Also Tuli let me put up some of the shapes I made at her mainstore with the Hope vendors. So check them out if you need a shape for your new skin.

Taxi to Tuli

Now you may be asking what a Poco Pal is, and the quick answer is that it’s the cutest and most customizable stuffed animal I’ve ever owned in SL. If you haven’t been living under a rock recently, you’ve heard about Loco Pocos, the adorable tiny avatar in many animal forms, and these are simply a toy version of those avatars for the non-tinies who want to bring cuteness with them wherever they go. I asked Damien to pick any animal to send to me since I couldn’t decide from all the possibilities, and fate – Damien Fate that is! – sent me a lion pal I promptly named Lyra. I highly suggest that everyone take advantage of Grab a Pal Day starting at midnight and lasting through all of May 21 to pick up a Poco Pal of your own at 50% off.

Lyra and I began our first day together hanging out at an outdoor café while I explored her other menu options. Fashion was a big part of the conversation as we discussed which shirt to wear and if she was in more of a skirt or pants mood since she has all those options available in different styles and colors. We just about wore ourselves out playing with all the eye and fur color combinations too.

As the day progressed, we ended up at Loco Pocos Island for a little fishing, and I really began to feel like Lyra and I were connecting. We laughed together and smiled and glared and ran the gamut of emotions with her beautiful face and all the available expressions for it.

After a full day out and about, it was time to go home and unwind a little. All my friends commented that somehow Lyra and I had even begun to resemble each other as we spent more time together. I’m not sure I really get what they were saying though. What do you think?

Enchanted is a silver and pastel floral set based on an unique flower sculpt that I created and textured in ZBrush, and then I applied some pastel tints in Photoshop to get the 5 color options – blue, orange, pink, purple, and red – shown in the image below. The idea originated with a memory of some ceramic roses and lilies that my grandmother collected and kind of took on a life of its own.

OK, enough about me! Let’s move on to two of my favorite recent purchases – the Fluorite Tree Corset from Schadenfreude and the I’m Not Cute pose set from Lazy Places. I don’t think I’ve taken the corset off since I bought it. I’ve worn it with jeans, dressy trousers, leather pants, and a few skirts, and I just keep falling a little more in love with it. Purple and green together is one of my favorite color combinations, and this is a lovely deep shade of both colors. The swirled design of tree branches and roots is bold on some parts of the corset and subtle in others, lending a sort of shimmer to the cloth.

While SakuraDawn named this pose set “I’m Not Cute!”, it’s the equivalent of an adorable 3-year-old with her hands on her hips emphatically telling you “I’m not cute!” because these poses are cute no matter what they’re named. That’s to be expected though since Sakura herself is cute beyond words no matter how she might try to deny it. The poses at Lazy Places are among some of my favorites because they tend to be a bit whimsical while still very well made in that your body isn’t broken into a million pieces by them and because the majority of them fit my larger-than-average shape. I can’t begin to describe what a joy it is to be able to buy a whole set of poses at once rather than having to pick and choose the ones that fit. Anything that enables me to shop faster and more easily is a plus in my book!

Lazy Places recently moved to the new Katat0nik sim, so if you haven’t been there in a while, you really need to go check out the new store and take a look at all the new releases from poses to creative accessories like talking cupcakes that sit on your head. It’s a great site for photos too as Sakura has placed several of her poses around the shop, and if you’re a 7 Seas fishing fanatic, you have to spend some time there with your fishing rod. I really need to collect all of the lip piercings and Baitlyn, one day you shall be mine!

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad.

When Kavar mentioned he was going to write a post highlighting some of his favorite items in SL, I thought it seemed like a great idea and decided to copy him by doing one of my own. I’d actually love to see more people do this as a meme on the fashion blogs. Give your favorite designers some holiday love, and help the rest of us with our holiday shopping at the same time!

The first thing I noticed after going through Kavar’s post was how much overlap we had in our favorites though I guess it’s no surprise really because we do so much of our shopping together. My first pick is one that wasn’t on his list, but it’s because it’s his hair. Yeah, I know, this is the Exile blog, and his hair is always spotlighted here, but I absolutely can’t have a post about favorites and not mention Exile. Illicit was the first Exile hairstyle I ever saw, and it quickly became a favorite along with the great black texture he had even back then. Now it’s a year later, and there are so many great textures, and each new hair becomes my favorite until the next new hair is created, but Illicit will always have a special place in my heart because it was my first and because it led me to my best friend.

