In the UK we call the day after Christmas "Boxing Day". I don't know why. Maybe it's because we have so many lovely new presents we spend the day smothered in boxes? Perhaps it's because we all secretly want to punch our beloved family in the face? WHO KNOWS! Let's ask google.
-wanders off-
Ok. So. Apparently I was terribly wrong, and it was either a 'Christmas Bonus' for servants who had worked Christmas day, or the distribution of 'Poor boxes' from churches. You can find a bunch more detail in this article > here <. Personally, I still kinda like the idea of a dramatic family feud based somewhere in the past when boys still wore newspaper flat hats and men were mostly found donned in suits and ties.
Whatever you're celebrating today, I hope this finds you happy and healthy, with a renewed love of your chosen tribe.
I know, I know, I've already posted today! I just couldn't resist showing off these amazing finds for 50L friday from Miss Chelsea and Veechi, plus the super cute thigh high sneakers from Empire at this round of Uber.
The Dox sim has recently re-opened it's doors and it's an absolutely adorable Tokyo styled set up, with many nooks and crannies to explore, plus plenty of photo opportunities for the creatively inspired. Being that I'm just a semi-creative Pickle, I opted for the zebra crossing (not sure what they're called anywhere other than the UK) and the backdrop of the street almost as soon as you enter the sim!
There are times where I look through this blog and think "Pickle, bb, what is you doin'?" because there really isn't a set style that I follow, there isn't a theme that my pictures all fit into.
I'm often reminded that having a 'niche' is important when you're a blogger - but for me, part of the joy of SL is that you can look entirely different every day, and for that reason alone, I point blank refuse to be anything other than Pickle. Which means I'm going to continue rocking different looks, embracing many different themes, and experimenting with my avatar.
I'm featuring some of my very favourite sponsors here today, the first being Moss&Mink, and although I'm aware that you can't see much of the detail involved in this Epiphany set on this post - I have all the plans to show off more of this freakin' beautiful set in future pictures.
I was lucky enough to be involved with Cielo's creative process on this set, I listened as she came up with idea's on the fly and am secretly jealous of her amazingly imaginative brain. She's a creator who will actively listen to her customer base, she'll interact and ask for opinions and will try her hardest to apply many of the suggestions she receives in updates and upcoming releases. I cannot sing her praises enough - and yes, I'm biased, because she is one of my best friends.
Dappa! I legit dragged my alt, Paloma, back into this picture specifically to show off two Dappa tattoos and this is down to the fact that the speed at which they are being produced - seriously, he's KILLING it! Not only are Dappa becoming far more prolific in terms of events, but the quality he is producing is actually improving, every time.
Of course, the pose is from Reve Obscura. I sincerely believe that he is one of the very best bento pose makers in SL. I rarely need to adjust anything to 'fit' (I did unlink the poses here and give them a wiggle, but I think that's down to the fact that both Paloma and Pickle are thicker avatars.) For many poses, I will use animare to yank out a hand from my stomach/leg/other random body part. I can't imagine how hard it is to develop these poses for every body-type, but R.O has always come through for me!
If you're around on flickr at all, you'll see that this style of picture is fairly common, but whenever I've attempted to take something similar before I feel like I failed miserably. Although this style is new to me, I needed to know whether or not it was an option for me to investigate... and I'm not at all upset about how this has turned out. It's definitely given me a little more perspective on how to make this work, and that gives me a foothold on future improvements too. Yay for learning new things!
Another thing I did was make my hands bigger. I know I've said this before, but the whole perspective vs proportion thing really does bother me and i'm a lot happier with the size of my hands in this pic, compared to the last one!
Today I will be doing some RL things, which some of you readers will know makes me incredibly nervous. I haven't slept yet, which is probably a poor choice, but I made my choice and now I'm stuck with it because it's 7.30am and I don't have time - plus if I nap I'll only oversleep and that'll be even worse for all the people involved in my escapades outside. Maybe, in a weird way, this picture depicts subconsciously how I feel today. Like "Hey life, fuck you - I'm coming to get you!" and you know what? That just fills my heart with happy.
Finally I have a little respite from feeling gross! I'm well aware it's a work in progress right now, but I have brand new medication for the anxiety that causes my stomach issues and currently it seems to be doing what it's meant to, so let's keep our fingers crossed because the last couple of months have been horrific!
I have SO many ideas for blog posts right now and it seems like there aren't enough hours in the day, so please bear with me while I get back on track. I want to shout out again to RLD (Red Light District) which opened on the 15th, even though nothing is featured from there in this post, and also to the Secret Affair that is still ongoing - please make sure you check out those two events. I'm also well aware that Man-Pickle has been suspiciously missing this week, so be prepared for him to make a surprise visit at some point soon!
The beginnings of my RL changes are going to start this week, and while I am excited, I am also incredibly nervous, but it's a good nervous! This might mean I'm going to miss a couple of days here and there, or maybe - maybe, I'll manage double whammies some days. Who knows?
