Honestly, I may never ever take this dress or skin off. Izzie's Delusional skin and Anne dress have capture my soft, prissy heart and I have been wearing it all for a couple of days now. The skin is absolutely taking a spot in my favorites folder. The lips, look at them! Oh the kissable sweet lips! I've taken shots of all of the lips as well as the eye shadows, which I *did* wear with additional lashes NOT INCLUDED with the skin. Sorry about that! The final shot here shows the skin with the body/face freckles, which I love as well. If you haven't gotten down to the Skin Showcase, you need to! There are so many amazing skins like this one, you won't regret the trip.

Oh, and just for my bestie, look at that...I finally got around to another blog! 2 down and 2 to go, wonder if I will get it all done before the end of the month. I swear, you should be a better influence on me than this! Just saying....I caught her on my beach using it for pics, decided to snap this shot. I loved it so much I had to share! Find the details here.

Style Card:
Skin & Dress: Izzie's
Lingerie: Whippet & Buck
Hair: Wasabi
Eyes: LAQ
Necklace: undefined lillies

The SA Skin Showcase has opened and has some beautiful skins available! This special event is going on in a beautiful park with over 100 designers showcasing their best skins. I managed to get in as a blogger and found this stunning skin by {.essences.}. The {.essences.} Moana skin has so many options, from shadows to lips, blushes, freckles and lashes. A mole is even included, but I failed to get a shot of it. I have spent my day in this skin and am honestly in love with it. it fits prissy ole me!

The Skin Showcase is absolutely packed as this post is published, but don't give up if you are trying to get in! Its completely worth it!

Style Card:

Skin Showcase: Lake SLURL near Essences
Skin: {.essences.}
Eyes: LAQ

I don't often put myself on a beach for a picture, it's not one of my favorite places in RL, so not really an option for me most of the time. However this dress, the first time I put it on all I could do was imagine holding the skirt up to my thighs and wading around on a calm beach, slipping in and out of the shadows of the palms nearby. Tonight, I allowed myself to indulge.

I think perhaps my eyes appear too large in this last shot. Hmm, something to adjust, and this week is full of adjustments. So much done already, and its only Monday. I hope you each had a wonderful start to your week, it is sure to bring amazing things.

Style Card:
Skin: Glam Affair
Hair: Truth
Pose: Everglow
Dress: Geometry (marketplace)
Eyes: LAQ

Just a quickie today, quickies are good! Mesh dress by coldLogic, oh coldLogic, how I love you. I'm not shy to admit I end up fat packing almost everything they release. I love everything about this dress, including the fact that it lets me neglect accessories because its a fabulous piece all on its own. I fully admit, I am still completely slack when it comes to accessories, still...working on that.

Working on a lot.....

Dina's Duds:
Dress: coldLogic
Skin: LAQ
Hair: Wasabi

A little happier with the computer today, this picture didn't turn out all that bad at all. This is the dock over at the parcel of land that holds my meeroo's, yes yes I said meeroo's! Don't judge me, they are adorable. Anyway, was cleaning out my main folder and stumbled across this dress and jewelry by Izzie's and had forgotten buying it! I love it, pink and I get alone really well, and this dress is absolutely me. Its a nice day out here, as everyone on the East Coast is preparing for Irene to come and stop by. A picture off the docks as the storm rolls in seemed fitting.

Thinking of everyone out there that has to settle in for a nice long storm, I hope everyone is ok! Irene, be kind!

Dina's Duds
Skin: LAQ
Hair: Truth
Dress: Izzie's
Pose: Dawn (no link for a current location available)

I've been missing blogging so much lately, but when I go and attempt to take pictures they come out like this. Oh, le sigh. My graphic card is a little old, so this week I am going to be pricing to see what I can do to upgrade. Not only that, this entire PC needs an overhaul, but I loved this look so much I wanted to try and get a couple of shots done. Big fat fail, with jagged edges, but I still love the look! Its a bit sweet, soft, innocent, oh yea, its completely me. Stop...laughing!

I had someone a bit confused the other day, asking if I was a fashion blogger 'or what'....well, no. Not really. I don't even fake an attempt at being like so many of the bloggers that designers send their items to, you don't have to send me your items. I don't ask for them, I blog what I buy almost 95% of the time except for 2 designers who have tossed me items. I do also blog gifts from groups, designers have been coming up with some awesome pieces to gift their customers, but bottom line I blog what I love. Even if I do take blurry, or overly jagged pictures, I blog and do all of this for me and for fun.

