Back To School...

Last night, I was positively crackling with anxiety and hope, watching the US Presidential Election returns. I am not American, but as a Canadian, a part of a country that is the largest trading partner with the US, and an allied country, this election was as important to me as any that I have known in my own country. I am proud of the energy and hope that I saw in the Democratic process south of the border, and I am inspired. There is no doubt that the battle has just begun for the US and the world, rebuilding financial stability and looking for peaceful resolutions to our differences. We all need to go back to the books, to learn lessons from the past and find hope for the future as we begin to tackle the challenges in our collective path. Saving the environment, ending war, and bringing health and stability into the lives of the most vulnerable in society. I know that my views may not be popular with everyone, there is a healthy dose of socialism in our Canadian Constitution, and I am not ashamed of it (though my father heartily disagrees). I respect the rights of others to differ in their beliefs and values, but we are, after all, in this together. So I am hopeful that the future will bring new ideas and new solutions, and though there will be setbacks, I feel that the tide has turned for the first time in my adult life. Clearly, I am no speech maker, and should stick to the pretty pixels I blog day in and day out, but I just felt the need to express myself, I hope you will afford me this luxury.



Back to the business of stroking my addiction to virtual fashion, this was the look I put together while anxiously awaiting last nights results. I wanted to be comfortable, ready for action, and ready to learn what might be. I went for casual and grunge, my personal favorite way to dress day-to-day. The look started with the great .:Naive:. Rebel Condition Pants that have a very cool burnt out look to them. I pulled in one of the great tops to be found at the new shop *Sprawl*, this wicked Hearts and Guitars Tee, which comes on all layers as always with Pushbutton Skolnick's work, and is one of the most appreciated features. I love being able to wear tucked in tops and work with layers. The Pink Leather Jacket from ::DUTCH TOUCH:: worked really well here with the colour of the stripes in the pants, I love open jackets that let you see the details of the items underneath. The slacks extend to mid-calf, so I pulled on these great Maitreya **Boot-alicious** Ash boots with a leg-warmer like calf portion, they worked really nicely here. I love to wear my WRONG Braces, or suspenders, when I remember to. This Checkerboard set is my favorite, and comes with a non-prim jacket layer set as well as this great prim set that works with dozens of pairs of jeans and pants.



I pulled in a great Tote Bag from Gritty Kitty, it is scripted to change to one of several brilliant textures with just a click. love the little hanging key chain and the buttons on the bag, so I decided to pull in a few more pins with this Eclectic Accessories Kitten and Skull Badge set. The chunky Double Bangle is one of a huge and inexpensive fatpack from ::MEZZO::, with about a dozen colour variations in the pack. I am really embracing the hat and hair combos lately, and this is one of the best yet, the Panache ZF and Kari collaboration produced this great Girls School Hair, also available in a men's version. The cute little braids sticking out from underneath the side of the hat are really sweet. A favorite skin from Celestial Studios, eyes from Miriel, and lashes from [Detour] complete the essentials.

Shopping Details:
Jacket - ::DUTCH TOUCH::, Pink Leather Jacket
Top - *Sprawl*, Hearts & Guitars Tee
Pants - .:Naive:., Rebel Condition Pants (Grey)
Suspenders - WRONG, Braces (Checker Board, Prim)
Boots - Maitreya, **Boot-alicious**, Ash Leather (Grey-Black Socks)
Bag - Gritty Kitty, Tote Bag (B)
Bangle - ::MEZZO::, M-Double Bangle Rameacryl*Silvergray
Buttons - E!, Eclectic Accessories, Kitten and Skull Badge
Hair/Hat - Panache ZF & Kari, Girls School Hair
Skin - Celestial Studios, Charmed Line (Tone 20, Gloss-Red)
Lashes - [Detour], Love Lashes
Eyes - Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big)

Shout, Shout, Get It All Out...

Sometimes, it seems like the whole world is against us. Real life issues hit us hard, we struggle to find a place to hide for a few short hours a day, only to find or virtual lives can be just as harsh and stressful. I don't mean daily, but sometimes things all happen at the same time, and you just want to scream and shout and kick and fight, but find you lack the energy to do anything but shut down. I have always been the person who stuffs down the hurt deep inside, taking things out on myself, my health suffers, and this goes on until I literally become an emotional wreck. When it all starts to break down, when I feel like a raw nerve, and even the slightest thing can set me off. This is a personal flaw, not anyone else's fault, I just wish there was another way to let things out. Sometimes I wish I was the type of person who could rant and rave, and curse and shout. This T-Shirt from Naughty Designs has been in my inventory forever, but today was the appropriate day to blog it, because sometimes I wish I had the guts to tell people that they have hurt me before it builds into this giant thing that implodes. The KMA Tee is my way of saying something I couldn't voice on my own.



