Totally Out of Character For Me... Featuring {{BSD Design Studio}}, KL Couture and [[Masoom]]

Sometimes I end up with a collection of items that are really not Caryn-ish to me, but I like to challenge myself as well as honor the designers who are so thoughtfully sharing their designs with me to blog. Even when they're not my first choice in design, it's okay because they still have value.

This styling this evening made me stretch myself as I paired an off the shoulder crop top from [[Masoom]] with a pair of hot pants from KL Couture and completed the look with a stunning pair of sandal heels from {{BSD Design Studio}}. It's a lot of sassy. Attitude seethes from the overall effect of the look.

To me, it has the energy of "I dare you to ask me to dance." A throaty growl that pierces through the noises of a club with a passion and aggression that's far more feisty than my Caryn usually gets. We all have our moments though, don't we? It's a good thing our personalities are diverse.

And when I zoomed the camera lens in close, where you can look into my eyes, the same softly spoken gentle woman looks back to you. It's interesting to me that depending on perspective, I can look saucy and swagger through a room, and in another second, perhaps pulled close in a twirl on a dance floor, the woman looking back to you continues to exude all the elements of me.

Featuring {{BSD Design Studio}} Super Model Marie Soleil
Featuring [[Masoom]] Mishti Top
Featuring KL Couture Melly Hot Pants
1. Poetic Color: Oriental Pearl
2. Truth: Pandora
3. Gaeline Mesh Lashes: Fantasia
4. Face Paint: Nic Perfect Gloss
5. Sexy Mama Valentine Manicure
6. Laq: Tasha
7. Shakeup!: Fabric Flower Ring
8. Taken on site at Image Essentials

The Way You Do The Things You Do

Do you know those people who seem to be able to do everything and when they do, it looks effortless?

I look to those people for inspiration. I respect them. I notice the ways they use their talents and creatively construct an exciting world all around them.

When I met Zzoiee, she had qualities I could heartily admire and learn from as well. Since I've met her, the world she exists in has grown exponentially and each step she's taken to make this so much fun to watch.

As I take photos, I feel them viscerally. It wasn't that way at first for me, but the more I do this, the more I feel it way down deep inside of me. It comes from the clothes, the designer, the experience and the art of it.

Much of my life could be expressed in song, so when things move me emotionally, I begin to hear music in my head. This series of photos come from Zanze's Avenue Zenshi Fashion Week Black and White Collection. Zzoiee, I don't even know how you do the way you things you do, but you do it brilliantly.


Featured Zanze Blair {Charcoal} Avenue Zenshi Fashion Week
Featured EMO-tions Audrey .theevent.
1. Custom Shape
2. Finesmith: French Sky Nails
3. Mirror's Enigma: Socordia V2 Skintone (Bleed)
4. Mirror's Enigma: Dreamy (n): Black Colored Eyes
5. {what next}: Rainy Day Pose Props
6. Chop Zuey: Kharma Lovers Earrings
7. Chop Zuey: Kharma Lovers Bracelet Worn as a Choker
8. DADAbeiz: Black Half Ankle Boots
9. Lace Tights by Caryn
10. Shot on Location at Image Essentials (The Maze)
11. Pose Built into Umbrella

Featured Zanze Bridgit {Checkmate} (Avenue Zenshi Fashion Week)
Featured EMO-tions Keyla (LEEZU Hunt)
1. Custom Shape
2. Gaeline: Mesh Lashes Starlia
3. Face Paint: Spring Gems Special
4. Mirror's Enigma: Dreamy (n) Black Colored Eyes
5. LAQ Tasha
6. HollyWeird: Ice Queen Piercing
7. Moonshadow: Gipsy Set
8. Bootgasm: Sleek Boots Black
9. Shot on Location at Image Essentials
10. Prop and Poses: "This Image Essentials Prop is a combination of items purchased from various merchants as well as items created by [Kay Weston]."

