Tools of the Second Life Photo Trade - A Meme

 I took this photo Sunday night before i saw Strawberry Singh's meme for this week. Honestly I wasn't trying to copy your look Berry! But I do love the memes, so even though I'm not showing any tools in the photo, I'll tell you about them.

There's only one HUD that I always wear for photos and that is the very handy (and very free) AnyPose Expression. I use it mostly to focus eyes and occasionally change my expression. I have several other tools, but I only wear them when I need them.

I haven't updated my Pose Anywhere HUD in a long time because I prefer using pose balls or stands. When I use my HUD and need to touch something to bring it into focus, my camera view changes because my avi turns around. I save this tool for places where I can't rez a pose ball.

I love my Animare Pose and Animation System. It's perfect for those small adjustments I sometimes need to make to a pose. Sometimes a different tilt to the head or a small hand adjustment can make a big difference to a look.

Non-photo tools are my Vista Animation Overrider that I've worn for years and my wonderful texture organizer from my building days, the Skidz Partz - TMat. It's a great way to keep those textures organized and to reduce the size of my inventory. You can even store poses in it, although I haven't tried that. It may seem pricey, but I've had mine for years and it still works perfectly.

In other news, I've been feeding my hair addiction with this latest Truth Hair release called Bryn. I feel fabulous - at least until my next fix.

Credits:

TRUTH HAIR Bryn

Maitreya Vintage Lace Gown - Antique Part1

Maitreya Vintage Pearl Necklace

Glam Affair - Cleo - America - Clean F

  IKON Spectral Eyes - Amber

Mandala Simple Ears HUTUU

Beetlebone Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)

I'd Like to Thank My Mom...It's the Oscar Contest!

Contests are fun and Harper Ganesvoort's 5th Annual Oscar Fashion Photo Contest is one of the most fun of all. Last year Ayla and I won 3rd place with this entry! Every red carpet fashionista should enter! Check out past years' entries (and add your entry for this year) at this Flickr pool.

I'm planning to take a few photos and choose my favorite for my entry, but this "Thanks Mom" photo is a definite possibility. There's time, the contest runs through March 2nd.

Credits:

Baiastice Giulia dress - metal gold
Mandala 777 jewelry set Yellow

LeLutka - KATE hair - AuburnHaze (New Release)
Glam Affair - Vera skin - America - FLF E

Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands
Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance) - Mid
ANE Aura Shoes GOLD 

Pose and Props - Standby Inc. - World Tour - Microphone (Gacha Item)

SL OSCAR (Free on Marketplace)

About the Booty

We all have a love/hate relationship with our Second Life rears, don't we? We love that we can control the shape and we hate how the default avatar gives us weird pointy edges. I was tempted to try the new mesh booty from Luck Inc. called Phat Azz, but I could tell it wouldn't look right on my slender avatar. But when the same creator, CK Winx, released a new version called Cute Azz for us less bootylicious ladies, I decided to try it.

The Glam Affair applier blends seamlessly, so it's easy to forget that I'm wearing mesh from the waist down. It works with my SLink feet though I went down a foot size for a seamless fit. I adjusted my shape for the look, reducing body fat and belly to 0 so there would be no overhang. I lengthened my hips a little which made my Cute Azz look more natural to my eye.

Unlike my SLink mesh hands and feet, this is not a mesh item I would wear every day. There are appliers to cover it, but I've been over the painted-on-clothing look since mesh hit the grid and I'm not going back. This mesh ass is a photo prop for me and as such it is a little pricey at $1200 L plus the price of skin appliers. I tried a lot of poses and discovered that while my new Cute Azz didn't do that bizarre flattening that our default booties do in certain poses, it did have its own minor issues, mostly in seated poses at the joints of the hips to the legs.

So, while it's not the perfect answer to our default booties, it does improve over the default avatar rear in many respects (and at many angles).

Credits:

Luck Inc - Cute Azz

Maxi Gossamer - Ring - Royal Khadijah Estate - Large

Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands

Slink AvEnhance Feet High

Slink Mesh eyelids (alpha) (photo prop)

Slink Priscilla Plateau Heels Black

LeLutka - NEW hair - AuburnHaze

Glam Affair - Vera skin - America - FLF E

 

Practical Jokester, Moi?

Strawberry Singh has started her blog memes again. Hooray! Last week was a "what did you do for New Year's Eve" meme. Mine was too uneventful to blog about. My friend who was going to spend the evening with me came down with a cold, my sons had friends over and I spent New Year's Eve staying out of their way. YAWN!

This week's meme is about practical jokes - jokes I'd played or had played on me.

Meme Instructions: Share one or more practical jokes that either you have played on others or others have played on you inworld. If you have pictures or videos to share of it, even better. Don’t forget to leave a link to your post in [Berry's] comments.

I hung my head and sighed. I couldn't think of a single practical joke! I asked Ayla for help and she couldn't think of anything either. I threw a surprise SL party for her and her RL husband to celebrate their real life wedding, but other than getting them to the party under false pretenses it wasn't a joke.