Read on after the cut to see more of the favorites in my inventory.

Poses

I enjoy taking photos in SL, so I’m always on the lookout for good poses and animations that don’t distort avatars and their clothing and are interesting and versatile. Kavar already highlighted one of my favorites – Long Awkward Pose by Dove Swanson – so I’ll be quick here and say that many of my favorite poses are by her, and she rocks. I forget how I first found her, but I remember she shut down the shop at one point right after sending a freebie set of poses for chubby avatars to her group. It was one of the first times I messaged a creator to personally thank them because I loved the poses just that much, and I was thrilled when Dove came back a bit later and set up shop again.

I have a few specialized AOs from ANA_Mations by Surrealia Anatine, including her fairy AO that I’ve used quite a bit. I became a fan for life however a little over a year ago after contacting her to customize some of her stands for my shape. Those stands were integral to my AO for months, and I still use them here and there. She was so easy to work with, and I think from first contact to having the reworked poses in my inventory was just about 24 hours. I don’t know how typical that is for her, but I was very impressed. She still has the “Big Girl Pose Collection” for sale in her shop, and her Jabberwocky sim is one you definitely want to explore even if you’re not in the market for poses.

When I first started looking for poses and stands right after coming in to SL, I kept getting pointed to Luth Brodie and what was then Reel Movement and is now Reel Expression. I immediately appreciated her focus on poses that didn’t distort the avatar and were balanced. She’s even written a great guide to help all of us evaluate the poses we see. She’s done many of her poses in “curvy” versions that work great for bigger avatars. A couple of months ago she released a casual curvy AO, and my current AO uses several of those stands in it. She’s also having a gift card sale through Dec. 26, so definitely check that out for some great deals.

Skins and Body Parts

Last Christmas a friend gave me a 3-skin gift card for CHAI Skins by Launa Fauna, and one of those skins, the Siyu in the cream tone, became my signature skin almost immediately. I went from someone who might change skins multiple times a day to someone who pretty much lived in one skin the majority of the time. It’s not a makeup I would have really thought of as me, but I tried the demo and fell hard for it. Since then, I’ve also bought the skin in a darker shade, nutmeg, for something a little different, and it’s still my main skin. It’s also impacted the way I look at other skins now because I find myself drawn mainly to similar cat-eye makeups.

Some people might not consider wings body parts, but I file them that way in my inventory, so they are for me. Jen Shikami of Seven’s Selections is the creator of probably 95% of the wings in my inventory if not more. I love the wings for their value, the huge variety of styles, and the easy HUD to change their appearance. The wings can be tiny or even invisible when I’m just out walking around and then when I take to the skies, they can unfurl to their full majesty if I choose. These were the first wings I fell in love with in SL, and though I don’t wear my wings quite as much lately as I once did, I will always be eager to see what Jen creates and keep a special place for her designs in my inventory.

Clothing and Accessories

I have a fascination with lockets in both of my lives. I’ve long joked that it comes from being named after the song Brandy by Looking Glass – “Brandy wears a braided chain made of finest silver from the north of Spain, a locket that bears the name of a man that Brandy loved.” – but it probably has more to do with my sentimental nature and being able to keep the images of loved ones close to me at all times. Either way, the Antique Sterling Locket from Genesis by Ryker Beck is my favorite locket in SL. It’s elegant and understated, perfect for everyday wear but still special enough to not be out of place for special occasions. And like Kavar, I also wear one of her Halloween items, the Spooktacular ring, a lot. It’s a simple band but still unique in its design. Really you can’t go wrong buying something from Genesis. Each item is a piece of art, and I believe the items are mod/trans for easy gift giving.

Until Kavar’s influence, I really wasn’t much of a shoe person. Once I had my favorite sneakers, a couple pairs of boots, and some heels, I figured I didn’t really need to go shoe shopping again. Then I got sucked into Kavar’s world of shoe mania, and that was all she wrote. The very first fat pack of shoes I ever bought felt like a defining moment somehow, so I have to give some space to the Tesla Marie heels. The height, the color combinations, the t-strap. It was just instant shoe love for some reason, and the deal for the fat pack was too good to pass up. I look back and say that was the moment I truly understood shoe obsession.

I’m not sure if there’s anyone to blame for my fondness of doll keys in SL, but I guess one possible target would be Violet Voltaire for making accessories I can’t pass by without buying. Most of my doll keys are her creations, and they’re all great. If you’re unlike me and able to resist the doll keys, then I’m sure you can still find lots of other items to tempt you like her cupcake and lollipop jewelry that I also adore.

