My local corner shop is offering Flaming Hot Twisted Cheeto's, so I purchased two packs, and watched a huge amount of the Great British Bake Off today. I really feel like this picture is an entire mood!
Honestly, I don't know why I'm so excited, the weekend for me just means more time sitting on my butt being anxious af!
So, I know I might squeal a little bit about Moss&Mink like, forever, but with today's post I wanted to try something a little different with Cielo's items, and it all boils down to the 20 colour/pattern hud that she's been working on forever. The hud is now universal, and has been for a little while - i'm just late to the party in terms of talking about it *cough*. The idea is that now, no matter what item you have rezzed out, you can use your universal hud (if it's compatible, and she's working backwards to make sure the majority of her store is up-to-date), to match the colour or pattern you want. That means if you have say.. the Bailey Bed, the Monique Vanity and the Shell Chair in your bedroom, you can click slide your mouse over each item, activating the universal hud and then change all of those items to match. When you're done, you just click slide your mouse off the product and WHAM you've got an entire room of matching furniture at minimal effort. Of course, you don't have to match, that's the beauty of Moss&Mink items! Even when they don't match, they sort of do.. so really it's leaving your creativity to run riot and make a home for yourself exactly the way you want to.
With today's post, I wanted to show a little that it's not just 'cute' furniture that can be pink. I mean, sure... who doesn't love a lil pink moment? But look... LOOK how bad ass Pickle is today... and Moss&Mink STILL manages to come through!
Anywho, check out Moss&Mink for yourself, or I'll hunt you down. (Not really, we've already discussed how lazy I am.)
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 was a pretty decent student when I was at school, definitely kind of middle-of-the-road.
I didn't really enjoy maths and numbers still confuse me, but give me a book to read, or a story to write and I'd be in my element.
When I was around 14, a girl called Karen decided she didn't like me anymore. I was okay with that, because she was a big meanie anyway - but she was kinda scary. She'd had a fight with a girl in the year above one lunchtime, and everyone had spread out to the local park to watch it happen... not only was there hair pulling and scratching but I distinctly remember the sound of a couple of punches connecting too. For this reason, I was afraid of her.
See, I have a mouth. I can shout my mouth off until the cows come home. I can rip you a new bumhole, make you feel like utter crap, and still have a slew of insults ready to throw in your face, but put me next to someone who's ready to fight and I'll offer to hold the coats and keep the earrings safe in my pocket.
Karen sat behind me in maths. I could hear her muttering about me to the girl sitting next to her, so I turned around and told her she was distracting me, because I could hear everything. She ignored me, and continued to talk crap, looking me in the eye as she said "Yeah? What you gonna do about it?"
I had been pushed by this girl for weeks, and in that moment - the only moment in my life I have actually fully blacked out, I reached forward and slapped her hard across the face.
To say she was shocked was an understatement. No one expected little Pickle to retaliate in that kind of way. The whole classroom was quiet... and me?
I turned around, lay my head on the desk, and sobbed my heart out, out of fear, out of frustration and out of anger.
For the record, Karen later got her own back on me, and threw a can of tango at my head... now, we're friends on facebook!
It all started with this gorgeous tattoo available at this round of Bodyfy from Wild Roots, which I absolutely adore. It has a little of everything - delicacy, colour and it's placed along my thigh and up to my tummy... which I've always found incredibly sexy. Next thing you know I made it my mission to become the Peacock Lady of SL, while showing just enough of the tattoo to keep an interest haha.
Luckily, these Bueno shorts are coming to Kustom9 on the 15th just in time, and show off more than enough flesh while managing to stay cute and hide all your naughtybits!
Some of these items may be a little older (the Zaara earfeathers, for example), but what's the point of them sitting in my inventory if I can't use them sometimes?
On another note, I briefly explained yesterday that the Hello Dave appliers I use for my Astralia nails have been discontinued. I did notecard the creator, and received an IM back from her today stating that she no longer makes for Astralia nails (a personal choice to go along the Omega/Maitreya route), but would be super glad to pass the Astralia appliers out, should anyone still need them - and as they were a gift, they will always be free. Yaaaay!! So, for the record, her name is Maia Gasparini, and I am so impressed with her customer service, I might just wander back over to Hello Dave and pick up some appliers for some other nails now, too, just to try them out of course. I mean, you can't have too many nails, right? :P
Background : taikou / midnight tokyo elevator backdrop (window)
I had so much fun with this outfit!
I wanted to show off both the tattoo by Dappa which is currently at the Neo Japan event, and the shoes from Empire which are special for 50L Friday.
I knew it had to be an asian theme, but being the ignorant ass I am, I'm not actually sure if I've gotten the right mix of asian here, so there's probably a bit of japanese and chinese influence.. I know the backdrop is Tokyo, and the kitty cats on the kimono I believe are more Chinese. I may be wrong, feel free to correct all the things.
Anywho, this is what I came up with and I LOVE it!
