szmoon - diy fashion and lifestyle blogger

As of now I am finally moved back home - most of my belongings...

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:37:00 -0500

As of now I am finally moved back home - most of my belongings are out of my apartment and piled in my family’s living room, haha. The stressful part is over now, or at least until I start preparing for my move to LA (but that will be more exciting stress). :]]

Now I have more time to blog! I wanted to do an outfit post for what I wore during graduation last weekend. All photos were taken by my dad ~

I am so completely in love with this dress. I searched long and hard for the perfect graduation dress; looking for a dress online was my way of relaxing (procrastinating) from all the end of year projects I had to complete. During that time I visited so many websites that I started to see duplicates of the same dresses and knew where they were cheaper or more expensive. ;p

After almost giving up, I finally stumbled upon this From Paris With Love print dress by Ginger Fizz on Asos. I was searching for something that would make me feel sophisticated (like a grown-up! ;p ) yet youthful at the same time and I think this dress worked perfectly for that. Most of the Ginger Fizz pieces have that same feminine/cute vibe and I’m in love with them all, especially the dresses with Renaissance prints. ♥

Also, I’ve been lusting after large, digital prints for awhile now and this dress turned out to be a pretty affordable option for my tight budget. I managed to get a 10% off code by joining the UNiDAYS program at Asos. If you sign up with that link I’ll get credit at Asos, haha~ :]

For this specific dress, my advice would be to go down rather than up if you’re in between two sizes. On the measurement chart I was in between US sizes 2 and 4 for the bust, and decided to go with the larger 4 to be safe. The dress ended up being a little large on me, but with some quick alterations I made it fit nicely, so it all worked out. And I’m in love with the “scuba” cut of the sleeves/front too!

Outfit Breakdown:

Flower Hair Clip: Forever21, only $1.80 :]
Floral Necklace: A modified version of the peach/gold version of this necklace from Forever21
Dress: From Paris With Love print dress by Ginger Fizz
Coral Wedges: My parents got them for me when they traveled to Paris last year ♥

I was so happy when I realized I had shoes that matched so well with the dress. I have very few neutral colored clothing and shoes. When I say “neutral” I mean natural colors like tan, white, off-white, brown, peach, etc. I don’t know exactly why, but a few years ago I decided to eliminate most of the neutral colored pieces from my wardrobe.

This decision has of course turned out to be inconvenient at times… so I was lucky that my parents brought me these shoes as a gift from their vacation to Paris last year! ♥

As I mentioned in my previous post, graduation day turned out lovely and I feel so lucky that I got to spend it with my friends and family. :] And now summer is here, as well as new adventures and new projects! ~ Hope you’re all enjoying it too!

Guess what?? I GRADUATED! ! ! As of last Sunday, I...

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:51:00 -0500

Guess what??

I GRADUATED! ! !

As of last Sunday, I officially have a BFA in New Media from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. It;s been a long journey - there were two points where I seriously considered dropping out. I still haven’t wrapped my head around it yet.

Here’s a photo of Mike and I just after the ceremony. It’s so weird that we’re in the same major; there were only 8 New Media undergrads total in our year!

This is everyone in New Media minus Eric.. I’m going to miss having classes with them all. <3

My family and I celebrated at the reception afterwards~

And took some photos with my closest friends. Ahh I’m feeling more and more nostalgic by the day! :o

Now I’m just packing things up, moving, cleaning and organizing. But after that, I get to blog full time again (so many posts planned, including an outfit post for graduation~). Can’t wait! c;

if it's not too rude, what is your height and how much do you weigh? cos i'm short too, so i never know how much i should weigh compared to my friends who are taller, since my weight gets distributed to less body area. you're really cute, so i want a body like yours!

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:24:00 -0500

Hey there!

I don’t find the question rude at all, but I’m also not going to answer it. Everybody has a different healthy weight. Even if we were the same height, we could have completely different builds and different ideal weights. :]

I’m a little under 5 feet tall, and my own weight will fluctuate 8-9 pounds depending on whether I have time to cook, bike to classes, etc. So even if I told you my weight it’s a very unreliable number to compare yourself to.

All you have to do is be healthy and happy with your own weight, so don’t compare yourself to others to do it! (If you really are unsure of what that should be, you could ask a doctor about it, just don’t aim for someone else’s weight.) Remember that you’re you and that’s what makes you beautiful! ♥

Can you believe that last week, my boyfriend Mike asked me if I...

