Good Things*

Organising 2012 : Cleaning up and clearing out

2012-02-13T11:00:00.000+09:00

With so much happening this year (and so much I want to make happen) I've been determined to kick 2012 off with a clean, organised, focussed start. From my blog reading it seems I'm not the only one - there's a lot of de-cluttering going on out there!

Here's what I've been up to:

First up, I spent an entire day cleaning up my appallingly over stuffed inbox. I deleted thousands of old emails and switched my interface from Yahoo to Mac Mail (everyone said I wouldn't be able to do it with a free Yahoo account, but it's working fine). I've set up a bunch of 'rules' so that all those pesky not-so-important emails are automatically filed, so I can deal with them when I have a bit of spare time. My Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter notifications automatically go into a 'Social Media' folder, and my blog subscriptions automatically go into a 'Blogs to Read' folder. All of which means I've been able to get my inbox under double figures for the first time in years, and I've kept it that way since the clean up too. Such a good feeling.

Next, after some not so gentle persuasion from my horrified husband, I finally tackled the mess that is my craft storage area. There's a tiny space tacked on to my office which is meant to be a drying room, but I've filled it with shelving and have been dumping all manner of things in there for the past two years.

Scary, huh?

It took two solid days of sorting and throwing out, but here's what it looks like now:

Ferdi helped clean up...

Lastly, I've set myself two simple rules to help de-clutter (and to avoid future clutter). If I purchase any new item of clothing I have to clear something out of my wardrobe and bin it, sell it, or give it away. And if I buy a new magazine, I have to get rid of two magazines from the giant Tower of Publications. Manageable goals which make the whole thing less overwhelming, and they'll make a big difference over time.

Are you getting organised in 2012? I'd love to hear how you're tackling it if you are!

Collecting Colour : February is Coral [UPDATED!]

2012-02-12T12:34:00.000+09:00

Ahhh, coral! You're not quite pink and not quite orange. You're happy and bright but kind of gauche and a little bit trashy too. I love you on my nails and my wrists. You make me think of flashy gold baubles, early 90s excess, Kath and Kim and the Gold Coast. I'm not sure why I'm mildly obsessed with you, perhaps it's the way you so successfully walk the fine line between lady and vamp (or maybe tramp?).

This is my second attempt at collecting some coral (hence the updated post) and I'm much happier with it this time around. If you're interested, here's the original collection I did:

ps. I know 'coral' was / will be a bit of a challenge for some of you (it was even tricky for me, and it's one of my favourite colours). Sorry. It will get easier from here, I mean next month is green - should be seriously easy, right?

* * * * * * *

Every month through 2012 I'll be 'collecting colour', and you can join in too! Link up below, and/or add your photo to the Flickr group here. And go here to get all the information you need.

Death by Doxie : Spot the Elfi!

2012-02-10T10:30:00.000+09:00

It's finally been a bit chilly here in Seoul of late, and Elfi is not quite as equipped to cope with it as the fluffy Ferdi is. There's an Elfi hiding from the cold in there somewhere - can you spot her?

Holiday Slideshow : San Francisco

2012-02-07T16:36:00.000+09:00

The last stop on out US adventure was San Francisco. San Fran has a special place in my travel memories - it was the first American city I ever visited, and what a wonderful introduction to America it was! I have fond memories of warm days spent wandering up and down hills, lazily admiring the gorgeous 'Painted Ladies', eating delicious chewy crust pizza, smelling the sea salt in the air and just generally picturing myself becoming a local.

And this visit was really more of the same. We ate great food, held our noses while laughing at the antics of the Pier 39 sea lions, caught a cable car up a ridiculously steep hill, admired the city from the top of Coit Tower and watched the mist roll over the city.

We also visited Alcatraz where I took roughly half a million photos, which was actually quite restrained considering...

Holiday Slideshow : Vegas baby!*

2012-02-06T11:27:00.000+09:00

I adore Vegas. It's one of those only-in-America places. These days you might find similarily ridiculous over-the-top, just-because-we-can, ostentatiousness in places like Macau and Dubai, but they don't come with the history, heart and sense of pure fun that you find in Vegas.

If you google 'kids in Vegas' you'll find all kinds of sites telling you that Vegas is not a family holiday destination. But both the step-sons loved Vegas - in the post trip review that we always do, Vegas was the bit that everyone agreed was completely ace. (FYI, the step-sons are 11 and 13 years old. Also FYI, we don't gamble.)

