This week HAS to be shoe week! I slipped into the Footwear Expo early and snagged a few goodies … and I’ll be sure to get back again before it closes. One on my first purchases were these absolutely adorable wedge sneakers from COCO. I love sneakers, I love wedges, and I love shoes that give me a little extra height — these completely fit the bill. Well-made, and versatile — these are a terrific addition to any wardrobe.

The other newish-ness here is the cardigan from artilleri. Another wardrobe staple — I’ve already picked up two different colors, and have my eye on the others. Each package comes with two versions — the polka dot, and a plain version. This is a great layering piece, and I especially love the three-quarter sleeves.

Last but definitely not least piece of new-ness — these terrific stair poses from Reel Expression. I (obviously) don’t get out of my photosphere that often — but its lovely to bring in a little variety with props. And props with poses are marvelous!

Hair: Maitreya ~ Amy
Skin: Tuli ~ Bella
Jewelry: Magpie
Cardigan: Artilleri
Shirt: Zaara (modded to shorten sleeves)
Pants: Marinoco Fashion (xstreet freebie)
Socks: sf designs
Shoes: COCO

Today’s post is all about warm, toasty browns, and includes two new-ish items I want to show you! First up is this really wonderful wood set from Sable Rose. This is a terrific casual set that is very wearable with fall fashions right now. Don’t get me wrong — I love fine jewelry with precious metals and gems — but well-done casual pieces that can enhance and individualize an everyday look are a true joy to find. This set, Jael, includes necklace, bracelets, and a wonderful chunky ring. Also new in this look is the cashmere sweater from Dreams. This sweater has a “touchable” texture, and would be a great layering piece for fall.

Hair: fri.day ~Deena
Skin: Tuli ~Bella
Jewelry: Sable Rose ~Jael
Sweater: Dreams
Pants: INDI
Boots: Kookie
Poses: Reel Expression

This is a look that speaks to the RL me this time of year … warm, comfortable, effortless — and still put together. I love a monochrome color scheme — but added just a few tiny yellow accents, and whimsical jewelry to liven it up a bit.

The look started with these new trousers from Sprawl. I love the texture on these trousers, and by that I mean the tactile-ness of the texture used. I can FEEL these trousers! They also have great shading, a great line — tremendously wearable.

The other bit of newness here is the shirt from Vanitas Vesture. I really appreciate the design of the fabric on this shirt — Sarah says that it is inspired by a classic icing pattern for wedding cake, which is very clever, and goes to show that inspiration can come from anywhere! Do note that this is a SHEER shirt. I do like wearing a pretty sheer shirt on many occasions  — but sometimes you want a little extra coverage. In this picture, I’m wearing a simple nude bra underneath — but you can also just double up the layers for a more opaque look.

Hair: ETD ~Marisela II
Skin: Tuli ~Bella
Shrug: Sprawl
Pants: Sprawl
Top: Vanitas Vesture
Shoes: Shiny Things
Ring: Elate
Necklace and Earrings: Violet Voltaire
Glasses: Artilleri
Poses: Torrid Wear

Sprawl (and Pushbutton Industries before that) has long been one of my favorite stores in SL for casual street clothes that are extremely wearable. This new-ish sporty jacket is a terrific example! I love the sculpted sleeves and collar … and the package includes both a closed and open version of the jacket. It’s a great piece for layering over just about anything.

Although not new, I’m not sure I’ve adequately expressed my love for the bottle cap jewelry from Bliensen + MaiTai.  These are great casual pieces that can add some detail to a sporty or street look, without looking completely out of place. I don’t think these exact pieces are still available … but there are several similar pieces out now in their mainstore.

Shirt: Sprawl
Jacket: Sprawl
Shoes: UBU
Jeans: Zaara
Skin: Tuli ~Bella
Hair: Truth ~Maddy
Jewelry: Bliensen + MaiTai
Belt: Quixotic Trance
Poses: Reel Expression

Today is the first day of my 3rd year in Second Life! To celebrate, I decided to join 365 Days in Second Life (explained here) – one self portrait a day for an entire year! I know — a few of you are a little skeptical, and I don’t blame you. (/me glances over at her blogging history, takes a deep breath, and forges ahead anyway) I’m excited about this new challenge — an opportunity to take a minute each day to notice what’s going on around me, to record a memory… to make a memory.

Every photo won’t necessarily show up on my blog. To catch them all, you’ll need to check out my Flickr photostream — so add me to your contact list! Part of my deal with myself is that I’m not going to worry about providing credits for every photo involved in the project. But — if you see something you can’t place, and you have a strong need to know… clothing, environment, location, etc — send me a note or comment and I’ll see if I can remember or track it down for you

By the way — if you haven’t tried hot-air ballooning in SL, you should give it a try! It was tremendous fun (and a terrific date activity). Peter piloted the balloon, but reports that it practically flew itself. I don’t know if that is entirely true — but we navigated over at least 50 sims and never crashed!

As I write this rez day post, its fast approaching midnight in my part of the world. I had a unique gift of time to myself today, and started the day thinking of the reflections I might write on this occasion. And, somehow, the day is almost over, and the blog post just started. Many of my thoughts today are big topics themselves, and I will save most of them for another time. But, I couldn’t let the day go by without a few words and pictures.

