Adam's Ribs

Adam and Eve, it's the most interesting of biblical stories, and even though I am no biblical scholar, I have always been fascinated by the story of how woman came to be. It seems particularly hard to accept, as a feminist of sorts, that women are the product of a piece of "Adam's Rib". As an Obstetrics nurse, I was always deeply offended by some religions explanation that the suffering of women in childbirth was as a result of Eve's actions, taking the forbidden fruit, and therefore damming us all to pain unlike any other. I am not a religious person, more spiritual, but it seems like something that a patriarchal religion would use to keep women in their place, constant reminder of the folly of the first woman. We think of ribs and bones and skulls as gothic and macabre, but they are the very frame on which we carry ourselves, and they have meaning too. The Schadenfreude Black Ultraviolet Skelebeater tank was a freebie I picked up at the very first opening of the Starlust Motel, over a year ago now, and wearing it makes me feel strong and fierce. Paired with a great {Gisaci} Black Leather Brindisi Slack, it is a simple and sleek look.



A great belt from Maitreya adds a little more metal to my look, so to speak. The Old Leather Belt in Black is really nicely shaped, and fits my curves perfectly. I pulled on a pair of stacked Jelly Bracelets in Black from [Od], and a great Black Triple Layer Necklace from what is now Luc Jewelry, with colour change scripted crystals. A little brow stud from ITF makes me feel a little more edgy, something also achieved with the fabulous Oldskool Tattoo from TRUTH INK. The boots are the bases of the ever sexy Black Dune Boots from Maitreya. The great chunky Bellissima Black Bag from Bare Rose is a real winner, looking sturdy and ready to carry all my worldly goods.



I love this sleek, long and relaxed Faye wig from Maitreya, it is really well made, the texture is extraordinary, and the flexi movements fluid and realistic. Another delicious skin from -AnaLu-'s *InRainbows* line of mods, this is the .girlypink. version. These skins look great with the Thora Lashes from MMS (now LeLutka), eyes are from Miriel.

Whether you are religious or not, or even a would be biblical scholar, I say it's time we celebrate the story of The Fall in the Garden of Eden. Eve was one gutsy babe, and think of how boring life would be if we were all still wandering around the garden, unclothed... *gasp*, without fashion!

Shopping Details:
Top - Schadenfreude, Black Ultraviolet Skelebeater, Men's [Previous Starlust Gift]
Pants - Armidi, {Gisaci} Brindisi Slacks (Black)
Belt - Maitreya, Leather Belt, Old *Black*
Boots - Maitreya, Dune Boots (Black) [Bases Only]
Bag - :::B@R:::, Bellissima 09 Black (L Hand)
Necklace - -EARTHTONES- now (luc) Jewelry, Triple Layer Necklace Black/Multi
Bracelets - [Od] Pbp, Jelly Bracelets, Black [No Location Found]
Piercing - ITF, Dual Ball Brow Piercing [No Location Found]
Tattoo - TRUTH Ink, Oldskool Tattoo (Full)
Hair - Maitreya, Faye (Pitch)
Skin - -AnaLu-, *InRainbows* NAT11 .girlypink.
Lashes - MMS now LeLutka, Thora Lashes
Eyes - Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big)

My Way Out

Sometimes, you just want to get away. Things get confusing, you lose sight of who and what you are about and what really matters. I have been feeling this way a lot lately. Things I thought would last forever have slipped away, things I thought mattered don't seem to be as important, and I am looking for meaning in my life again. While I may not be able to take a physical break from my reality, I can certainly take the time away from my regular routine and let my mind run away a bit, trying to find the answers to the questions that I suddenly have. This look is back to basics, the sort of thing I would be wearing around the city. This look says comfort and warmth, and is something I would wear when looking for a place to hide and nurse my wounds. This sweater is my favorite part, I think Pushbutton's new *Sprawl* brand is brilliant, and The Almanac Sweater in Cardinal looks like a well loved, well worn favorite. I layered it over one of the /artilleri/ Zee Tank Tops, and paired that with a great Black denim Jean from (Kari & TW).



With cuffs on the sweater, there was no need for bracelets, but I did find a nicely matched Bohemian inspired necklace from Bonita's Jewelry that really worked well with this look. The colours were perfect, and I find that there are lots of hidden treasures at Bonita Popinjay's Jewelry, you just have to have the fortitude to find them among her huge inventory of items in her shops. I am wearing my favorite brow piercing from ITF, and also a sentimental ring from Caroline's Jewelry. One of my favorite handbag's is this Jaden bag from Cachet (now LeLutka), I own it in two colour variations, it is that fabulous. I am wearing the boot bases from a brilliant pair of (Shiny Things) Old Lace-up Boots, they are prim shoes I have had for almost two years, and they make me feel very grounded.