Anywho, I hope you enjoy Pickle trying to be bashful about the fact that she's just thrown 12 cupcakes into her bag as she faux-innocently offers you a wave before grabbing a fresh mug of hot-chocolate and runs off to explore the beautiful Luane's world sim!
Ever since I wrote about my daughter, I've been feeling kind of introspective. My moods have been slightly more unstable (lol.. shh.) and I've been thinking probably far too deeply about certain things.
I feel lucky right now - lucky because I really did have an outpouring of support, and I also was lucky enough to have some beautiful people reach out to me and tell me their stories, some so similar that my heart hurts for them, others so different that I am grateful again for the support of my extended family.
It all got me thinking about all the absolutely shitty things I have done in my life.
I don't consider myself a bad human, quite the opposite. But sometimes, sometimes, that miserable, jaded asshole comes out from inside me, and I end up striking out at people who just do not deserve the sharpness of my tongue.
I am not a violent person, but I know that I am capable of hurting people with my words, and when I am hurting the easiest thing for me to do is to lash out and hurt someone else. Misery loves company, right?
I have done some terrible, terrible mean things both in SL and out. I've hurt people on purpose because they hurt me. I've planned out horrible revenge on people and systematically broken them down, all in the name of "But it'll be funny". I can be incredibly manipulative and I'm more than capable of telling people what they want to hear in order to get what I want.. but now?
I don't want to be that person.
Whenever that part of me rears up, I become hyper aware of the fact that I am becoming what I hate. I have to sometimes start along the 'mean' track, to be able to realize what I'm doing is wrong, and reverse it. I know this is painting me in an awful light - and maybe I'm justifying wrongly, but I don't believe this makes me an awful person - it just makes me a person.
I think my moral standards are pretty high, for the most part. But as I grow, as I develop, it's important that I remember those mean things I've done in order to never put anyone through that again. It's important that I take ownership of those mistakes, apologize wherever is appropriate, and move on from them, because I don't want to continue down that same path.
It's also important that I really, truly DO grow from having made those decisions in the past, and attempt to consciously never put anyone through that kind of pain again.
Naturally, I'm going to slip sometimes... and all I can do is apologize and take ownership again when or if that happens, but as long as I continue doing my best to be the best me I can be, to be kind and patient wherever possible, to grow positively with hope and love rather than pain and hurt... I think I'll be doing okay.
I'm pretty sure I've explained my love of Sunflowers.
I'm beyond excited to show off this gorgeous Dappa tattoo, and it took me a moment to decide how to portray it. Literally, this tattoo just melts my very soul.
I know I talk about when I was younger a lot, but Sunflowers are one of the few things about my childhood that literally fill me with all the happy. I remember growing them at school, and having silly little competitions with my brothers to see who's can grow the tallest. I remember them growing in my mums garden, covering the fence and the trellis, making the garden look like it's surrounded by sunshine. I remember drying out the heads when they're finished and hanging them up so that the birds and squirrels could munch at the seeds.
They also remind me of my Grandad, but I don't really know why. Maybe somewhere in the deep recess of my mind there's a memory I don't quite grasp, but it's quite likely my Grandad grew these in his garden too.
I hope today is a good day for you. Shine bright, my lovelies.
Well this took a minute to work out. Apparently Blogger doesn't want me uploading any pictures, which is a right royal pain in the butt. Luckily for you, I don't give up and finally found a way to embed my picture from flickr - if for any reason you can't see it, or it poofs, please let me know as there are some truly gorgeous things in the above photo!
On lighter note, I want to say I'm definitely feeling a little better again right now. Hopefully the worst is over and I'll be back to normal again shortly, posting daily and not having to concern myself with uploading my photo's via flickr *waves a fist at the sky*.
I'm absolutely loving this lingerie and nipple piercing set by Miss Chelsea, which is going to be available at ROMP as of May 12th. It's a lil cheeky, but as usual, the level of detail is just astounding, and I got SO many compliments about how it looked, it's most certainly worth a purchase.
You can find the skybox/loft at 6 Republic by Tableau Vivant. The background isn't part of it, I edited the Trompe Loeil Margaux surround to fit it, but I think it works pretty well! It's actually a fairly large space, with a smaller upstairs area and I'm sure I haven't done it nearly enough justice. The windows just filled my heart with happy, though, and I truly believe it would make a stunning home.
Bad Unicorn are absolutely killing their decor sets lately. I've been making grabby hands at a lot of their items, but for some reason I struggle with fitting it in to posts. I guess there's worse things to practice tho! This set is called "Messy Monday" and you can pick it up at this round of TMD. There's literally a MILLION (ok slight exaggeration) textures for the bed covers!
CandyDoll as usual have pushed the boat out with these gorgeous shoes, which just topped the entire outfit off for me. The padlocks and chains (along with a hanging logo that I hid) are removable via hud. As usual, they come in an array of colour options, and these are available at the Kinky Event's current round.