It’s kind of overwhelming to think about the many clothing creators I could mention here. Being able to buy and wear such a huge variety of gorgeous clothing is one of the things I love about SL, and I can easily spend most of my time just changing clothes and mixing and matching various pieces. I can’t highlight everyone here of course, but I absolutely could not do a favorites post without mentioning hyasynth Tiramisu of silentsparrow. Back when I was still pretty new to SL, I came across a poster promoting a silentsparrow fashion show, and I decided to try attending just to see how that would work. The event ran very smoothly from what I could tell, and by the end, I was a silentsparrow fan for life. I’m a big fan of hand-drawn textures, and hyasynth is able to draw brocade that is absolutely luscious. Her dresses make me happy, and her mix of color with the expected black and the wealth of options in each set she releases makes it so easy to create a multitude of looks.

And to wrap this all up, I just want to thank all the creators that make my SL a better place. I appreciate you so much, and I know I’m not the only one. Thank you for putting up with everything from rude customers to random SL glitches and bugs in order to continue bringing your visions to life for all of us. We probably don’t say it often enough, but you are amazing for all that you do.

Being a creator means I spend most of my time making stuff, and the rest of it photographing it for ads and vendors, So I will start with animations because I always need male and female ones for different images and things so I have a great many. Also I feel I’m guilty of not crediting them nearly as much as I should.

Long Awkward Pose (LAP)-

Seriously my favorite pose store. I have most of them and make special break times to hunt for them when I see the name in a hunt list just in case shes hidden ones that aren’t in the store lol. Dove Swanson has a way with poses, and not just female ones, her male ones are just as well thought out and executed. I always find the right flow and feel I’m looking for, and there’s a real range of stuff to from really casual low key to glam to funny and really sexy. Also if your on a budget they are really affordable (buy the packs of them, its a great deal) My only complaint is she has a rl life and I can’t tie her up in the basement and make her create poses 24 hours a day . So Basically if you use poses and haven’t been there, or haven’t been in a while, go there, immediately, and spend a lot, you won’t be sorry.

Visit in world by clicking here.

Vista Animations-

Creator of my AO Animations of choice for the last couple of years. I like to mix and match a lot so I just use the latest version of Zhao and switch them in and out when I feel like a change. Vista Barnes creates some great animated poses though so my stands and walks are often marked with the Vista brand. I Also recently bought a Male model pose pack from there and was really happy with the poses and the pricing. Definitely a store to check out if you haven’t already or haven’t in a while.

Visit in world by clicking here.

Striking Poses-

I remember the first few fashcon ads for Zelly Mornington’s Striking poses store. I also remember every time I went for a bit it was in a different place lol But what a great idea, Poses based on shots of famous people ranging from all times and walks. I have a growing collection of Zelly’s poses and I have to say I’m always happy with what I get there. I suppose there is a part of me that wishes she did more men’s poses but other then that I would recommend a visit. And I would also recommend the Drew Barrymore set (the pose above is from that set) just cause I really like those

Visit in world by clicking here.

Persona-

My final animation pic is Persona. Myllie Writer makes all kinds of things, poses, clothing and jewelry, but more to the point she makes my current favorite male sitting pose, aptly named male sit sexy seen above. I have several of her poses and they are all very nice and interesting also as many of you will have already seen in the blogs, she makes some great clothing so definetly worth a look if you haven’t been.

Visit in world by clicking here.

On a more personal note, lets talk about the things that are on my person next.

Belleza-

I wore my own thrown together skin for nearly a year (it was always my plan to finish/polish them and sell them, I will get get back to that someday lol) However about 5 months ago I decided to treat myself after a grueling few weeks and go out and look for a skin that I thought would fit Kavar. I tried on many and a lot of them were nice but they didn’t really look the way I wanted to look. Then I tried on Thomas from Belleza. I Bought it after deciding on a facial hair which took about 2 minutes. Its a great skin and I don’t see it quite as much as I see the other really popular male skins so I don’t feel like too much of a clone in it, it also makes Kavar look a fair bit more like the real life me which was a fun bonus. Tricky Boucher really does some fantastic work with skins, both male and female, and until I can get my photoshop skills up to his level skin wise, I’m quite happy to be wearing Belleza.

Visit in world by clicking here.

