SL23B Is Here!

 Hiya everyone! Tonight it's time for the delightful SL23B which is a celebration of Second Life's 23rd birthday, and more specifically the Shop & Hop connected to it. There are 24 regions (18 moderate, 6 adult) with 20 designers apiece, so a total of 480 brands represented. That means 480 mini shops with discounted offers, and a free gift in every one as well :) I've been pondering the impressive longevity of Second Life, and how rare it is for a hobby or interest to be such a constant in our lives. I'm so grateful for it, and all these Shop & Hop events that bring together hundreds of talented creators really bring home what we all get to appreciate about our virtual world. I'm also very thankful to the FabFree team for their speed and dedication in getting their spreadsheet ready to guide us through the gifts! The doors just opened today to the public, and we have until the 19th of July to visit :) All of tonight's gifts are from the Dahlia region, as I find it simpler to organize them by region and share one at a time.

My first look of the evening is our MONOMANIA - Cocada gift, which is a lovely minidress with nearly bare back other than the playful straps draped about. There are 5 standard mesh sizes as well as Freya, Isis, Venus, Legacy, Perky, Maitreya, Reborn, Mounds, Hourglass, and Physique mesh body sizes. There's even a HUD with 10 patterns for us to choose from. Also included but not shown is a floppy straw hat, only omitted because my current hairstyle doesn't play well with hats ;) I tried and got aggravated, lol, sorry about that. 

For a more formal look, the gorgeous Yuni - Olly Dress just might be the right gift to pick up. This deep teal and black gown cinches in at the waist with a corset style belt, so there is an alpha layer for our bodies from the waist down to give us that wasp waist :) The dress comes in sizing for Legacy, Perky, Maitreya, Lara X, Reborn, and Waifu mesh bodies. 

We also get to beat the heat for free with the GoodVibes Oyogu Swim Set, an outfit that also has a coordinated men's gift next to it :) This lovely treat contains the sexy swimsuit in Legacy, Bombshell, Perky, Maitreya, Petite, Lara X, Petite X, Reborn, Waifu, and Star mesh body sizes, with matching tiptoe sandals to fit the same mesh bodies' feet (plus a very cute straw hat, not shown). The straps on the back of the suit are so flirty, a mix of the blue fabric and some gold chains, coordinating beautifully with the colors chosen for the sandals. 

I feel like I'm celebrating the roaring 20s, not current time but the 1920s of course, which is appropriate since the theme of SL23B is the Golden Age of Hollywood :) ARKONA is in that spirit with their Adelaide set black gift, starting with a flapper dress and heels in Maitreya sizes. There is also a separate gold rose brooch for the drop waist, and a headpiece with similar gold rose and a festive feather. The handkerchief hem and plush texture of the fabric are just fantastic, and I've always been intrigued by this particular era in fashion. Because of the theme, I'm thinking silent movie stars but I'm not sure which one this would represent most. 

One last look of the night, we have the stunning Just Imagine - Cherry outfit which is one of 5 gifts scattered around their amazing display. This one includes the top and shorts each in Erika, Kupra, Legacy, Bombshell, Perky, Maitreya, Petite, Lara X, Petite X, Nhumana, and Nhumana L mesh body sizes, plus the cherry earrings and sunglasses. If you look closely at the lenses of those shades, you'll see that there is a reflected image - clouds, sun, and palm trees :) We are absolutely ready for summer in this treat!

The last couple of days have been so hectic here, starting with yesterday's errands which went fairly well. Then I decided that a week of toe pain was enough to need a checkup, so today I went to the podiatrist and got it looked at. They x-rayed, 3 views, and there is no break or fracture, so we're treating it as a bad sprain. I get to continue icing it and buddy taping, and need to start wearing slippers around the house. I'm usually barefoot or in slipper socks, but I need something to provide stability and limit flexing of the toes. Oh well, at least I got to chat with my gaming friend tonight for the first time in several weeks :) She'd been sick and lost her voice, had a cough, and lost her hearing from inflammation in her ear, so it was important to let her heal. Tomorrow is dinner with the parents, which I always enjoy, and I still have 10 regions of SL23B to visit this weekend. I hope you're all having a fantastic day/evening, many magical magpie hugs to everyone!!

Credits:

All Gifts from SL23B Shop & Hop - Dahlia Region:

Photo 1:

Dress: MONOMANIA - Cocada $0L SL23B Gift

Photo 2:

Dress: Yuni - Olly Dress $0L SL23B Gift

Photo 3:

Outfit: GoodVibes Oyogu Swim Set $0L SL23B Gift

Photo 4:

Outfit: ARKONA Adelaide set black $0L SL23B Gift

Photo 5:

Outfit: Just Imagine - Cherry outfit $0L SL23B Gift

Head: LeLUTKA Fleur Head 4.0

Hair: TRUTH VIP - Taffy - Essential

Skin: enLight RUE 5-Satin

Ring: {Carter} Wedding Zoe (Marketplace)

Body/Hands/Feet: Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara 5.3

Poses: Various Sets from [piXit] or Verocity

SLFO and Escape The Ordinary

 Hiya everyone! Tonight's post brings some variety, thanks to SLFO (SL Frees & Offers) group gifts from several stores and a couple of fun Escape The Ordinary Hunt prizes. The SLFO group is free to join and there are lots of participating designers who offer gifts for the group in their stores, just look for the red and white SLFO sign :) Then the Escape The Ordinary Hunt is wrapping up soon, so you'll want to head to those locations and find the light colored box wrapped in twine. I do have to apologize for the short notice, as I kept thinking it ended on the 31st but then I caught the ending date of the 20th on the sign *facepalm*. I promise I do know how to read, LOL, but it's been a chaotic month for me in RL which is an explanation but not an excuse. 

