I Am Sam I Am

And so it begins - the posts about all of the nifty Lapointe & Bastchild clothing Orlando recently gifted me with. Unsurprisingly, there wasn't a single item I tried on that I didn't like. I've put the photos together in triptychs and polyptychs, roughly grouped by style, but I might spotlight a few particular outfits here and there in the future. These photos were actually taken at the end of the night, after I'd tried on all of my gifts and picked up the September group gift that was still out in front of L&B's store as of today. (There's a t-shirt version for the men.)

I also got Sam I Am the cat from Orlando. She's adorable, with a lot of interactive options and random behaviors, including one which tells you that you can't play with her because she's napping - which is what happened when I tried to cuddle her for the photos above. (So, basically, just like almost any RL cat.)



FIRST PHOTO:
Hair:  Nina - Cayenne by Exile ($1000L Fatpack)
Skin: Nellie 04 [Fair] Glow skin by LAQ ($1999L/10pk)
Ears & Earrings: Steking_ears_ver2 by Mandala ($497L)
Eyes: Harley Quinn by Topazz (See Previous Post for Information)
Hands: AvEnhance Hands Female - Casual by Slink ($450L)
Necklace: Signature necklace 2013 - Silver by Lassitude & Ennui (Free)
Phone: Halloween Smartphone - Jessica Rabbit (Rare) by L'Anguisette ($50L Gatcha)
Shirt: S'wear Classic Woman's Tank Top - Short by Lapointe & Bastchild (Group Gift - Free to Join)
Jeans: Flare Jeans by Lapointe & Bastchild ($699L - Fatpack w/ Color HUD)
Shoes: S'wear Bianca Ankle Boots by Lapointe & Bastchild
Manicure & Pedicure: LeopardGlitter *Slink* Manicure & Pedicure by La Boheme ($50L)
Tattoo: Joan ~ Faded Coloured Ink by Cannibelle ($79L SL Marketplace Only)
Poses: Most Wanted AO by Vista Animations ($1900L)

SECOND PHOTO:
Hair: London to L.A by Exile (Pending Release)
Skin: Nellie [Fair] Glow skin by LAQ ($1999L/10pk)
Makeup: I don't remember if I was even wearing any that day.
Eyes: Dramatic - DeepSea by MiaSnow ($300L Fatback on Sale)
Jacket, Shirt, Tie (One Piece) & Skirt (Not Seen): Mason Suit (Blue) by A:S:S
($100L at Genre - Androgynous) (Shirt & Tie have color-changing HUD)
Madonna Piercing: Metal Mouth MESH Round Dermals - Silent Rage by Haus of Darcy ($75L/16pk)
Cat: by KittyCats (Adopted from a friend. Cost Unknown.)

Location: My new and still-undecorated townhouse.

I'm Back!

Hair: Nina - Mystery by Exile ($1000L Fatpack)
Jacket: Maisie by FashionNatic ($280L for a full outfit w/ a ton of HUD options)

It took a lot longer than I'd anticipated - over 2 years - but I'm finally back in SL. Since I've been gone for so long, my avatar needed nearly a complete overhaul. Well, okay, she didn't need one, but I kept hearing about Slink hands and feet and the progress of mesh items and was feeling a bit shabby. So, like the day I first logged in nearly 8 1/2 years ago, my dear friend Nigel gave me a short list of "must haves" and took me shopping. That's him in the photo above, patiently loitering behind me as I try on skin& shape demos. (Doesn't he look like a cute little shoulder pet?)

I'm sure it will take me awhile to get up-to-speed with the changes of the past few years, but I hope to soon resume semi-regular updates here. For now, I'm going shopping to fill my closets and furnish my cute new home. (Seen behind me in the photo below.)



Hair: London to L.A: 4. Dark Red by Exile (Pending Release)
Skin: Nellie 08 [Fair] Glow skin by LAQ ($1999L/10pk)
Makeup: Corner of Olive & Vine Foiled Eyeshadow by M.O.C.K. Cosmetics (Old Hunt Gift)
Eyes: Dramatic - DeepSea by MiaSnow ($300L Fatback on Sale)
Jacket, Shirt, Tie (One Piece) & Skirt (Not Seen): Mason Suit (Blue) by A:S:S
($100L at Genre - Androgynous) (Shirt & Tie have color-changing HUD)
Madonna Piercing: Metal Mouth MESH Round Dermals - Silent Rage by Haus of Darcy ($75L/16pk)

Moving Day

Initially, this entry simply started out as a way to show off my new SL home and avoid struggling with writer's block over a new fashion post. However, once I began writing, it decided it wanted to be an article on how to have an affordable, low-prim home that looks fancy - so that's what it is.

Since joining SecondLife in 2006, I've moved sims at least eight times. That doesn't even include the multitude of times I decided my SL living space needed a complete makeover, nuked everything, and started again from scratch - I've lived in in castles, mansions, seaside homes both posh and grungy, various airships, and a bayou shack complete with an alligator in the front yard. Thankfully, moving is a lot easier to do in the virtual realm than in the one of flesh and blood!

After a luxuriously long period of not really having to worry about prim count, I'm back to having to be a bit more frugal. I knew this day would eventually come, so I'd been picking up nice cheap and free skyboxes when I found them. (One good place for such deals is A.S.S., who frequently offer beautiful, low-prim skyboxes for $100L or less. You can even view full-size demos at their store.) As seen in these photos, my home weighs in at 169 prims, and even that could be significantly reduced by picking up or editing one or two higher prim items.

This is the Hookah Lounge, a gift from The Sea Hole in the Stash Bash Hunt which took place earlier this year. (April 20th, of course. *wink*) It's 67 prims, including the beautiful garden you see through the windows, a shelf for decorations, functional hanging lights, a hookah, and a myriad of cushions containing a ton of animated sits. It also came with a bit of art baked into the wall textures, some of which I've covered up with art from my own collection. (Mostly by one of my favored artists, Trindolyn Beck. Trindolyn's artwork can be viewed and purchased at India Ink Gallery.)

Because I feel my talents in SecondLife home creation lie more in the realm of decorating than building, I usually rely on prefab homes or, if I'm really lucky, one of my multitude of talented friends will generously offer to build me one. (I'm spoiled and I know it, but I'm also greatly appreciative of those who've spoiled me.) So let's move on to how I made this prefab, partially-furnished skybox feel like home...

The plate of Deceptively Delicious Cupcakes (24 prim) - which dispenses a variety of fatal pastries - was a $50L Woeful Wednesday item from Relics of Kadath. This weekend's Super Bargain Saturday sales yielded a cute Thistle Homes copy/mod chair (13 prims) for only $60L, the absinthe table (41 prims) is something I put together using past hunt gifts from The Fooding and Post, and the round cushion (4 prims) beneath the hanging lights is an adorable texture-change chair from Cheeky Pea. (I think it was a gift or sale item, but I sadly failed to make any notes about it.) Finally, at $230L, the skulls and candles from New Trails were a bit of a splurge, but the pack is well worth the cost. The entire set is copy/mod and includes the following items:

~ 35 skulls in 6 different colors (3 prims each)
~ scripted on/off candles in 5 colors (2 prims each)
~ 2 scripted color shifting plants (single & patch options - 1 prim each)
~ stone wall with skulls and color-changing lights (24 prims)

It's early days yet, so I still have some more decorating to do, but I'm pleased with how things are coming along so far.