Autumn Delights - A Strawberry Singh Challenge

Berry's blog meme for the week is about Autumn, my favorite season in Second Life and in my real life. You thought that was Clay making me swoon in the picture? Well - maybe, but at least a little of the swooning is because it's time for Fall.

Meme Instructions: Take an autumn inspired picture and/or answer the following questions about autumn. Don’t forget to leave your answers in the comments of Berry's post and if you take an autumn picture, please add it to the Blog Memes flickr group.

1. Is autumn your favorite season? Why or why not? – Yes and the reasons would be the colors of the season, the weather, cozy sweaters, and the sense of it being a season of plenty. My mother grew up on a farm and it was harvest season. Crops sold so there was money. Fruits and vegetables were canned and put up for the winter. Apple pies, cobblers, fritters and any other delicious item you can think of made with apples were plentiful. Even though I didn't grow up on the family farm, we still celebrated as if we had to grow our food ourselves.
2. Do you call it Autumn or Fall? – Both. In the fashion seasons it's the Fall collection, not the Autumn collection! I take drives to the country to look at Fall foliage - the alliteration makes it a must. Ayla tells me it's only Americans who call it Fall, so I kind of self-consciously call it Autumn at times when I'd rather say Fall, but honestly, for the most part I can switch between the two in the same thought.
3. What kind of weather does your area get during this season? – It's early for what I really consider to be Autumn. September is basically still summer. It cools off a bit from August, but the temperatures still usually reach the low 80's (Fahrenheit) during the day. Some trees turn a bit, but it builds slowly to the last two weeks in October when the colors of Autumn are glorious and the sweater weather begins.
4. Which color do you always associate with autumn? – Colors plural! Rusty reds, pumpkin oranges, trees so brilliantly yellow that they make the crisp blue of the sky even brighter in contrast.
5. Which Autumn themed sim is your favorite at the moment? – My own, but I'm not really bragging. I just haven't been out and about to check out Fall themed sims yet.

Credits:

Tres Blah Preppy Sweater w/Blouse - Yellow

Mon Tissu Cotton Pants ~ Khaki

Belleza - Leila Med 3 R (at Collabor88)

TRUTH HAIR Anita - Ginger Pack (New Release)

Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands

Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance) - Mid

Slink Tri-Colour Wedges Multipack

Pose by Del May

Pumpkin Grouping by Pilot

Credits for Clay:

D R O P Mesh Jacket Gray
FATEwear Pants - John - London
Belleza - Ashton Medium GG Bald
Colossus Boots Black

 Bryce ~ Saul - Natural Browns - Cork

Ready for Fall? So Is coldLogic

The new Fall releases at coldLogic have everything from slacks, leggings, sweaters, dresses and skirt and top ensembles. There's something for everyone. I decided to split my focus between a slouchy comfy sweater and pants look, and the sexy librarian look below (that's for Clay who loves a good redheaded librarian look, especially when she shushes him).

Credits:

top photo
coldLogic pants - brewster.granite cuff1 (new release)
coldLogic shirt - noyce.blue (new release)
ISPACHI [Heuston Scarf] F. Medium : Col (at Liaison Collaborative Boutique)
D!va Hair "Kalli2" (Red amber)
Maxi Gossamer - Rings  - Venetian Fortune - Small - L - SILVER
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands
Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)
Mayfly - Liquid Light Mesh Eye (Aged Bronze, w3)
-Belleza- Leila Med 4 R (at Collabor88)

bottom photo
coldLogic outfit - leone.blue (new release)
Ingenue :: Delia Heels (Slink Feet Add-On) :: Midnight
Maxi Gossamer - Rings  - Venetian Fortune - Small - L - SILVER
MIEL HIPSTER PEEPERS - tortoise shell (wear/click for menu)
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands 
Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance)
TRUTH HAIR Qopi [Roots] - Gingers02Fade
-Belleza- Leila Med 4 R (at Collabor88)
Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)

Fall Colors

My favorite colors tend to be the earth tones of Autumn, so I was thrilled by the new four season set of trees from Studio Skye. Directly after that purchase, Autumn came to my sim! I'm also loving the earth color selection of 22769 Casual Couture's new release for The Liaison Collaborative Boutique. The pants are versatile and can certainly be dressed down with a sweater or casual shirt. The halter top keeps it dressy and living up to the 5th Avenue theme of this round of the Boutique.