They were intrigued by the stories of how Vegas was developed, they loved the idea that all this crazy stuff was built just for fun, and they never got tired of making jokes about France being right next door to Egypt which was right next door to New York... They loved all the great meals (especially one at Switch - a super tasty steakhouse in the Wynn where the decor changes every 20 minutes or so), and the view from our amazing room at the Bellagio (see photo above). Vegas was a hit - and that's even though we didn't have time to visit the sharks at Mandalay Bay, ride the roller coaster at New York, New York, or even go for a swim!

Probably the most amazing thing we did in Vegas was a helicopter ride out to the Grand Canyon, via the Hoover Dam and all kinds of amazing desert landscapes. The weather wasn't great - there was a lot of rain and mist about - which meant we couldn't land in the Canyon, but it was still pretty amazing.

Seeing as I have inherited my Mum's dislike of flying, small spaces and heights this part of the trip was somewhat challenging for me. Especially as the pilot decided the front seat was the best place to put me. I was basically in a perspex bubble, vibrating high above the earth. For the first 45 minutes I was ~~completely~~ kind of freaking out, much to the amusement of my fellow passengers.

If you haven't experienced that kind of panic before, it's like your brain just constantly screams at you 'get out NOW', but you can't, so you're trapped, and it's not very fun, at all. And also clearly not very logical. And a bit embarrassing, especially once the swearing kicks in. I've found ways to calm myself down (counting is good, as is photography - they give me something else to focus on). And once my body/brain got used to the way the chopper moved it was all okay. So for the last 45 minutes I was actually able to stop freaking out and enjoy the views.

*As we helpfully taught the step sons on this trip, you can never ever just say 'Vegas'. It's always always 'Vegas, baby!'.

Holiday Slideshow : Hoover Dam!*

2012-02-03T11:14:00.000+09:00

Before we hit the bright lights of Vegas (baby) we headed to Hoover Dam. I had pretty low expectations here because when it comes to giant feats of engineering and historical milestones I've really only got about five minutes of 'wow, that's cool' or 'hmmm, interesting' in me before I start getting bored, bored, bored. So it was a pleasant surprise to find that the Hoover Dam was in fact amazing. A prefect combination of stunning natural scenery and grand human design, with just enough interesting factual tidbits scattered about the place.

It was built in the early-mid 1930s, and the public areas were purposefully designed to be beautiful, so there are all kinds of gorgeous Art Deco touches everywhere. Whilst everyone else on our tour was agog at how much cement was needed to build the thing (over 5,000,000,000 barrels if you're curious), I was obsessing over light fittings and tiles and mosaics and fonts and the way the tunnels curved just so. It was wonderful!

*Said in Penguins of Madagascar style, aka this.

Collecting Colour : Information for you!

2012-02-01T20:05:00.000+09:00

Well, it turns out that some of you are excited about the Collecting Colour challenge, which is pretty ace but it's also made me realise I have no idea what I'm doing. No, really. No idea. It's fairly obvious I'm just making this up as I go along. But, thanks to some key questions from more seasoned bloggers/challenge participants (I'm looking at you Saylor Made and Brandi!) I've finally got myself kind of sort of maybe organised.

What is the Collecting Colour challenge? Each month you curate a collection of objects based around the colour for that month, photograph it and post it somewhere (your blog, Flickr, Instagram).

Where can I post my links? In the first week of each month I'll be doing a Collecting Colour blog post which will include a place to put your links (like this one).

Does it matter if I miss a month? No, of course not! Join in whenever and however you can.

So, I think that's it. Let me know if I missed anything (which I probably have). Have fun!

Holiday Slideshow : Death Valley

2012-02-01T11:47:00.000+09:00

These pics were taken at Zabriskie Point, in Death Valley. Pretty amazing huh? Death Valley is pretty amazing actually - apparently it's one of the hottest, driest, lowest places on earth (I was pretty glad we were there in the cool season, I imagine it would be almost unbearable in Summer). There's peaks and troughs and giant salt plains; there's sand and stone of all colours and mighty, ferocious winds. And apparently some scenes from the original Star Wars were filmed there. Awesome.

With all these wonderful natural patterns around me, I couldn't resist taking a few black and white shots. I think Death Valley looks pretty great sans colour, don't you?