Truth Hawks makes some of the sweetest wigs on the grid, and on my last visit I was over the moon to find my two favorite shades, black and white in the same colour pack once again. This sweet TRUTH double pig-tail style with hat is called Babyhoney, and it is perfection down to the stitching on the cap. The skin is another of Ana Lutetia's mods, the lovely -AnaLu- *InRainbows* series, and I feel very at home in these skins, the complexion is lovely and the brows are natural and soft, the coloured eye make-up is perfect with the soft full lips. Lashes are from MMS, now LeLutka, and eyes are from Miriel.

I am looking for my way, even if that means My Way Out.

Shopping Details:
Sweater - *Sprawl*, The Almanac (Cardinal)
Tank - /artilleri/, Zee Tank Tops!, Shirt Layer (Orange)
Jeans - (Kari & TW), New School Jeans (Black)
Bag - Cachet now LeLutka, Jaden Bag (Red)
Boots - (Shiny Things), Old Lace-up Boots - Reddish
Necklace - Bonita's, Beaded Bohemian Necklace w/ Links
Ring - Caroline's, Gimcrack Diamond Solitaire Ring
Brow - ITF, Brow Dual Ball Piercing [No Location Found]
Hair/Hat - TRUTH, Babyhoney (Smokey)
Skin - -AnaLu-, *InRainbows* NAT 07 .blue.
Lashes - MMS now LeLutka, Thora Lashes [No Current Location]
Eyes - Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big)

Good Mother

Though she really doesn't understand my online interests or the way I live my life, I can honestly say that I have a Good Mother, not just good, great. She has always been there for me, been genuinely proud of my accomplishments, and believes that I have something to offer the world. She is generous, she is a beautiful grandparent to my nieces and nephew, and she makes me want to be a better person. This look really wouldn't be one my mother would understand, but I love bright colours and quirky details, so I decided to blog it today, because being who I am is part of the gifts my mother gave me growing up. When Canimal Zephyr sent me the adorable Circus Treats dress, I was thrilled, they are striped fun, with two bright colours in combination. I chose the orange and yellow version for this look, pairing it with a pair of simple Yellow opaque tights from ~~Ivalde~~.



With a tiny mini-dress, there is lots of room to accessorize, and I started with these amazing Death Dolly Goth Mary Jane Pumps from Unique Needs. I carried the studded black leather look to a simple arm band from WRONG on one wrist, while piling on some stacked Orange bangles from *PERSONA* on the right wrist. The fabulous Butterfly Necklace from *i-Candy* is everything fresh and Spring and hopeful, a sweet touch on an otherwise dramatic goth princess look. Simple Stud Earrings from Sian Birke are great as a wardrobe staple, since the stones are color change. Though I rarely wear them, I love tattoos, and these faded half sleeves from AITUI Tattoo are really fabulous looking.



This adorable wig is from /artilleri/, and Antonia Marat makes some of my favorite hair, the Dayna is simply sweet with a touch of edge, just the way I like it. When I go for an edgier look, the skins I choose are always my Canimal Essence Skins, this one is perfect for this look, and perfectly named "Sunshine". The Canimal Essence Flamenco Trash Lashes, here in Red, are the perfect compliment to the skin. My eyes are, as always, favorites from Miriel.

Happy Mother's Day to those of you celebrating today. You are the world to your children, and you are the heart and soul of society. The song on my mind today is a favorite, Good Mother by Jann Arden, a fellow Canadian.

Shopping Details:
Dress - Canimal, Circus Treats (Orange/Yellow) [Review Copy]
Tights - ~~Ivalde~~, Tights Collection, Yellow
Shoes - Unique Needs, *UN!* Death Dolly Goth Mary Jane Pumps
Necklace - *i-Candy* now KaWaii Jelly, Butterfly Necklace (Orange)
Bangles - *PERSONA*, Bangles Pack - Oranges (Right)
Earrings - Sian Birke Jewelry, Stud Earrings
Wrist Band - WRONG, Spike Band (Black, Left)
Tattoos - AITUI Tattoo, Shooting Stars (Colored) *Half Sleeves Faded*
Hair - /artilleri/, Dayna V2 *Blacks*
Skin - Canimal, Essence (Grace)... of Sunshine
Lashes - Canimal, Essence... Lashes (Flamenco Trash - Red)
Eyes - Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big)

The Heart Of The Matter

Sorry for giving the appearance that I fell off the virtual map, I just had the worst case of Food Poisoning and/or Norwalk Virus, complete with several hospital visits, and am only now feeling like I have the energy to do anything productive with my time. Basically, I now have a rather fast heart rate, and they aren't sure why, but it seems to be normalizing on it's own now too. This "Look Of The Day" has been sitting in waiting since March 5th, and it's about time it got it's due attention. It is somewhat amusing that this look includes the adorable BareRose Key of Heart Bag in Red.



