You can be Bad on your Birthday

Sometimes it's healthy to strip off my good-girl image.  I have a thing for blindfolds.  !Je Suis makes it's glam with diamonds.  *L.inc* never fails when it comes to sexy clothing. *YS&YS* has three new skins at CHIC Management's 2nd Birthday event.  All these items are new and exclusive at CHIC2 until June 24th.

Credits: (Visit the CHIC2 page for all the info you need) TP to start shopping!
Dress: *L.inc* Nicki dress - black sequin @ C2
Blindfold: !je suis aveugle diamond studded blindfold... yummm @ C2
Skin: *YS&YS* Irene 10 w Sensual Lip makeup @ C2
Hair: LeLutka: Daisy
Ring: [HANDverk] Geode Ring for Mesh Around Hunt

It's not over until the fat lady sings

Culture Shock ends on the 26th but I am going to show stuff until the end: 1) there is too much good stuff to show yet and 2) the charity,  Médecins Sans Frontières, has challenged Chic Management to donate 2 Million lindens and approximately 575,000 still needs to be earned.  Each designer involved is offering at least 2 items where at least 50% of the proceeds go to charity. There are a few other stores, Aura and Ladies Who Lunch, come off the top of my head, that are offering a percentage of all sales to charity.  So go shop... open 24 hours a day... no script limits...hurr

I really wasn't planning on doing this post but I somehow ended up in this outfit so it occurred organically.  The awesome mesh theatre seating from Captivity Company is one of her sweet props at Culture Shock.  It has both male and female animations (but no sexys) and the poses are adjustable.  Don't forget that YS&YS has some skins that are exclusive to Culture Shock and will soon be gone.
Wasabi Pills has just released a new summer version of the Lola hair with cute pigtails and it had a hint of retro that worked just right today.  And then, to my utter glee, Tiffy Vella from Eclectica let me know about her new retro glasses.  This totally made my day as I have drooled over her amazing work for a long time and was always too shy to approach her.  What a nice lady who makes great stuff!  The 50's glasses come in either a rhinestone or pearls pack and they are infinitely changeable.  The scripting is very elegant and you can independently change texture, colour and shine in the frames, lenses and decorative details.  Below you can see the City shade that actually shows a skyline.  These are truly magnificent.  She has also updated some of her older styles and if you have those please contact her for a free upgrade.  Many of those are unisex.  I have no qualms recommending these as a great investment.

Ingenue has some spiffy new mesh boots at Culture Shock.  The mustard pair are exclusive to CS2012.

So I've been so busy between RL and blogging when I come in-world that I have not been shopping in ages and had to take a quick trip to The Wash Retro Swap Meet.  I tped to Bliensen & MaiTai's stall for the glamourous Pleasantville earrings for only 10 L each.  There are four colors to chose from as well as some sweet art deco ones.  Lo and behold! Artilleri was right next to Bliensen and I found some stuff I didn't already have.  This leo version of the Ulrika top was new to me.  I remember getting a different print at a FLF.  Speaking of FLF, she has a few of her old FLF items out, now for only 10 L so if you hesitated go pick them up now.  Ear Candy on the other side of Bliensen also had some cute mesh bags and jewelry for only 10 L.  Then I had to force myself to stop.

Ok, last blip.  [HANDverk], if you've seen my posts with them you know I love them.  They are going to be in an all mesh hunt in June and the amazing geode ring is one of their items.  It is unisex and you will not want to miss it!  

Credits: (please refer to the Culture Shock map and slurls for all event locations)

Prop: Captivity Company: Theatre Chair - at Culture Shock

Hair: Wasabi Pills: Lola Summer Hair: new release

Skin: YS&YS: Sofia Culture Shock - at Culture Shock

Lips: Redbird: sheer lipstick - at Culture Shock

Earrings: Bliensen & MaiTai: Pleasantville Earrings: 10 L at The Wash

Shirt: Artilleri: Ulrika Top - leo: 10 L at The Wash right next to Bliensen

Belt:  Ingenue: Traveler Belt

Boots: Ingenue: Jude Boot: at Culture Shock

Ring: [HANDverk]: Geode Ring for the Mesh Around Hunt coming June 1

[HANDverk]: How I love thee

Ok.  I am going to try to keep my nerdiness to a minimum but my passion is 20th Century designer furniture, particularly the first half of the century.  I discovered [HANDverk] when I was previewing Culture Shock and since that time I've grabbed about anything I can get from them.  [HANDverk] is the creation of Tobias Convair and his partner, Daphne Klossovsky.  From what I can garner it appears that Tobias makes the furnishings and Daphne, the jewelry and other wearables.  Both are stunning.  All of the [HANDverk] items are a mesh creation.  The jewelry is all unrigged so that you can make adjustments.