Now, someone get my computer on board so I can enjoy this again. Right now all I feel is blah about my pics. Maybe its time to get into that 3.0 and see how that goes. This should be .... interesting!

Skin: LAQ
Hair: Truth
Dress: A&A Fashion
Shoes: Slink
Pose: (pda)

I don't always have something to say. I ramble too much anyway. While out and about I found The Secret Store again, bought too much, but this look is so....me.

Dina's Duds
Top & Slacks: The Secret Store
Ring: Paper Couture
Shoes: Shiny Things
Skin: LAQ
Hair: Truth
Pose: Purple Poses

However, I obtained a large amount of poses from this fabulous designer, Purple Poses, who just recently got their own sim with DSE and has set up shop. If you haven't checked out their poses, it is a must. I went through them all and they are done so well I couldn't decide which one to work with first. I will be using their poses for a while, and absolutely love them! Put together with a new outfit from Nyte'N'Day, (new as of last week, separates) and the new flip-flops by Maitreya, looked like a sweet and cool outfit for the summer. The dock here is by BAZAR and, while I haven't gotten a chance to test it out with anyone yet, it looks fabulous! I could easily curl up here and day dream my summer away....

Dock: BAZAR <--- marketplace link
Top & Skirt: Nyte'N'Day
Shoes: Maitreya
Skin: LAQ
Hair: [elikatira]
Pose: Purple Poses

Yep, looking for spring, for spring cleaning, the bring colors and flowers, and changes. I neglected to blog again, for ages, but I won't come in with a lot of promises about 'I will do better' or some such thing, I will blog when I find the time and inspiration hits me. Do I want to blog more? Oh gawsh yes, I just need to make the time again! I miss it, of course.

However, things need to change in here! My inventory is pushing 60k, while this is low by some standards, I know designers and well known bloggers have an insane inventory count, for me its too high. It means, I shop to darn much!! Being more selective might be a good start, but that wasn't at all where I was starting when I hit up AOHARU and pick this up. I <3 it, and had to start blogging again just to find a reason to wear and share it. Paired with my favorite (even though they aren't anywhere near new) sandals by Shiny Things, its exactly how I wanted to laze my day around in the garden.

Something is just bugging me here though. While I love everything else, I am not at all pleased with how my face looks. Make over, incoming! Will have to play with it depending on what skin I toss on that day too. I have this forever love for LAQ, but I need to broaden my skin folder to other stores. Illusory captured my focus for a bit, and I still have and love those skins. There are a few more I want to go and try, use, enjoy. I've decided change is just good.

Oh yea, and look, I am back here on Grand Illusion instead of SC now. Hmm, wonder what happened there? Well, I like it here better. Grand Illusion has always been my place to mix in a little bit of RL with my SL, to ramble if I want, put up pics and not say a word, or type for days. Most of my time has been spent working, working, working. At this point my job in SL has become a full time job. While some may think thats silly for how much I am getting out of it (my sim, cash, spending money, all in all it really is a lot by SL standards, RL time and standards maybe not, but this works for me and my family) its helping me get by month to month while I work on even more outstanding changes.

Overall, life is really darn good right now. Surprisingly, even with all the knocks and set backs, all of them turn out to be amazing and good in the end. Isn't it funny how it works out like that? So for now, I am taking the changes, and looking forward to spring.

Style Card:
Clothing: AOHARU
Shoes: Shiny Things
Skin: LAQ
Hair: Truth
Pose: Marukin

I've counted myself very lucky the last couple of years that I don't ever spend any holiday really alone. I have a partner I adore, pardon the scandal, and am looking forward to a wonderful Christmas with him this year. However, we don't have much time outside of EQ2 to play in SL and goodness gracious me, getting him to be still long enough to take a picture is nearly impossible! I stood and waited, and waited, and waited, just no luck yet. All was not lost! In his place today is this sad little noob, hey, they need kisses on Christmas too!

The table set also comes in an amazing blue and ice color tone. I stood in the store for an hour debating which one I wanted, I think in the end people must of thought I was insane. Please, no comments of agreement! After setting the table and waiting around under the mistletoe for a while, I gave up! Who started this darn ole tradition anyway?

