Even though we aren’t a couple, and I keep you physically at arms length, you take care of me. You sit quietly at my side when I need company, and you walk away, no hard feelings, when I need to be alone. You will watch Kung Fu Panda or LOTR or the Matrix with me dozens (hundreds?!?) of times, and you know all the parts I think are funny or exciting or make me cry. You’ll do the dishes when they get out of hand, even though you hate getting your hands wet, and you will shovel the walk even though you know I don’t want to leave the house. You remind me of the woman I was, and the woman I might be again, without reminding me that I don’t like the woman I am today, and that is why I love you. We’ve been a couple in the past, and maybe we will be a couple again someday, I don’t know; but for some reason, I feel like this is our song…
Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you’re so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks, now I’m tryin to get back
before the cool done run out I’ll be givin it my bestest
and nothin’s gonna stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it’s again my turn to win some or learn some…
…Well open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you’re free
look into your heart and you’ll find love love love love
listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing
We’ re just one big family
and it’s our godforsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved…
…I’ve been spendin’ way too long checkin’ my tongue in the mirror
and bendin’ over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
and so I drew a new face and I laughed…
…Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn, you’re free
Look into your heart and you’ll find the sky is yours
Please don’t, please don’t, please don’t
There’s no need to complicate, ’cause our time is short
This, oh this, oh this is our fate, I’m yours…
.
gazebo photo:
::: B@R ::: Jazmin Purple
[Decoy] Stevens Jeans (not available)
-Belleza- Alyson SK 12
Gos [DOCS] 8 HOLE - F - Black
Heart Key Earring, Divine/Silver -EARTHTONES/luc
Cake - Faith II - Black II Hair
=miaSofia= ::Alexitimia Tattoo::
Ely’s Necklace by marcopol oh
pose *xoxo ania* against the wall d
__________
field photo:
*elymode* slouchy leggings - lucky lilac (lucky chair)
BP*DNM PANTS SKIRT /light
pose: Sine Wave- Sprite (dance)
__________
mirror photo:
Cake - Barcelona hair
pose custom for this shot
If you follow the feeds with any regularity, you probably have seen me blog about Decoy a few (dozen) times. As you may have heard, Annette Voight lost her mind yesterday, and marked down almost everything in her new main shop by 50%. The items she didn’t mark down… are free. Fatpacks of boots and hair and dresses and shirts… free. I told her that I was actually disappointed that I had everything bc I was missing the excitement! I knew that because of this crazy sale, the blogs were probably going to be full of photos of Decoy clothing, and I was just going to let that go by without my participation, there’s nothing there I haven’t blogged!
I couldn’t let it go… but what to do? I got it… *vintage* Decoy. Sorry, you can’t buy most of these items anymore; this is me reminiscing about the days when Annette shared her first releases with me and I just knew she was going to make it big. (hey Annette, I still have a lm to your place at the Bomb Factory!)
Time is very important to consider here. The Earth Fae set, The Autumn Comfort top, and the Promise jeans all made their way into my inventory around the fall of ‘07. The texturing, the shading and the depth of these items was extraordinary for the time, and still hold up to today’s standards. well, ok, maybe not the non-sculpted prim cuffs!
“May I present to you,” El said, “the best ass in all SL!” No, not mine… Annette’s! When she released these jeans they became my standard jeans, the only others I’d even consider back then were from Last Call. I always joke with Annette that I love her ass… because I do think she makes the best tush.
In the last shot, El is wearing another discontinued set, In Suspension. It came with the pants and suspenders in a few colors and a white tank. Plus, of course, a great ass. Yes, those are system flares… hey, it was 2007.
The last item I am mentioning, the green dress in the photo below, has not been retired. It’s been around for a while, and the shading and wrinkles are impressive still today. So why include it? Because she named it Elysium. I was so flattered when she named this dress for me, such a simple gesture, but it meant so much to me.