Collecting Colour : January is Yellow

2012-01-31T17:58:00.000+09:00

The holiday slideshow will continue shortly, but I had to sneak this post in as there's only a bit over 6 hours left of January... So, without further ado, introducing Collecting Colour! Each month I'm going to pick a colour, curate a collection of things lying about the house and photograph it. Hurrah!

Are you excited? I am! And if you are excited you're welcome to join in too - you can follow along with my monthly colour picks, or you can pick your own, either way is ACE! And I promise for the next eleven months I'll do the post a bit earlier (the idea only came to me at four yesterday morning - thank you jet lag!).

If you join in please let me know - tweet me (@ejorpin) or leave a link in a comment below. Oh, and do grab the button over on the side bar if you like!

January is yellow because yellow is bright and sunny and happy, and I am a little bit (okay, a lot) over the cold, dry Seoul winter. What can you spy in January's collection?

UPDATE! I've added a link up tool, so if you do participate (on Flickr or your blog or Instagram or anywhere really!) add your link for January below. Hurrah!

Holiday Slideshow : Mammoth to Death Valley

2012-01-30T19:14:00.000+09:00

I'm back in Seoul and loving sorting out our US holiday photos - it was a seriously great trip, with lots and lots of good things packed in. So, let the holiday slide show begin!

After our ~~ice skating~~ skiing in Mammoth we picked up our hire car (a giant leather-lined boat of a thing that the hire car guy called a 'pimp-mobile'!) and had a most amazing drive through to Death Valley (during which we were listening to our US road trip playlist, of course!).

For most of the drive we had the misty Sierra Nevada on one side, and the arid White/Inyo Mountains on the other, with unbelievably vast lengths of straight road stretching out in front of us. It was some of the most spectacular, wondrous scenery that I've ever had the pleasure of seeing - other worldly and oh so majestic.

Death by Doxie : Elfi's the Queen of Our Castle*

2012-01-20T15:30:00.000+09:00

As a little xmas present to ourselves I finally bought some of the Castle pillow cases that I've been lusting after ever since my sister first put them on one of her wish lists some years ago. Of course, now that I have my hands on some, I just want more. The quality and design is just too good. Anyway, here's Elfi giving our new pillow cases a test run.

*bad pun intended. Sorry.

2012-01-19T15:26:00.000+09:00

Hello! How are you? We are all jet lagged but well and happy and full to the brim with mac 'n' cheese and Reese's peanut butter cups. At the moment we are in the stunningly beautiful Mammoth Lakes, California. It's been lovely - blue skies, gorgeous views, the scent of pine in the air.

I've realised that it's a bit tricky to ski with a DSLR hanging off your shoulder, so I'm afraid all I've got are a handful of iPhone Instagram-ed pics that in no way do justice to the sweeping majesty of it all. Especially as most of them are snapped in a haphazard, super fast manner so I can get my ski gloves back on before losing a finger to frost bite...

I've also realised there's an upside to jet lag. Because it means all the non sleeping people get to sit up in the wee hours, and talk and laugh and watch TV - namely Animal Planet (I can highly recommend Gator Boys for late night viewing) and ridiculous tele-marketing ads (I think all of us now secretly want a RoboStir).

Anyway, Mammoth is amazing. Fantastic food, fabulous facilities, friendly folk (too many effs, maybe?). This winter has been a bit mild, so there's not a great deal of snow. We've spent a lot of time skating over rock hard ice instead of skiing (and panicking about snapping a leg in half due to the hard and fast snow conditions, though I have a feeling I'm the only one panicking...). They're predicting one of the first big snow storms of the season to hit in the next day or so - just in time for our drive to Death Valley! Oh weather, you fickle thing you!

US road trip playlist : Suggestions wanted!

2012-01-14T11:00:00.000+09:00

[Nostalgic by f2images]

Our 2012 travel is about to begin, and it's beginning with a bang! On Sunday we are flying out to San Francisco (and somehow landing before we take off, which never ceases to amuse me), meeting up with the step-sons and then embarking on a bit of a US adventure! There'll be skiing in Mammoth, followed by a drive through Death Valley. Then it's on to the bright lights of Vegas, an aerial view of the Grand Canyon, and finishing off with a few days in the lovely San Francisco.

I can not possibly explain how excited I am about this trip! Not only are we re-visitng two of my favourite cities, but I'm also going to see some iconic parts of the US that I've never seen before. And more than that it's the boys first trip to the US - it's going to be so much fun to show them around!

