Celebrating the bounty of Summer

There is a certain something about the start of August and the ever looming presence of Autumn right around the corner.  The days are still warmed by the rays of the sun while the nights have a crispness to them, hinting of the frosts not soon behind.  Schools are back in session this week in Arizona meaning the streets will be quieter, as well as my own home.  And everywhere you look, the flowers are in bloom; the squash have shed their flowers and are growing into their beautiful yellows, greens and oranges; tree branches lay heavy with their fruit and the various bushes are beginning to show their first berries; a true celebration of the bounty of Summer.  In my mind, this means it is the perfect time of year to head outside for your Summer closing parties making sure to grab as many fresh fruits and vegetables as you can while they are still fresh and not tainted by a can, jar or bag.  If you are looking to put together a stunning, garden party then make sure to head over to Collabor88's Birthday round, which opened yesterday, and pick up this absolutely AMAZING new dining collection from unKindness.

The Garden Soiree set comes in one set for the table, and then an accessory collection. The benches come in 3 colors and one plain, and the place settings come in 3 colors with the branches and candles the entire collection comes together to make a perfect dining nook in any backyard, especially when surrounded by the Wrought Iron Fences, also from unKindness.  I had to put up a couple trees from HPMD for a few lights and of course the fantastic Dreamer and Festival Lights from CIRCA.  I had to venture off my land to set up this gorgeous little area, but you can bet I will be taking a few things off to add this all to the land before the first frost hits!

The Décor Details

Table, Seats, Place Settings, Candles, Branches - unKindness - Garden Soiree Set @ Collabor88
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/8%208/170/193/1086

Fence - unKindness - Wrought Iron Fence Set - Rust
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Theory/90/130/21

Telescope - Random Matter - Telescope - Gold (Past Arcade item)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mercy%20Falls/136/146/31

Moon and Star Lights - CIRCA - Dreamer and Festival Light Art
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Aurora%20Vale/172/91/38

Orange Trees with Lights - HPMD - Tree 08
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/HappyMood/88/91/22

Yellow Tree - HPMD - Tree 07 A
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/HappyMood/88/91/22

Have a wonderfully wicked rest of your day or evening, and remember to always stay true to your style and make today's trends in fashion and home décor work for you!

~Jade~

Taking a break from the winds of change to remind myself to breathe

For those of you who have been following my blog for a bit, you know I HATE change in any form, whether for good or bad.  I am like a dog that hates to be walked on a leash; ass end down with claws digging into the ground refusing to be moved.  Recently, however, I have had to be like a Weeping Willow blowing in the winds of change, reminding myself to breathe and allow myself to be swept away.  In case you haven't been following along, the last few months have brought about a new relationship, that I also gained another teenage boy with, a brand-new computer, and as of last night, the boyfriend and I bought a new vehicle!  Which in the grand scheme of things, as I look forward to my future, is HUGE!  Granted, it isn't brand new, and actually it's 14 years old, but we stumbled into one of those finds of a lifetime; a 2002 Yukon that has been used by an 80+ year old woman to get groceries for the last 14 years and then parked in a garage and out of the hot Arizona sun.  It was never our intention to get something that old, or in fact, another SUV, but with the incredibly low mileage, near mint condition inside and outside and the smoking good deal we were offered, we couldn't pass it up.  But after 6 hours at and around the dealership looking at all kinds of vehicles and then not being able to sleep until the wee hours of the morning because of that high you get after purchasing something like that, my body and my mind needed a break.

I realized as I sat down again in this chair today in a tucked away corner of my home I hadn't once taken time out of my day to just breathe.  That is usually the first thing out of my mouth to friends when they are stressed or going to fast, "Remember to breathe."  Now that seems like a stupid comment I know, but think about it for a moment.  When we are going nonstop, and the stress level is bordering on critical we rarely stop and concentrate on our breathing.  In fact, most of the time people's breathing gets more shallow and rapid, making your blood pressure rise which just adds to the issues, so it's important to take just a few beats of your heart and concentrate on ten long, deep breaths.  I took my own advice finally, after the work space cleared this afternoon and I feel incredibly better.  It doesn't take away the stressors, but it does remind you to slow down, even for a moment, which is sometimes all we need when the kettle is about to boil over.  I also am a big fan of retail therapy, and most often with me, that comes in the form of extravagant and nonsensical shoes, in SL and RL.  Rayne had the perfect ones for my mood this weekend and you just have to go pick yourself up a pair or two, or maybe all of them!  The shoes are exclusively available at the Stuff Style Sales Room, a monthly event brought to you by the creators of Womenstuff, Menstuff, and HomeStuff which runs until the 28th, so hurry on over before the goodies head out!

