Dear Melanie, you were the best friend that anyone could have asked for in SL. Rest in peace, I miss you so much already.
She passed away after a brief battle with cancer. I’m still in shock by this sudden loss, so I don’t really have much to say right now. We’ve been friends for more than 8 years, so knowing that she’s gone, is extremely difficult to process.
If you knew Melanie Kidd in SL and want to share a happy memory, leave a comment below.
Today I want to share a fun new project called Dream Overlay. It’s a free browser based photo editor that lets you transform your photos with dreamy, nostalgic overlays and effects, whether they’re Second Life screenshots or your real life memories.
If you’ve followed JuicyBomb for a while, you probably know how much I love taking photos in Second Life. I’m also a huge fan of retro aesthetics, old film, film grain, light leaks, faded photographs, rainy windows, and all those little imperfections that somehow make a photo feel more like a memory. Dream Overlay was inspired by that style and by my love of editing photos.
I wanted to create something that made photo editing easy and fun for people like me. You shouldn’t have to buy expensive software or pay for a subscription just to add a little nostalgia to your pictures. Everything runs right in your browser, so there’s nothing to install and no account to create. Your photos stay on your device, and if you’d like to continue editing later, you can export your project as a Dream file and import it again anytime. You can also export full resolution images or create high quality MP4 videos with animated effects.
If you’re not sure where to begin, check out the premade Looks in the sidebar. They’re a fun way to get started with just one click, and you can always customize them further to make them your own.
Photo overlays aren’t exactly a new idea, but I wanted to build something that was simple, completely free, and enjoyable to use. I hope Dream Overlay makes editing your photos a little more fun, whether you’re capturing moments in Second Life or in real life.
Dream Overlay runs entirely in your browser, so editing very large photos or rendering MP4 videos may temporarily use more memory or CPU power. That’s completely normal and stops once the export finishes. If things ever start feeling slow, try refreshing the page (Ctrl + F5 on Windows or Cmd + Shift + R on Mac), use fewer fewer filters, closing a few browser tabs, or working with a smaller image if you’re using an older computer.
I’m not a professional programmer, so building Dream Overlay has been a learning experience for me. If you happen to find a bug or something doesn’t work quite right, please let me know. I’ll keep improving the editor and fixing issues as I learn.
If you enjoy using Dream Overlay, I’d really appreciate your support by sharing it with your friends. I’d also love to see what you create! Feel free to share your edits in the Dream Overlay Flickr Group so everyone can get inspired by each other. If you post your creations elsewhere, I’d appreciate a credit to Dream Overlay so more people can discover the editor.
I really hope you enjoy using Dream Overlay as much as I enjoyed creating it. Have fun, and I can’t wait to see what you make.
Nothing makes me happier than a gift of FREE SKINS, and they're nice and normal makeups, without crap all over the face. Thank you Dutch Touch! 🙂
This looks a lot like Cleo but it is actually a mix of Cleo and bits and pieces from previous DT skins. Isn't it lovely? I hope this one gets a name and a line of its own. For now, the skin is only available inside the subscribo @ Dutch Touch.
What I'm Wearing:
Dutch Touch – GroupSkin: Special No1 & No2 Caramel
Maitreya – Zoe (Cacao)
Blowpop – Yvette (white half cup bra)
Fish Strawberry – Lucille Oh'doll Dress (Petroleum)
Caroline's – Baby Turtles Jewelry Set in Gold
Juicy – Classic Pumps (Marshmallow)
My fav person in SL sent me this bathtub 🙂
I really like being surprised with gifts like this, even though I have no space for it in my house. I’ve decided to make a spot for it on my beach, right on the grass. I think it’s perfect here. My island has tons of furniture outdoors cos I haven’t found homes for them, so I try to blend them in with the landscaping.
All the poses seen below are built into the tub. There are lots and lots and lots of them. I love it!
This is the Bittersweet Creek Double Slipper Clawfoot Bathtub from Alchemy’s Attic.