They don't watch a lot of American TV (although the oldest' new favourite thing to watch is The Daily Show, that boy has damn fine taste!) but they have soaked up their fair share of American cultural references (see the celebration of junk food in Over the Hedge, the New Yorkers in Madagascar, and pretty much everything in the Toy Story trilogy). So, as well as all the big fun stuff we have planned, I'm ridiculously excited about all the little fun things - like visiting a supermarket to gawk at the cereal aisle. Oh, and the food! Tex mex, steak houses, buffalo wings and sliders served bar-side, a tower of hotcakes for breakfast and Reese's peanut butter cups! Oh my!

We have a car for a few days, where we'll be driving from Mammoth to Las Vegas, and I'm putting together a road trip playlist. I want all American artists, and I'm going for a kind of folksy country dreamy driving feel. Here's what I've got so far:

Then there'll be some Neil Young, Simon and Garfunkle, maybe some Bruce Springsteen? I'd really like to have Beth Orton on there, but she's Bristish...

So, over to you - if you've got any suggestions sing them out please!

The World's Biggest Paper Chain*

2012-01-12T14:45:00.000+09:00

So I was taking the xmas decorations down the other day, and I got completely distracted by the super giant, enormously long, paper chain that the step-sons have been working on for two whole years (okay, so actually it was a few days in 2010 and a few days in 2011, but why let facts get in the way of a good exaggeration). As I pulled it down I ended up spending nearly an hour taking photos of it from every angle, while the rest of the decorations resolutely continued to deck the halls.

The paper chain is about 15 meters long at the moment, and next year it will get added to again. I hope it doesn't fall apart for a few more years - I'm hoping that one day it'll get so long that we can string it through the entire house and then back on itself again!

*this claim is not officially verified by any kind of paper chain measuring association

Kickstarter is Ace

2012-01-11T11:37:00.000+09:00

I know I've mentioned Kickstarter before but here's the thing - it really is ace! Because I've realised that not only do you get to back and spruik projects you love (thereby playing a role in making them actually happen), and not only do you get that warm and fuzzy glow that comes from doing whatever you're able to do to help someone else and make them happy, but you also get things! Real, actual, super special things!

A few months ago I backed a bunch of projects, felt happy about their success and then kind of forgot about them. But then a bunch of things arrived in my mail box - awesome things no less!

Up top is a set of gorgeous recipe cards from the Oma and Bella project. I backed Oma and Bella because I am a sucker for documentaries, and I love the story of hardship and friendship and recipes and really loud floral clothing that it hopes to tell.

Then down below is a bunch of awesome from Regretsy's Big Book of Fabricated Folktales from Finland project. Yep, I helped fund April's visit to Finland. And why not?

Regretsy has given me so much joy over the years - as much as I adore Etsy it does all get a bit 'put a bird on it' at times, and Regretsy is the perfect antidote to that. And contrary to popular opinion Regretsy has a big, happy heart at it's center (like all the best things do). Also, after finally reading the Regretsy book, I think April may be one of the smartest young women on the planet. There's something very honest and true behind all the shenanigans. Plus, I got a woven badge with a Finnish swear word on it, hurrah!

Why I Love My New 50mm Fixed Lens

2012-01-07T14:30:00.000+09:00

A few months ago I read this post on Brandi's blog about the new lens she'd received for her birthday. It was a 50mm f/1.8 fixed lens, and it seemed to produce a rather lovely shallow depth of field. I'm a sucker for shallow depth of field photos - where one point is picked out in crystal clear focus and everything else fades into a delightful blur - so the lens duly went on my Xmas wish list, and my awesome Mum duly went out and got it for me. And I am so very happy that she did.

The low aperture is responsible for the super depth of field, but it also means that the lens sucks in all the available light it can. This means even in low light conditions you can have a fast shutter speed, which makes it great for candid portrait shots as you don't have to get your subject to pose. The blurry background also leads to happy bokeh accidents, as I'm just starting to discover.

If you want to read more about why the 50mm fixed lens is ace (and how it will make you a better photographer) this article is a good place to start.

Death by Doxie : Ferdi's new toys

2012-01-06T10:00:00.000+09:00

We didn't forget our doxies on Xmas day. We got a bunch of new toys for them, including some Snoopy rattles and a cute plush version of Toy Story's Slinky Dog (all bought in Tokyo - Japan has the best stuff for your pets!).

Normally it takes the dogs a little while to warm up to new toys, but Slinky was immediately Ferdi's favourite. They've been near inseparable since Xmas day.

