for Tots.  There will be quite a few happy boys and girls this holiday seasons thanks to this event.  Your purchases are helping give boys and girls across the country a smile this season instead of tears. Thank you so much!

Along with the exclusive items available only at the Snowflake Experience, there is a hunt going on as well.  You need to be on the lookout for candy canes. Here is a sampling of some that I was able to find.





My skin is the new group gift from Belleza and my hairs are all from Truth.

Oh, a quick shout out to all my Gacha addicts: tomorrow the Gacha Festival starts on the TSE sim.  Can't wait to see what lovely stuff is in those addictive machines!.

shhh!

Here's to another installment of Luna Jubilee's 52 Weeks of Color Challenge.  Week #5!  This week my inspiration was the Baffle Caribou that I blogged about a couple days ago. How does one draw a fashion post from an animal? Well, I remember a time when I was younger having to use my great-grandpa's outhouse (he lived on a farm way up in the northern, desolate part of Wisconsin) and I saw a deer in the snow on the way there. I thought it was the coolest thing ever!

The only thing that I had to purchase for this photoshoot was, of all things, the outhouse. :-)

heading to the loo in the middle of the night

And of course I fall within steps of the house

Credits:

Shirt: JANE - drew long sleeve tee.fawn
Sweater: Pig - Lazy Sweater White
Vest: Vive9 Dear Rabbit Vest
Leggings: AOHARU BT KnitLeggings Nordic  Brown
Socks: Naive :. Vixie Socks
Shoes: MIEL SNOW SHOES
Glasses: Fishy Strawberry College Glasses
Hair: TRUTH Danielle - java
Skin: Belleza- Erika  group gift
Pose: #1 LAP - Shhhhh; #2 LAP - Jewelrypose1; #3 LAP - Falldown1
Location: The Escape

This will be a short post for me today. I spent most of my day tending to my sick little boy. Thankfully, he's finally resting his little head.  Speaking of kids, the Snowflake Experience opens tomorrow! The event will be raising money for the organization, Toys for Tots.  Please read my post from yesterday to get more info. And tomorrow I get to share the SLURL so you can go to check out this wonderful event!






Credits:

Picture 1:

*AQ face tattoos Beitris v2 and Hearts at the Snowflake Experience*
Hair: Truth Bebe in Cocoa
Skin: Belleza Erika

Picture 2:

*paper.doll Snowflake Experience-Long John's at the Snowflake Experience*
*Olive Juice: Lay in Fresh Flakes hunt prize at the Snowflake Experience*
*HolliPocket* Pearly Twinkly Pez Neck-Donation Item (Frost) available at the Snowflake Experience*
Skin: Belleza Erika
Hair: Truth-Serena (cocoa)
Sweater: Reek - Papercut Cardigan - White
Boots: Reek - Autumn Boots - Snow

The Snowflake Experience (TSE) is an event with over 60 vendors collaborating to help raise money for Toys For Tots. Each vendor will donate a portion or the full amount of their profits to Toys For Tots. I took a tour of the sim tonight while watching Santa Claus is Coming To Town. It's full of candy canes, snow, cabins and, my fave, gingerbread houses!

There are many exclusive items for this event, which starts December 4th, some of which I will show here today. There were so many goodies at TSE, I won't be able to fit it in this post today. Along with the vendor shops, there is a grid-wide TSE Hunt (search for those red and white candy canes) and for all those gacha lovers out there, there will be a Gacha Festival on December 10th.

Hit up the Snowflake Experience Subscriber, available at the aRAWRa mainstore, for more info about the event.

And now onto the goodies!













Credits:

Photo 1: La'Licious Santa's Easy Chair from the Snowflake Experience
Photo 2: Olive Juice- Cozy Christmas Fireplace and Wreath
Photo 3: Cheeky Pea: Festive Holiday Bench from the Snowflake Experience
Photo 4: what next Noel Armchair from the Snowflake Experience Hunt
Photo 5: Caribou (free gift from Baffle at the Snowflake Experience); Cheeky Pea Star Shadowbox Frame from the Snowflake Experience Hunt
Photo 6: Magoa: Snowflake Frame, Fireplace, couples rug available at the Snowflake Experience


*Outfit featured in the photos:
Jeans: SC Surf Couture - Belmar Skinny Jeans - Original
Shirt: JANE - drew long sleeve tee.wh cream
Sweater: MAKNIE Hateween Cardigan Blue/Green
Boots: Reek - Autumn Boots - Sienna - FLF
Glasses: Fishy Strawberry College Glasses
Hat: Belle Belle Christmas Hat
Hair: TRUTH Aloha - cocoa
Skin: LeLutka-Natasha/HUSH

***I'll be posting more goodies from The Snowflake Experience in the coming days (my inventory is overflowing!). Let's get our Lindens ready to help give a lot of kids a wonderful Christmas this year!***

Here we are with another installment of Luna Jubilee's 52 Weeks of Color Challenge. This week brings Plum. So, when I started my search, I began to realize every designer and even the interwebs had a different notion of what Plum was. So I'm going with what I think of when I hear Plum and I think of a deep dark purple. And with all these challenges, I can't make myself where all the same color. Maybe next week?  :-)

I want to make a special shout out to Aranel Ah of BOOM with helping out with the 52 Weeks of Color Challenge. BOOM has a vast array of color options. I love every item that I have of theirs (and I'm starting to amass a very nice collection).



Credits:

Jacket: AOHARU_BT_MilitaryCoat_Purple
Shirt: BOOM +4 Warmth Thermal - Plum (review copy)
Shorts: BOOM Fall Courd Shorts (black) (review copy)
Leggings: JILL Leggings Black Plain (closed)
Boots: fri.day - Journey.Boots (Duo Eggplant)
Hair: TRUTH Sonya Streaked - cocoa
Skin: dekade Claire sunkissed TDR-B #9
Glasses: Fishy Strawberry College Glasses
Earrings: BOOM Ion Earrings -Rainbow
Pose: Pic #1: LAP C-Don't Mess With It; Pic # 2: LAP C-Cuteness