Some of the items listed may not be available anymore. The Kimono for example is an old item from Luxe Box, and they're no longer being sold, although there may be alternative colours in store. However, I truly believe that part of being a blogger isn't necessarily to allow people to copy you 100% (Nothing wrong with that if you do!), but to provide just enough inspiration to allow you, dear reader, to go off and do something similar... and heaven knows there are plenty of kimono's available, especially at the Kurenai & Neo Japan events listed, so go... wander off into the vortex of the land of shopping, and spread those Lindens far and wide to find your perfect asian mix!
This picture reminds me of being 18. I wasn't naked at the time, but I was very definitely drunk.
I had decided to have a party while my parents were out of town, and well, the result was that somehow my ex boyfriend showed up. It hadn't been that long since we'd split, and seeing him sitting out in the garden on MY fucking swing kinda made me mad. I don't even remember if I'd invited him, or why I would have if he was my ex. I'm not one of those girls who generally stays friends with their exes because I firmly believe they're exes for a reason. Anyway, I digress.
I'd taken it upon myself to mix vodka and whiskey and with coke and drink it like I'm some badass. I'm totally not a badass. I'm a lightweight. Needless to say after a while I found myself in the above position in my parents hallway, with my partygoing friends stepping over me while I struggled to not hurl everywhere.
Sooner or later, my friend Keith (who was also friends with my ex) came over and sat with me. With the room spinning, and somehow through my own drunkness, being extremely aware of how very drunk he was too, he leaned over me and shook me gently. "Hey. Hey." << Keith.
"Ughsd;lf?" << Me.
"Are you okay?" Again, Keith.
"Uhgg!" I think I mumbled something like that, in the affirmative.
"I want you to go to your happy place. We've all got one. Go to your happy place." << Keith.
I'm not sure why I remember this. Or why it was so important to go to a happy place when I was quite contentedly drunk (although incapable of moving), but I was quite glad of Keith when I decided that being on my back wasn't as nice as I first thought, and had to get up the stairs to hurl. Unfortunately, at that time the toilet looked like the eye of a needle, so I just threw up in the bath. Sweet Keith held my hair back until I'd finished and then tucked me into my parents bed, and continued back downstairs to party with the rest of my friends.
I'm nothing if not a gracious host, so when at 6am I awoke, starving and thirsty, I made all my remaining friends an amazeballs English breakfast... after returning the next-door neighbours garden gnomes because they were in the freezer, the fridge, the microwave and the oven.
Sometimes, I miss being 18.
xoxo
All of the things :
Body Hands & Feet: -Belleza- Freya (ALL Belleza bodies have been updated to BENTO! YAY!)
I'm going to broach a very sensitive subject for the blogger community today. I've attempted this in the past, but I believe my mentality was wrong, and the words just ended up looking like I was ungrateful and spiteful, rather than contemplative and confused... so today, I try again.
Over the past two years I have been incredibly -incredibly- lucky to gain the support of some absolutely amazing brands for this blog. I am -so- grateful, and often amazed at their creativity and skill, and also grateful that their products allow my creativity to flow too.
When I began my journey, I had made the decision that everything I got would be earned through progression & work. I would improve, hoping to turn the heads of a few people along the way to help support my growth with the pictures I take & the showcasing of the way I wear their products.
I continue with that theory today.
These last few months, I have struggled immensely with new sponsorships.
Now, I understand that being a blogger is all about social networking and not just plain talent. I also know there are other people who have far more talent than I do in their photography, and I honestly hope that continues to be the case forever, otherwise I will have nowhere to aspire to be.
I am an introvert. I accept this! However it means that there are times where I legitimately cannot cope with being around "people". This makes the social aspect of blogging an absolute nightmare for me. The anxious, overthinking, over-talking & explaining part of my brain just won't allow me to get involved with the community on the level I might like to, in order to continue my growth.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE what I do, and I blog because not only do I enjoy the outlet SL provides for photography & fashion, but now, I also enjoy writing, even if it's a bunch of Pickled nonsense! I would be lying if part of me didn't want to succeed to a greater extent than I am right now. I feel like I have stagnated, and although *I* think I see an improvement in my photography from the beginning of my journey, I feel like I am being overlooked because I choose not to favourite and like and share and be as involved in the social aspect of blogging in order to make my pictures get noticed.
I am not that girl.
I know there are more bloggers & flickrites & photographers who feel the same way I do, and I really feel like there should be two categories when creators choose their bloggers. One being "Friends who blog" and the other being "Bloggers I want to support & showcase my product".
It is -so- frustrating to watch the conversations on facebook/flickr occur, seeing the same people who happen to blog and be friends with a creator suddenly appear on their blogger list, when you feel like you're working your butt off to improve. I'm not saying those people don't necessarily deserve their spots, but there are always "wtf?" moments for me when I see the names appear.
Again, I understand that as a creator you want maximum exposure for your brand, and having an online presence will no doubt give out a helping hand for that and I am not bashing or belittling anybody for being friends with a creator - I too have creator friends and I am always humbled when they provide me with items to blog... I am simply venting.