Credits:

22769 ~ [femme] Marlene Pants Brown Chefron
22769 ~ [femme] Obi Top Orange
TRUTH HAIR Renata - Gingers
[Gos] Boutique - Lauren d'Orsay - Truffle Collection
Belleza - Leila Med 4 R
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands

Happy Birthday Strawberry Singh!

It's Strawberry Singh's birthday! Ok, it was a couple of days ago, but birthdays are momentous occasions that can be celebrated all week. She made a pile-up challenge for her birthday. How sweet is that? I couldn't resist using a little Plurk knowledge about Berry to use in a meme. Happy Birthday Berry, and please keep your earrings away from your mouth!

Berry asked a few questions about our birthdays for this week's meme. I got a bit of a shock when I looked up the answers. My birthday is depressing. No holidays, no vote, major earthquakes in Japan and Haiti, and I share my birthday with not one but two Nazi war criminals.

1. When is your birthday? – January 12
2. Pick one person who shares your birthday and share what you know about them. – Here's where we get to the shocker part. When I was a kid my parents told me that I was born on John Singer Sargent's birthday. He was a famous American painter born in 1856. Well, I double checked to see who else was born on that day for this challenge and - oh dear. Not just the Nazi war criminals. Did you know that both Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh share my birthday? Ewww.
3. List one notable event that took place on your birthday. – In 1915 (and no I'm not quite that old) the United States House of Representatives voted No on a proposal giving women the right to vote. It took five more years to win this right. Depressing. But then in 1932, Hattie W. Caraway, a Democrat from Arkansas, became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Some progress?
4. Tell us about a holiday that falls on your birthday. – None that I ever heard of. Sigh.

I guess more bad news is recorded in history than good news. I know for a fact that a large extended family was celebrating one year on that date that a little girl was born. It just didn't make the history books.

These Are Days

Ayla and I went to the newest My Attic at the Deck event (SALE!) and both fell in love with the Baiastice corset. Of course I had to get a picture and blog it. One of our favorite things to do in downtime is to dance, so that's what we did. Guess what was playing in the background on my iTunes?

 

Credits:

On Ayla (left)

Baiastice Lingerie Corset-black
Magika [Hair M] Reflect
Maxi Gossamer - Necklace - Baroque Teardrop - Short - Gold
Poetic Colors Milky Eyes - Dove
LeLutka - 2011 lashes/natur/touch me
Glam Affair - Cleo - India - Clean D

Glam Affair - Cleavage - India 1
-Belleza- Eyeliner 1
 

On Dolly (right)

Baiastice Lingerie Corset-blood
lassitude & ennui Knotted pearl necklace white
SLink Closed Eyelids (pose prop)

Slink Mesh Hands (av)
TRUTH HAIR Kimbra [Roots] - Gingers02Fade
-Belleza- Leila TLC Med 3 R

Yes It's a Fly

Even a fly can be pretty when you make it sparkly! I so love this statement necklace from Pure Poison, a guest designer this round of the Liaison Collaborative Boutique. I've been a big fan of Shaleene Kenin's mesh jewelry for about a year now, and she never fails to deliver unique accessories. To see more of Pure Poison mesh jewelry check out the home store HERE.

Credits:

Pure Poison - Lady Fly Necklace (at Liaison Collaborative Boutique)

One Bad Pixel Jersey Tank Dress Red

TRUTH HAIR Renata (New Release)

Belleza- Leila Med 4 R (at Collabor88)

Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)

Mayfly - Liquid Light Mesh Eye (Aged Bronze, w3)

Surrealism and Second Life

Strawberry Singh's surrealism challenge made me smile. Surrealism and Second Life are like peanut butter and jelly - made for each other. Many of my favorite Second Life artists are innate surrealists. See the Flickr streams of Orsini Dive, Whiskey Monday, Patricie, and Alles Klaar, among others. Berry did a great job on her picture, capturing the essential topsy turvy surprise of surrealism with her challenge to the rules of physics. I would have loved to see what the early surrealists would have done if they had such a medium to work with, wouldn't you? Here's Berry's instructions for the challenge:
  
Create an image in Second Life that has a surreal feel to you. Don’t forget to share your link in Berry's comments and add your picture to the Blog Memes flickr group.