The Wassily Lounge Chair was created by Marcel Breuer in 1925.  Breuer was one of the protégés of the founder of the Bauhaus, which was a school in Germany that combined the fine arts and crafts and was founded on the idea of creating a "total" work of art in that all arts, including architecture were combined. The Bauhaus school was short lived as it was shut down by the Nazis in 1933 but it's impact has shaped our world.  The Wassily lounge chair, produced in RL by Knoll, can be found at the [HANDverk] booth at Culture Shock 2012, as well as the Wassily jewelry that I am wearing in the first four photos.  The jewelry is a very clever interpretation of the Wassily Lounge, something I think the members of Bauhaus would have enthusiastically embraced.

The Barcelona Chair was created by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1929 for the German Pavillion for the Barcelona Exposition. Mies was director of the Bauhaus at one point but he is more often known as a modern architect.  His most famous building is the Seagram Building in Midtown Manhattan and you can find a number of his high-rise office towers in Chicago.  He is attributed with the aphorisms "Less is more" and "God is in the details", guiding principals of Minimalism but adopted for everyday language.  The Barcelona is also manufactured by Knoll.

The final set of jewelry at Culture Shock is the Bauhaus Face jewelry and is inspired by the Bauhaus logo.  It includes both gold and silver versions.

[HANDverk] does more than historical sets.  The Fan jewelry, which is featured this month at FaMESHed, is bold yet intricate and consists of many small pieces.   It is available in gold, silver and steel and includes both brown and black leather laces. I decided that it leant to a tribal look and so I had to wear la petite morte's fantastic tribal makeup in black.  It paired perfectly with YS&YS's Jenny Skin and Mon's Shocking eyes in brown.  These items are available at Culture Shock.

Just out today for Stumblebum is the Strand set.  Stand is available in four color combinations. I am wearing the "manic maize" set but is also available in crazed cerulean, lunatic lime and psychotic pink.  You can purchase the necklace and bracelets as a set or individually.  They are fantastic statement items and a must-have if you are looking for something new and vibrant.  You can purchase through the end of the month at a 25% discount so get them all now.  The Blanca skin from AKERUKA is an exclusive at Culture Shock and is gorgeous.  The yummy Wrapped & Strapped Bandeau from Pididdle comes in seven bright colors and can also be found at Culture Shock.

I wanted to show again the furniture items that are available at Culture Shock (does not include painting).  The table, lamp and tea set are all Bauhaus inspirations.

At FaMeshed you can get the Marshmallow Sofa and the Sunburst Clock.  I apologize for the ridgy appearance.  I'm on an older computer and sometimes I can get antialias under control and other times it seems to be impossible. Anyway, the Marshmallow Sofa was created by George Nelson in 1956 for Herman Miller. Nelson became the Director of Design at Herman Miller, which was one of the foremost creators of mid-century modern furniture.  Like the Wassily and Barcelona you can get reproductions of the Marshmallow sofa and a variety of Nelson clocks but the originals go for very high prices at auctions.  Nelson made several brillant clocks for Howard Miller and are now reproduced by Vitra Design Museum.

I could go on but I would bore most of you and probably get kicked off all the feeds unless they cut me off several pictures ago.  [HANDverk] has a fantastic blog that provides all kinds of other information about the items and their inspirations.  Daphne and Tobias are very gifted craftspeople and I cannot wait to see what they create next.

Credits: please refer to the Culture Shock website for a map and slurls to all CS items.  As of yesterday, Culture Shock had earned L$1,144,106 for Médecins Sans Frontières and every Culture Shock item I am showing today is donating a portion of the proceeds to charity.