We decided we were awfully, awfully boring, or forgetful or both. She logged for the night and at that minute I gave my forehead a slap. I remembered the day we decorated our friend Friar's home with grafitti. I still had my grafitti, so I recreated the scene of the crime, maid outfit and all. Here's the original picture! Ayla's was a god awful rendering of body parts. Maybe she'll share it. I got caught (go figure, how'd he guess it was me?). Here's a bit of our conversation about the matter:

Friar Tyles stands tapping his medieval foot on the floor as the lass begins to clear the wall of the strange symbols know as 'words'. With a devilish grin he tilts his head to the side to catch a glimpse of the lovely thighs on display and says...'I'm not sure who Ayla was but her friend has a good grasp of anatomy'

Dolly Baroque squints at the crude drawing above the fireplace and says, "Anatomy? Like the stars and such? I suppose it does kinda look like a rocketship, but what's that other thing? Twin moons?"

Friar Tyles bursts into peels of laughter at the misunderstanding. Pointing at the "W" with two dots at the centre hs tries to keep a straight face as he says...'I believe that is the constellation 'breastus major' also know as the funbag constellation'

Dolly Baroque turns to look at him, bowing to his superior wisdom. She was not likely to tell the gentleman what SHE thought the picture looked like.. not a rocketship and stars, that's for sure. "Well you'd know best Sir..." she says sweetly and turns back to the wall scrubbing.

Credits:

Belleza - Ria Med 1 R

Belleza - Ria Med Freckles 1

MANDALA Simple Ears HUTUU
BeetleBones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)
IKON Spectral Eyes  - Amber
Maxi Gossamer - Ring - Royal Khadijah Estate - Large
Paint brush
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands
TRUTH HAIR Luella

Provocation Maid costume

Provocation Maid rim

  

A Lesson in Truth

Truth Hair is the lesson. The first new Truth releases of 2014 are gorgeous! And remember when I told you there was so much more to blog for Collabor88? In the top photo the Belleza Skin, Yummy Accessories earrings, and The Secret Store blouse are all available at Collabor88.

In the second photo the dress is from Tee*fy, the clutch from Baiastice, and the black pearls from Maxi Gossamer. All at Collabor88!

Credits:

(Top Pic)

TRUTH HAIR Luella (New Release)

Yummy Pearl Wisp Earring - White (at Collabor88)

 The Secret Store - Mary Pleated Shirt - White Polka (at Collabor88)

Belleza - Ria Med 1 R (at Collabor88)

Mandala Simple Ears HUTUU

BeetleBones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)

IKON Spectral Eyes - Amber

MIEL HIPSTER PEEPERS - tortoise shell

(Bottom Pic)

TRUTH HAIR Snow - Gingers (New Release)

Belleza - Ria Med 1 R (at Collabor88)

Belleza - Ria Med Freckles 1

Belleza- Ria Med Gloss Lip 4

Baiastice -Yara clutch-black (at Collabor88)

Maxi Gossamer - Necklace - Knotted Shimmer Pearls (at Collabor88)

Maxi Gossamer - Ring - Royal Khadijah Estate - Large - SILVER

Yummy Pearl Wisp Earring - White (at Collabor88)

Tee*fy Julianna Fluffy Dress Classic (at Collabor88)

Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands

MANDALA Simple Ears HUTUU

IKON Spectral Eyes - Amber

Nostalgia

Collabor88's theme for January is nostalgia and I am inspired. There are so many great items that I have several blog postings planned. I've never blogged JunBug before and I am delighted to let you knowthat the JunBug Instant Crush dress is gorgeous. Never have I seen a sexier rear in evening wear! Make sure to demo - I had to wear a medium instead of my usual small. The D!va Astralia hair works perfectly with the dress, don't you think?

Trompe Loeil has a lovely materials ready chair called Astrid in an elegant style, and the Crawford mirror from Lark is feminine and classy. Collabor88 has them all. Here's your TAXI.

Credits:

JunBug - Instant Crush in Bloom (at Collabor88)

D!va Hair Astralia (Red amber) (at Collabor88)
Lark - Crawford Glove Box (at Collabor88)
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands 

Belleza Ria Med 1 R (at Collabor88)
Mandala Simple Ears HUTUU

Lark - Crawford Mirror (at Collabor88)
Trompe Loeil - Astrid Chair Nostalgia Rose (at Collabor88)
Pose by Flowey (at Collabor88)

 

The Bedroom

I love home decor in Second Life. I can be awfully fickle and redo a home from the ground up more than once a month. Digs just released a lovely new bedroom set called Ainsley that I'm currently enjoying. The bed comes in PG or Adult versions for all our bedroom activities. Color change bedding and furniture gives plenty of versatility to the look.

Credits:

DIGS - Aisling Bed - Pastel

DIGS - Aisling Bedside Table

DIGS - Aisling Bedside Lamp

DIGS - Aisling Tallboy

DIGS - Aisling Dresser

DIGS - Aisling Reading Pile

DIGS - Aisling Mirror

DIGS - Aisling Wicker Storage

DIGS - Aisling Skincare

DIGS - Suspension Lamp - Pewter

DIGs - Closet Doors

DIGS - Weather Embroidery trio

What Next - Norwegian Wood  Guitar

The Loft - Alderan Planter White

Trompe Loeil - Hanging Tri-Planter Blue 

Dutchie Plants

Cheeky Pea - Kaleidoscope Dreamcatcher

Tres Blah - Bon Voyage Clock Radio (Pink) (Gacha Item)

Apple Fall - Lustful Lilacs