Hello. Again.

So. Several days ago (last Sunday) I celebrated my 8th SL birthday. Eight years. I can't really comprehend that bit of time, that I have been logging into this virtual world for eight years. Second Life has changed so much from my rezday. Flexi was all the rage then. Followed by sculpty. Then rigged mesh. And now it's fitted mesh.

I was fortunate enough to snag the WowMeh fitted mesh body before it went off the market (though I hear it may be back soon - yay!). I have always had this sort of love/hate relationship with my avatar. Constantly tweaking my look, changing skin and shape in attempt to make Sumire be what she was always supposed to be. Sometimes I became so frustrated with the limitations of the Linden Lab avatar that I would go stretches of not logging in just to avoid the stress. (Crazy as it sounds, I think I was looking for perfection in my second life to make up for the lack in my first.) I am still skin hunting, but I finally like my avatar such that I am able to remain inworld long enough to create again.

I have updated all the Nanako Candy-Striped Leggings to include WowMeh appliers. I won't crowd this post with images of all the new ads, but I will include the Licorice Pack here as it is my most popular one. (Not to mention my favorite pair of leggings is in particular pack - the white with black stripes. :D )

Also I live in t-shirts both in SL and RL, so I have been hard at work in making one for myself here. I've come up with something I think I can be proud of. Hopefully you will like it, too. I am offering a dollarbie tee featuring the new *tweet* icon bird in 3 different colors. Each color comes on all system layers, and with a WowMeh applier as well. Find it inworld here:

*tweet* @ Temenos

The t-shirts on WowMeh bodies, as modeled by my silly friends. :P

Stay tuned, more t-shirts to come!

Goodness, it has been awhile. Real Life has been keeping me pretty busy and when not busy - distracted. It wasn't as if I ever really left SL, I just could hardly seem to contain the focus to complete anything. (The few things I did manage to complete I never seemed to liked very long.) My inventory is cluttered with the half-done objects to prove it. :P Anyhow, onto the stuff I did finish!

Hatsukoi - This one was snuck quietly onto the shelves a few weeks ago. (Actually, it was intended for Valentine's Day earlier this year but I always feel like I'm wasting cyberspace if I don't have at least two things to announce.) 'Hatsukoi', meaning 'first love', is meant to evoke those soft, delicate affections of a young girl's first love. Comprised of pinks, greens, hearts, flowers, lace, and a butterfly - I think it works out.

Hiren - It means 'sad love'. I designed this as the heartbroken sister to Hatsukoi. I imagined her at the windowsill, sighing as she looks away from the beloved copy of Jane Eyre in her hands. Originally the dress was envisioned as blue, but it seemed to me that that choice would have focused more on merely the sadness itself. Lavender seemed the way to go for that still dreaming, lonelier shade of love. By the way, yes, that knit is hand drawn.

I hope one or the other will please you, if not both. I've been told a few times now that these two are very unlike my previous stuff. However, no one will tell me how that is so, or whether this is a good or a bad thing. I hope it's good. However, if anyone has a helpful, well-meant suggestion I wouldn't mind hearing it. :3

Don't forget to grab yourself a little something from the candy bowl. It'll be gone come November 1st. Happy Halloween! :D

One of my favorite movies from my French Cinema class is Jacques Demy's Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. Our heroine's mother runs a boutique that only sells umbrellas. Now, as one who enjoys a Mediterranean climate all year along, that hardly seems lucrative. Still, I confess I rather wish I could do the same. A boutique of umbrellas? Kinda cute, n'est-ce pas?


Presenting the Ami Plaid Umbrellas! They may be purchased in a complete pack, or "individually". By "individually", you actually get a set of two umbrellas, one with gold metal accents and one in silver. I've also including a free matching plaid scarf! We like that, right? The pack will contain all 12 umbrellas, plus the 6 matching scarves! AND by buying the pack, it's like getting all 6 sets for the price of 5. It's win-win! :3


* 'Ami' means 'water' in Japanese, more specifically 'water (from rain)'.

I finally have my first 10 outfits done. I figure that warrants a blog post. :3

When I first started designing, I really didn't anyone would care for my style. I knew I'd get a few sales, but nothing really encouraging. I have to admit, it's nice to be wrong! Everyone I've encountered has been nothing but supportive. I'm so blessed, I even have friends who have gone out of their way to promote Tweet. (Including a male friend who masquerades as a female just to show off my creations! Heehee.) Anyways, I just wanted to take some time out to say thanks. Now onto the clothes! :D


Mayu-Mayu - This outfit is the first I ever made, and it's first time I ever really used Photoshop. I remember it seemed like a Herculean Labor at the time! That first prim skirt had me nearly crying in frustration. Mayu-Mayu is named after a girl I saw in a page of a magazine once.





Koyomi - This was released as my 6th outfit, but Koyomi is really my second attempt at clothing. I thought that maybe it'd be too weird for everyone. When I was deciding on my next outfit, it occured to me that there aren't many outfits featuring the uncommon combo of orange and purple. So I sketched an outfit that actually I've actually been sketching since middle school. All in all, I think Koyomi is fun and even cutely clownish.


Nanako - This one is just sweet. I mean like, several people have told me that it makes them actually crave ice cream. I think my love for puffy sleeves is evident by now. X]








Tomoko - The reconstructed top is focus of this outfit. Although it is hardly my best seller, I really do love it. I'm pretty sure it's because of the apples. I've always had a fondness for natural prints. (As well as leggings!) :]






Junko - - Okay, I have no idea how Junko got so angsty looking. Could be the color saturation. Or forlorn illustration on the shirt. (I personally blame the fishnet leggings. :P ) So, the t-shirt is inspired by those hand-painted ones that I sometimes like to do with a bit of india ink and boredom. To me, the overall look and proportion of it was more important than actually being able to read the words. For those curious, the repeated message is: "Wait! They don't love you like I love you."


Chie - This is by far my most popular outfit: a simple style combined with a fun apple print and all the cute colors to make one playful dress. Popular with both little girls and big girls alike.







Fukiko - While finishing Chie, all I knew was that I wanted my next outfit to be yellow. I had a very specific vision for Fukiko when I sat down to sketch it. I like it's slight edge to it, as opposed to the following ensemble...






Emiko - By now I noticed Chie's popularity and I recogniized the need for more cute and girly. Emiko is my answer. The flirty pink and yellow against cool and warm greens, plus the coupling of girlish puff sleeves and a modest, mature, and yet a fun swishy skirt... Emiko has to be one of my favorite things I've ever made. And yes, the pink apple-y thigh-highs just might have something to do with it. ;D



Miyoko - Continuing in the tradition of Emiko, this outfit is similarly girly but in it's own shape. (I worked -so- hard on this dress, trying to get everything to match up!) The fawn embroidery on the collar is the cherry on this sundae. Miyoko reminds me of my days in elementary: my classmates in cartooned tees and jeans, and then myself...all barrettes and bows, Mom-dressed in gingham dresses (flower applique on the collar, always!) and mary janes.


Natsumi - I really don't know what posessed me in designing Natsumi. I rather view it as Tomoko's playful cousin, especially because of the reconstructed t-shirt. Actually, I named both Miyoko and Natsumi after a pair of female traffic cops in the anime You're Under Arrest!. Miyoko is the feminine one, and Nastumi is her boyish, mischievous, and yet somewhat savy partner.


Well, that's it for now. I already have my next outfits planned. Prepare for a huge mix-and-match set! ;D