T-Shirts and jeans just go together, and these great Jenny Jeans from []::TULI::[] are just the sort of scrubby grungy thing I adore. The hole in the butt is my favorite part, but the cuff is also great, and I love the button detail on the front. I stopped by Gritty Kitty last week and picked up this adorable Mr. Skully Necklace. How cute is that! He has a little mustache, and the pack comes with three colour versions, I picked out the Blue this time, and decided to go with yellow accents to compliment the few bright yellow links. I went with this steal of a belt from .+*aya V.*+., the Color Belt comes in a bunch of great colours, and if I remember correctly, it was less then $50LaLas, a total steal. I went with the (Yummy) Found Hearts Bracelet that is scripted to colour change, and finally had a reason to wear the bright and fun Jellies shoes in Neon Lemon from Fashionably Dead. I had shoes like this in the 80s', they killed my feet and gave me little cuts, but damn I was stylin'. I also opted to wear my favorite AITUI Shooting Stars Half Sleeve Tats, have always loved these for their worn-in look, they just work with a t-shirt so well.



This hair is another great one from (JUNWAVE), the Pineapple is adorable, love the height, love the twisted braids on one side, really a funky and fun style that required very little prim tweaking on my part. The skin is another great Canimal Essence Skin, this Earth make-up is really lovely, a great smokey eye and neutral lip. I think my favorite part of Canimal Zephyr's skins in the unique shading on the cheeks, with make for a great looking cheek bone. Bedroom Lashes from Cake, and **[Riddle]** Realistic Brights Eyes in Brown. Today just might be the day I feel ready to Shout and get out all my frustration, be forewarned, I can be very loud when I mean to be!

Shopping Details:
T-Shirt - Naughty Designs, KMA Tee
Jeans - []::TULI::[], Jenny Jeans Blue
Shoes - (fd), Jellies (Neon Lemon)
Belt - .+*aya V.*+., Color Belt *yellow
Necklace - Gritty Kitty, Mr. Skully Necklace BLUE
Bracelet - (Yummy), Found Hearts Bracelet Gold
Tattoos - AITUI, Shooting Stars (Colored) Half Sleeve *faded*
Hair - (JUNWAVE), PINEAPPLE2_Black_L
Skin - Canimal, Essence (Grace)... of Earth
Lashes - Cake, Bedroom Lashes
Eyes - **[Riddle]**, Realistoc Brights (Brown)

Pure Jeanius

I love a great pair of jeans, this is particularly evident if you ever saw my inventory, since I own close to one-hundred pair. I have pretty much forgotten what most of them look like, and I certainly have favorites, but this great pair of -Veschi- Jeanius Pants has got to be one of them. I love something that is completely unique, and Alla Ruff has a whole shop full of that. These Speckled Denim Pants from -Veschi- were a previous group gift, and I had almost completely forgotten about them until this past week when I was looking through my NEW STUFF folders for something I had never worn. I love the buttons and high waist panel in the front, and the wide flared cuffs are really funky. I opted to pair them with a very simple Aqua Tank Top from *Muism*, and built the rest of the look from there.

I seem to forget to wear Tattoos until we have an event at PIN UPS that calls for them, but this Body Graffiti Rockstar Set from Canimal was my first set, and is still my favorite. I received this awesome Bliensen + MaiTai Bottle Tops Jewelry Choker as a review copy many weeks back, and it is another piece I really love. That fact that the pendant has the letter K on it makes it even more special for me, since everyone calls me "Kets" in world. I really love anything that looks hand-crafted, there is too much futuristic looking jewelry in-world, and Bliensen + MaiTai do a lot of great pieces that fit the bill. Anessa sent me this set of M.R.M. FACTORY "Universe" Mix Bracelets a few weeks back, they are a really funky jumble of bracelets and bangles, and they are scripted to touch to change to several themes, for completely different looks, really an amazing set to have. The bag is a great find from a trip to Gritty Kitty this week, as I am always on the hunt for great purses. This Gritty Kitty Tote Bag is scripted to change to a number of different textures, so you actually get close to a dozen looks with the one purchase, talk about making your LaLas go the distance. This trend for scripted items is one I am enjoying, it saves on items in inventory, and makes for a lot of individuality in your accessories. I love these Kitties Lair Kewt Peep Mules, the colour selection in this style is great, but I really liked this Aqua and Gold pair, they are a really unique combination. Also wearing my Drifting Sands Tunnel Multi Set Ear Piercings.