In Second Life it is as easy as can be to walk on water with a cat on your head. And when you can live on water and air, then it only stands to reason that you'd put up your umbrella when the boulder rains come (and matching your hair to the pink sky - well - that's a given). I was all excited about the Designers United Event so this challenge is the perfect opportunity to blog a few more of my purchases. Here's your SLurl to Designers United.

Credits:

 

Ohmai: Mochi Kitten (Pet Ver - Head) (at Designers United)
Fashionably Dead Swept Away Hair - Pastel 1 (at Designers United)

Tee*fy Vanishing Clouds Skirt Sky (at Designers United)
Tee*fy Vanishing Clouds Top Sky (at Designers United)
Belleza- Leila Med 4 R

Slink Enhancement Hands and Feet

LISP - Rainy Days Umbrella (pose prop)

I'm Swept Away

Every so often something comes along that really inspires that little bit of artistic surrealism in me. Designers United, an event that begins HERE on September 15th, will be filled with surreal creations by various designers to tickle our creative fancy. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at Fashionably Dead's offering for the event. Swept Away hair, dress and necklace seemed to me to be made for dancing on a cloud. This event is a must for photographers and artists from beginners to experts.

Credits:

Fashionably Dead Swept Away Dress - Red (New at Designers United)
Fashionably Dead Swept Away Hair - Red 3 (New at Designers United)
Fashionably Dead Swept Away Necklace - Gold (New at Designers United)
Baiastice Knee platform stretch boots-suede-red
Slink Mesh eyelids (alpha) (photo prop)
Slink Mesh Hands (av)
-Belleza- Leila Med 4 R (at Collabor88)

Pose by Del May

September Collabor88 - the Fall Collection

I feel downright stylish in my Collabor88 outfit today. The shorts and sweater from Ison are so amazing that I bought my favorite color - fatpack. The Ison clutch, League boots, Belleza skin and Exile hair are all new releases at this month's Collabor88. The only item that isn't from the September Collabor88 is my pair of cat tights from Izzie's. I thought they were the perfect whimsy to a polished look.

Credits:

League - Lauren Wedge Boots -Rigged- Taupe (New at Collabor88)
Exile - Falling For You Natural Fusion 2 (New at Collabor88)
ISON - angora sweater  (midnight) (New at Collabor88)
ISON - folded leather clutch (tan) (New at Collabor88)
ISON - pleated shorts (tan) (New at Collabor88)

Belleza- Leila Med 4 R (New at Collabor88)

Izzie's - Cat Tights marine

Slink Mesh Hands (av)

Good Hair Days

There is a reason we all love Mr. Truth Hawks. He has given us good hair days for years and keeps up with our often fickle tastes. Juniper is a new release Truth hair (HAT HAIR!) for a brand new event called Seasons Story.

Something else is new for us Truth hair fans. He has moved to a hud system for coloring our hair. No more cluttering up our inventory with colors we may never use but can't bear to part from. The recently updated hair colors are sold the same way as before. My color comes from the ginger pack and the felt hat's color change textures are located on the same hud.

Credits:

TRUTH HAIR Juniper (New at Seasons Story)

One Bad Pixel Sweater and Blouse Charcoal Cable
Maxi Gossamer - Earrings - Nima's Fall Leaf (New at Collabor88)

Belleza - Leila Med 4 R (New at Collabor88)
Glam Affair - Cleo - Freckles 1

Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)
Mayfly - Liquid Light Mesh Eye (Aged Bronze, w3)

Second Life Problems - A Meme

Second Life has problems, too. And the problems of a Second Life fashionista can be - well - humorous. So for Strawberry Singh's meme this week about memes - I thought I'd take on these heart wrenching problems. 

I came up with more headings than I thought possible, but ultimately decided to share this one. It could have happened, couldn't it?

