London Calling: Leaf on the Wind and Cute Builds

Ok. First the serious stuff. One very generous and talented lady, Scarlet Chandrayaan, of Alouette, recently received word of the news nobody ever wants to hear: cancer.  And to make it seem worse, she was ready to embark on a happy chapter of her life, making a big move to live with her love, and only 26 to boot.  But SL did what SL does at it's best; dear friends of Scarlet came together and put together the Leaf on the Wind event, which is raising funds so that Scarlet can visit London, which is a biggie on her bucket list. Some folks sneer at fundraisers, but I believe in them in most cases, At some point in are life we encounter big obstacles: financially, healthwise or a significant death, and I think fundraisers in SL do 2 big things: money (obviously) and emotional support that says "somebody cares about me".  The event runs to February 1st and includes donation items, raffles and direct donations as well as a way to send a personal message to Scarlet.

Speaking of caring, darling Pixiplumb Flanagan from Baby Monkey is offering free mesh shirts (M/F) that say "Je suis Charlie", a phrase adopted by people who support freedom of expression after the recent Paris massacre where 12 people were killed at the offices of newspaper Charlie Hebdo, a far left leaning satirical weekly that pokes a stick at current affairs. If you are someone who wants to express solidarity for the victims and what they stand for, pick one up.

Somewhat prophetically, Apple Fall has made an adorable shop prefab for The Liaison Collaborative, which opens with it's new round, Classic Romance, on January 15. The build is a lightweight with a LI of 34. It has 2 working floors and the cutest trashy stairway that you see in old builds, which I am very familiar with from my dead broke and hungry years. A UV map for the sign is included for your own brand. I decided that since London is the topic of the day, that turning the build into something that might look like a building on the real Portobello Road, that runs straight through the heart of Notting Hill in the boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea in West London.  The build was so much fun to decorate, that my problem was I had difficulty stopping once I got to it.

Credits:
Stuff from Leaf on the Wind: everything at the event has some level of donation
Hair: Tableau Vivant: Amy (aka Scarlet)
Skin: Glam Affair: Sia - Artic 05B
Boots: Foresaken: Union Queen boots
London Sign: Black Tulip
Stuff from The Liaison Collaborative (opens Feb 15)
Building: Apple Fall: Portobello Corner Store
Jewelry: Cae: Romantique Collection (incl, HUD for texture change and resize)
other
Shirt: Baby Monkey: 'I am Charlie' Tee: womens: Freeeeee (on the desk)
Skirt: Maitreya: Mini Skirt: Vivid Leather - Lust
Stockings: erratic: Ripped Stockings - blue
Pose: Le Poppycock: currently available at The Chapter Four
All the other things are just part of my vast collection of stuff.  If you have any questions, just IM me in-world

Wish You a Manly Christmas

So, we are celebrating Christmas at my brother's house this year. My brother, Dean, is a big imposing Harley guy with the heart of a marshmallow. Generally there would be a motorcycle in the middle of the living room, but he has a new house so I'm sharing a mental image of what I hope it looks like.  Sometimes men need cozy, too.

Credits:
From The Men's Dept.:
Aria: Hiver sideboard cabinet: Touch options include texture change (color and stencil) and shadow effect
22769 ~ [bauwerk]:  Barrel Chair Green: available in green, red and blue. Includes 10 adjustable poses (animated and static)
From The Arcade: 
Trompe Loeil: Advent Calendar 2013: The tree calender itself is free to all.  Plays are only 25 L for a variety of adorable items.  The items I have rezzed include (left to right): Tree Candleholder, Branch Wreath, Dashing Through The Snow Chalkboard, Recycled Wood Photo Frame, Snowflake Pillow Bunch with animations (Seats 2, eight couples animations). Just rez the keys near the advent tree and the corresponding door opens and delivers the actual item.  The items are exquisite and it's kind of fun to see the door pop open with a mini replica of each item.
From FaMESHed:
Trompe Loeil: Holiday 2013 Hearth: available in 3 wood finishes and touch on/off fire; Holiday Couch: PG and Adult versions with 9 touch controlled color/pattern sofa fabric options and 8 pillow fabric options. About a zillion animated poses; 2013 Holiday Tree: available in 6 colors; each set includes 6 versions; perfect inside or outdoors.
Misc:
Barnesworth Anubis: fancy pet feeder - KittyCats advent 2013: gift 1 of 25 lovely free gifts.  If you miss a day you can come back and get!  The KittyCat folks do such a lovely job with this event.
EmmePose: little grey kitty: attachable mesh prop from Meow pose reopening gift: TY TY
POST: Retro Coffee Table
Apple Fall: Chinese Takeout: old group gift
Sari-Sari: Weihnachtsteller: part of 4 Walls Hunt: 20L
Silent Sparrow: Rudolph Penant: free gift in store with the unmistakable artwork of hyasynth Tiramisu
Lisp: Assorted Gift Boxes: Transferable, but I could not bear to part with them!

Men's Department Stuff: Not just for the guys

Hi everyone! I'm back. I have missed blogging so much. RL continues to be hectic but my son is getting treatment and overall is doing much better. I had reached a point where I was blogging so much (event upon event) that something just had to go for awhile...and it ended up being my personal blog.  But I've missed it and the blogging community and it's time to do something that is me.

I'm not a huge girly girl unless I'm having an occasional pink explosion.  That being said, I love The Men's Department, a monthly event coordinated by Mikel Monk.  Mikel has put together a showcase of high quality items that includes both avatar and decor items.  All the designers do original work and the prices are never more than L$ 300.  It;s the perfect place to familiarize oneself with some of the best creators that design with men in mind and fills a huge gap for the guys.

I am totally digging the boots from Trauermarsch boots from Deadwool. The set includes both rigged and unrigged versions and the rigged come in two sizes as well as 3 styles so they can adapt to different pant styles.  This is so thoughtful as it is endlessly annoying when meshes don't play nice with each other. Bauwerk has 3 amazing arcade machines out.  I adore the Second Life one and it comes with 9 unique poses, all of which are easily adjustable. Eleventh hour made some really interesting Tube Beer Tap that dispenses a beer or a cup for your cold one when you touch the tap. Second Spaces did great Ezra pieces that includes the table shown (resized for my purposes) and a cigar set that includes an ashtray and rotary dispenser. Nicely detailed decor items to add masculine touches to your home.

My shots were actually inspired by LeLutka's new Seiko hair that is a messy androgynous style that I adore. My clothes are not new but in my opinion Coco's mesh denim shorts are the best I've seen on the grid and I wear them all the time. OK, time for me to shut up and roll the credits. It took me a lot of time to muster up the courage to blog again and I'm so glad  I finally did it. See you soon!

Credits:
Items currently available exclusively at The Men's Department :
Arcade Machine: Bauwerk: SL
Second Spaces: Ezra Table and Ashtray - sold separately
Beer Tap: Eleventh Hour: Weissbier version
Boots: Deadwool: Trauermarsch boots: - blue

Other:
Hair: LeLutka: Seiko -fades: new release
Skin: Glam Affair: Katya: Europa 03 - at Collabor88 for a few more seconds - maybe
Sweater: Coco: Cropped Sweater & Shirt
Shorts: Coco: Denim Shorts - Dark Blue
Stockings: Meil: Lo Socks
Flowers: Apple Fall: Poppies / Glazed Vase - available at The Arcade