I love coats, particularly ones that make nice use of prim pieces and have some nice appropriately sized prints on them, like this AOHARU Red Check Short Trench Coat. I really love the collar and waist tie on this coat in particular, and the red plaid is really fresh and spring like. I paired it with a simple pair of black jeans from *AnnaH* (now .:Storin:.), this pair was part of the Heart of Love Limited Edition Laura set. The shoes here are a perfect matching red from Lya, the Sakura platform wedge pump was a gift from one of the Retrology event hunts, and are a really fantastic basic shoe. I loved the way the open collar of the coat looked with the [Armidi Gisaci] Gunmetal Niama Necklace, a great layered look adding a lot of impact at the throat. Other accessories include the adorable Kandy Kitty Mod Love Ring, and a simple ITF Dual Ball Brow Piercing.



This amazing wig is from Maitreya, the Piper II is soft fresh perfection, with a bobby pin tucked on one side, and it's smooth silky texture. It is a remarkable wig and looks particularly realistic. I have been wearing the -AnaLu- *InRainbows* skins almost exclusively since Ana dropped a review pack of them on me when she first released them. I love the soft lips, the lovely brow, it is a luminous and unique looking skin. The lashes are Thora from MMS, but might now be available at LeLutka, while the eyes are the amazing Miriel Hazel Eyes. A soft and sweet look, getting to the heart of the matter, which is that I have actually missed all my friends in the online community and blogging for you all very much.

~ Ketsy

Shopping Details:
Coat - AOHARU, BT_CheckShortTrenchCoat_Red
Jeans - *AnnaH* (Now .:Storin:.), from Laura HoL *Limited Edition* Set
Shoes - Lya, Sakura (Red)
Bag - :::B@R:::, Key Of Heart (Red, Hand)
Necklace - [Armidi Gisaci], Niama Necklace - Gunmetal
Ring - Kandy Kitty, Mod Love Ring
Brow - ITF, Brow Dual Ball [No Current Location Found]
Hair - Maitreya, Piper II - Blacks Pack (Pitch)
Skin - -AnaLu- *InRainbows* NAT13 .brownish.
Eyes - Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big)
Lashes - MMS, Thora Lashes [No Current Location]

The Roaring 20s - Vain Inc. Magazine Issue 20

This month, Vain Inc. took a trip through time, and I did my best to bring the fashion of the 1920s alive. Fabulous dresses from ~Ivalde~, Cartunno Couture, Greenwood Designs, Adam N Eve, Rebel Hope Designs, & Simone. Hats, wigs, and shoes to suit the style of the era.



Check out the full Issue HERE.











Click the images to see larger versions with credits on my Flickr Stream.

Cry Me A River...

Sometimes you just need to have a good cry. It's so hard to get the face of an avatar to express emotion. Sure you can get an Emoter HUD, an often passed about full perms item, but it has a limited range of mostly comical expressions. It is often the skill of the pose maker, the lighting, the angle of the eyes that allow the appearance of emotion. Then often some post processing, be it Photo Shop, or a similar graphics program, is often the way we add emotion to our in-world snapshots.



But what if you want a straight screen shot, are unable to post edit, or need to express sadness in an in-world event, drama, or show. This is where the remarkable Kala Bijoux of Material Squirrel has given me yet another reason to adore her. Her new Real Tears scripted attachments can give you the look of tears without any post-processing. The unit attaches to the face, and if you click on it you can customize the look of your tears (highlight transparent items is helpful to find it and adjust it's position).



Whether tinting the teardrops, adjusting the number of drops, or the speed that the drops fall, it is a really interesting and unique wearable, and I was thrilled when Kala dropped some review copies on me this week. There is also a version that cries bloody tears, for all the Vampire roll-players who might enjoy for some really dramatic flair. The tears come in male, female, and child avatar sized versions, and there are 2 attachment points for the female sized version so that you can wear your favorite lashes at the same time. For the Photo Shop phobics, like myself, it is a really great item to add some drama to your pictures. Give then a try if you want to add a little emotion to your Second Life. It's alright to cry, crying gets the sad out of you.

Shopping Details:
Tears - Material Squirrel, Real Tears by Kala Bijoux (Female AV Size - Chin)
Hair - ETD, Chel (Naturals I, Black)
Skin - -AnaLu-, *In Rainbows* NAT13 .brownish.
Eyes - Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big)
Lashes - MMS, Thora Lashes (Now LeLutka)