First I visited "Magic Story" where the SLFO group gift is their lovely Monique Outfit. Its dress which looks like two pieces, and a bikini style panties, are each provided in Legacy, Maitreya, and Reborn mesh body sizing. There is also a HUD with 5 color choices, all of which have teeny white flowers adorning them. I had a hard time picking a favorite or even narrowing down to just 2 to share :)

Next we take a look at the stunning *ARKONA* Cempasuchil yellow outfit which is right outside their front door. You will need to cross a bridge from the landing spot to reach their building, as the red arrow from my landmark should guide you :) The dress and separate sleeves will both fit Classic, Legacy, and Maitreya mesh bodies, and have a vibrant pattern that feels like summer. That hemline is really remarkable too, high-low hem to the extreme! It looks just as pretty without the sleeves as with, so it's entirely up to you how you prefer to wear it.

Chocolate Mint has an adorable gift for SLFO called c.M Jujube Outfit. It's a one piece hoodie and pleated skirt combo that is designed for the Maitreya mesh body. The mint shade of the top and the chocolatey brown skirt are terrific nods to the store's name, which happens to be a favorite ice cream flavor of mine. Naturally that made me extra eager to share, and we don't have to worry about calories or sugar or dairy ;) 

I also visited zOOm with my SLFO tag active, to claim their Floralis Summer Dress. All I can say is wow! Well okay, I'll say more so you know what it includes...that would be 3 colors (green, yellow, purple) each provided in Freya, Legacy, Maitreya, and Petite sizes. I'm wearing purple and yellow above, left and right respectively. The sleeves, back, and sides are all loosely laced to show off flashes of skin, and I was immediately captivated by the floral patterns.

Do you need a unique way to jazz up your living space? Would you like to do so for just a few lindens and a little hunting? The prizes from Escape The Ordinary are just $2L each and I'm showing off 2 in this photo (as well as a side view of the green zOOm dress from the prior photo). The sofa is our !FA! Escape Ordinary Prize Whale Sofa from FlyingArts, and the playful nautical flavor captured my attention instantly. There are adult, kids, and dinkies sizes included all in the same prize, with a land impact of 5 and a pose menu upon sitting. There are lots of singles poses (some with props), and the adult size shown has couples poses too so this is very handy as well as attractive. Above the sofa you can see the Multifarious prize called *M* extraordinary clamquarium, which comes in two versions (the original shown, and a hovering that bobs up and down) each with a land impact of 28 and the ability to resize just by clicking for the menu. There are lovely fish swimming around among the bubbles and colorful coral, bringing a glimpse of the deep ocean to any room you wish. If these and any other prizes from this hunt catch your eye too, please hurry and claim them while you can!

It was a rather nondescript day, mostly spent waiting to see if my doctor would call since she missed the televisit scheduled for Monday afternoon. So far nothing, and I am going to reach out on the patient portal even though she managed to ignore those messages for 2 months. They aren't great about phone calls lately either obviously, so all I can really do is wait. It's not a medical emergency to be unable to leave the house from panic attacks and agoraphobia, and she's probably got bigger issues with other patients to deal with, but I am frustrated which doesn't help anything. Otherwise I've been trying to sort old inventory items and it's been a walk down memory lane :) Stores and hunts that are no longer in SL, lots of standard mesh sizes that my mesh bodies can't comfortably wear, and some things that are overly script-heavy or primmy have been binned. It is a long process to sift through nearly 16 years' worth of inventory, but I am enjoying the flashbacks to fun old times. I hope you're all having a wonderful day/evening, many magical magpie hugs to everyone!!

Credits:

Photo 1:

Dress: "Magic Story"-Monique Outfit $0L SLFO Group Gift

Photo 2:

Dress: *ARKONA* Cempasuchil yellow outfit $0L SLFO Group Gift

Photo 3:

Outfit: Chocolate Mint c.M Jujube Outfit $0L SLFO Group Gift

Photo 4:

Dress: zOOm - Floralis Summer Dress $0L SLFO Group Gift

Photo 5:

Sofa: FlyingArts !FA! Escape Ordinary Prize Whale Sofa $2L Hunt Prize

Tank: Multifarious *M* extraordinary clamquarium $2L Hunt Prize

Head: LeLUTKA Fleur Head 3.1

Hair: TRUTH Eternity - Essential

Skin: 7 Deadly s[K]ins - MARLIE cotton candy (BOM)

Ring: {Carter} Wedding Zoe (Maitreya) (Marketplace)

Body/Hands/Feet: Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara

All Poses: Verocity  (Various Sets)