A new year, a new discount!

2012-01-02T14:00:00.000+09:00

Writing the looking back, moving forward post really did prompt me to have a good hard think about what I do want to achieve in 2012 (all you 'write your goals down' type people are on to something I think!). As a result I've decided to put my Etsy shop into a kind of cryosleep for a month or three (or maybe more) so I can focus on other stuff.

But before I do that, for one week only I'm putting everything in my shop on SALE! Hurrah! That's 30% off EVERYTHING in my Etsy shop for the next 7 days! If you've ever had your eye on something, this is your chance to snap it up!

2011-12-31T22:56:00.000+09:00

Here's to a fabulously friendly and fantastically fun 2012!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by, have a read, leave a comment - it makes me happier than you could imagine!

A Creative Odyssey : Looking back, moving forward

2011-12-31T13:44:00.001+09:00

In December last year I had the pleasure of taking part in a blog hop organised by Jess from Epheriell Designs, in which bloggers posted about their creative dreams and goals for 2011. You can read my original post here. Seeing as 2012 is well and truly knocking on the door it seems appropriate to have a look back and see if I actually achieved what I set out to, and to think about what 2012 might bring in the creative arena.

My first goal was to make the time - all too often I have a head full of creative ideas but don't allow myself the time to make these a reality. At the end of 2011 I still have an idea book bursting with things I haven't quite made happen, yet I do feel that over the past 12 months I have made the time to craft. And it's been fulfilling and calming and fun.

Next I wanted to take advantage of the fact that I don't need to turn my craft into a 'quit your day job' kind of business, and I think I have done just that. I've taken the time to explore new techniques and mediums (although any advance in my sewing skills has been completely stalled due to my obsession with all things paper this year!). Importantly, I've been doing more 'just for fun' crafting - making my own Xmas cards, getting involved in mail art swaps, and crafting for friends and family. There will be much more of this next year, I hope!

I also aimed to stay involved in the crafting community, in whatever way I could. Time is always the enemy, so it's been a bit hit and miss. But I'm proud of the way my blog has grown; I've had fun (and learnt a lot) from being actively involved in the Etsy Greetings team; and I've thoroughly enjoyed opportunities to guest blog and to participate in group projects like 52 Weeks of Mail and the Creative Collective monthly themes. What I haven't done is completed any of my own 'big' projects. They are still just a jumble of ideas and scribbled notes.

I also wanted to take better photos, and I'm pretty sure I can give myself a tick on this one. I've been reading books and blogs and magazines, and went to a six week 'get to know your DSLR' course taught by the talented Carolyn Maryan. I've got a long way to go yet, but I'm pretty excited about what I've learnt so far and I'm hungry for more!

Lastly, there were three new skills I aimed to learn. To make my own note books (fail), to try needle felting (fail) and to learn maedup (Korean knotting - pass!). So, I only got around to trying one of the three, but at least it was the one I really, really wanted to learn!

So, to 2012...I have a feeling the next 12 months are going to be rather interesting. I have a feeling 2012 will be a year of thinking and planning and big, life-changing decision making. A year of treading water and putting things on hold, and of up-in-the-air-ness. A year of possibilities, fear and excitement; of not much happening but a heck of a lot potentially happening. Plus a whole lot of really, really awesome travel thrown in for good measure.

As a result, my blog may suffer (but hopefully not too much!), and my Etsy shop will definitely suffer (but I'm okay with that). But, whatever life throws at us, in the next 12 months I still plan to: continue to share good things here; guest blog whenever I have the opportunity; make things for others that they'll love; develop my photography, paper art and maedup skills; support you and your creative dreams in whatever way I can; and maybe, just maybe, bring at least one of my scribbled note 'big' projects to fruition!

Does this time of year put you in a reflective mood? What are your plans for 2012?

Greetings of the Season!

2011-12-25T11:30:00.000+09:00

Sending many warm wishes to you and yours at this festive time - we hope your Xmas is wonderful and lovely and just what you were hoping for, however you might celebrate it!

Elfi, Ferdi + Emily x

New Traditions #2: The Photo Book

2011-12-22T16:30:00.000+09:00

In keeping with the rigorous standards I have established here on Good Things*, last Xmas I started a 'series' of blog posts around traditions. This 'series' lasted all of one post, before the holiday madness really set in. So I thought that 12 months later was a good enough time as any to continue the 'series'...