A huge thank you to the designer of HopScotch for putting up with my random ideas. She sat and chattered with me a bit last night and got these poses out for "The Mistletoe Dilemma" over night!! I was so surprised to get up today and find she not only had the poses done, but released, and I adore them! Thank you so much Chandni! If you haven't visited either shop, The Loft or ~*HopScotch*~, you are honestly missing out!

As was tradition on my last, now long gone, blog...just mild rambling. Home is fast becoming chaotic as I plan and pack for the kids to visit the other half of their family up in VA for the holidays. I knew we wouldn't be able to do an extravagant Christmas here, times are tough all over, and I knew we couldn't afford to rent a van for all of us to go (7 people in a car that seats 5 is a no-no) I've arranged for the youngest to stay home with me and everyone else is off to be with family that will spoil them and love getting to see them anyway. As of, oh, an hour ago, my mother and brother are on their way back to California so it will really be a quiet holiday around here.

Luckily I will be spending those quiet evenings with Sands, while we didn't get to spend any time together last holiday season he is eagerly ready to put up with me this year. Or, at least, he says he is! He may be dreading it lately as I get grumpy from the chaos. Maybe, just maybe, I can sneak him under that mistletoe.

Wishing you each a wonderful week ahead, and a beautiful Sunday!

Dina's Style Card:

Holiday Table: The Loft
Poses and Props: ~*HopScotch*~
Sweater: Jane
Skirt: *ENCEMBLE* Now closed =(
Hair: [elikatira]
Skin: LAQ
Shoes: Cherry

I've never really been fully sold on this 'blond' deal. Its stepping far out of my norm, which was always pale with dark hair, much like I am in real life. When I made the switch to blond I wanted some sort of drastic change, at the same time in real life having just cut my hair off to donate. What better way than to go from raven hair to blond? Hmmm. Will be playing with it a bit longer and will see if my Ls can handle the switch back after filling up on blond hairs.

The look, I love. Miel makes me happy, the top and scarf being theirs. Scarf removed for the 2nd picture, I'm so darn wishy washy I couldn't decide if I liked it on or not! The belt and shoes are Pixel Mode, I've gone a bit boot crazy lately. Jeans, if you've ever read anything else I've ever posted you could guess, drawmachine. Too typical of me, but I almost forgot how to do this 'blogging' stuff! Thoughts for the new year are a completely new look, and more frequent postings. When I say a new look, thats all blog and av. 'Dina' is getting a bit stale, boring, same ole same ole and I need new, exciting, crazy. Hmmm, perhaps!

On a completely different topic, from the av to the game that is, I actually logged in for the first time on a new viewer. Imagine that! However, this is going to take a lot of getting used to. Nothing is where it should be and this took me way longer than usual! I do rather like it, but don't quote me on that.

Hoping you all are having a wonderful season so far, staying warm and spending as much time with loved ones as I wish I could be. Missing many of you...

Style Card:
Shirt & Scarf: Miel
Boots & Belt: [PM]
Jeans: drawmachine
Skin: LAQ
Hair: Truth

When the designer of Mischief had her sale a couple of months ago, with the announcement that she would be moving on to something new, I cant help but admit a small sadness at the end of Mischief. Even though its been moved on somewhere else, without Janie its just not the same Mischief I spent the last few years in SL filling my inventory with. I recently found her new store, JANE, and started a new folder to fill with her designs! I've spent time landscaping my new sim and thought it would be best to spend fall with JANE!

Dina's Style Card:
Pants & Babydoll: Jane
Skin: LAQ
Hair: Truth
Shoes: Shiny Things
Necklace: DECO

I know, its been upward of three months since I last blogged. I didn't even realized I missed it until I started doing this post. I wont blather on about the absence, or why I am choosing this blog over my other (now removed) blog. Instead, moving onward and upward! Starting with how pure and sweet and innocent I am! Hey, who is laughing? Who says I cant be innocent....at least until tonight....

