Category: second life fashion

30000 hits? You’re having a laugh!

30000 hits? You’re having a laugh!

by Lisa Millar ♥ 2 Comments

..oh my goodness, blimming heck, lawks-a-lawdy and any other relevant exclamations you can think of! Thirty thousand hits on this site!?! MADNESS, but an amazing number and as you can imagine I’ve been transfixed watching my stats increase towards this benchmark figure over the past few days. 

I thought that I’d perhaps hit the mark around Yule, and thought what a wonderful achievement that would be, but to hit it in November has seriously delighted me! The blog is certainly achieving more than I ever expected. I’d have been happy to have just a few hits, so to achieve 30k is just utterly astounding to me.  I’m very humbled, but also chuffed to pieces, because there are some absolutely stunning blogs related to all things metaversal out there, so to think I have a regular readershipwhen there is such superior competition out there is a real mind-boggler!

As regular readers know, this blog exists purely for me to witter on about the wonderfulness that is our happy little metaverse, and I do so like to witter..you’ve probably noticed! Despite all the pixels and prattle the blog has developed in a strangely organic way as time has progressed…Kitty has developed too. For a start I’ve developed a skin fetish that I never thought possible when I first started ( “What’s the point of different skins? Why make yourself look different? Shouldn’t you just stay as one character?) and don’t even get me started on hair!  Who’d have thought that the words ‘prim’ and ‘flexi’ would have become permanent fixtures in my vocabulary? It’s utter gibberish! Would I have even considered that one day I would be staring wild and goggle-eyed at my screen as a virtual fashion show takes place, or dancing like a loon down at the pub, in a virtual world but with MY REAL-LIFE DAD! ( Which is let’s face it, completely crackers…)

I’ve often said that Kitty is me and I am she..but it’s more than that.  I studied Journalism at college and like most good ideas it fell by the wayside when I discovered the mediocrity of real life, so writing the blog has provided me the opportunity to vent all my pent up creative juices.  It’s enabled me to enjoy clothing-something which may sound crazy but it really isn’t. In real life I am a complete slob…I’m not materialistic at all and think it’s utter madness to spend more than a couple of quid on a T-shirt, but Second Life allows me to unleash my inner goddess and wear couture gowns and designer threads that Gok Wan would cream his tight pants over. I’ve always been excited by haute couture, daft as it sounds for a Northern lass I’ve always had an Issey Miyake/Yohji Yamamoto fetish ( I blame the PSB’s for that though..)

In second Life I go to sleep on pretend Egyptian cotton sheets and I live in my house of virtual dreams, with amazing furnishings that have funny coloured balls on them that make you do all sorts of rudeness when you sit upon them.  To an outsider it sounds crazy when I explain that I write a blog about my exploits in a world that only exists on servers and microchips.  It’s not tangible; I can’t reach out and run the fabric from my virtual hemline through my fingers and I can’t smell the coffee brewing on my virtual stove, so why is it so enthralling? So utterly addictive?  For me, the answer is simple-I finally feel like I’ve achieved something, and it makes me happy.  I have never been an achiever, but now I feel like I have at last done something to be proud of, and people may scoff but you know what? I care not a jot.  I write this blog entirely by myself and it’s funded from my own somewhat threadbare pockets, but I’m not complaining because the pleasure it has provided me with is priceless! Here’s a thought to blow your noggin; if I’d had a pound for every hit I’ve had on this blog I’d have been able to quit my real life job (seriously!) or at the very least go part time,  and spend the remainder enjoying real-life and blogging the metaverse.  What a mad bonkers thought! But if Wagner James Au can do it, then why can’t I…?

So, what about the next 30,000 hits? What will Kitty be doing then? I have no idea.  I’d love to be able to earn some sort of living from my writing, that is certain, a pipe dream I know..but something to aspire to nonetheless! In an ideal world I’d host Kittywitchin on my own server which would allow for selective advertising, but there’s more to life than Linden dollars….honest!

My Second Life aspirations are to keep enjoying it, increase my enthusiasm, rather than curb it and avoid all the dramas. I want to keep loving the clothes and discovering talented new designers, as well as worshipping at the altars of the established in-world  superstars.  I want to go to tons of events in world,  I want to see more real-life celebrities here (I hear Stephen Fry is a regular? I bloody love him!!) and using the metaverse as a way to connect with the people who keep their careers afloat by buying their books and records. I want to log in to a world that rezzes relatively swiftly and doesn’t crash that often.  I want to be visually excited by what I see and thrilled to be a part of it. I want to see how M Linden and co fare, especially as the global downturn really kicks in , and I wonder what our metaverse will be like in 6 months time. Will Second Life even exist? (God-can you imagine? what the hell would I do if it didn’t? Perish the thought!) 

