Hold On To The Things You Love!

There is one thing I know for certain about my Second Life®, is that nothing is for certain. By that I mean that one day you discover a shop that has precisely your style of clothing, the kind of stuff you wish you could yank through the screen and wear out in your everyday life, and the next day, it is simply gone. Sometimes there is an explanation, a warning, a rationale, others, they simply disappear one day never to be seen again. Sometimes it is a matter of time and trends, people lose interest in the game or the product, and others it is the difficulty of keeping a business afloat in an over-saturated market. If you can't make enough to cover your rent, it is difficult to keep creating, and even more difficult to imagine that the situation will get better in the future. In my three plus years in Second Life®, I have seen a lot of fabulous shop disappear for a number of reasons, and it never gets easier. That is why I hold on to the things I love and treasure, and why my inventory is nearing the 45,000 items mark. How can I part with the items that are irreplaceable?



This look is what I call "Typical Kets". I love this sort of grunge, relaxed, cozy look. A lot of my favorites, some old, some new, and some irreplaceable. The top is from *Sprawl*, Pushbutton Skolnick's now near-defunct shop, and perhaps one of my all-time favorites. It is The Darko Tee, a little homage to Donnie Darko, as a film buff, I couldn't resist. I love that Pushbutton has always gone to the trouble of putting everything on every possible layer. The jeans are the uber adorable Surf Couture Hot Cocoa Stained Jeans in Grey that include the Blue Steaming Mug of Cocoa, and the cozy Parker Knit Boots in Black are also from [SC]. I adore this wrapped Soon Scarf from my girls at *Thimbles*, it is adorable and really cozy looking, and it comes in 5 different great knit colors. The Grey Knit Arm Warmers are from Argyle, another shop that seems to have vanished from the scene. The belt is one of the amazing masterpiece works from Maitreya.



The earrings are the first I ever purchased in-world, so their availability is somewhat unclear, and I didn't have enough time to hunt them down, they are from Drifting Sands which was a shop found under The Body Politik banner. I remember when I bought them I had no idea how to manipulate linked objects, and it took me forever to position them in my ears. The Uma Nose Stud is from Tickled Pink, a shop that has been gone for some time and is well missed. The adorable ring is a little bit of kitsch from Canimal, something I can never resist. The Bear Hug Novelty Ring has been referred to as the "Poo" ring by friends who think that is what it looks like from afar, I think it is hysterical!

Hair is from the newly re-opened WAKA and YUKI, which I could not resist visiting yesterday not just to scoop up the fab opening weekend gifts and try the lucky board, but because I couldn't remember shopping there before. I picked up this adorable NEW116 style while I was there, I think it is perfection in a messy casual up-do, my favorite. The skin is Emma Tan from *REDGRAVE*, my most realistic looking skin perhaps, and one I would have never tried if not for Anessa's urging. The Lashes are from MMS, now LeLutka, Thora Lashes, which I love, and the eyes are the stunning Miriel Realistic Muted Hazel Eyes. Again, I am most sad to say that we are no longer able to purchase Miriel's amazing work in-world.

So on Valentines Day, the day we celebrate love, show a little love by re-visiting your favorite shops and supporting your favorite content creators, before it's too late. They are too valuable to lose, and too precious to be taken for granted for even a second. Thank goodness for my messy but full inventory, and blog feeds, Plurk, and Avatars United, that lets me keep up with so many of my friends and on top of the news. If you haven't heard of Avatars United as of yet... you are missing out! It is the Facebook for avatars, recently acquired by Linden Labs®, that focuses squarely on your avatar, not on your RL identity, and therefore keeps your privacy to yourself while allowing you to make friends and network with avatars from SL and other MMOs. Find out more about it here http://www.avatarsunited.com . The add me to your friends list! http://www.avatarsunited.com/avatars/jhuzen-ketsugo . Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

Shopping Details:
Top - *Sprawl*, The Darko Tee [Limited Items Available - Small Outlet Only]
Scarf - *Thimbles*, Soon Scarves (Grey Gold Blocks)
Arm Warmers - Argyle, Grey Knit Arm Warmers [No Location Found]
Belts - Maitreya, Old Leather Belt (Black)
Jeans - [SC] Surf Couture, Hot Cocoa Stained Jeans (Grey) - Includes Blue Cocoa Mug
Boots - [SC] Surf Couture, Parker Knit Boots (Black)
Earrings - Drifting Sands, Tunnel Multi Set Ear Piercing [By Poly Pavlova, The Body Politik]
Ring - Canimal, Canimal Novelty Rings (Bear Hug)
Nose - Tickled Pink, *Uma Nose Stud [No Longer Available]
Hair - WAKA and YUKI, New116 "TypeA"
Eyes - Miriel, Realistic Eyes (Muted Hazel) [No Longer Available]
Lashes - MMS now LeLutka, Thora Lashes
Skin - *REDGRAVE*, 08Emma Tan Skin *old rose*