Dina's Style Card:
Angel: Blacklace
Skin: LAQ
Hair: Truth

A lot of the time change comes in unexpectedly, and is often unwelcome. Then again, there are times when a drastic change is exactly what you need. I needed this one, and I actually love it. Shopped, of course, until I dropped at the Armidi sale, picked up a new LAQ skin and went as blond as they come. Somehow it changes how I feel when I log in my AV. Oh I will still use my raven or red hairs, but this new, light, carefree me is far over due.

Dina's Style Card:
Skin: LAQ
Hair: Truth
Dress, Necklace and Shoes: Armidi <---link takes you to their final sale.
Poses: {.:exposeur:.}

I've been struggling with a lot of prim, sculpted skirts, lately and have ended up with a folder called 'sculpted for small shapes' folder in my skirts! Just in case I make a shape it will fit, of course, because I hate wasting my lindens on items I will never use. Especially when they looked so darn good in their ad. Which brings up another struggle, ads being so worked up you are unable to tell what you are really buying anymore. I will be featuring more designers that have their ads true to their work here this week, so keep an eye out for them. What you see is what you get is fabulous to me! Here is an example of a sculpted skirt that works, and I didn't have to mod my shape one bit. Thank you Lark!

Dina's Style Card:
Clothing & Jewelry: Lark
Hair - Truth
Skin: LAQ
Pose: Diesel Works

Dina's Style Card:
Clothing: Ibizarre
Boots: R2
Skin: LAQ
Hair - Truth

I am far too sleepy today to do much of a post, so a simple picture and bit of credits will have to do. Staying up until after 4am just to get up again at 7am is, to put it bluntly, foolish! I can has nap now? Took this shot last night with Kerra while playing on the Diesel Works Chaise. Not sure what pose she is on, but scooted her just perfectly, I am actually really pleased with how this picture came out. Always learning, growing, changing, in everything I do. Ok, almost everything, everything else I shall remain a screw up in. Its fun that way, keeps em guessing. We each went and picked up a shade of the new lingerie set released by Zaara and it is divine! I love the textures, the details, you can almost feel it on your skin. Going back to my half awake state now, last night was amazing really so thank goodness for naps. Yes, I will nap, its the word of the day! Wishing you all an amazing nap this lazy Sunday!

My perfectly well planned out blog post for Thanksgiving simply never happened, as you can see. Instead I went off and spent time with the people that I most likely would have blogged about, and had a fabulous holiday in the process! I've been attempting to keep up with the feeds and blogs lately. Some made me smile, some made me laugh, some made me feel a bit of pity for the person posting, it happens. I mean, being thankful for the things in your life is amazing, and I love to read it, but when you have to lace it with drama to poke at someone it kinda takes away from the entire 'I am so happy and am thankful for...' feeling you seemed to be aiming for in the first place, doesn't it? When did being happy have to include slams against other people? It seems really sad to me, sad is no good. There is so much more that could replace that emotion....like friends! Friends like these! These crazy people, that kept me so busy I couldn't even blog my I'm thankful for such n such rambling! Hey! Who just said 'thank goodness?' *squints at you all*

Kerra is seriously at fault for my inventory count being insane at the moment, I put the blame on her without hesitation! She dragged us over to Total Betty a couple of days ago and I literally bought half the store. The prices are amazing and the outfits are so fun and done well I was stunned at the prices. All of the clothing we three are wearing is from Total Betty. Outfits range from character T's and shorts, micro minis, dresses, separates, so much to browse through and pick up you wont want to pass up a single piece! I had to force myself not to get everything in every color, and it wasn't easy. We spent the day as 'Total Bettys' even though, I do believe they thought I was too dressed up. I just, I like purple! I promise to wear my character T next time too guys, honest!

I quickly found a wall that I basically purchased, once we got to Pixeldolls. I love mix and match pieces, but I have to be the laziest person when it comes to it, honestly. Because of that I adore the walls that they create of their pieces into full outfits. We all wandered, did our bits of shopping, and then traveled back to our sim to get some organization and pictures done. This is a process when you have three people with RL going on in the back ground, inventories that are now a mess from shopping trips, and a lot of chit chat interrupting as we go. Above I tossed on one of the Timepiece outfits, matched up with a hair by Truth (which we all ended up wearing as well) and a pair of the new shoes from Nardcotix. I adore the new lines that Pixeldolls has been releasing and happily snapped up as much of it as I thought my inventory could handle. The shoes I also fell in love with and yes, the fatpack is mine!