Shine-

So most of my friends are creators, and the ones that aren’t, are often converted to the dark side. Brandy Rasmuson is my favorite example of this, she is the woman who makes my eyes, and some of my favorite jewelry. She is also my best friend in SL and co-writer of this blog. Back to the point, she makes amazing eyes, a fun cross of realistic features mixed with colors and mixtures that could only be possible here, or with really expensive contacts. I am currently wearing a set from her 4th series Faceted. I love the starburst effect and the pane of glass feel of them. She also made me a set of two necklaces for my rezday even though shes been holding them hostage in her inventory for months before hand. Shine has a section in the Exile main store at Ivy falls and you can find them on Xstreetsl and Onrez as well. Be on the lookout for the addition of jewelry in the future as well as new eye series.

Visit in world by clicking here.

Genesis-

Ryker Beck makes cool stuff. Artist by nature and jeweler by sl trade, she has a way with tiny prims. My favorite piece of hers is actually a halloween freebie I believe, the spooktacular ring for men, but it looks really tasteful and kind of dangerous and I find I wear it all the time. She makes some beautiful things for both the sexes and if you haven’t checked out her shop make sure you slot some time to do so, also with the holidays coming its a great choice as I believe most of her creations are transfer/gift giving friendly.

Visit in world by clicking here.

My favorite boots-

A longtime 3d designer and dear friend of mine made these for me as a gift. They are amazing from the shape to the textures and I may never take them off. They aren’t available in world just yet but keep an eye out  for them to pop up in the store in the near future.

Shiny things-

Right so we have established that I can’t make shoes,, or I won’t. Either way it gives me a great excuse to buy them when I see some I like. Fallingwater Cellardoor (I love that name   Makes beautiful shoes, some of the best looking highest quality shoes in the game. My favorites are the City Walk shoes and the Flare Oxfords. Not to mention the rows of shoes for women and other accessories and creations Fallingwater makes,  have a look for yourself, I think it would be pretty hard to not find something you like

Visit in world by clicking here.

Digital Dragon Designs-

Zoey Pinkdot and Ninja Petion make nearly everything. A visit to their island will tell you that. Among there big selection are shoes. My favorites from them are the Shooters boots for men, a great rough biker kind of boot with hardware and guns strapped on for an added sense of the dangerous. They have a large selection to choose from so have a look if you in the market for some cool shoes with a lot of variety to choose from.

Visit them in world by clicking here.

Right enough about my person, lets talk buisness

For those of you that create we all know we have our favorite tools that make our lives much more easy, so just a little homage to that now.

The ELCM- a mass recoloring machine capible of retexturing attachments in many colors at once. I use it for hair, it has lots of uses I could think of, shoes, skirts, belts etc etc. Check out my blog post about it here for more details, and if you interested in buying one contact Kstarfire Rich in world.

The TMC gift card system is the most recent addition to the store I have made in a while. Its great for giving gives and its also handy if your a designer with friends in world you want to give the option to take what they want from your wares Check out the demo area here for a look and if you want to purchase the system IM Escort DeFarge in world.

The syMMetrizor is also one of my favorite toys, a machine that is capible of mirroring nearly anything. Useful and fun to play with for any creator. Check it out on Xstreetsl here.

Being a store owner I always feel the need to be my brand, theres a pressure to wear the things you make and so I don’t often get to enjoy some of the creations I see that are so well made in light of that. That however doesn’t mean I can’t see and appriciate them for what they are, so heres a little sum up of some of the places that make things that get my attention.

Philotic Energy-

Aemilia Case is the genius behind this hair brand, and her styles range from traditional and everyday to wild and brazen looks that look like they stepped off a runway. Definetly have a look if you haven’t already.

Visit in world by clicking here.

ETD-

One of the greatest hair creators on the grid, few haven’t heard of Elikapeka Tiramisu. Her hair was one of the first things  I saw in world that really made me think wow you can create some amazing things in sl and was part of the reason I decided to try to do it in the end even though I had only ever created hair in 3d modeling programs before. If for some reason you haven’t heard of ETD or have just came to the planet now is a great time to go since I believe Elika is still have a massive sale on all her current stock in store.

Visit in world by clicking here.

Slink-

Siddean Munro makes a lot of beautiful things. Shoes and skins and accessories but I find I am always drawn in by her beautiful clothing textures. Be sure to visit and have a look at her stunning creations.

visit in world by clicking here.

And that is a sample of my favorite things, again I would invite anyone who reads this to list of few of your favorites in a blog post as well, and a warm thank you to all the creators on my list, thanks for making stuff that rocks!