As promised, I'm kicking off my return to the SL blogosphere by joining in Strawberry Singh's Monday Meme Challenge.  This week's challenge is the Avatar Transformation Challenge.  The instructions are ridiculously easy:  Transform your avatar completely so that even your friends wouldn't recognize you. 

I've been out of SL for a few years.  My remaining friends would probably not be surprised to find that I'm still usually a redhead sporting a glam princess look. Now that mesh is Queen, my skirts don't swish (unless a designer offers that perfect combo of mesh and flexi), but I can still rock a good ballgown or medieval princess look.

Before I reveal my transformation, let me introduce you to Lysi 2015 Style:

Credits: Location: Alirium Hair: Truth Delphine Skin: 7 Deadly s{K}ins March Group Gift (free to join for the next 13 days!) Dress:  Junbug The Innocent-- Blush (Rare)--The Secret Affair (No Longer Available) As an aside, since my return, I've turned over most of my Lindens to Junbug, especially  their Gacha machines. *sigh*  If you're needing a common item from their most recent Gachas (The Innocent, Midnight Fae, and Winter Cloak collections), send me a notecard  in world, as I'm overrun with things I don't need.  I'm willing to give these away for free! Now on to my transformation! So yeah, when I transform I TRANSFORM, baby. Go big or go home! Or I've lost my bloody mind, but we're having a blizzard, so now is as good a time as any. I look like the Disco Duck, Fort Knox, and Cleopatra Jones had a baby. Since I decided to go really retro, I dove into Lysi's Second Life Clothing Museum *cough* aka my inventory.  Retro transformation begets retro clothing, natch? I'd LOVE  to see this outfit transformed into mesh with materials. Wooh! The majority of items used in the transformation may not be available.   The skin is Uma from Rockberry.  The Studio 54 disco outfit, jewelry, and tattoos are from aDiva, however it is no longer available for purchase  (it's an oldie with system layers).  The shoes are ANE Old Gold Wrapped Heels  from a past Arcade Gacha round.   The eyes were Ikon's February group gift.  Currently (or possibly) available items: The bodacious afro is No Tears, the current group gift from No Match (50L to join). The equally bootyful shape is Curvy Soft from Ample Avi. It was a gift in the Peace On Earth 7 hunt last year, but something similar may be available in store. I'm rusty on both my blogging and SL photography skills, but I've got to start somewhere, right?  Stayin' Alive (in the snow), Lysi

I've noticed over the past year and a half that I've been in SL that many people do pictorials of their evolution from noobitude to the incredibly hot avatars they are now. *smirks*

I always find these displays fascinating.  Considering that LL has in recent months at least started offering somewhat better noob starter avi materials, I think it's safe to say that anyone joining SL heretoforward will shudder in complete disgust at the pictures we old-timers post, but hey..I'm going to share mine too!

After perusing my photo album and seeing my earliest efforts at putting an avatar together, I may sleep with the lights on tonight. *shudder*

And away we go...


















All you recent SL residents can thank your pixel stars that "system hair" is no longer a torture you will have to bear until you can escape to a freebie store.  This was my first avi after I escaped Orientation Island and started the desperate search to look...less like something from It Came From Outer Space.

Amusing anecdotes:

• The first time I tried changing a skin, I was HORRIFIED by that blurred face we're all now accustomed to. I thought I'd done something horribly wrong and swore to myself I'd never change skins again! LOL
• The above picture was taken at Free Dove, which of course still exists but the stock doesn't get refreshed very often.  I did feel like a kid in a candy store there though. 
• As you'll be able to tell after the next shot, I was rather obsessed with that butterfly chair. I thought it and the purple tree in the background were so pretty.
• Here I had my first introduction to dressing rooms (or in this case tents) that anyone could just barge into while I was changing.  I think I also had my first stalker there.
• WTF would ANYONE stalk an avatar that looked like...THAT?  *giggles*

NEXT! (before I find a way to time travel back to smack myself for ever looking like that)



















YAY! The helmet hair is gone.  I had already started learning how to tweak my shape (although really, that shape was hopeless).  At least I found a skin that looked less like I had a contagious disease. Whew.  *wipes sweat off brow*  The sad thing is, to this day I still see people wearing this sort of skin and shape, even after they've been in world for months.