Mon, 06 May 2013 00:18:00 -0500

Can you believe that last week, my boyfriend Mike asked me if I wanted to take outfit photos after class?? It didn’t even cross my mind to take outfit photos, and when I asked why he told me that I looked pretty and he thought I’d want to. He’s the most perfect boyfriend ever. ♥

This outfit would probably have been better in sunshine photos rather than night photos, but our class ran late (the 2nd to last time I attended a class during my college career!) and we had to work with whatever light we could find - that’s why the photos are a bit grainy~

I think I’m slowly getting more comfortable taking photos with Mike. I’m very shy and sometimes it can take me awhile to feel less self concious with different people. But out of everyone I’ve dated, he’s the one I’ve been the most “myself” with, so I’m not really afraid to be silly with him. (The only other people I’m always comfortable with taking my photos are Eva and my parents, haha)

Outfit Breakdown:

Rainbow Flower Dress: See You Monday brand. I found it in a shop in Haight-Ashbury a couple of years ago and fell in love with it, so much so that I bought it even though it was too big a size for me (I sewed it smaller later)
Cropped Cami: Charlotte Russe
Ankle Boots: Arizona Brand (little girls size…), got them new from eBay and put my old rainbow laces on them

The weather was so great that I couldn’t not be happy!~

And finally, here’s the instagram from when I was still in class. :]

So much to blog, and soon I’ll have so much time to do it! So excited~

Good luck on all your end-of-school-year activities!

Ahh, this last week of college has been so busy! I cannot wait...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:27:40 -0500

Ahh, this last week of college has been so busy! I cannot wait til Saturday when our two shows open - after that it’ll finally be time to relax!

Here’s one of the pieces I just finished~ It’s an interactive EL wire sign powered by Arduino, using the El Escudo Dos shield. Everything was designed and fabricated by me. :]

I’m hoping to make a better video of this when it’s in the museum on Saturday. Right now the lights are going faster than they should be because the sensor is picking up too many objects (in my messy studio, haha).

Here’s a quick outfit post before I bury myself in my...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:42:00 -0500

Here’s a quick outfit post before I bury myself in my studio again. :D The weather was too nice today for me not to dress up!~

Outfit Breakdown

Glitter star tank top: thrifted, $2
Sheer mint shirt/robe: ebay, $5
Radical necklace: From I’m Your Present on etsy
Tights: Hue brand
Lavender platform heels: handpainted by me~

I feel so lucky to have as nice a boyfriend as Mike, who takes my outfit photos for me!~

Only 1.5 weeks left until our final shows, ahh! So exciting and scary at the same time. :o

With only a couple weeks until our BFA shows go up, I’ve...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:41:00 -0500

With only a couple weeks until our BFA shows go up, I’ve been super busy trying to both start and finish a ton of projects. But while I’m so busy, I can’t help but think about the small amount of time I have left with all my friends as normal college students.

I think I’m starting to get prematurely nostalgic for what I’m assuming will be a simpler time in our lives. There probably won’t ever be a time when we’re all living so close to eachother without real jobs and obligations, and are able to just walk over anytime to hang out. I know this sounds depressing, but I’m just as excited for the future; we’ll all go on to go new places, make new memories and hopefully still keep in touch. :]

On a more light-hearted note, I’ve been taking film photos a lot this semester. I think it’s my way of having unfiltered memories (you can’t “delete” the bad ones and keep the good) in a physical form that I can hold on to. So there will probably be more posts like this for a bit. :]

These photos were all taken at our Naan-ties Party. We made and ate naan with rice and curry and watched 90s movies (specifically, Space Jam). Look at how plaid and apathetic we are!

I know most of you probably aren’t familiar with my friends, but my blog is like my diary so I have to include the photos that make me happy. :] Here are Hugh and my roommate Caro:

The drink of the night was the old fashioned~

Caro and Sam wearing light up hats (my dad gave them to me haha~)

And Caro finally got to live out her dream of playing an accordian. ;p

Please excuse the finger in the corner of a couple of photos.. I guess I forget I’m blocking the lense if there isn’t a screen to show me a preview haha~

Hope you’re all having a good spring semester! ♥

I’m about to go out, but just wanted to post a photo of my...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:48:00 -0500

I’m about to go out, but just wanted to post a photo of my outfit from tonight first. Hopefully I’ll have some photos with color and more detail when I develop my disposable camera tomorrow~

Taken by my boyfriend Mike. :]

Happy friday to you! <3

I wasn’t able to dig this photo up in time yesterday, but...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:32:00 -0500

I wasn’t able to dig this photo up in time yesterday, but I finally found it hidden in the depths of my hard drive’s backup folders. These were the Pokemon Yellow days.