Credits:

Fashionably Dead Blazer - Plaid Orange (New at Collabor88)
Clawtooth: Merci beaucoup - Strawberry cream (New at Collabor88)
Maxi Gossamer - Necklace - Dew Encrusted Teardrop - Short - GOLD (New at Collabor88)

Belleza Skin - Leila Med 4 R (New at Collabor88)

erratic / basics - racerback / dark navy
Izzie's - Tears + Redness Tattoo more intense
Izzie's - Sad Eyes *blue*

Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)

Glam Affair - Cleo - Freckles 1
Slink Mesh Hands (av) 

Trendy and Classic - That's Baiastice

My fashion senses are usually tickled by timeless classics. and there is something timeless yet trend right about Baiastice's offering for FaMeshed this month. I picked up multiple colors of the trendy top and classic skirt to mix and match. My hair from Exile, also at FaMeshed, was just the right pairing of casual and elegant.

I bought the Maxi Gossamer ring and necklace from the Limited Bazaar for two reasons:

1. I love everything Maxi Gossamer makes, and 
2. The theme was Baroque. 

So I couldn't help myself, could I?

Credits:

Baiastice Mjrie top-black
Baiastice Yse maxi skirt-black
Exile Hair Where We Belong Natural Fusion 2
Maxi Gossamer - Necklace - Baroque Peacock Flower - Long
Maxi Gossamer - Rings  - Venetian Fortune - Small - GOLD
Slink Mesh Hands (av)
Glam Affair - Cleo - America - 04 F

Glam Affair - Cleo - Freckles 1
Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)
Mayfly - Deep Sky Mesh Eye (Deep Honey Hazel, w3) 

Pose by oOo Studios

I'll Have a Double

Oh yes, people. I love my espresso machine so much that if the house were on fire and the kids and dog were safe, my espresso machine would be the first thing I would save. The Arcade Gacha Event is in full swing and I've made a few purchases already. As you can see by my loving look, the coffeemaker from Standby is my favorite so far. Also from Standby is the package of French roast.

The eye chart poster and hanging willow plates are from Apple Fall - I want that whole set if I get lucky. The jams and cute table are some of Vespertine's Arcade items. Even my Glam Affair skin is available at the Arcade!

Credits:

-Glam Affair - Candy - America - 02 B (at The Arcade Gacha)

-Glam Affair - Candy -  Freckles

(fd) Scallop Shorts - Light Denim

erratic / cary - double tank / lime-turquoise

EarthStones Johanna Ring - Amber

Slink Mesh Hands (av)

Donna Flora VIOLETTA earrings

LeLutka - SATO hair - AuburnHaze (New Release)

One Last Tribute

Probably most of my readers know about the death of Squinternet Larnia on Wednesday. The Donna Flora owner and creator touched many lives. Knowing her personally or through her store like me, she showed us what creativity in Second Life could be. She will be missed. I am grateful to have taken part in the Love Donna Flora event while she was still able to see how so many people appreciated her contributions to Second Life. May she rest in peace.

Credits:

Donna Flora MIRELLA earrings 

Donna Flora MIRELLA necklace
Jalwa Skins - Dido - Tumeric - Brown Eyebrow (New Release)
Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)
Mayfly - Deep Sky Mesh Eye (Deep Honey Hazel, w3)
[LeLutka]-JASMINE hair - Bournville

Berry's Windlight Settings Challenge

I like this challenge, one of Strawberry Singh's Monday memes/challenges. We're talking windlight settings this week. You can feel sorry for me if you want, because I can't take pictures in Firestorm. It crashes me every darn time I push up my graphics settings and try to take a snapshot. I use the Second Life official viewer because - for my Mac laptop at least - it's the most reliable viewer with the least lag and crashing. Messing with windlight settings in the official viewer is a drag, but it's better than crashing.

In my photos above, the only change is the windlight settings. Typically I do more post processing with layers and colors, but these close-to-raw pics show the windlight settings as they appear in world. The big one on the left is one I made and named Friar, because I made it for my friend Friar's pic when I blogged him for another meme. I made color adjustments to his photo ultimately because Redgrave men's skins can be kind of orange. Then from top to bottom on the right are Annan Adored's Light Explosion (moody sky and sharp contrasts), Gogo's Davos Midday (very soft shadows and a lovely sky color), and Berry's Sapphire (awesome in the studio, shadows somewhere between the sharp and soft shadows of the other two). To view a larger version of this photo to see better what I mean, go to my Flickr photo.