Feles… forgive me for doing this without you, but I got the bug and just had to.
details:
retired items from Decoy: Earth Fae in green, Autumn Comfort in plum, Promise Jeans
still available from Decoy: Elysium in green (other colors also available)
on El:
skin: Gala Phoenix Lovely in Sundust, Olive Branch
hair: Magika Riddle in Wild Green
wings from Material Squirrel (forgot to note the name)
on me:
skin: Tuli Hope Kitten
hair: Truth Gabby
nails: CandyNail
A couple of nights ago, Annette Voight of Decoy sent me a little preview of this new short jacket she was working on; she was finished, she said, just needed to do the colors and we laughed because we both know she is color crazy. She said she was probably going to do 10 colors, or maybe 16… lol jumped right from 10 to 16, and 16 is what she gave us. I’m also sure there are 6-7 other combinations she wanted to do but just couldn’t look at the template and appearance mode anymore. Here Feles and I and El paired them with the Decoy Cheeky Panties from the Panty Raid hunt.
Another thing Annette and I discussed was that some of my clothing from elymode is “Decoy Compatable”. I’m gonna start to put that on my marketing materials I’ve always been a huge fan of her use of color and I was glad to see how well some of my skirts coordinated with the jacket.
Like everything she does, the texturing on the Kelsey jacket is just fantastic. I hope she knows I’ll be studying the way she draws the stitching and the way the fabric pulls against it. The arm sculpts are perfect, just enough to give the shape without being bulky, and they blend into the clothing layers so well. El is also playing with one of her favorite new SL items, the bubblegum from M.Fox. Every shoot for the past couple of weeks I have been shooting around her bubble blowing, and sometimes I give in, because it’s just too cute.
El kicked me out of the last shot, she said it had been too long since she had a nice portrait with Feles. She said “nice” and I expected her to start making faces or bunny ears over Feles’ head but no, she was well behaved and adorable…. I think she’s just trying to get a raise in her allowance
Feles:
Decoy Kelsey jacket in white/purple
Elymode leafy skirt, lilac
Curio acorn dark June geranium 2
Magika Cake hair, black
J’s Real Toe Studded Wedge Sandals, white
Burroughs Fairy necklace
Hex Precision nails
Let’s pretend, for at least one paragraph, that this post is not about hair, shall we?
A few weeks ago, one of my favorite designers–no, one of my favorite people on the whole grid, Annette Voight, released some adorable new dresses and tops. The Marisol dress is long and flowy, or, you can wear just the top as a tank. Not only can you wear just the tank, you get all layers: tank on all three top layers and both bottom layers, plus the glitch pants on both layers. Say it with me now “I LOVE YOU ANNETTE!” You can also purchase each of the tanks without skirt/glitch pants for less if you don’t see yourself wearing the dress option. The dress is available in almost a dozen colors, and if that isn’t enough, there are 4 additional tank top only colors.
The other new Decoy clothing release is the striped Lila top, available in a million color combinations too… ok 16, but still. I had a sneak peak at this top when it was a work in progress and this really is a testament to how amazingly talented with the template Annette is: look at how well the off the shoulder sleeve stripes line up…
Technically, this is paragraph four right? Sweet, on to the hair! Decoy made it’s official hair debut at hair fair with the release of 3 and a half styles. I say “and a half” because Nicole, the low ponytail shown above, comes with or without the bangs. Annette has been working hard on her hair textures, and has created over two dozen beautiful tones… you can really see the range in this next shot featuring the Katie style. I LOVE the back of this style and how she has pulled the hair together.
This last shot shows Feles and I wearing one of my all-time favorite updos. Zoey was first released as a group gift months ago and at 41 prims, no flexi, and very minimal sculpt and alphas… this is my choice for high lag events. Upgraded with new textures, my favorite just got even better. I got so distracted by color and composition here that, thought I got a great shot, it doesn’t really show off the hair, so go here for a closer look.
I told El we didn’t need a third for this shot but she managed to get in there anyway! Oversize flowers from Fallingwater Cellardoor.