Photos 1 - 4 and 8
Furniture: [HANDverk]: Wassily and Barcelona chairs, and Bauhaus Decor set are available at Culture Shock.  The tea set is also a stand alone gift at CS.
Lingerie: D.Select: Lingerie Negligee in black and cream
Shoes: Gos: Pimp your Pumps - Point Platform
Hair and makeup: ICON hair by Joy Laperriere (Shi) - go to the hair section at Euphoria
Skin: LAQ: Ebba

Photo 5:
Jewelry: [HANDverk]: Bauhaus Face Jewelry @ Culture Shock
Skin: Laq: Ebba
Makeup: Cheap Makeup: Zeitgeist Eye Makeup @ Culture Shock
Hair: ploom: Dusty Beehive

Photo 6:
Jewelry: [HANDverk] Fan Jewelry @ Famished
Skin: YS&YS: Jenny Skin CS2012 @ Culture Shock
Makeup: la petite morte: Tribal Makeup @ Culture Shock
Hair: Elikatira
Eyes: Mons: Shocking Eyes - Brown @ Culture Shock

Photo 7:
Jewelry: [HANDverk] Strand Jewelry for Stumblebum
Top: Pididdle: Wrapped & Strapped Bandeau - Ruby @ Culture Shock
Skin: Akeruka:  Blanca: Exclusive at Culture Shock
Eyes: Mons: Shocking Eyes - Green @ Culture Shock
Hair: Wasabi Pills: Clementine

Photo 9:
[HANDverk]: Marshmellow Sofa and Sunburst Clock @ Famished
   - Tea Set: See Bauhaus Decor Set above
 Table: Noguchi Table: an oldie of mine

Blue in Green

I'm just talked out. Rejoice! Credits say all.

Please refer to the Chic Management website to find a map and slurls to all things Culture Shock 2012.

Credits 

Dress: Celoe: June Dress - Lake - CS2102 exclusive (100% donation)

Skin: Glam Affair: Giselle - Culture Shock (100% donation)

Shoes: YS&YS: Brera - Gloss Taupe

Jewelry: Donna Flora: Laura - amazing sale - hurry for 70% off selected items

Hair: LeLutka: Jolie

Chair: Estetica: Mod Cafe Chair - from the lights set, incl. 7 poses (50% donation)

Lamp: Lisp: Rainy Day Umbrella Floor Lamps (50% donation)

Culture Shock: Colour Shock

One of the fashion trends that continues this summer, inside and outside SL, is color blocking.  It's nice that SL is on-trend as often it lags a bit.  Step into Culture Shock 2012 and you will see it everywhere - clothing, accessories and home decor.  My natural clothing tendencies go toward neutrals but I am enjoying this trend, especially since often the design is very clean and mod.  I am going to show you just a sample of items that I found at Culture Shock that fit this bill.  I think one of the tricks with color blocking is to choose accessories wisely so you don't end up looking like a coloring book.  I've exaggerated my looks a bit here to show you the range of items so you can find ways to add color to your look.

Sleeping Koala hit it out of the ballpark for me with the Bold Print Dress (100% donation) above. It is so mod and while the colors are bold they have been toned down just enough for me to not feel overwhelmed. It is partial mesh, which in this case means you can have a smooth mesh skirt prim or the usual one.  I actually liked the normal prim as she uses two pieces and sometimes I am too lazy to unlink (lol).  Speaking of skirt prims, nothing irritates me more than a nonmodifiable skirt prim, especially when there is not even a resizer.  Have you seen the variety of hip width and buttock size in SL? Anyways,  I laid off on the accessories as I chose Wasabi Pills Shiori (50% donation) hair as well as the Gwen skin from CIA Designs (50%) as they were both in very bold tones.   If you know me at all you know I am a huge mid-century furniture fan and if I see it I have to have it!  As soon as I saw the items from [HAND]verk I started to get the happy brain sensation I get when I see really well made high-design items.  In this photo the marshmallow sofa and starburst clock, amazing replicas of Herman Miller and Howard Miller items, are actually sold at FaMESHed, but the teaset in the style of Bauhaus designer Marianne Brandt, is at Culture Shock and is their gift to you.  Lastly, the adorable little radio from {what next} comes in 5 versions and reminds me of old Fisher Price toys, which I am an avid collector of in RL.