I want to make my mark on this metaverse and revel in my 15 minutes of virtual fame, and each time I power down my PC I want to do so with a smile on my face, reflecting upon the wonderful time that I’ve just spent in world with all the friends that I’ve made from all corners of the globe..and most of all dear reader, I want to do this with you tagging along for the ride….I truly hope you’ll stick around and see where Kittywitchin goes from here. 

Thanks for reading, thanks to all the amazingly generous content creators for the wonderful freebies and words of encouragement, but most of all thanks for sharing this amazing experience with me:)

/Me raises her  glass of dirty Vimto in the air and says “Cheers, here’s to the next 30000 hits!

Labradorite Kitty

Labradorite Kitty

by Lisa Millar ♥ 1 Comment

So, as I look out of my window onto real life what do I see? Chuffing rotten grey skies and damp puddles and the kind of Monday weather that makes you hold the duvet tightly up to your neck and beg, scream and plead to not have to get out of bed in the morning. Alas, unlucky moo that I am, I’ve had to venture into the great outdoors and endure the cold drizzle which has put me into the foulest of foul moods,and only one thing can rectify it…SHINIES!
Did you know that each star-sign has a bird associated with it? Well, I’m a Virgo, and apparently our bird is the Magpie, which figures when you consider my previous statement. I do like my trinkets I do, if it sparkles and it shimmers then I’m there with my beady-eyed gaze, cooing in wonder at the loveliness on show.
One of the BEST places on the grid to discover wonderful things is at Earthstones. Imagine a mind, body and spirit shop scented with the musky smell of frankincense and you’re there! That’s the ambience that Abraxxa Anatine has imbued her virtual store with, and as a VERY regular customer I can vouch that she never fails to disappoint with her range of wonders and latest releases. Here’s something new, the ‘Knotty Beads’ which are quite lovely. No, these aren’t anything to do with Knotty Ash, diddy men or mad comedians with tickling sticks (Ken Dodd, comedy genius!), but twisted gemstone bead necklaces and earrings are the order of the day here. The styling is fairly traditional which means that these jewels work well with officewear and formal day wear but especially boho-inspired outfits. Of course I opted for my favourite stone, ‘Labradorite’, and this is where Abraxxa wins brownie points. I’m pretty sure I’ve bored you all with my Labradorite obsession before, so I won’t repeat myself, suffice to say that Abraxxa’s work really does do this stone justice. The thing about Labradorite is that it is such an unusual stone, and it resonates with a myriad of colours depending on the light shining upon it. It’s highly reflective when polished and upon first glance it seems to be a quite boring dull grey stone, but when the light catches, the magic happens! My own pieces at home demonstrate this beautifully…it flashes green, gold, violet and appears to glitter with flecks of bronze through to silver. Abraxxa manages to re-create it’s stunning beauty very well- of course you couldn’t match the stone’s beauty 100% but she certainly gives it a good go..the textures that she employs for all of her jewellery are absolutely top notch, and I wish I’d asked her when I saw her in world recently if she sources the textures herself. She did tell me that it (understandably) takes ages to create each piece; instead of colouring all the beads with the same texture, she rotates and rearranges so that each prim bead looks unique… So it follows that when you group all these beads together the result is truly stunning, and so it should be. This is obviously a labour of love, but the result is always constant- jewellery that is uber-realistic, wearable and hugely desirable…Alas, a trip to Earthstones is always a challenge for me- I can’t NOT buy something while I’m there so avoid at all costs if you’re uber skint because you’ll seriously depress yourself! Having said that, there are lovely freebies available and a lucky chair too, with some glorious presents secreted under the seats for you to win! While I was there I got lucky and came away with an absolutely stunning water feature that is now situated beside my front door. Many don’t seem to realise that Abraxxa makes other items as well as jewellery and there is a great range of gorgeous agate slice windchimes, incense bowls and stone fountains to enjoy. If you’re compiling your virtual Christmas list I heartily suggest that you ask for some Earthstone’s goodness and see if you get lucky when Santa pays a visit:) Click HERE for your crystal taxi!