I don't think I'm smarter than the average bear, but I found Free Dove because I used this wonderfully cool tool called GOOGLE to search for "free items in Second Life."  I think I figured that out after the first day.  Don't ask me why people are in SL for 6 months or a year and still look/walk like they just fell off the duck truck.    There are so many wonderful blogs dedicated to promoting fabulous items for noobs. Hell, I've even created an alt just for the challenge of never spending one linden on her. She looks pretty darn good too.  Maybe I'll introduce her sometime.

Now for version #3 of myself:

• I think my avatar had Grave's Disease for a while...look at those bug eyes!  Or maybe I had just seen my first freenis.
• I don't think I've been that flat-chested since I was 2.  Someone give that avatar a sandwich.
• By this time I'd found Sirena's hair store (via finding her blog, natch) and bought quite a large amount of it. Yep, I've been a redhead since day 1,  and although I occasionally play around with being blonde or raven-haired, I always come back to the red.  
• In case you haven't noticed, I also didn't fall into the "blingtard" trap early on.  Of course I had blingy items as the free stuff was full of it, but I didn't want to be mistaken for an airport runway. 

 

















The beginnings of the fashionista? LOL  I loved this dress, and I think I kept it just for nostalgia's sake.  I remember being fascinated with this sim because of the floating particles.

And it took me a while to take that hair off.

Now some progress began to occur:


























I changed hair, and my then SL BF bought me my first PAID skin (from Laqroki).  It was and still is a very pretty skin, and I wore it for a fairly long time, just tweaking the shape now and then.

I also started getting a bit better at taking SL pictures around this time.

























Yep, still wearing Sirena hair...

Jump ahead a few months...I'd discovered Lemania and overdosed on glamourpuss potion.  I found hair somewhere else (don't remember), picked up my first photorealistic skin from Extreme Reality..and I discovered free photo studios....

























I think my dishwasher was backing up when that shot was taken.

And then I found ETD! And Free Speerit! And apparently hadn't yet found a 12 step program for evening gown addictions.

























This first free gift skin from Free Speerit led me to own half of her Kimberly line now. -.-  I may venture off to Rockberry and Cupcakes depending on if I need a tone that goes better with blonde or black hair, but I always come back to Free Speerit (my wallet hates me).

Forgive me, Father for I have over-teased...




















Yep, it's big and so 80s, but I love this hair.  I'd use it as a blanket in RL if I could.  I'd hug it and squeeze it and call it George.

I need a vacation.

FYI: It's by Calico Ingmann (and another case of the group gifty traps the unsuspecting hair-obsessed avatar in its diabolical clutches).

And finally (hold your applause) we reach the current day...the current incarnation of Lysi.

And I finally hopped on the bandwagon of Truth.  Thank GOD he only does new releases once a week.

• Skin by Cupcakes
• Flower Choker by Bliss (who says I can't remember where I bought stuff?)
• Yes, I'm in a cage in this pic, but I put myself in it. 
• Location of said cage is Omega Point (good luck finding it..the place is huge)
• You can't see it but the fabulous outfit is the new pirate outfit by RFyre. It competes with that hair to be my blanket most nights.

And being the self-absorbed, ballgown/hair/boots/beds that make themselves-obsessed fashionista I am, here's a pic of me taken just a moment ago. 

Ok, I lied about not posting LOTD.  This is my LOTD.  Don't expect LOTD every day.

And yes, Marnix, I talk a lot.  You'd talk a lot too if you worked at home and your only companions 24/7 were a rottweiler-attacking chihuahua and a cat who apparently is trying to teach herself to swim in her water dish.

• Hair:  Maddy by Truth
• Jacket: Aoharu (everyone's already blogged this jacket..there's a reason why. It's FABULOUS and reasonably priced considering you get the jean jacket or no jeans jacket options with it). It's also fabulous because I didn't have to resize the damn thing. Yay for designers who create for non-glamazons!
• Jewelry:  Zaara.  The bracelets have been out a while but the amethyst necklace is new. It's a stunner (475L).  Go buy it.  You'll name it George.
• Boots: Nova (this was a random find in my inventory... I assume the store is still open..love the plum color)
• Tank top:  PixelDolls (hey, 25L separates sale as we speak..these tanks make great layering pieces)
• Jeans: Callie Cline Eastern Inspiration jeans..had 'em forever.
• The conversation set was from a hunt.  It's over now so I don't have to tell you where to find it.