Apple May's new dress, Danni, is available in the Retro version exclusively at Culture Shock (50% donation). The top of the dress is mesh and comes in 4 standard sizes. I find that often even with Standard Sizing I often have to make adjustments to my shape or go up a size to get the right fit but this fit perfectly!  Please demo the dress as it is mildly revealing though I didn't notice the bit of nip until I had been stomping around in it for a day.  The dress includes clothing layers and the skirt is not mesh.  Ingenue has released new mesh boots, Jude, and the mustard color that I am wearing are a 100% donation item.  The purse is part of an adorable pose set from Sparrowtree Studio poses and includes 5 poses, poseballs and 5 purses.  The poses also work well with other purses so it's a great deal.

I adore the skin from Acide!  All of the Muriel skins are new and exclusive for Culture shock and this particular version, Violet tan, is a 50% to charity version.  Mons wonderful sparkling eyes are a 50% donation item.  I've been wearing these since I got them and I've been a die hard devotee to my other eyes for ages.  You can see a tiny glimpse of [HAND]verk's Bauhaus Face Necklace here. I am going to do another post about their designs as it's my new obsession and I will show the full set there.

Not exactly color blocked but bold in their own way are The Plastik's Katyana top (100% donation) and YS&YS's exclusive Brera CS2012 shoes (100% donation).  Both items worked perfectly with a pair of skinny jeans.  I am wearing YS&YS's CS2012 exclusive Roxanne skin (50%) donation which tones perfectly with the shoes (bonus!). It's gorgeous and I will get a better face shot soon.

Finally, alterego's cute Candy Dress (50 % donation) is all mesh and also sized perfectly with my XS shape.  The dress comes in three color blocked version and includes necklace, earrings and hair bow.  I laid off the hair bow because Wasabi Pill's Shiori hair comes in all of the usual fantastic textures.  The Brera shoes from YS&YS are available in other colors and the Gloss Fuxia pair were perfect.  I fell in love with la petite morte's Diffused Makeup and the blue was a perfect matchy matchy!

The Color Blocking Prop I used in the bottom 3 photos is from Magpie is perfect for a strong pop of color.  It contains 6 separate poses that are well placed for still shots.  The object is modifiable so you can adjust poses for your avatar. This is also at Culture Shock.

Each shop at the Culture Shock event has at least one item where a portion of the proceeds benefits Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders). I had to stop by there today and noticed they have upped the script limit to 75 so make sure you remove HUDS and items that contain a lot of scripts.  I noticed one woman repeatedly trying to get in with nearly 500 scripts on her body.  That will not cut it and I for one am thankful that this decision was made.

Credits (any items from Culture Shock will not have a slurl by them.  You can go to the Chic Management webpage and find a complete map and list of slurls for all the stores.  Once you have passed the landing point you can use those to directly TP around the sim.

Photo 1:
Dress: Sleeping Koala:  Bold Print Dress
Hair: Wasabi Pills: Shiori
Skin: CIA Designs: Gwen
Poster: What Next: Got Music? - gift!
Radio: What Next: Retro Radio
Tea Set: [HAND]verk: Tea Infuser Set - gift!
Marshmellow Sofa and Spoke Clock: [HAND]verk at FaMESHed
Noguchi Table: I've had it forever

Photo 2/3
Dress: Apple May: Danni - Retro
Boots: Ingenue: Jude
Skin: Acide!: Muriel
Necklace: [HAND]verk: Bauhaus Faced Necklace
Hair: LeLutka: Toni

Photo 4
Top: The Plastik: Katyana Top - Revolution Culture Shock 2012
Shoes: YS&YS: Brera Pumps Culture Shock 2012
Ring: [HAND]verk: Black Wassily Ring
Jeans: Maitreya: Mesh Zipper Skinny Jeans
Skin: YS&YS: Roxanne

Photo 5/6
Dress: alterego: Candy Dress
Shoes: YS&YS: Brera Pumps Gloss Fuxia
Skin: YS&YS: Roxanne
Makeup: la petite morte: Diffused Makeup
Hair: Wasabi Pills: Shiori

Photos 4 - 6
Magpie: Colour Blocking Prop

Color Challenge meets Culture Shock

Late to the game as always on the Color Challenge.  I will never be first but possibly last, just like being picked in gym class.  This week's color challenge was Thistle and it was not as easy as I first imagined it to be.  It's kind of a lavenderish pink and purple is not generally my thing.  My old (2009) dress from TART (now Evale) fitted the bill just about perfectly but then I chose the remainder of items from the upcoming Culture Shock 2012 event. 