I was really interested in the many hair styles on the feeds this week with bright coloured chunks in them. I picked up this Metric Style from Gritty Kitty, but since it was not scripted and had no streaks, I opted to modify it by hand, selecting linked parts, and hand-tinting a section to match the Aqua Blue in this look. That is one major benefit of wearing white wigs, they are easily tinted. Skin is one of the amazing Canimal Essence Skins, the Simplicity Make-Up was in the Release Review Pack that Canimal Zephyr sent out to a lot of bloggers, and it was the reason I went a purchased a three skin pack, this week I am planning to go back and buy more of them, since they are such a unique skin. Love Lashes are favorites from [Detour], and Glassy Mustard Green Eyes are from Freak Fantasia.


Shopping Details:
Top - *Muism*, Tank Top (Aqua)
Pants - -Veschi-, Jeanius Pants (Speckled Denim) [Previous Group Gift]
Shoes – Kitties Lair *KL*, Peep Mules Kewt! (Aqua Gold)
Bag - Gritty Kitty, Tote Bag (B) Texture Change
Choker – Bliensen + MaiTai, Bottle Tops Jewelry, Choker S [Review Copy]
Earrings – Drifting Sands, Tunnel Multi Set Ear Piercing
Bracelets – M.R.M. FACTORY, Mix Bracelet “Universe” – Texture Change
Tattoos – Canimal, Body Graffiti (ROCKSTAR Pack, Blue)
Hair – Gritty Kitty, Metric (White, One Section Hand Tinted Turquoise)
Skin – Canimal, Essence (Grace)… of Simplicity [Review Copy]
Lashes - [Detour], Love Lashes
Eyes – Freak Fantasia, Glassy Mustard Green Eyes

Week 15: Flickr SL™: Look Of The Day Winner

The Week 15 Winner for the Flickr Group Second Life - Look Of The Day, is this adorably spunky submission from Juushika Redgrave. Not only is it high time we had a weekly winner that was Neko, but Juushika has pretty much done my job for me, by detailing how this look came together and why it is so special. I am going to let Juushika's own words, found in the description of the picture, describe to details of the look. As you can see, all the credits are given to the individuals that toiled away to bring these amazing finds to us all, and even though the look is made of several Freebies or Retired items, a good look is always blog-worthy in my opinion. I also wanted to add that Juushika made this skin and has moded so many of the prim items in this look, it shows real skill. Juushika wins the $500LaLa Weekly Prize, and a big round of appaws (corny me!).

SL Outfit 5/4/08
by Juushika Redgrave



In the game Second Life, I play the avatar Juushika Redgrave.

I adore this outfit, even though it's somewhat unusual for me. I actually started with the undershirt, which is a high-waisted shirt from Artilleri with prim cuffs. I found that it looked wonderful under long-waisted short-sleeved shirts, giving the appearance of layered long sleeves that had been pushed up. There were a number of tshirts in my inventory that looked great, but I decided on this one, and old (and probably retired) freebie from Paper Couture, because I've always wanted to wear it. I chose shorts to keep the outfit light and warm-weather friendly—this pair is from G.L.A.M.. The shoes are a wonderfully cheap pair from Darkstar. The texturing isn't exceptional but the price can't be beat, and they are mod/copy, which gave me the chance to remove the prim socks and make a second larger pair for my boy av.

I rarely wear short hair, but I do love this adorable style from Kin and I thought it suited the shorts and tee quite well. To break up the gray scale outfit I wore a brightly multicolored bracelet from Gritty Kitty, but went without other accessories in order to keep the style comfortable and light. The expanse of bare skin is a good chance to show off the freckles and birthmarks on my Another Skin mod, which I've grown inordinately attached to.

Shopping Information:
Over Shirt - Paper Couture, Couture Alt Tee (Freebie)
Undershirt - /artilleri/, Heidi Black (Retired)
Shorts - G.L.A.M., "Golden Apple" Jean Shorts (Chalk)
Shoes - Darkstar, Via Hightop Black (Modded)
Eyes - Nora, Gaze (Cat Gold)
Skin - Juushika Redgrave, Another Skin Mod [HOMG That's Awesome!]
Hair - Kin, Ash (Orange, Tinted)
Lashes - Sin Skins, Ferra Lashes (Top Only)
Bracelet - Gritty Kitty, Snake Charmer Rudra
Glasses - Persenickety, Kelly
Collar - Amethyst, Amethyst Collar (Slim, Hidden)[No SLURL Found]
Whiskers - Gritty Kitty, Plenty Black Whiskers
Neko Ears - Anisa @ OTCR, Anisa's Neko Ears [Modded to Include Industrial Piercing by DEEKS)
Neko Tail - Hybrid, Kitty Black Tail Long (Retired)