The Fashion Details

Shoes - Rayne Couture - Britania Heels @ Stuff Style Sales Room
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/De%20Campion/100/115/3501

Jeans - Blueberry - Proud Pizza
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lenox%20and%20Blueberry/252/128/23

The Décor Details

Build - Dust Bunny - Willow Farm House
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mockingbird/175/142/25

Art on Floor - YS&YS - European Taste Gacha (previous Gacha Garden collection)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Feel%20Beautiful/106/118/23

Dark Rug - Glam Affair - Joy Collection @ The Chapter Four
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamlove/89/134/1236

Plants - Scarlet Creative - Nerites Collection - Plant (June Arcade item)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/mountain%20view/130/3/22

Lantern - Glam Affair - Joy Collection - Wooden Lantern - White @ The Chapter Four
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamlove/89/134/1236

Plant in Planter - AptB - Dalton Snake Plant - GIFT @ The Crossroads - July
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Crossroads%20Event/127/122/21

Telescope - Random Matter - Lost & Forgotten Collection (June Arcade item)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mercy%20Falls/136/146/31

Light Rug - YS&YS - European Taste Collection - Rug 02 (previous Gacha Garden collection)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Feel%20Beautiful/106/118/23

Chair - Scarlet Creative - Nerites - Metal Chair (June Arcade item)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/mountain%20view/130/3/22

Poufs - YS&YS - European Taste Collection - Pouf 4 (previous Gacha Garden collection)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Feel%20Beautiful/106/118/23

Dreamcatchers - Ariskea - [GypsySoul] Dreamcatcher Feathers and No Feathers @ TLC July
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Remarkable/140/193/22

Sign - unKindness - Believe sign
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Theory/90/130/21

Corner Shelf - Random Matter - Lost & Forgotten Collection (June Arcade item)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mercy%20Falls/136/146/31

Have a wonderfully wicked rest of your day and remember to always stay true to your style and make today's trends in fashion and home décor work for you!

~Jade~

Fallen Angel

Maybe it was the play of light around the room, or maybe I truly saw those magnificent wings.  I will never know.  Was she a Fallen Angel, was she my Guardian Angel?  All I know is that when I turned she was gone.  Only the sound of fluttering wings left in her wake.  Maybe I was dreaming, or maybe...for one moment I caught something none of us are to ever see...

Poses - PosESion - Wicca

This amazing dress from Lyrical B!zarre Templates currently at Sneak Peek, inspired me to say the least and I spent some time rummaging through my closet to find the perfect set of wings; and when I ran across the face tattoo by #Adored at Genre, this entire look immediately came together.  Just love when that happens!  The structure of the "Callico" dress is perfect and the add-on prim pieces for the collar and the flowing chiffon off the back are just magically wonderful details that complete this magnificent dress.  Just...STUNNING work!  Make your way on over to Sneak Peek to grab yours today and to check out the rest of the offerings some of the grids most fashion forward creators!

Ensemble

Dress - Lyrical B!zarre Templates - Callico @ Sneak Peek

Shoes - MODA - Pania Heels

Necklace and Earrings - Zenith - Black Noble Queen Collection

Ring R - Zenith - Farewell My Concubine - Silver

Ring L - Zenith - Ring of Fury

Cuffs - Random Matter - Wysteria

Wings - DRD - Devine Wings - Glow

Avatar

Shape - Mine

Skin - Belleza - Brooke - Uber

Eyes - IKON - Hope - Apex

Hair - Truth - Felicity

Tattoo - #Adored - The Raven Facepaint @ Genre

Facial Piercings - BlackLiquid - Chic Piercings

Hands and Feet - Slink

Have a wonderfully wicked Sunday and make sure to head on over to Sneak Peek before its too late!

~Jade~