In the first post I wrote about how I love traditions, how I love that they provide both a link to the past and a promise to the future. I wrote about creating new traditions with my husband and his step-sons and their Mum. I wrote about the giant felt advent calender which I made in 2009, and which I add to each year (and which is currently up on our wall again this year).

I love the advent calendar - it was a beast to make but I like that we'll be able to use it for years to come. But my favourite new tradition has to be the photo book.

Back in 2007 while I was desperately trying to think of something ace to give my ridiculously hard to buy for husband I stumbled across Blurb, the totally ace website that lets you make a book. I made a little book titled 'Ferdi says hi' - it was around this time that I'd stopped working, so to amuse myself I'd take photos of Ferdi looking ridiculously cute and email them to my husband with the subject line 'Ferdi says hi' - filled with photos or our adventures from the past twelve months.

I've made a book each year since then, and each year they get thicker and thicker. The thing I really love about this new tradition is that I'm not the only one that gets a kick out of it. Obviously the wanna-be photographer in me loves putting them together, and I know my husband loves getting the book each year, but more than that the step-sons eagerly anticipate it too - just the other day they asked me if I'd made a book this year! Traditions shared are the best kind, aren't they?

If you'd like to read about some more holiday traditions, check out this gorgeous post from Bird's Eye View, written in 2010. Or more recently, there's been some lovely guest bloggers writing about traditions, their own and ideas for yours, on the Creative Collective blog. Read Charlotte's post here and Kathryn's post here.

Seoul in the mist

2011-12-21T13:33:00.002+09:00

Whilst I have been greatly enjoying the glorious crisp blue sky Winter days we've been having of late, I do quite like those days (like today) when the weather closes in and everything is half seen and half heard. Mist makes everything seem rather mysterious and romantic, don't you think?

In other weather-related news, we finally had a bit of snow over night. It's pretty much all melted already but they're predicting more falls in the lead up to Xmas, so it might be a white one after all - hooray!

ps. For more misty goodness (by photographers way more accomplished than me) head on over to my Snap! board on Pinterest. You will see that I have a bit of a thing for mist...

Paper cuts for Creative Collective

2011-12-16T09:30:00.000+09:00

Oh look! My guest post for Creative Collective is up! It's my first sort of how to type of post, and it's about simple paper cuts you can use to jazz up your festive season. If you'd like to have a look, click here. And if you think I should use the word 'jazz' more often, let me know. I think I should.

All wrapped up...

2011-12-15T11:19:00.000+09:00

The past few days I have been locked in my office surrounded by piles of presents, paper and ribbon, with the occasional trip out to stand in long queues at the post office. Ah yes, the life of an expat at Christmas time!

Mail art to Kimi Kobashi

2011-12-09T15:14:00.001+09:00

Quite some time ago I sent my second ever mail art package out to the gorgeous Kimi and now I am finally blogging about it! I had emailed Kimi beforehand to get some ideas as to what she might like, and the result was a package that combined three themes - femininity, fashion and Seoul life.

I included a fair few magazine clippings (including some from the rather whacky Cracker Your Wardrobe), some postcards and gift tags made from a gorgeous page I found in Paper magazine, and three little envelopes with various bits of Korean-ness in them (including scraps of beautiful handmade Korean paper). But my favourite thing to make and send was the accordian book which you can see in the top photo.

ps. If you want to see Kimi's ridiculously cute rabbit checking out the package I sent, have a look here.

Two blog happenings you might like to know about...

2011-12-08T12:43:00.001+09:00

There's a few fun bloggy things going on at the moment that I thought you dear reader might be interested in (and which I've been lucky enough to be a part of).

First up, Jess is currently hosting the Simple Pleasures Week on the Epheriell Designs blog. Featuring a whole bunch of guest posts on life's simple pleasures - crafting, reading, bubble blowing and more. As this is all about celebrating the little things that make our days good, I kind of had to take part...you can read my post about the joy of going for a stroll here. And if you want to share your own simple pleasure on your own blog, please do!

Then there's the month long bloganza hosted by the always awesome Creative Collective team. The bloganza is not just a fun word, it's also a month of guest posts on all kinds of festive fun! There's all kinds of recipes and tutorials and tips for managing stress. Today's post on using fabric scraps to create gift tags is one of my favourites so far. For this, I have contributed my first how-to (argh!), and I'll let you know when it's up (it may have something to do with paper!). In the meantime, head over to the Creative Collective blog and soak up some holiday inspiration!