Autumn mixy matchy happiness

Autumn mixy matchy happiness

by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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I really must apologise to the lovely Lawra, creator extraordinaire behind the smashing ‘Nekorifik’ label, as she dropped a review box on me on the 27th of October and navel-gazing numpty that I am I’ve only just remembered:) Glad I have though-it’s great seeing how she’s developing as a designer and her work just keeps getting better and better! I’m LOVING the textures that she’s chosen for her Autumn collection of separates, and the detailing is very good indeed. She always excels on the shading and creases and I’m very impressed by how she’s constantly improving these key skills. Something else that has cheered me no end is the inclusion of denim in her latest collection. I don’t wear jeans much in SL, but the pair that Lawra has released this season are perfect! In this picture I’ve teamed her green argyle sweater with the fantastic Aoharu military coat, and some ETD hair ( Roxie in Auburn) with a pose by Reel Expressions. It’s worth mentioning at this juncture that BOTH Reel Expressions and ETD have superb sales on at the moment which you really need to check out asap. Last but not least, the skin I’m wearing is the mystery dollarbie skin by *Ki2* which I snaffled during the Starlust hunt. It finishes today, so you need to get your skates on to participate, but your task is to collect rubbish through 4 sims of utter madness! Fantastic builds and fabulous shops featuring some of the best designers in SL have meant that the hunt has been packed out with avatars and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve crashed out-but trust me it’s been worth every decibel I’ve exclaimed in frustration! If you want to quickly have a go, the ‘Giant Trash Hunt’ includes the following sims: Floyd,Lloyd,Horst and Polly Jean and includes great pressies such as skins, poses and clothing galore. I’ve really enjoyed it, so thanks to all involved! Click HERE to get started…. and be sure to check out Nekorifik’s latest releases. You can see me modelling some of the rest of the collection on my Flickr.

Stop the press..farewell to ‘The Avastar’

Stop the press..farewell to ‘The Avastar’

by Lisa Millar ♥ 2 Comments

It’s a tad late I know, but I’d like to say how sorry I am to see that ‘The Avastar’ has retired from the virtual publishing arena.  ‘The Avastar’ gave me my big break as a virtual journalist, and I *loved* seeing my name in print. (I studied Journalism at college, and OK-it isn’t my real name in print but hey, it was fantastic anyway!) Avastar Island was the beautifully built location in-world that housed the offices and meeting rooms for the paper.  Don’t laugh, but I would walk past Regis and Leider’s offices in world and wish that I had an office to call my own…alas that never happened, but Monday editorial meetings were always lots of fun…and eventful!  There was a great editorial team in place, and some cracking reporters too.  All of the team were refreshingly unpretentious but dedicated souls, who all ensured that it was a supremely exciting experience to be working for a virtual newspaper in a virtual world.
I think the death knell was sounded when the paper changed from a weekly PDF format to a blog.  I know a lot of people disliked the change, and although outwardly I was being loyal, in my heart of hearts I wasn’t so keen.  Looking back, perhaps I should have said something, but virtual noob that I was I didn’t think that my opinion would have made any changes to the way it was heading.  In fact, I’m sure if they’d asked the audience prior to the changes taking place they’d have been met with a resounding dismissal.  You see, the one strength of ‘The Avastar’ was that it WAS a newspaper…it was fun turning those virtual pages and seeing the stories fresh from the presses….I *loved* every minute of the time I was there.  I’m so sorry that it’s closed and my guess is that the backers of the project, and consequently the main source of funding have probably tightened their belts due to the global economic slowdown.  I’m also pretty sure that the readership rapidly declined after the format change.  No-scratch that, I’m *certain* of it. Every single person who spoke to me about it berated the changes and the inclusion  of other virtual worlds into the mix. Because of the change of direction I  ventured into those other virtual worlds, Kaneva, There and Entropia so that I would be able to report from within them but found them to be clumsy, cliquey and lacking the ambiance that permeates SL. I guess when I realised that I was going to be required to report from them it slowly dawned on me that my time with the paper was going to be limited, they just didn’t excite me the way that Second Life does. It was also extremely difficult to find anything remotely newsworthy in them, perhaps that situation has changed now but to be honest I’m not interested in giving them another try…anyway, I threw myself into working on this blog and The Avastar and I just drifted apart.  No drama, I was freelance after all, and that was that. No bad feelings, no awkward e-mails- just an organic separation of talents developing in different ways.I firmly believe that Second Life genuinely deserves a dedicated newspaper, but I wonder if that will ever be a possibility again, certainly after the loss of the Second Life Herald and now the The Avastar.  It’s not cheap, many are established and fail.  You have to approach it as a real life publishing experience, not a virtual creation, and that requires time and money.  You  need money to set one up, you need story leads, you need people who know how to organise a team and most of all, you need Linden dollars. You  need reporters who know how to sniff out a story and at the very least know how to spell, and most of all you need people who have a passion for the task at hand.  The Avastar was never short of passion, of that I am certain.
So, a fond Farewell dear Avastar, you were indeed a great read. A tabloid after all, but one that held true to it’s principles and for a time was at the very top of the league.  I’ll remember you fondly and always be grateful for the opportunities that you gave me to be published…and I wish all the editorial team, past and present, the very best of luck with whatever the future, real or virtual, holds.

(NOTE: Yes, I’m aware that the paper folded mid-October, but if you want to know the truth I haven’t checked the blog for a while! ( See what I mean? I would never have dared miss a PDF…) It’s sad that I haven’t heard about this on the grapevine, which really makes me think that it had lost its relevence to people after all. However, you can relive the glory of the PDF days by visiting the website archives, where you can enjoy 72 back issues. Click here to do just that!)