Moodz has just released two really adorable gowns, they're knee-length party dresses that are so adorable! I'm wearing the Moodz Lettie gown in Teal, Pink, and Hot Pink.
This is the Moodz Copperpot Gown, and the textures are shinier than the Lettie gown. It also has a sexy plunging neckline and low cut back.
Right now Moodz is having a huge sale everything ranging from skins to clothes. Some items are as low as $5L! All skins are on sale for $199L for a 10-pack and wings are $75L.
I've modded the Mirai Style 'Daie' hair a bit (moved some prims away from the face) for today, I really like how it turned out. It was very easy to do, took only a few minutes and viola, new hairstyle! 🙂
What I'm Wearing:
Redgrave – Jennifer (Red) Skin
Mirai Style – Daie (Cherry Brown)
Moodz – Lettie Gown, Coppertown Gown
Juicy – Classic Pumps (Peppercorn)
A few days ago I posted a teaser image of Iman, the skins have just been released this weekend at KA Designs! The skin tones are available in darker shades, starting with Tan, so I’m wearing Tan (I normally don’t go darker than this) and pairing it with sultry dark eyes and hair.
Iman has 10 makeups per tone, hair base, and 3 brow options:
Since this is a “dark” skin, it doesn’t make sense to have light brows, so the 3 brows offered are also dark but they’re different styles:
KA Designs – Iman – Brows 01 | 02 | 03
My favorite is 01, cos I think the shape & texture is perfect but some people might prefer to wear thicker and darker brows.
Visit KA Designs!
Yesterday was my 6th Rez Day! I had forgotten about it, until Miss Ziki Questi wished me a happy rez day. I don’t really do anything to celebrate my rez day, so I thought I would throw a lil’ party of one today — buying myself gifts from The Arcade’s gacha event. I exercised self-control and played the gacha machines just six times, once it didn’t deliver, and I traded a cake for yummy macaroons (thanks Grazia)! Almost all of my purchases are featured here, except the things I couldn’t make “work” with my outfit — some poop (ew!) colored headphones, and a Blue purse.
I wanted some other Pink things, but decided not to keep going after I scored the Grandpa’s Radio Receiver Gold (Rare) from Teefy. Gotta quit while you’re ahead, right?
I’ll wait for the gacha yard sales to try to collect a Christmas village, the Floral purse, and a couple of other items. If you guys know if any yard sales, please leave the SLurl in my comments for myself and other people to visit!
What I’m Wearing:
Pink Fuel – Kumi (Peach) Pure (bwnbrow/crease)
Exile – Release Me (Babydoll)
Beetlebones – Semi-Sheer Cropped Lace Tank (XS) White
Monso – My Leather Skirt (White) Size2/S
Celoe – Snare Ankle Boots (Camelot)
SLink – Mesh Hands
MiaSnow – Lollipop
I’m kind of numb and in shock over this. Melanie was one of my oldest friends in SL; I still remember the day she and I went wandering around Koreshan and we ran into you while you were shopping for latex at Draconic. Like you said, it’s hard to process the fact that she’s gone; she’ll be missed.
One of the first people I remember in Second Life when I started, and such a beautiful one. I am so sad to hear of her passing. My deepest condolences to you and all her close friends and family.
I remember meeting Melanie for the first time when she asked for us to street fight each other while she took pictures. I was in full on bloody Kill Bill attire, and you were in your Pink Power Rangers outfit (don’t deny it). I still have the pictures she sent me. We looked horrible af btw.
It was the first time I let loose with the two of you and Mel made it so easy. She took the playful viciousness happening before her in stride and just stood back and reeled us back in whenever we went out of frame. I felt the kinship amongst us then, like that’s how she is. We would go crazy hyper and she brought us back to baseline, but she’s just as much as a nut. 😛
She soon showed how fierce a friend she is. And it was fun watching the two of you make your plans to conquer zee world. She was a sisterly mischief maker. She was always there, just a quick IM away. I think I’ll always be waiting for her name to light up.