George and I are going to bed now, unless we find something fun to do in SL.

Lysi

As a new blogger, I thought I should jump right in feet first.

While I'm not going to be a fashion blogger, per se, I do have certain favorite designers and stores I can't resist visiting.  I don't plan on doing LOTD or providing SLURLs for everything I show, but I will try to at least give the names of the designers for most items.  I'm also a rank noob at SL photography so bear with me while I experiment with lighting. I'd much rather shoot "in the field" than in some sterile green screen studio anyway (not that there's anything wrong with that, but I'm just more of an "organic" photographer).

So what should I talk about for my first Love Thursday?

After getting a surprise delivery from one of my favorite artists in SL (and artist she is), I had to blog this yet to be released creation from Evangeline Miles at Evie's Closet.  This ensemble, known as "Fable" comes in several color variations. The red and black combination is simply stunning:
























Notice the adorable little sculptie tie on the bodice? It's finishing touches such as this (and the ruffles across the chest) that really sell an outfit to me.



















The dress comes in 3 skirt options. The first is the two-tiered ballgown skirt.



















The second is the multi-layered (and gorgeous) ballet skirt.

























The third is the lingerie option (I should remember not to shed skirts around leering skull-headed sim guards).

Now for the skinny on the other items--jewelry is a free gift from Kyccie.  This store is going out of business and this set of necklaces, earrings, and belly gems which was to be her Jewelry Expo offering is now a gift.  It's sad to see a designer I just discovered close.  The detail on this set is fabulous.  I'm wearing the Haides & Persephone set in all of these shots.

Boots are the ubiquitous (uBOOTquitous? LOL) creations from Bax. I can't seem to take the things off! Who needs a teddy bear when you snuggle with boots as comfy as these? Everybody's blogged them.  I'm going back for the other colors in about 5 minutes.

Hair is "Peaches" by Truth. Everyone knows Truth. 'Nuff said.  A friend of mine in SL nicknamed me Peaches, so naturally I bought this one.   All of the skins in this post are by Free Speerit (Kimberly in Pale in Abyss and Watermelon).

Locations for the above shots are Omega Point (highly recommend visiting here although there appears to be some reconstruction going on at the moment--you can find it in search) and the second two were taken at the sim owned by the above-mentioned friend who calls me Peaches. 

Now for another ensemble by Evie.  When she has a sale, the place gets packed in a hurry, so naturally I joined the stampede. I already own a large number of her dresses, so I restricted myself to just one purchase, but oh, what a purchase..and for 175L too!
























This is the Chimaera ensemble in green (I'm sure it has a fancier color name than that, but I'm not in world to look it up at the moment..bad Lysi).  It just seemed made to swish around in the Alirium Gardens sim (most everything you see in the background is avaiable for sale in the sim's shop).



















Hair is by fri.day in the "happy blonde" tone.  I know fri.day is a new store, but the hair textures are some of the most realistic in SL (and they KNOW how to do redheads.  I love Japanese hair but I think red hair confuses them somewhat as their reds rarely look realistic or even red).  I snagged several fri.day hairs during their recent Labor Day sale. 























The only thing I wonder...why do I have so many ballgowns when I never go dancing? LOL

Whilst it's lovely to go swishing through a sun-dappled forest in a ballgown, it's would be better to have company. 

Now, for a RL LOVE_LOVE_LOVE of mine, I'll close out this post with two men who pretty much saved my life a few years ago.  Some people hate them and credit them with destroying country music, but they are two of the funniest, most talented men in the world.  They're best known for the famous/infamous song Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy), but there is so much more to them than that. I've met them on numerous occasions and I consider them family.  Love ya, Kenny and John!

I present to you country music without prejudice..Big & Rich style (and yes, these photographs are my work).

























Adam Schoenfeld (guitarist) and Big Kenny


























Adam again and John Rich

Coincidentally, Big Kenny's motto is...

LOVE EVERYBODY!

Lysi