A Flock of Birds, A Jug of Roses & Some Kick-Arse Sandals

1 A Flock of Birds & A Jug of Roses sm

When I am in the middle of photographing a lot of review copies, I often find myself getting stressed. Not because I “have” to blog them, but because I am worried I won’t do them justice. I have been known to scrap entire shoots, which often take hours to stage and photograph. Those are typically the shoots that I know while I am photographing just aren’t right, but I tell myself with just one more light change or camera angle, I’ll get something usable. It is a rationalisation that rarely works.

That happened to me today. I had already completed two shoots (more posts to come!), and I wanted to get the Olivia Sandals from fri.day done. My previous two shoots were Home & Garden and just didn’t lend themselves to me being in the picture. So, I decided to sim-hop to find a perfect location.

After visiting about six and either not finding what I wanted or being lagged out, I headed home, deciding instead to build my own set. Which I did. Which I photographed.

Which I hated.

So, I gave up. And went shopping. Then decided to put together a set for some therapeutic “just because” photography. And guess what? I plopped my avi-self down, changed my camera angle to only take in a small portion of the space I had created and found my photo.

A flock of birds, a jug of roses and some kick-arse sandals.

I could have kept my mouth shut and you would have thought this was all planned. But hey…desperation is the mother of necessity.

Or however that saying goes…

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:
Top: Vinyl – Roe Top Bikini Top & Cover Mint by sukoshitosuto (available at Uber through June 23, 2016)
Skirt: Blueberry – Distressed Skirts by Blueberryxx
*Sandals: fri.day – Olivia.Sandals (Natural) by Darling Monday – exclusively for Maitreya Lara (available at Uber through June 23, 2016)
Hair: MINA Hair – Stella by Mina Nakamura
Head: CATWA HEAD Alice V4.9 by Catwa Clip
*Skin & Catwa Head Applier: Elysium – Candice skin (red brow) – mocha freck by Aleida Rhode
Body, feet and hands: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara by Onyx LeShelle
Eyes: IKON Spectral Eyes – Azure by Ikon Innovia

Sofa/pose: dust bunny . camellia couch by xlnoel
Hat boxes: Apt B // Hello Billy – Hatboxes by FadeArcade (gacha prize)
Jug of roses: 8. Apple Fall Roses Jug by WarehouseFifteenDesigns (gacha prize)
Watering cans & roses: Apt B // Goodbye Autumn Roses by FadeArcade (gacha prize)
Rabbit chair: Soy. Chair Rabbit ears grows by Soyoy
Window: Soy. Window [Here I am] brown by Soyoy
Build: Apple Fall AF Paris Loft Skybox RARE by WarehouseFifteenDesigns (gacha prize)

Weary Gardener

1 Weary Gardener 1 sm

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.
~ Nursery Rhyme

Not being a very good gardener, about all I know is that it makes me tired. And why get dirt underneath my nails when I can create a lovely garden space with all of these gorgeous things?

Let’s start with my gardening dress – a loose shift that is casual enough for gardening, yet pretty enough for something more. It is from Belle Epoque and is available at The Liaison Collaborative until April 30, 2016. Warning: if you’re going to do “real” gardening in it, you might want to get some knee pads!

With all of the springy events right now, you can’t go wrong in filling a garden space. The planters on the table in the background are from {what next} at this month’s round of Collabor88. There are three, and go perfectly with the bench, which you’ll see in the next photo.

I couldn’t resist using the [ keke ] petals and lotus basin again. These are the kind of things that are guaranteed to get a squeeeee! out of me every time. And there are a plethora of pretties from [ zerkalo ], [ kunst ] and *LODE* from the current round of Shiny Shabby. Keep looking through the credits for more amazing stuff!

All of the crates in the photo include a pose (including the one I am using), so they are perfect for decor and photography. They are part of the gacha from Le Poppycock, also available at The Liaison Collaborative.

1 Weary Gardener 2 sm

Now that the hard work is done, I can sit back and relax, and enjoy the fruits of my labour. Well, the labour of the fabulous designers whose works are the inspiration for this post.