I can’t imagine losing my own best friend this way. It’s mind numbing. My heart goes out to you, Gogo.
Gogo…I had no idea. I dont even know what to say. I feel so terrible…like I should have known and been there.
Oh, Mels…
Such an old and true friend of mine. It has been forever since I have seen or talked to you. You kinda disappeared from SL and I guess I did too. I remember how much fun we used to have hanging out in my old shoe store. Wandering cool SIMs. Riding crazy love boat rides that one time. Chilling in my planetarium and talking about random things. Or attending quidditch games and going to the Hogwarts SIMs to roleplay. You a Ravenclaw and I a Gryffindor.
I have so many photos of you and me…in all kinds of places. In all kinds of crazy getups. I remember your dance videos. Cherry Girl. That always makes me think of you. So beautiful. So fashion savy. So sexy. But always Mels.
I dont know how I feel hearing this now. After so long. I wish I hadnt written you. I wish I had said hello. I wish I could have been there to help you through this illness. Im so sorry we drifted apart. It wasnt something I intended. I just had to leave SL behind.
Please know my heart is with you and I am grateful for every moment we shared. I can still hear your cute voice in my ear. It makes me smile.
When I heard this news I was floored, and days later I still am. I will not profess to being a close friend of Melanie’s, she was and will always be in my head Gogo’s bestie, through thick and thin and sick and sin. Over the years though I did have the oppurtunity to spend time in her IM box. She was a doer that girl, she had at one point or another pretty much tackled all options of Second Life, as people from our time period tend to do.
She participated in Hair Fair a couple of times, which made it harder to hear this on the day of opening, and know that it would never happen again. She made fantastic poses, had a beautiful sim at one point, and was the powerhouse Manager of LAQ for many years. I remember her attending some awards ceremony on their behalf, and me for Maitreya and LeLutka, and we spent the time in IM with eachother yacking about completely different things.
she is one of the few people that I followed on plurk that was not in world much anymore, that I really cared about knowing what she was up to, we followed her job sorrows and cheered for her changes. I remember her finding a game/world that was music based and looking with interest at her experiences. Then one day seeing her post about K-Dramas, and throwing Whimsy in her plurk line and knowing that those two would have a great old time nattering about all the shows they were addicted to and currently watching.
When she got ill, I was kind of in denial about it, Gogo even IMd me about it, and I didn’t really want to think it was going to turn out to be anything other than something you shoved some antibiotics at and that was it, but it wasn’t and I am sorry for that.
I recently spent time watching Lilo & Stitch movies and laughing every so often to myself, because I kept imagining that Lilo was Melanie, our Hawaiin girl, she will always be that, she made that real for me, and I am sure many…her running off to dance classes, and so forth. She will always be remembered by those that were lucky enough to know her in any way, and I am very glad I got to.
I was looking through old pics of hers from Snapzilla and found this one http://www.sluniverse.com/snapzilla/image/view/210092/Melanie774-Kidd-gogo%2c-me%2c-and-vivi Melanie and her besties, hugs to you all.
xoxoSasyxoxo
It’s hard to know what to say when someone leaves. You want to comfort friends over their loss of friendship with them, but then you have your own to deal with. I wouldn’t say I was close, but I’d met her numerous times inworld, and on social networks. Melanie came across as an genuine individual. She was quite lovely to get to know over the years over social networks like plurk. I was happy to have someone who watched as much kdrama as I do. I will miss having someone to talk to about them. Her death was too soon, too sudden, and left us all very sad, just when it looked like life was shining brighter for her. I won’t forget her sincerity and sweetness. My condolences to her closest friends.
So sorry for your loss Gogo. Please let me know what I can do to help you. Hugs, Kirsten
Melanie was simply one of the most beautiful people I met in SL. My heart goes out to you Gogo. <3