Featured Zanze Cinch Dress {Zebra} (Avenue Zenshi Fashion Week)
Featured EMO-tions Pola
1. Custom Shape
2. Poetic Eyes: Quicksilver
3. Sexy Mama Valentine Manicure
4. Mirror's Enigma: Iona Native Skintone
5. Chop Zuey: Men's Margherita Necklace
6. MIA: Rock Leather and Country Lace Cowgirl Boots
7. MIA: Rock Leather and Country Lace Cowgirl Hat
8. MIA: Rock Leather and Country Lace Cowgirl Lace Pants
9. Props and Poses: "This Image Essentials Prop is a combination of items purchased from various merchants as well as items created by [Kay Weston]."

Featured Zanze Clarice {Abstract} (Avenue Zenshi Fashion Week)
Featured EMO-tions Liberty Turquoise Earrings and Necklace
Featured Face Paint: Jessica Smoke
1. Custom Shape
2. Poetic Eyes: Quicksilver
3. EMO-tions: Silja
4. 17 Quintessencia Model Square 1
5. Oceane's: Rose Natural Honey Tan
6. R2: Azuli Silver
7. "This Image Essentials Prop is a combination of items purchased from various merchants as well as items created by [Kay Weston]."

I'm In a New York State of Mind

I'm partial to Snowpaws for many reasons, but one of the ones at the core of the positive emotions resounds in the relationship I've been privileged to develop over time with Carrie Snowpaw.

Way... way... back in time, she supported the Face of Face Paint contest with Eve Express, committing new outfits to the winner(s).

I had peripherally known of Snowpaws for a long time prior to March 2012, but when I won one of the spots at Face Paint thus also winning clothing from Snowpaws, I got to know it a bit more.

Ever since, I have worked with Carrie Snowpaw, writing the weekly blog, posting sales, special events, news and fashion shows she's done. All the while, besides a business relationship building trust, we also developed a welcome friendship.

She's one of those people you simply want to know because she exudes a warmth that is genuine, and in her little niche in Second Life, she's poured out that warmth to so many many people.

Not only does she participate in a half dozen or so special sales events each week, she also joins hunts and makes high quality treasures for those hunts, and then there are all the ways you can win free items.

But there's even more to it than that. Every so often, I think of the phrase, "Go the extra mile," and how it relates to her and to Snowpaws. She contributes items to a conglomeration of charity based fund raisers.

No, she's not a Saint yet, but I don't know if anyone has petitioned the new Pope Francis to recognize her as one... yet. When I get to work with and for someone who offers more of herself than she ever asks, I consider myself the lucky one.

If you've never visited Snowpaws, you should. People have so many motives in Second Life, some of them seemingly unsavory, but at Snowpaws, there's always a sense of goodness with a splash of fun and naughty in a good way. Her motives come through as crystal clear and full of hope.

A side note, about the fun nails I have on in the photo (see the zoomed in photo), these are the cleverest drops of fun ever to drip on my fingertips. The set of 10 nails each have little tea party dishes. They're some of my favorite ever from Candy Nail and they were in a Gacha machine for only 50L. Fun at a great price. Who can do better than that?


Featured Snowpaws Ava Dress (The Event)
Featured Candy Nail (Gacha, and what a deal) Tea Time Nails in Pink
1. Custom Shape
2. EMO-tions: Fame
3. Poetic Eyes: Quicksilver
4. Face Paint Gems: Spring Gems 2 A Girl's Best Friend
5. Face Paint: Midas Touch Silver v2
6. Baboom!: Bracelet from Silver Moon Outfit
7. RYCA: Platinum Earrings
8. N-Core: Triumph
9. Focus Poses
10. Avante Pose (Now called In-Pose!)

Featured Snowpaws Harlow Form Fitting Dress
1. Custom Shape
2. Poetic Eyes: Quicksilver
3. Truth: Soleil
4. Face Paint Gems: Spring Gems 1 Easter Basket
5. Sexy Mama Valentine Manicure
6. LAQ: Tasha Skin
7. Zuri's: My Juliet Set Bracelet
8. Angel Dessous: Dragon Fly Brooch (worn in hair)
9. Joops: Black Golden Nailed Ankle Boots

Cowgirl, Eraser of Love, and I'm Invisible

No matter where I visit in Second Life, I find a cadre of places designed for kicking back and enjoy... the beach, the sunset, the cowgirl ranch, and so many other things.