I guess there’s no excuse for being weary, after all.

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:

*Dress: Belle Epoque BE { Kaley } Beige by Janire Coba (available at The Liaison Collaborative until April 30, 2016)
Necklace: (Kunglers) Ida necklace – Copper by AvaGardner Kungler (available at ON9 through April 28, 2016)
Shoes: [Atomic] Footwear // Dark Horse – Sand (Maitreya) by Ivy Graves (available at Collabor88 April 2016)
Hair: “”D!va”” Hair “Amanda” (Red amber) by Marisa Kira (recoloured)
*Skin & Maitreya Applier: Elysium – Candice skin (red brow) – creme freckles by Aleida Rhode (available at Skin Fair 2016, Sim 1 through March 27, 2016)
*Lips: ::JOLI:: Giselle Lipgloss #4 by Aisling Caiben (available at Skin Fair 2016, Sim 2 through March 27, 2016)
*Eyeliner: ::JOLI:: Basic BOLD Eyeliner by Aisling Caiben (available at Skin Fair 2016, Sim 2 through March 27, 2016)
Body, feet and hands: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara by Onyx LeShelle
*Eyes: Mayfly – Luminous – Mesh Eye (Ghost Persian Blue, w3) by Arkesh Baral

*Crate/pose (photo 1): Le Poppycock *Sweet Reverie* Long Afternoon by Olivia LaLonde (available at The Liaison Collaborative until April 30, 2016)
*Additional crates: Le Poppycock *Sweet Reverie* Dyed Carnations, *Sweet Reverie* In Increments, *Sweet Reverie* Intuitions and *Sweet Reverie* Poetic Thinking (each includes a pose) by Olivia Lalonde (available at The Liaison Collaborative until April 30, 2016)
Sofa: Soy. Velvet Lounge Chair w/ tex change by Soyoy (available at Collabor88 April 2016)
Plaque: [ kunst ] – Dandelion pallete art II (Shiny Shabby Gift) by Kunst Himmel
Table: [ zerkalo ] Vintage Tea Party – Table Light by DanielEstro (gacha prize at Shiny Shabby through April 15, 2016)
Bag: ionic – Tote Bag [ stripes ] by Iakua Arriaga (gacha prize at The Chapter Four through April 21, 2016)
*Basin/flowers: [ keke ] sacred lotus in zinc basin – white by Kean Kelly
*Petals: [ keke ] sacred lotus petals ground – white and pink by Kean Kelly
Box: Knick Knacks ::KKs:: une journee a la ferme – farmbox by Yeiyaiel (gacha prize at The Chapter Four through April 21, 2016)
Lantern: [ zerkalo ] Spring Gifts – Lamp Light – RARE by DanielEstro (gacha prize at Shiny Shabby through April 15, 2016)
Phone: .random.Matter. – Rotary Phone – Snow by Nikohl Hax (available at The Chapter Four through April 21, 2016)
*Planters: {what next} Marlow Planter 1, Planter 2 & Planter 3 by Winter Thorn (available at Collabor88 April 2016)
Hydrangeas: Ariskea[Isabelle] Hydrangea Vase [Rosy] by Diaxm (available at FaMESHed through April 27, 2016)
Watering can light: tarte. watering can light (steel) by alixxbella (available at Collabor88 April 2016)
Tricycle: FLECHA Tricicle blue by Flecha Warwillow (available at The Chapter Four through April 21, 2016)
Potted plant: Soy. Potted Pothos [Ssize] by Soyoy (available at Collabor88 April 2016)
Chair: Apt B // Vie en Rose – Chair by FadeArcade (gacha prize at Shiny Shabby through April 15, 2016)
Dress form: ionic – Vintage dress mannequin # silver (gacha prize at The Chapter Four through April 21, 2016)
Artwork: :HAIKEI: I’m Old Fashioned GACHA / {2} by qo0op (gacha prize at Kustom9 through April 10, 2016)
Rug: Apt B // Vie en Rose – Rug by FadeArcade (gacha prize at Shiny Shabby through April 15, 2016)
Pitcher: *LODE* Decor – Birch Vase [rust] by Chirzaka Vlodovic (available at Shiny Shabby through April 15, 2016)
Tulips: *LODE* Decor – Parrot Tulips [white] by Chirzaka Vlodovic (available at Shiny Shabby through April 15, 2016)
Books: Knick Knacks ::KKs:: journee a la ferme – flower books by Yeiyaiel (gacha prize at The Chapter Four through April 21, 2016)
Build: {vespertine} lorraine greenhouse / worn white by Amelie Knelstrom (available at Collabor88 April 2016)
*Bench/pose (photo 2 – edited): {what next} Marlow Bench by Winter Thorn (available at Collabor88 April 2016)
Lacy garland: [ zerkalo ] Vintage Tea Party – Lace Garland Horizontal by DanielEstro (gacha prize at Shiny Shabby through April 15, 2016)