Whatever the case, I will continue to love on & support those creators who's products I genuinely adore, and I will never stop purchasing from somebody who has "rejected" me as a blogger.
I hope this post doesn't come off as "poor Pickle", because I do not feel "poor" at all.
I'm enriched with the sponsors I do have, each one is a gift, each one also allows me to express a part of my creativity that I might not know existed had they not produced their item and allowed me to be a part of their marketing team. I am, and will continue to be humbled and blessed by those who support me by allowing me to support them. <3
I'm a firm believer that when you go into a relationship with a person, you go in with mostly no idea how that person 'prefers' to be loved.
I think there are 5 ways you can show a person affection.
1. Words of affirmation.
2. Quality time
3. Receiving/Giving gifts
4. Acts of service
5. Physical touch.
I actually googled the correct terminology, and this seemed as close as I was gonna get, so we're gonna nod and smile and thank the google gods at this point haha.
Anywho, I'm an anxious little monkey, and whenever I tentatively step into a new relationship, be that romantic or platonic, it takes me a few days to get comfortable with someone's head-space, and then it takes me even longer to really learn about them, and I am highly suggestive to these 5 ways of showing I care.
For me, words of affirmation are difficult. I don't tend to blow smoke up the bottoms of those I care about unless it's a special occasion or I'm feeling especially sappy. For me, while words are lovely and I adore the power of the written word especially, they are just that. Words. I do try to tell people very often how much they mean to me, but i'm not terribly good at it. It makes me more awkward than usual!
Quality time. THIS. I need this. And I need to know when I'm getting it, or when you can't be available to me. I have a massive fear of abandonment, and if you just disappear I will be quite likely to take that badly. There are always exceptions to the rule. In SL if you were to tell me "Hey, so things are going great in RL and I just don't want to be around SL anymore" I'd be fully supportive and tell you I hope I never see you again (In a good way!), but if the reason for your absence is unknown, that's when I start to feel hurt. I fully admit I'm the worst for just needing time for myself though. I might drop away from you for a while because I need the space, and never reconnect because I feel terrible for not being there when I needed to take care of me first.
For me, giving/receiving gifts is a bit odd. It really depends on who it is and what the gift is. I'm all for seeing a gacha and playing it simply because a friend will like it.. but if we're talking something big and fancy, the chances are I'll get uncomfortable again. If I love you, you will get little bits I find that remind me of you. A bloody dolly for my favourite Punk friend, that shirt I wore in a man-Pickle post for a guy friend that I know he will enjoy. I like to make my gifts in RL too, like little jewelry pieces with stones that mean something personal, or birthday cards with private jokes. Not just "Here, I don't want this. You have it." Although sometimes that's appropriate too. I'm almost always awkward when someone makes something/gives me something though! It makes me very emotional!
I feel like the 'acts of service' thing is where I struggle the most. I'm a very giving person with my time, as a natural born people pleaser I have a hard time saying "NO" when someone asks me for my time. For me, the gift of your time is the most important. I don't care if that means we sit and eat Pizza together while talking about our bad days, or if it means I'm popping over to landscape your land, lend you that chair from my inventory, or show you how to do that one thing I know how to do in photoshop. I like being a go-to, and it's taken me a while to accept that sometimes other people like to do things for me, too... I will always be fairly independent, but I am learning to take a back-seat sometimes as well.. I'm just stubborn about that!
Physical touch within SL is obviously the most difficult. In RL I'm a tactile person, but hugging is awkward! I'll probably smack you around a bit if I like you as though I was a 5 year old schoolgirl with her first crush. "Ew, you smell funny!"
In a romantic relationship I like holding hands and uh.. without sounding creepy or pervy, stroking! Haha. I will stroke your hair, your leg, your hand...Public displays of affection again make me cringe, I'm a private person, damnit!
In SL terms this translates to cuddling/dancing I suppose. I don't want to go down the obvious route of "Hey bb, lets prim!" but I guess that's a thing too. Just seeing my avatar with the person I care about is enough for me. I also really like those clingy huds, they're fun for friends & romantic partners!
Welp, I've gone on forever and didn't know when to stop again lol. That's what I like.. I'm sure many of you are very different and have other ways of showing your love & affection. I just have to keep remembering that there are many ways you can do it, and just because I show my love through giving my time eagerly, other people might need more cuddles or more verbal support. Ultimately, we all crave feeling accepted, and I can only hope we give each other the patience to find out how we can accept people's quirks while giving and receiving the things we need as humans too.
Eyelids : Slink Mesh eyelids (No longer available in store, but if you ask really nicely in a note, you MIGHT get them from slink customer service like I did on an alt *coughs*)
Skin : Glam Affair - Milu - Catwa Head Applier - Good Girl ( Polar ) (Note : The polar tone is NOT in your Maitreya hud. You need to purchase the body applier separately - but it does come with this cute freckles version, too! \o/)