Happy belated Sibling Day Scott! Whether fighting or not, I always have and I always will love you. ;p ♥

Now I’m feeling all nostalgic for the simpler days, haha~

So I’ve got a half confession to make; I’m not...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:02:00 -0500

So I’ve got a half confession to make; I’m not always dressed up in thought-out or coordinated outfits. In fact, I’ve worn this pair or jeans about 80% of the time during the past couple of weeks.

Even though for me dressing up is one of the things that can make any day brighter and happier, sometimes the circumstances call for comfy or easy-to-wear clothes.

Right now I’m about 4 weeks away from finishing my last ever semester of school (unless I decide to attend grad school, but I’m not even going to consider that for a few years yet, haha). I don’t want to ruin any nice clothes while I’m working in the studio, and am not in the mood for less comfortable outfits while sitting through 3 hour critiques, so I’m keeping it simple for this one last stretch of school. :]

And another tool for survival? POLAR POPS! Specifially, caffeine-free Diet Coke polar pops from Circle K (caffeine-free because I’m allergic to caffeine, but that’s a story for another time). $0.89, 32 ounce goodness in a cup.

For some reason my new phone’s camera takes super wide photos.. haven’t decided whether I like them or not. Mike took all these photos, you can see his feet below haha~

I hope you’re all enjoying the spring and the (hopefully) lovely weather, and not stressing too much over the end of the school year! ♥

hey selina! i was just wondering if you could somehow help... I have to make something for a school project using old clothing and all I own are a pair of denim shorts that are too big for me, an old lace top and pyjamas (short sleeved and shorts), any ideas? :S thanks!

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:24:00 -0500

What kind of project is it? Do you need to make a costume, or some other kind of object with those materials?

Also, if you have a tumblr and messages me un-anonymous I can reply directly to you. :]

* HELLA GRAPHIC * Working on new items for Lunar Descent ~ ~

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 19:59:00 -0500

* HELLA GRAPHIC *

Working on new items for Lunar Descent ~ ~

Last month, my friend and fellow New Media classmate Becca asked...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 22:33:00 -0500

Last month, my friend and fellow New Media classmate Becca asked if I wanted to collaborate on a fashion video featuring Lunar Descent. I’ve been admiring her videos and watching them evolve over the past couple of years and was excited to work with her. :]

All I did was make the clothing and give a little bit of styling direction, and Becca did the rest. She had clear ideas and was great at directing (something I’m still trying to learn!) our lovely model, Tara. It was awesome working with both of you guys, thanks so much! I couldn’t have asked for a better first video to represent Lunar Descent. ♥

Shooting, directing and editing were all done by Becca Gore. You can view her video portfolio here

Music was provided by Eric Simmons of Goblin Colors

Clothing featured (like the holographic cap) is available at Lunar Descent

And finally, here are a couple of photos I snapped during the shoot using 35mm film~

Here’s a project I just finished last night: an LED moon...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:21:00 -0500

Here’s a project I just finished last night: an LED moon phase visualizer~~

It works by scraping information from a website regarding the current moon phase using Processing, which in turn sends that info to an Arduino that’s hooked up to the LEDs.

The moon is made up of a total of 62 LEDs in 5 parallel circuits. Design, construction and coding were all done by me. :]

I’m thinking about putting up a tutorial on how to make your own once summertime comes (hopefully a simpler version that doesn’t require an Arduino) . Would anyone be interested if I made one?

Easter isn’t really been a big holiday for my family, but...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:07:00 -0500

Easter isn’t really been a big holiday for my family, but every year we always get together to have a nice, homemade dinner. :] Since it was just last week that I drove to and from home for Spring Break, everyone decided to drive down and bring Easter to my apartment this year!

Let me explain the above gif first, haha. My entire life my dad has used a tripod and self timer to take our family photos, which means he usually runs to and from the camera at least a few times.

Yesterday, however, we realized that I had a remote control for the camera at my apartment and my dad decided to use that instead. We didn’t realize until it was too late that he would enjoy using the remote so much that he took 7 photos in a row (look at his face, see how happy he looks! ;p )..