[Decoy Hair] Nicole - Light Ash Brown (Bangs)
[Decoy] Lila Striped Top - Pink/Orange
[Decoy] City Breeze Shorts - Raspberry
*blowpop* N2 Carmen -tone D- 6.2 Clavel Rosa 2
:: Exodi :: Aidan Bangles (Left)
Fairy Bat Wings, Tintable BW
[Decoy] Lila Striped Top -classic purple
[Decoy Hair] Katie - Medium Auburn
[Decoy] Dalini - Grape
[Decoy[ Genesis 10 Jeans - Grape
[Decoy] Alexa Heels
[Decoy Hair] Zoey - Soft Black (this is a neutral black in world, the blue tint is due to my WL settings)
[]::Tuli::[] Faith (dark tan/bl) sunny
:: Exodi :: Amarissa Set earrings and necklace
Feles:
Decoy Nicole dark red
GP Acorn dark June Grass 2
Decoy Marisol dress, green
Decoy Francisco II wedge, kiwi
Malt brown/gold bracelets
Decoy Katie espresso
blowpop N2 Carmen D Hipnotico 2
Decoy Manzano Ruby Halter
Decoy Stevens shorts faded
Decoy Francisco II Wedge, ruby
EMJ Elegance bangles, colorchange
Decoy Zoey dark blonde
LAQ Jennie 07 Peach
Decoy Dalini top, sky
Decoy Genesis 10 capri, aqua
Decoy Alexa heels (color change)
Bare Rose wood plate bangle
All of us have some favorite some shops in SL that create the “gotta have it” feeling in us with every new release. Haven Designs consistently does that to us, especially El, who hovers near me making grabby hands at the photos and whining “I knoooowwww you have work to do but loooooookit!!!” She’s a bad influence, that one. El had her eye on the Selah set and brought me over to Haven to look at colors, and I just had to get Roewan for myself.
I love the fabrics, textures and colors Delora uses, the cut and design of each set is unique, and the quality of every item is fantastic. Both sets come on multiple layers and can be worn without the attachments for different looks. Roewan even has an alternate version without the midsection that makes a great bikini.
The hair in these shots is Zoey from Annette Voight. If you are a long-time member of the Decoy update group, you may have it, but if not you will be able to purchase an updated version of this style at the upcoming hair fair! Zoey is one of my favorite up-dos on the entire grid, and weighing in at only 41 prims, this is my standard hair for high lag events.
The Night Fairy and Evadne wings from Material Squirrel seen here will make their debut at the Fantasy Faire starting next week along with 3 other new styles in multiple colors. I have been a huge fan of Kala’s work since my early days and she is one of those designers that I still get a little fangirl about, even though I’ve gotten to know her. If you don’t own any wings in SL, I urge you to head down to her shop or her booth at the faire and check it out. You don’t have to RP fairies or demons to wear wings you know.
All poses in this set are from Sweet Lovely Cute which has a new main shop and some new animations, AOs and couples poses to go with the new build. Each pose is full of personality which makes them so much fun to shoot.
photoshop notes: in the last photo, the wings appear to have double tips, that’s just some fancy photoshoppin’ to give them some extra visual movement.
El:
*Haven Designs* Selah - Pink
Material Squirrel Evadne Wings in Coral
[Decoy Hair] Zoey - Brown
[]::Tuli::[] Hope (pale/br) vivid
:: Exodi :: Aidan Bangles and Annah Hoops
Poetic Color eyes by LL - summer - pink garden (s)
SLink Barefoot Beady Style
Ely:
*Haven Designs* Roewan Silks - Purple
Material Squirrel Night Fairy Wings in Purple
[Decoy Hair] Zoey - Black
[]::Tuli::[] Hope (tan/bl) vivid
:: Exodi :: Alysha Necklace & Earrings
Poetic Color eyes by LL - summer storm -(s)
Stiletto Moody - Gladiator Boots
It all started with a pair of wings and a fae costume. In the summer of 2007 El met Annette Voight, the only wingless Faerie in Straylight. El just knew that Annette was a magical being and reached into inventory to pass over a pair of wings that had been waiting for a new owner. Little did she know those wings would inspire Annette to create her first SL clothing, the Earth Fae. El and Annette saw each other at Straylight from time to time, and when Annette started to design clothing I told her I just KNEW she was going to do something amazing.
In my opinion, for whatever it’s worth, Annette Voight has been one of the most influential clothing artists in SL when it comes to hand drawn texture and shading. Annette’s first releases in the fall of 2007 were detailed, the fabric had excellent texture and shading, her pants had the best bum I had seen on the grid, and the clothing had wrinkles, NOT the norm at that time, except from some of the very best designers. Ok, I know, I’m gushing here but really, she’s that talented.
So, last night at 11:05 slt Annette sent out a group notice that her new releases were in store, and by 11:08 Feles and I were there. Really. I checked my chat log. Fat Packs of everything please.
