Yhishara Cerise's Sweet Pea Lane: Purplemoon: The Maria Gown

It has been so very long since I wrote a blog post about anything but this is a very special occasion. One of my favourite designers, Poulet Koenkamp, has returned to SL to put on a special holiday event. No one, with the exception of maybe one or two people, did/does Second Life events like Poulet. I have to admit to being somewhat mystified though at how much this act on her part means to me.

She makes beautiful clothes. Many people make beautiful clothes. She did advent calendars and arranged hunts and group gifts. Many designers in Second Life do these things. Does she appreciate her group members? Yes, but many people appreciate those that shop in their stores. But none ever brought tears to my eyes because they were going to do those things. Poulet did though when I read she was coming back to do her Holiday Extravaganza. My quest the past few days is to figure out why...

I remember spending hours walking around her store. Being there - in that environment inspired me in ways I simply can't capture fully in words. It was the creativity of the fashion and all the styling potential. As an SL model, we thrive on that creativity. Seeing the people that went before me in that industry made me dream. That dream came true when Belladonna Wexhome, the manager for Purplemoon offered me the chance to join the Purplemoon Dream Team and become a live model for them.

And perhaps that's why her coming back to do this means so much. Before she closed, she did tributes to those that supported her along the way. But she supported me along my own way. She gave me the chance to model - when I had very little training and was completely unknown to pretty much everyone except a small few.

In a virtual world where people only seem to want to talk to you if you can do something for them or you are a 'somebody' that kind of thing is nearly unheard of. She showed me much kindness in doing that. And perhaps that's why her coming back means so much. Because it's kindness - genuine kindness. It's not a marketing gimmick. She hardly needs that as she was on the top of her game when she left to take care of her family in real life. No, this type of kindness comes from the heart, from a place of truly wanting to give back to the people that gave so much to her. That made me love and respect her as a person and I hope that she gets a hundred times that measure back again in her reality.

The world in general can be very dark sometimes, and it sometimes seems like no one wants to be kind anymore. So when someone is, well there are two responses: either it's met with distrust or it makes you cry because you are so moved that someone would do that. I know that she didn't come back for anything to do with me, but because she wanted to. But she has blessed me more than she will ever know by coming back this December and it just means that I will forever be a PM fangirl.

As I said - it's hard to put into words, and a simple, "Thank you" just seem too little...

Gown – Purplemoon – Maria Gown – Legacy

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sky%20Castle/194/63/3002

Necklace – Cae – Blizzard

Marketplace Only: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Cae-Blizzard-Collection-bagged/6691060

Rings – Yummy – Heirloom Ring Set – Legacy

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tableau/174/103/23

Head – Catwa – HDPro Queen

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Catwa%20Clip/222/51/22

Eyes – Ikon – Hope – Industrial

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/IKON/96/128/501

Body – Legacy Feminine Edition