Chic Management hosts some of the best events on the grid and the 2nd annual Culture Shock event aims to incorporate the cultural influences of those involved.  This event, sponsored by Modavia Productions, is also a charity event where each of the 184 stores involved must include at least one EXCLUSIVE item where at least 50% of the proceeds will benefit charity. The chosen charity is Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) for the second year.  The event opens tomorrow, 4.4, at 4 PM SLT and runs through May 26th.  It is important to note that some things have been done to create less lag and one of them concerns you.  If you have more than 50 scripts running on your avatar you will not be able to gain entrance.  Right click yourself on most viewers and you can retrieve that information.  Some scripts are more taxing than others so be aware of what you are wearing.

I always love Wasabi Pills mesh hair selection and the amazing MissAllSunday Lemon has created yet another lovely piece for Culture Shock, called Shiori.  Wasabi provides a "BOOBS" version of the hair for those of you who are endowed as well as tattoo hair-bases and a HUD to change band colors (easy to detach and that script is gone!).  The skin from YS&YS is exclusive to Culture Shock and comes with about a billion options from cleavage to brow colors to lashes and freckles.  I am wearing the teeth version and I love it.  I generally despise teethies in SL because I look ridiculous in them but this one is subtle enough to make my purist heart happy. I added the sweet lip tattoo from Redbird, which is a new store to me, from their Candied Lip pack (as well as an older Lelutka eyeshadow to get the color challenge effect).  The Shocking Eyes are new from Mons. These are a donation item and are really bright and and clear with enough dark tones to give them a nice depth.  Last but not least, I love A.S.S.'s new Decade Rings.  The rings include a hud so that you can change the texture (again detach and no scipts).  They best fit a large hand, but I like em!  Even my pose from Status was found at the event!  

You can access Culture Shock 2012 beginning tomorrow, 4.4, at 4 PM SLT.  A zoomable map with a complete listing of slurs  is available so you can find your favorite stores or enjoy wandering and discover someone new to you.  The landing point is here. 

Credits (the slurls will be to the actual stores - use the links just above to find the shops when Culture Shock opens)

Dress: TART (now closed): Mia - reopened as Evale) - not at CS2012
Ring: A.S.S. : Decades Ring - Key 
Hair: Wasabi Pills: Shiori
Skin: YS&YS: CS2012 - Roxanne
Lips: Redbird: Candied Lips - Strawberry
Eyeshadow: Lelutka: Makeup1 (I think I got it with a skin - lol) - not at CS2012 but Celoe is!
Pose: Status: Glamah Shotz5

Aunt Ruth

This time of year always brings me back to Aunt Ruth and her farm on the Michigan/Indiana border, with fields now fallow and it's pecan trees, hardy for such a Northern climate.  I would fall asleep and wake again to the murmurs of my aunt's conversations and the hope of some inclusion in the fold.  I wish my poor old Mac could capture the long shadows but alas, it's old school for me as it's just not in the budget.

I love Reila Skins latest group gift of the cozy poncho.  Part of me cringes at the idea of summer turning to fall but the northerner in me is ready to leave the heat behind and cozy up just a bit.  I paired it with one of Bingo's new Safari skirts, pulled on some new boots from Baby Monkey.  I adore Wasabi Pill's newest hair, Mimi; it has just the right amount of jagged to catch my interest and I believe they have some of the best colors on the grid. It includes a hair bow, which I chose to forego this time. Ready or not, I move on to another new autumn.

Credits:
Poncho: Reila Skins: September Group Gift
Skirt: Bingo: Safari Skirt - Brown
Boots: Baby Monkey: Brenna Boot - Burgundy
Hair: Wasabi Pills: Mimi - Lemon Tea
Bag: Bukka: Subscriber Gift
Stockings: fri.day: Barb Stockings - old Stumblebum purchase
Tank: Tyranny Designs: Just Relax: Dirt: closed
Bangles: YS&YS: Bone Bangles: previous TDR purchase
Skin: tres blah: C88 - Light: exclusively at Collabor88