Gonna Be Some Bunny's Baby

Well it looks like it is Bunny Blogger Day today, so why not add a little more fur to the feeds. Rabbits tend to reproduce rapidly so I have heard. With my shopping diet well over two months in progress, I was generously gifted CSR cards by friends Dove Swanson and Ana Lutetia, and the very first gift I chose was the *DP*yumyum* Story of a Bunny avatar. It is just too adorable, and watching Achariya show it off so spectacularly over the last few weeks made it a must have. I wanted to have some fun in-world again, and there is nothing more giggle inducing then a silly avatar and a group of friends to laugh about it with.



But my bunny is doing a happy dance, and with very good reason. The Heart of Love fundraiser for Shir Dryke hit it's goal of $700,000 LaLas today, and there is nothing more wonderful and joy inspiring then knowing that a very special persons is going to get some much needed health care. But more then that, it speaks to just how much we as a community can accomplish in a really short time. I am overjoyed for Shir and her family and friends, and I am proud of each and every person who donated even a single LaLa to the fund.



I decided to dress my bunny in one of the adorable Heart Of Love t-shirts from Surf Co., one of the many items I picked up in my "off diet" binge for the charity. I got the fat-pack, and since we are having a Best in Yellow contest at PIN UPS tonight, it was the natural choice. I just felt my bunny needed a baggy pair of shorts, and I adore these Hot Pink Dongipani Shorts from Differ*nt, a shop that has unfortunately disappeared from the grid. I loved the idea of hi-top chucks on my bunny, so my MK Fashion Super Sneaks Platforms were the natural choice, they are cartoonish, and are amazingly versatile with a touch script to change the shoe colour in a flash. I added a cute touch with this *i-Candy* Strawberry Necklace in Blue, just for a touch of whimsy, and it is a sweet accessory to be sure. My only other added "Ketsy Bunny" touch was the wig, the Oxygen hair in Steel from The Abyss, which has always been one of my favorites in the sexy and cute variety.

Shopping Details:
Shirt: Surf Co., [SC] HoL Fundraiser Tee Top - Yellow
Shorts: D!FF =>, Hot Pink Dongipani Shorts [No Longer Available]
Necklace: *i-Candy*, Strawberry Necklace [Blue]
Shoes: MK Fashion, MK Super Sneaks Platform V1.1b
Hair: The Abyss, Oxygen (Steel)
Bunny Avatar: CSR Winter 2008, CSR:DP*yumyum*stoory of a bunny:gray(BOX)[CSR Winter 2008 Campaign Ended Jan. 18/09]

Holey Knit Wit

The cooler fall weather is the perfect excuse to bring out the knitwear. One of my favorite textures, and one that is very difficult to work with in-world, is knit. There is plenty of it around, but finding good realistic looking knit wear is difficult. One of my favorite sweaters, is this Holey Sweater from Surf Couture. It is a fantastic item for layering, as it works nicely over almost any T-shirt, and in comes in about a dozen amazing colours. This Blue one was the perfect started for this look, and since my favorite colour to wear with blue in chocolate brown, the rest came together pretty easily. I have had this Brown Cord Mini from Naughty Designs longer then I can remember, but it is a sweet little skirt, and the heavier corduroy fabric is a perfect match to fall knit wear. I tucked one of my favorite tank tops underneath the sweater, this Pushbutton Industries The Error top in Chestnut with Blue is a great option, as it comes with a tucked or untucked version on all layers. It picks up on both the blues and browns in this casual and flirty look. I adore socks with mini-skirts, and [MG Fashion] has fabulous packs of Knitted Socks that have any colour you could ever want, which is one of my favorite things about [MG Fashion]. I picked up three packs all together, and this great Brown pair was in the Pack 01. A great over the knee sock to pair with minis, shorts, or babydoll dresses, the knit texture is great for the upcoming season.



I went with a boot from Pixeldolls (Luna Viola), the Desert Boot is a great short sculpted boot, that comes in a pack with a black or brown accented version, and the boot colour is HUD Scripted to change to one of 6 great colours, so it is like 12 pair of boots for one great price. I added a casual Denim Hobo Bag from Celestial Studios, one of my all time favorite bags. As a lover of Indian Culture, this Ganesha Necklace from -EARTHTONES- is a special favorite. Ganesha is one of the most identifiable of all the Hindu deities, widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as Lord of Beginnings, patron of arts and sciences, and the Deva of intellect and wisdom. You can't really beat that as an ornamental amulet. This simple set of Rust Wire Bangles from Philotic Energy, is really neat looking, and I honestly don't remember how I acquired it, but I am glad they are in my massive inventory, I think they work well with this look.