I really liked the photo above even though Mike and I aren’t looking at the camera, so I’m still going to post it~~

And here are Scott and Christine (my brother and his fiance) with the dinner we all made. :]

Toast ended up getting a lot of attention, as you can tell from all the photos haha.

Toast thinks that meowing will make us put him down, but here’s a secret he doesn’t know; one of the best parts of picking him up is that he meows. ;p

I had a great time yesterday and am really glad my family drove all the way to visit. It might sound cliche, but my favorite part about holidays is spending time with the people I love. ♥

Hope you all had a lovely holiday too!

A few months ago I finally caved and ordered the Mint Spiral...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:47:00 -0500

A few months ago I finally caved and ordered the Mint Spiral Horn hair clips from Starlight Deco Dream, one of the cutest, pastel-filled shops on Etsy.

The only other horns I own are a pair I painted with black glitter, so I imagined that after I got Starlight Deco Dream’s mint horns I could make fairy unicorn outfits, haha~

The package arrived in such an adorable way, with candy, erasers and a keychain (I ate some of the candy before I took the photo…)

Candy, the owner of Starlight Deco Dream, even sent me an extra bone hair clip, thanks so much! ♥ It’s perfect for keeping my still growing bangs out of my face; I used to have straight bangs until a few months ago.

Both the horn and bone clips are made of resin and are beautifully done (in the past I’ve worked a tiny bit with resin and I know how tricky it can be!). Candy’s pieces are really well-made and feel really finished.

I was actually worried the horns wouldn’t work with my new undercut, haha. I ordered them before I chopped off my hair… but look, they still stay in! Even though the clips are on the heavier side, they have alligator teeth and manage to stay put very well. :]

Needless to say I am very happy with my order!

Currently Starlight Deco Dream’s Etsy shop is on vacation mode in preparation for a convention, but I highly recommend visiting when it reopens. :] Also, the facebook page is always being updated with new pieces that Candy creates. ♥

loveisthenewpunk: My new top from lunar decent...

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:39:01 -0500

loveisthenewpunk:

My new top from lunar decent (oflunardescent.com). The new line by the fabulous Selina (szmoon.tumblr.com). I love it so much! The skirt is made by me. It’s from my upcoming mermaid punk collection. (Taken with Cinemagram)

This is so cute, I’ve never heard of cinemagram before! The gorgeous loveisthenewpunk wearing the 2000 Space Odyssey top from Lunar Descent. ♥

May I please ask where you got that wig that you posted on your instagram? (a link? it was from ebay right?) It looks so real and I've been looking for that style for ages! :)

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 19:13:00 -0500

The wig I purchased was this one in dark brown (a lot of sellers carry the same style). It’s pretty decent quality for $13, especially since I don’t wear wigs often enough to justify spending more. I’m planning on doing a post with better photos of the wig soon. :]

Add me on facebook for more daily updates :D

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 13:28:46 -0500

Add me on facebook for more daily updates :D:

I update my facebook page more frequently than my tumblr (which I save for longer posts). Things I post on facebook include: clothes and shoes I find while online shopping, instagrams, tutorials by other people, and other random links I enjoy~

Also, facebook lets me talk to everyone more easily! :]

♥

Sooo… I’ve been seriously lusting after colored...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 23:34:42 -0500

Sooo… I’ve been seriously lusting after colored faux-fur clothing ever since I discovered Iron Fist’s jackets, like this one on DollsKill.com. But as a student with no full-time job, I haven’t been able to purchase one even though they’re actually pretty affordable.

I’ve been on the lookout both online and in stores for a cheap solution to my craving, and today I finally found one. It’s from a place I’d never expect to find it… Kmart! The Kmart by my parents’ home is closing soon and everything is marked down, so I decided to pay it a visit (the last time I went to Kmart was in junior high when I needed a white-collared shirt for marching band, haha).

It’s a little hard to tell from the photos, but there are glitter strands mixed in with the purple! It’s a size Girls XL - I was too embarrassed to try it on in the kids section so I just guessed at the size and bought it! :s It ended up costing $8.39, down from the original $16.99. :]

But as furry as the vest is, my dad’s cat Badger is still way furrier, hahaha~

But I still haven’t decided if this vest was a great or terrible decision… :p What do you guys think??