Taken at the Bittersweet Bakery, we are all wearing the new Zanfrina dress in this first shot. The dress comes in 9 colors and each one comes with a solid color dress attachment and the multicolor one. Annette tried to tell me that she did not purposely make all her dresses perfectly match her shoes, but I don’t believe her.
In true Decoy style, Annette has finished the jacket layer and the shirt/underpants layer so they can be worn separately. She is a perfectionist, and that’s not only true about the design and creation of the clothing, but in making an item the most it can be. In this shot we’re wearing those tank tops with the new Stevens shorts, which come in 13 colors including black and white which made me so happy I almost started humping her leg right there in the store. There must have been a dozen times in the past year where I have said to myself “I wish Annette made some shorts in black and white.” She read my mind; it wasn’t the first time.
The Izzie Cardigan, which Feles and I were lucky to preview a few weeks ago, comes in 14 color variations and are quite revealing, to say the least! You can put something underneath but, well, this is Photographing SL and we like to show the bewbs. Wearing the Stevens shorts in this shot too, you can see the bum shading that we love so much.
We shot these pics literally in the middle of the night, and I didn’t copy down all my styling info and if Feles sent me notecard I have no idea where it went so these credits won’t have all the details but should help you find anything you need. Feel free to contact me in world if you can’t find something.
Feles: hair from Truth and Detour, skin Sylvan from Nomine and Kat Glow from LAQ
Ely: hair from Decoy (group gift, no longer available), skin Kalisto from Tuli, jewelry from EMJ
El: hair from Magika, skin Sunny and Lovely from Gala Phoenix, ears from Illusions, jewelry from EMJ
all poses from [lap] Long Awkward Pose
shot on location at the Stokame Artists Colony on Osa Menor sim and Stokame Lake at Candella Este.
Feles and I were preparing for a shoot last night when a notice went out to the Decoy group, and before we had even stopped to see what it said we typed at the same time:
[21:58] Elysium Eilde: !!!
[21:58] Feles Seitan: decoy decoy decoy
You see, we REALLY like Decoy, and not just because Annette is one of the sweetest residents on the grid. The clothing, shoes, and she’s even getting into hair, is some of the most consistently excellent work out there.
So what did we get? Annette sent out “skinny leg” sculpted attachments for her Genesis Jeans. If you don’t own the jeans, this won’t mean anything to you… but if you have some Genesis Jeans in your inventory, Annette just handed you another leg style. Not just for group members, you can grab them free at her shop, and anyone buying the jeans now will find the skinny leg comes in the box along with the flared and flared slouch attachments. I’d like to point out that while I often do touch up the transitions from prim to clothing layer in my pics, I didn’t do that here. Annette always does an AMAZING job matching her attachments to the clothing.
Annette is someone that I know from my earliest days in SL; whenever she does something new I get excited, so I sent her an enthusiastic message when we got these and then she said some magic words…
[2009/03/14 22:00] Annette Voight: sneak preview cardigan being sent both your way in the next hour or two
*commence fangirl screaming now*
I’m sure this would look great with a tank top under it, or over a pretty sundress, but by the late hour that we began this, Feles and I were both beyond styling an outfit much past jeans and a sweater.
Annette is the worst kind of tease, she never says when or exactly what! I’m not sure what other colors this will be available in or when she will be releasing it, but I have a feeling this will not be the only thing she releases in the next few weeks and I can not wait!
me:
Decoy Izzie Cardigan, grape
Decoy Genesis 10 white jeans with new skinny cuffs
Decoy Francisco Wedge graphe/white
Analog Dog Go black
[]::Tuli::[] Kalista medium 15
Corazon Sagrado Necklace and Earrings- Morado
Feles:
Decoy Izzie Cardigan, ruby
Decoy Zoey hair, brown
Decoy Genesis 10 medium jeans with new skinny cuffs
Decoy Francisco Wedge red/black
Soul African M5
Ame True gunmetal hoop earrings
Bittersweet Corazon Sagrado Necklace - Rojo
poses from Torridwear
background texture from *xoxo ania*
I’ve always been a huge fan of her use of color and I was glad to see how well some of my skirts coordinated with the jacket.