Now that the Hair Fair is over, it is time to showcase more of my favorites, like this Maitreya Chloe style. I love the relaxed knit wool cap, and it is scripted to change colours with a click. This brown was the perfect match for this look. The sculpted chunks of hair are really great, I love the way it covers half the face, very sexy. The blue of this Canimal Essence of Frost skin work well here too, picking up on the blues in the outfit nicely. Bedroom Lashes are from Cake, and eyes are Glassy Mustard Green from Freak Fantasia. I am anxiously awaiting fall and winter releases with more great knit textures, somehow the cooler weather just seems for natural for me, even in-world. Must be the weather in Toronto, even though we have scorching summers, I am far more a fan of the fall and winter weather.

Shopping Details:
Sweater – [SC] Surf Couture, Holey Sweater (Blue)
T-Shirt - *PBI*, The Error (Chestnut – Blue, Tucked)
Skirt – [ND], Brown Cord Mini
Socks – [MG Fashion], Knitted Socks (Pack 01, Brown)
Boots – Pixeldolls, (Luna Viola) Desert Boots: HUD Colorable (Black Accents)
Purse – Celestial Studios, (CS) Hobo Bag (Denim, Hand)
Necklace - -EARTHTONES-, Ganesha Necklace (Gold)
Bracelet – PE, Rust Wire Bangles
Hair/Hat – Maitreya, Chloe (Pitch) [Hair Fair]
Skin – Canimal, Essence (Grace)… of Frost
Lashes – Cake, Bedroom Lashes
Eyes – Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big)

Off The Shoulder, Off The Cuff

Last time I seriously shopped :Bijou:, I wandered around a bit and came upon a shop called Mirrors* next door, and of course Mirai Hair. The whole sim is really a unique shopping experience, and seems to be very different from what is going on trend-wise on the rest of the grid. The Hair is bigger and more street, the fashion fierce and playful, and the colours bright. When I saw this Off The Shoulder Top from Mirrors*, I went right for the Green, as I usually do. I really liked the casual look of this top/mini-dress and especially the sexy exposed back with the system gold chain across it. I loved that it came with the looped belt, and that there were several versions of the top (with or without the black trim) in the pack. The thing that really is adorable about it, is the saying across the front, which is something along the lines of "All Men Are Brothers Like The Seas Throughout the World, So Why Do Winds And Waves Clash so Fiercely Everywhere?". Not sure I get it, but it interesting anyways.

I decided to pull in some adorable Dotted Leggings from Surf Couture by Emma Gilmour, just a fun staple to have, and I like that it is in the same colour family, but not an exact match. It gave me a reason to pull in these awesome ETD Starley Pumps in Funky Teal, I love that these shoes are a great casual pump with some glitz, they just work. I went with some gold accessories to match the golden belt that came with the top, and opted for this great .+*aya V.*+. Gold Bracelet, which I edited by selecting linked parts, and simply tinted the white part of the one large bangle to teal. I also pulled in this amazing sculptie necklace from ::69::, this chunky Luv Necklace in Gold really has a cool street diva feel to it. Also wearing my Caroline's Jewelry Gimcrack Diamond Solitaire Ring.



This hair has been with me for some time, I think I may have picked it up in a fatpack for next to nothing at the opening of the Starlust Hotel, I love my Hiccup Poses, but this Electric Feel Hair with Hat is really cool and relaxed. I really like the texture in the hat. The skin is another great one from the new [RockBerry] Stage 4 line, I am really liking these skins, and although this is the lightest skin tone (I usually go for a much paler look) I like the look enough to wear it darker then I might usually. Love Lashes are [Detour], and eyes are my favorite Gem like Miriel Big Hazel Eyes.

Shopping Details:
Top – Mirrors*+, Off Shoul*TankGreen with Belt
Leggings – [SC] Surf Couture, Dotted Leggings (Aqua)
Shoes – ETD Shoes, Starley Pumps (Funky Teal)
Bracelet - .+*aya V.*+., Gold Bracelet (One Band Tinted Teal)
Necklace - :::69:::, Luv Necklace (Gold)
Ring – Caroline’s Jewelry, Gimcrack Diamond Solitaire Ring
Hair – Hiccup, Electric Feel (Black)
Skin – [RockBerry], Stage 4 Face A Light
Lashes – [Detour], Love Lashes
Eyes – Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big