M i a M o o r e

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Guest Post: Letters and Care Packages

Psst, I'm in Disney World right now! Wanna keep up with me? Check out my Twitter or Instagram.

Jo and I are exchanging guest posts! I just joined the International Geek Girl Penpal Club and I love Jo's creativity with her letters and care packages, so I asked her to share some! Be sure to pop by her blog to say hello and see some of her other posts.

Hi! I'm Jo, the writer behind Jo, My Gosh! I'm the fiancee of a sailor currently on a year-long deployment to Afghanistan. I blog about deployment, wedding planning, crafts, care packages, and recipes! I'm so excited to share a small part of my life with you!

Mia asked me to write a little bit about the letters and care packages that I've sent to John over the last year. With just a few more weeks left in the deployment, I thought this would be the perfect way to look back and recap.

Today is day 351 of John's deployment, and to date, I've written 351 letters to him. I love to write and, at the beginning of the deployment, I thought it would be a perfect way to chronicle the year and ensure that John received regular mail. I'll be honest, Nicholas Sparks was part of my inspiration. You see, I hate Nicholas Sparks, and I hate The Notebook, too. In The Notebook, Noah, sends What's-Her-Face a letter every day for a year. Whatever, I thought. I can do that. And I have been... I'm just 14 days away from completing an entire year of letters.

If you're interested, here are some of my favorite envelope doodles:

Up until last week, I was sending John care packages every two weeks or so. But now, he's coming home, and I can't send anymore! (I don't think I've ever been so happy to have someone tell me that I can't do something!) I try to make sure the care packages are decorated with cute or funny themes.

Here's a veggie-filled package that riffed on Forrest Gump's famous "peas and carrots" quote:

I've sent him a lot of dorky puns, too. Lucky for John, he got a two-fer in this St. Patrick's Day (Root) Beer Pong box.

I also tried to stay topical when possible. This was one of the first boxes John received so he could celebrate the Summer Olympics, too. I sent him sports-themed items-- Gatorade, sports magazines, a small basketball backboard...

And then there were holiday care packages, too. I sent John an Easter egg hunt in a box in April. (And cookies, too. I always send him lots of cookies and homemade granola bars.)

If you're interested in seeing all of the care packages I've sent John in the past year, check them out here. I'd love to have you drop by!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Daily Outfit: Class of 2013

I graduated this past weekend and am now in Disney World with my family! I have a few posts scheduled up for you. Don't forget to enter the giveaway by Wednesday for your chance to win!

I am normally a wordy person, but I think in this case, photos capture the moment better than words ever could. Thank you to all my professors and mentors who believed in me and to my family for being my strongest supporters. I am so shocked I was able to graduate in 3 years (!) and couldn't have done it without my support system.

Honors Convocation

My honors medallion from the @ut_dallas honors ceremony :) Magna cum laude!

Outfit Details:

Shirt: Target | Necklace: The Limited | Belt: Forever 21 | Skirt: ModCloth | Shoes: Target

Commencement

Outfit Details:
Pearls: Gift (they're real!) | Dress: Forever 21 | Shoes: Target
Nails: e.l.f. Essential Nail Polish in Mango Madness

My plans after graduation? Move to Austin, go to Disney World, intern somewhere this summer, and then go to grad school in the fall!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Metroplex Lolitas Twinning Meetup

Prints as sweet as sugar!

After the ATX lolita group posted photos of their super huge twinning meetup, some of the Metroplex girls wanted to try it too! Twinning in lolita is when you pair with someone else and wear the same dress or print. It can be the same color and cut or totally different, and you can match it down to the shoes and wig or only match prints. There's a lot of freedom within twinning!

All the twins!

Oh no! Stop fighting, we're friends!

Unfortunately, I proved to be bad luck during the planning phase of this meetup. Everyone I planned on twinning with couldn't make the final meetup day! So I played photographer and lamented being twin-less. No cute twinning poses for me! On the plus side, I did get to wear a new skirt I recently acquired secondhand and pretending I know how to use my camera is really fun!

A beautiful photo edit by Camille showcasing my lonely self.

