Sometimes you get ready to put a “look” together and everything just falls into place. You can find the perfect hair quickly….and immediately know what jewelry to put together…and there are no conflicts! Everything fits your body shape perfectly. You don’t have to rearrange anything…don’t have to pray to the TPV gods that YOUR tpv will get multiple attachment points soon, don’t have to reattach things to different places. And you even manage to do it all without ruining that perfect skirt or perfect belt as you resize and/or recolor it.

That was NOT the case with Jade…everything that COULD go wrong, did…:/ The only saving grace is that I was happy with the look and the pictures afterwards. So something good did come out of it after all. (Thanks again to Yula for taking time out of her especially busy morning to help me!)

When I saw this little jean dress in green from SLC, I knew that would be my anchor piece to build on. It was SO cute. Even has matching shoes (which I loved, but that whole multiple attachment point thing came into play there.) and a leather belt  and comes in 4 different colors….so be sure to run down to her store and get one!

After I had my anchor piece in place, I began to think of what I wanted to do with the look; what direction to take it, when I opened up this group gift from .:Stance:. And knew right away that I would not have to look any farther! This prop piece is called “Boarding Pass” and comes with a set of color change luggage ( 35 different colors to choose from!!) to use as a prop and an airplane ticket.

I guess I was especially fond of it, due to the fact that I had left my precious V a few months back, to go to the States for a visit with family and friends. And this pose prop brought back many of the feelings and emotions that I went through at that time. I was going back to the States to face some of the old “demons” that I had left behind and we were BOTH concerned about the outcome. Plus the terrible earthquake and tsunami had just happened in Japan and we knew a dear friend whose sister was (and still is) missing in all that. It really brought home the knowledge that even though you have thought everything through, planned ahead and have every safety and precaution that you can possibly take, there are still times when things happen that can separate us from those we love. And that was a feeling that was TERRIFYING to me at the time…and still is for that matter. I feel like I have waited my entire life to find V…or have him find me…and I NEVER want to be parted from him again. I know that realistically there will be times in our lives that for reasons beyond our control, we will HAVE to spend time apart from each other. But I want those times to be few and far between!

I am SO very grateful that the trip went as planned, better than planned, actually. And I was home and back in the arms that hold me like no other, in a few weeks time. But I have to admit, there were many times, during the planning of the trip, during my times at the airport, even during my times there, that I was hot, lonely and frustrated. And am NOT looking forward to doing that again any time soon!

So as I looked through the skins in my inventory I came across this cute little skin from JesyLilo— beautiful red lips and a red tint to her cheeks that was JUST what I was looking for. I don’t know about you, but no matter HOW nice I TRY to look BEFORE I get to the airport, by the time I lug ALL those 50 pound bags up and down stairs and in and out of cars, I am NOTHING but a mess…with a terribly red face (damn that Irish blood)!

And even though I have just spent an HOUR straightening and combing my hair, by the time I get to the airport, it looks like I have just woke up and hopped out of bed. So I knew I had found the perfect time to wear some hair I had run across while reading LisaMun Aronowicz’s blog (and if you do not follow it, you should! She always lists amazing finds and group gifts. I look forward to each post!) It is from Creatives! Hairstyles and it is called “Hungover”….and that is just kind of what it looks like! You can tell there was ONCE a really nice hair-do under there, but now all you have a remnants of it! And when I tried on the red one…I knew it was just what I wanted.  If you are looking for a really unusual style that won’t just take every last Linden that you have, this might be the place for you.  I have really been impressed with their hairstyles and this one….well…it is something that I have just been WAITING to wear, it is sooooo cute!

Although the dress had come with matching heels, I was not able to wear them and wear another piece that I was not willing to give up so I had no idea what shoes to wear. Did you know that Ear Candy not only makes jewelry? They also make some ADORABLE shoes and all kinds of decorations for your home. So I was especially pleased when I opened her latest “LOW” sales piece to see that it contained some CUUUUUTE little yellow Gingham wedges….even had carved rose trimming running down the back of them! They came with a set of assorted yellow bangles and I thought that they would be perfect with my “Jade” look— giving it a summery feel!

Once I had decided to accessorize in yellow….I immediately thought of a set that I had seen on sale a few weeks past,  from Finesmith Designs. It was a LARGE Topaz Gem setting in Silver. And while I was digging around in my “Finesmith” folder in my inventory, I came across a belly chain that I decided to try on with the dress. It was resizable, color change for both gems AND links and fit a girl JUST right!

All that left me with was nails, eyes and lashes. I had a sweet friend tell me about a recent sale at Poetic Colors on their eyes…and so I RAN over there and got several pairs! His eyes are REALLY lovely and many pairs feature some really unusual color combinations that make them unique!

Nails I wore from Logo & Kin. They are color change and include MANY different colors that are just what you need for the summer! (Like yellow!)

And lashes…I have a favorite pair of lashes from Oceane’s Boutique that always come in handy when I want a special look with LOTS of mascara. They are called “Thorns and Roses” and you can actually SEE the tiny little roses and thorny vines on the ends of them. You can even get the Roses in different colors if you like….AND…the last time I looked…they had been discounted!  That means you can have several colors for the price of one!  They are a staple lash in my wardrobe!

I hope you enjoy Jade as much as I did. Be sure and check out the other pictures at my flickr photostream.  The poses were truly exceptional and I could FEEL El’s frustrations as she sat next to her luggage. All I could do…was reassure her…that soon…she would be in her precious V’s arms again.

Styling notes:
Dress: Serina Lacava Collection
Skin: JesyLilo
Hair: Creatives! Hairstyle
Shoes and bangles: Ear Candy
Necklace, Earrings and Belly Chain: Finesmith Designs
Nails: Logo & Kin
Lashes: Oceane’s Boutique
Eyes: Poetic Colors
Poses: .:Stance:.