Meme instructions: Answer the following questions about windlight settings and share some that you’ve created yourself. Don’t forget to leave a link to your post in Berry's comments (and mine if you like).

1. Do you use windlight while taking pictures? If not, why not? Oh yeah, of course I do! I experiment all the time with windlight settings. I've practically forgotten what Second Life looked like pre-windlight.
2. When taking a closeup snapshot for a profile picture, which windlight preset do you use most often? Since I don't have all those wonderful Firestorm settings, I've downloaded several kind peoples' settings and made a few of my own. The settings I use most often are probably Strawberry Singh's Sapphire or Amethyst settings, or Gogo's Davos Midday setting.
3. Which windlight presets do you use for full body portraits? Hmm... I still do a lot of experimenting with various settings in a photo shoot and choose the pic that works the best for the particular shot. I love Annan Adore's Dusty and Light Explosion settings if I'm in a sim setting. Against a backdrop my favorites are probably the ones I downloaded from Berry.
4. If you do landscape photography, which windlights do you use for that most often? I find that the windlight settings that work best on my avatar's face are not necessarily great for objects. While the face needs a relatively flat lighting, objects benefit from stronger contrasts. When I take a picture of a room or outdoor setting I love Chic Aeon's Places windlight settings. Sand and Pathfinder are particular favorites. 
5. Do you have any tricks or tips that you could share for using windlight effectively? Well, once I find settings I like, I use them a lot, changing the east/west position for shots. I do play with settings and when I really like one I've changed a lot, I save it as one of my own.
6. Have you created any windlights that you would be willing to share with us? I'd be happy to share mine if anyone wanted them AND if I had a clue how to do it! If someone wants to teach me, I'm all yours.

Speaking of sharing, thank you Berry for sharing your latest windlight settings! I'll be downloading and experimenting with them as soon as I finish this post. Annan Adored's settings have a link from Berry's page, so I'll just add a link to Gogo's JuicyBomb.com settings.

Credits:

Tee*fy Aurora  Nightdress Sky (at the Arcade Gacha Event) 

LeLutka Hair- SEIKO hair - AuburnHaze (New Release)

League Dipped Feather Earring Silver
Slink Mesh Hands (av)
Glam Affair - Cleo - America - 06 F

Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)
Mayfly - Liquid Light Mesh Eye (Summer Shore, w3)

September at FaMeshed

Because it's September now I think it should be Autumn, though Summer officially lasts until the 21st. But for now I'll pretend there's a nip in the air and don this cozy sweater and matching skirt from Cracked Mirror for this month's FaMeshed. The bridge I'm crossing is a new release from Botanical, available this month at FaMeshed.

I'm also loving the tousled short new release hair from Lelutka (even though it's not at FaMeshed).

Credits:

Cracked Mirror Slouch Sweater (Emerald) (at FaMeshed)
Cracked Mirror  Snare Mini Skirt (Emerald) (at FaMeshed)
Yummy Boho Ring - Yellow
Slink Mesh Hands (av)
[LeLutka]-SEIKO hair - AuburnHaze (New Release)
Glam Affair - Cleo - America - 06 F

Beetlebones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown) 

Mayfly - Liquid Light Mesh Eye (Summer Shore, w3)

Besties

Ayla and I shopped at FaMeshed this morning. We're both wearing tops we bought. Ayla, on the right, is wearing the Baiastice top, I'm in the Valentina E on the left. April, in the middle, picked up her tunic sweater at TeeFy at the Fifty Linden Friday event. Because we all looked so fabulous I asked to take a photo. We all hopped on a cute girly threesome from Rack Poses that I've had in my inventory for awhile and voila!
 
We three met through roleplaying and we're excited to try again. We've decided to play sisters at Wendigo Lake which is still in beta. It's a lovely small town sim and worth a visit. If you're a roleplayer, stop over and visit us on the boardwalk. We'll tell your fortune if the spirits move us.