I get frustrated sometimes, however, because many of those settings look amazing and yet no one present. Someone invested so much in these locations then they became as deserted as ghost towns of the American midwest.

I remember the very simple distribution of main land, First Land, charter members who turned their investment into multi-million dollar businesses, and only a select number of groups and places where those groups met.

Evolution of the platform itself, Second Life, made this place we share more and more dynamic, more creative, and in essence more fun for all sorts of activities. Evolution also ended up being a giant diaspora. Maybe it's a little like the Big Bang Theory, and as soon as Second Life had life breathed into it, it exploded and exponentially so.

Progress offers so many positives, but also allows for nostalgic memory of a simpler world. In a small world it's easy to embrace dreams and accolades that come from hard work. As the world grows, it's easy to become invisible if you're not passionately aggressively following your dream. Even if there are 412 models in Second Life and once upon a time there were only 12, it's still possible to follow the dream and earn the accolades. It just takes that much more time. One day, I know my story will end with "As she rode off into the sunset, she turned and shouted at the top of her lungs, 'Yeee Haaaw!!'" Maybe it's harder and easy to get lost and feel invisible in a sea of faces, but get in the saddle cowgirl, and ride like the wind.


Featured [nn] (No Name) Nice N` Cowgirl
Featured EMO-tions - Helena Ombre - Gift at Fashion for Life
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Colossus%20of%20Rhodes/122/116/235
1. Custom Shape
2. Poetic Eyes: Hot Mocca
3. WoW: Diva Lashes
4. Face Paint: Sunkissed
5. Sexy Mana Valentine Nails
6. Mirror's Enigma: Leigh Native Skintone
7. Finesmith: Belly Gem 1
8. WoW: Gulsem Jewellery Set
9. Demise of Flight Pose 1
10. Motion Pose in VA AO

Featured EMO-tions - Semiramis - Fashion for Life
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Colossus%20of%20Rhodes/122/116/235
Featured Vero Modero - Mystic Catsuit in Red
1. Custom Shape
2. Poetic Eyes: Oriental Pearl
3. LAQ: Tasha
4. Chop Zuey: MaSonge
5. N-Core: Caprice
6. Sit Pose in Vista Animations AO

What's Your Price for Flight?

The challenge was to identify a specific animal then style an outfit that reminded the viewer of the animal in a way that was abstract. I was encouraged not to make use of animal skins (which are hugely popular right now so the temptation was incredible!!

The first time I created the look for this challenge, I went in a completely different direction. In so many ways, I needed to redo the challenge and in that editing process, I had the most fun discovering new designers and utilizing pieces from my past.

I found this imaginative dress by sYs. I've never owned anything created by them and I loved thee texture and the flitting bit of fantasy that the skirt imbued. I built the rest of the look around the skirt, and came up with this composition. I've had a number of people ask me, "Where did you get that dress?" It's not a dress. The first in store modeling job I took was modeling for Carrie's Lingerie. The top comes from Carrie's Sins Collection. It was a nod to the past, acknowledgement that every dream takes time, but eventually if you determine to make it, that dream WILL take flight.

At what cost? What's your price for flight? When you dream a little dream with me, do you realize that dreams take perseverance? I knew my passion to model would take time, but even I did not realize the time it would take. I didn't realize how much of my heart and soul would pour into this dream to make it reality. Like the beautiful blue macaw, I want to fly freely into the future. Will you come too? The cost is staggering. Egos get bruised. Spirits get broken. It takes time and patience and strength for a little bird to have the strength to fly. Come fly with me.


Featured - sYs: Ascella Skirt Blue
1. Custom Shape
2. LAQ Skin: Tasha
3. Poetic Eyes: Quicksilver
4. [ChicZafari]: Noir Rose
5. Gaeline Mesh Lashes: Divina
6. Candy Nail: Diva Blue
7. RYCA: Platinum Earrings
8. Liv-Glam/Stella: Janel Sandal Boots
9. Carrie's Lingerie: From 7 Sins Collection - Sloth - Corset
10. Reale: White Tights
11. Miamai and Avante Poses