Outfit Details:

Headband, Bolero, Blouse, Purse: Forever 21 | Skirt: Bodyline

Wrist Cuffs: Handmade (not by me!) | Tights: Target | Shoes: ModCloth

My bolero, skirt, and wrist cuffs were all bought secondhand from other lolitas. Swap meets are my favorite!

All of our lovely twins! I think every pair turned out so adorable and well-coordinated! It was such a fun meetup idea and something I'd love to try again (maybe next time with a twin).

Have you ever matched outfits with someone else?

Psst, don't forget to enter the Love is Sweet giveaway with several prizes adding up to $59! The deadline for entering is Wednesday!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Love is Sweet Giveaway!

Some of my May sponsors and I have gotten together to host a giveaway! It ended up being themed appropriately to match Donna's banner, so it's called the Love is Sweet giveaway!

The prizes are...

A dessert table banner from The Epicurean Crafter
A cupcake headband from Love A Lolita
Ad space from Jo, My Gosh!
Ad space from Mia Moore (that's me ;)

Altogether, the giveaway is worth $59!

How to Enter

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter the giveaway. The only requirement is that you leave a comment on this post, but you can earn extra entries too! No giveaway-only accounts. If you don't have a need for ad space, then we will pick two winners.

The giveaway ends on Wednesday, 5/22. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, May 10, 2013

Cosplay: Female Engineer from Team Fortress 2

In my cosplay series, I examine each costume I make, how I created it, what I would do differently, and so on! For more cosplay posts, just look in the cosplay tag here or sort by costume here. For cosplay tutorials, check out the Cosplay 101 tag.

Female Engineer from Team Fortress 2 Cosplay

This is one of my all-time favorite costumes to wear! It feels like I bring it out almost every convention. It was also one of my very first "real" costumes to complete!

I really love the freedom of interpretation that these kinds of genderbend costumes allow. I've seen so many different takes on female Team Fortress 2 characters, all of them unique and special in their own way! I am happy to add my hat to the ring.

Female Engineer from Team Fortress 2

Back when I used to play games a lot, TF2 was my go-to, and Engineer was my main class. Aside from loving the gameplay strategies the Engineer used, I adored his personality. I had always wanted to do a female version as a costume, but it took a while to get the push to do it.

A friend of mine who used to cosplay (male) Engineer was retiring his costume and gifted me all of his accessories, making it much easier for me to throw the rest of the costume together! Everything is hodgepodged from different locations. I am particularly fond of the bright color of the shirt and the girly details it has -- I found it right before the convention at a Plato's Closet!

Conventions

Ikkicon 2011
A-Kon 2012
Comet Con (3rd place in the cosplay contest!)

(I feel like there are more but I'm having a hard time remembering!)

Materials

Hardhat, glove, kneepads, goggles: Home Depot (gift from my friend)

Wig: Arda Wigs

Shirt: Plato's Closet

Engineer Class Patches: Neither Sparky on Etsy (hard to see, but they are there!)

Suspender shorts: Forever 21

Belt: Mom's

Boots: Forever 21

I like...

I love this character and how comfortable this costume is! It's easy to put on, recognizable, and I can wear it all day with ease.

Since there is no official female version of the classes, I had a lot of freedom in deciding what direction I wanted to go in. I've seen a whole range of female TF2 costumes, and they all have their own charms, whether they are dead-accurate or pin-up versions.

As I was picking out costume pieces, I tried to keep in mind what a female version of the Engineer would wear -- nothing too fussy or difficult to wear in battle, but with a few extra girly elements. I think I succeeded in making a costume I felt captured his personality, but balanced with some added femininity.

I don't like...

I can't believe how long I've had this costume to still not have a prop for it! I really want to make a wrench and maybe a suitcase dispenser, but I keep forgetting until it's too close to the convention.

Next time, I'll...

I definitely want to have the wrench ready next time I wear this costume. Also, if I can find some actual overall shorts rather than suspender shorts, I'd prefer that, but so far I'm having a hard time finding any that fit right. Other than that, I may need to replace my boots soon, but the rest of my costume is good to go!

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