The picture above is the traditional Poppins jump — my first. If you aren’t familiar with this fun tradition, get all the info here! Yup — I kept my boots on — I was landing on rocky ground! Today — this jump was symbolic of a lot of things. Only a couple of weeks ago, the sim I lived and worked on was sold suddenly. I grieved the loss of the place I had called home for the better part of the last year. But, as they say, the only constant is change — and it was time to move on. Today, I jumped off a platform high above my own little slice of the mainland — and jumped into a new chapter of my SLife!  In the coming year, I hope to share a lot of my plans and progress with what I hope to make out of this place~

As I anticipate what lies ahead, I would be remiss if I didn’t reflect just a moment on the year that has passed, and that has brought me this far. I spent a large part of my first year alone — enjoying Second Life, learning, shopping — but most of my time was rather solitary. My only TWO friends, Ritina and Salvia, will attest to my hermit-ness My second year here has been completely different … and lovely… and I feel incredibly enriched by it.  While there are many wonderful things to celebrate about the last year, there is none more important to me than than the amazing man in my life, Peter Stindberg. Peter has been a part of my life for almost the entire last year, and my experience here has been fundamentally changed because of that.  He encourages me, supports me, comforts me, challenges me… and loves me in the very best sense of the word.  We all need more of that in our lives, and I’m grateful to have found it here.  Thank you, Peter — for being the tremendous man that you are, and for sharing a part of that with me~

So — Happy Rez Day to me! And full speed ahead into Year 3~

The latest boots from cobbler extraordinaire, J’s, just makes me drool — and that actually takes some doing! The textures are wonderfully realistic, I adore the foot shape, and the colors are delicious. The boots are probably at their finest when you can see them running all the way up the thigh … but each boot comes with three different height options (the lowest being a bit above the knee), and they even look terrific under pants.

The cozy, sexy sweater dress/tunic is from Fantasia — a great resource for roleplay and period dress, with many designs than can cross into everyday wear. (well — SL everyday wear, at least!)

Boots: J’s
Dress: Fantasia
Hair: Truth ~Jennifer
Skin: Tuli ~Bella
Collar: Magpie (custom)
Bracelets: Magpie
Earrings: Magpie
Chain Necklace: Imperial Elegance
Poses: Imperial Elegance

I know that some of you are going to fall off your chairs to see a blog post from me two days in a row — but the new shirt from Vanitas Vesture is just too cute not to blog about! Designer SarahTheRed Aurbierre took a little break of sorts from SL a few months ago — but I’m delighted to see her still designing, and releasing newness. This terrific craw fish tshirt was in my inventory as soon as I saw it released! For me, it evokes memories of Texas/Louisiana — my home for many years. Its the perfectly worn, slouchy tshirt that I could live in most every day! I especially love the asymmetrical neckline — just enough to be a little bit out of the ordinary~ (Check Sarah’s picks for all the places you can find Vanitas Vesture — I picked mine up at Winterstock)

Hair: ETD
Skin: Exodi ~Sienna
Shirt: Vanitas Vesture
Jeans: Maitreya
Shoes: Tuli
Earrings: Uzuri
Bangles: Ephemeral (modified)
Poses: flowey

This is one of my favorite sort of photo to do — a few new-ish things, together with some old favorites I use again and again. I’m wearing the latest release from Exodi, the Sienna skin. Ryker Beck is meticulous with all the work she puts out, and this is no exception. This is a beautifully executed skin, and I expect it will become one of my regulars. And, speaking of meticulous work, this corset and skirt from Schadenfreude is fantastic! I’m especially in love with the crisp lines on the corset, and I adore the bright colors Allegory is working with now. I’d like to buy up her whole inventory!!

I’m wearing some other pieces that everyone should have some version of — and these specific pieces are terrific, well-made choices: fishnets, kick-ass boots, and a black leather jacket! By the way — this jacket from Acid & Mala is extremely versatile, including a variety of sleeve, and collar options, and a vest option — all in the same package!

Hair: Truth ~Piper (tinted)
Skin: Exodi ~Sienna
Earrings: Magpie
Jacket: Acid & Mala
Corset & Skirt: Schadenfreude
Fishnet Stockings: Blowpop
Boots: Lassitude and Ennui

I thought long and hard about how I might respond to the call for a boycott. I thought so long and hard about it, and then got distracted by some unrelated stupidity, that I didn’t get this posted yesterday as planned! I don’t plan to go through all the various points and counter-points that have been flying fast and furious in recent days. I’ve heard substantive things on both sides that I can understand.

What I will say is that I’ve been incredibly disappointed every time I’ve heard a person suggest that members of this community who do not completely agree with them should just be quiet and get or stay out of the way. My response is to share my own voice — because I can, and because I should, without fear of being put on someone’s “list”. We should all be able to do at least that much in this community.

The voice I choose today, and most every day I blog, is one of celebration of some of the amazing designers whose talent and work I enjoy daily. They make my life in SL rich, interesting, and diverse. I admire their art, their humor, and their passion for what they do. It’s my honor to buy their work, and share it on my blog.

Hair: Truth ~Isle
Skin: Tuli ~ Bella ~Gogo (to be released on Saturday)
Earrings and Bracelets: Magpie
Necktie: Sn@tch
Cardigan: Artilleri
Shorts: Sn@tch
Stockings: Sn@tch
Boots: J’s
Poses: Imperial Elegance