No Exit

1 Epiphany

Have you been to Epiphany? It’s a twist on the traditional gacha event where you can trade in extras and unwanted prizes for credits which you can exchange for an exclusive item. I’m still trying to decide if it is a blessing or a curse; while the idea of getting rid of unwanted prizes is pretty cool, it also means that sometimes you end up spending even more, trying to get that couple extra credits for an exclusive. And then you end up getting something else you like and you spend more, this time trying desperately to win a duplicate and wouldn’t you know it? You end up getting something you really wanted so you have to spend even more?

Clever? Oh, you bet it is. There’s no exit until you’ve emptied your bank account 😉

The skirt and top I’m wearing are the exclusives from Salt & Pepper. You can get the copy version for only 25 credits; the transfer style is 200.

Just a reminder that Hair Fair 2015 ends on July 26th so you only have a couple of days to get over there to scour the best collection of hair on four sims. And the 26th is Bandana Day, so doff your hair and don a bandana as a reminder of what this event is really all about – helping out Wigs for Kids.

*Top: Salt & Pepper S&P Top Jungle leo S EXCLUSIVE by xxSaltandPepperxx (available at Epiphany July 2015)
*Skirt: Salt & Pepper S&P Skirt Jungle leo S EXCLUSIVE by xxSaltandPepperxx (available at Epiphany July 2015)
*Bracelet: Salt & Pepper S&P bangles jungle gold by xxSaltandPepperxx (available at Epiphany July 2015)
*Headpiece: Salt & Pepper S&P headpiece jungle gold by xxSaltandPepperxx (available at Epiphany July 2015)
Earrings: Salt & Pepper S&P earrings jungle gold by xxSaltandPepperxx (available at Epiphany July 2015)
Shoes: Essenz – Lagos (Cream) Maitreya by Senzati0n Domenitzo
Hair: Blueberry – Jie – Hair Design by Blueberryxx (available at Hair Fair 2015 Redhead Sim)
Body & Hands: -Belleza- Isis by Tricky Boucher
Feet: Slink AvEnhance Feet High by Siddean Munro
Skin: -Glam Affair – Amberly II skin – America 05 D by aida Ewing
Skin Applier: -Glam Affair – Belleza Venus Appliers ( America ) by aida Ewing

Doors: Apt B // Country Living Doors RARE by FadeArcade (available at Kustom9 July 2015)
Stairs: :HAIKEI: Old empty house gacha {1} by qo0op (available at Kustom9 July 2015)
Table: :HAIKEI: // Country Living Metal Table by FadeArcade (available at Kustom9 July 2015)
Box: :HAIKEI: Humid dusty cottage gacha {5} by qo0op
Stool: :HAIKEI: Humid dusty cottage gacha {2} by qo0op
Exit sign: {vespertine} EXIT road sign /purple by Amelie Knelstrom

Photo taken using the LumiPro HUD by Stefan Buscaylet

I’m afraid I got the wrong pose for my credits 😦 I’ll find it and update 🙂