[The photo at the top has nothing to do with anything, really. But I like it. So there.]

Put a pom pom on it!

2011-12-04T09:30:00.000+09:00

Is it just me or can one not click a link these days without tripping over a pom pom? They seem to be everywhere, yes? Or perhaps it's just another example of the frequency illusion as I'm a bit pom pom crazy of late...

Anyhoo, pom poms - I've been making them. I started off using some fancy contraption, but then I realised it was much easier just to wrap the wool around my hands like this.

I was thinking I'd just use them as they are, as ornaments for our tree, but after seeing this wreath from Big Box Detox (which incorporates fairy lights) I'm tempted to make a bunch more and do a wreath. I guess I'll wait and see at what point the hand cramping sets in.

Dark blue, yellow and grey - this is the colour scheme I am currently obsessed with. So our xmas is going to be blue, yellow and grey. (Well, at least my contribution to our xmas will be, I'm pretty sure the step-sons don't follow a colour scheme. Actually, I'm pretty sure they'd think me slightly mad for following a colour scheme.)

Pom poms are great - they are such fun to say and oh so easy to make, especially if you make them while there's something fun on the radio in the background. You also don't really need to have any particular skill to make a pom pom (my favourite kind of craft!). Also, late at night, when you tweet about pom poms you may for a second see your tweet and think you've tweeted about making 'porn porns' and have a mild heart attack and then realise you didn't tweet that at all and have a little chuckle to yourself about how similar 'pom' and 'porn' look when your eyes are old and blurry.

Oh, and if you're interested in another festive craft project that doesn't involve too much actual sewing or knitting or crocheting, I quite like this twisted felt garland from the Purl Bee.

Hope your all having a happy weekend. I'm in Hong Kong - hooray!

Death by Doxie: The Dogs on the Couch (Again) Edition

2011-12-02T10:00:00.000+09:00

The dogs on the couch, basking in the warm glow of the television.

I'm starting to think I may need an intervention. I'm starting to think that 427 photos of the dogs on the couch is probably enough. But only just.

In completely unrelated news, I wrote a little post for Bess Georgette's ace 'My Vintage Memory' series, you can go have a peek here.

Photos from Seoraksan National Park

2011-11-29T19:30:00.000+09:00

Some photos from another trip we did to the staggeringly beautiful Seoraksan National Park back in October. On this visit we did a gorgeous (and steep!) walk up to a cave - Geumganggul - which turned out to be a tiny temple, complete with gorgeous lotus lamps, praying Buddhists and a breathtaking view. Quite magical really.

I've finally uploaded the photos to Flickr, so if you're interested in seeing a bit more of this truly wonderful part of Korea you can have a look here.

Three non-glossy magazines I'm loving right now...

2011-11-28T11:18:00.001+09:00

Those of you who have read my blog for a little while know that I love a good magazine, and lately I have encountered a bounty of printed lovelies! Kicking of with Remedy Quarterly, a little tome dedicated to 'stories of food, recipes for feeling good'. I haven't yet delved too deeply into these yet - you could safely say that I have judged Remedy by it's brightly hued covers - but I am already loving the gorgeous colours, layouts and fonts; and the understanding Remedy seems to have that food is more than sustenance, that it's linked to our life and our memories.

***

Next on my reading list has been Issue No 5 of Anthology - 'living with substance and style'. I am constantly tearing sheets out of my lifestyle/decor magazines and whacking them in scrap books, but although I am rather inspired by much of Anthology's pages, I don't have the heart to deconstruct it. It's too pretty and too 'complete'.

***

And saving my favourite till last, here's volume one of Kinfolk, 'a guide for small gatherings' (available online, for iPad, and in print - if you're lucky!). Kinfolk is 134 thick pages of stunning imagery and beautiful layouts featuring recipes, menus, table settings and more. Volume one includes a Summer playlist, a tribute to the cloth napkin, and a 'darn good sandwich'. Seriously gorgeous stuff.

It's beginning to look a lot like xmas...

2011-11-23T16:25:00.001+09:00

For some reason that I can't quite remember, last year I didn't have the time or energy to do anything xmas card-ish. Or maybe I did send some out. I'm really not sure. I'm a bit tired today. Anyway...

The year before that, pre-xmas was the time when we were waiting to find out if we'd be moving to Seoul or not (after just signing a two year lease in Hong Kong!), and sending xmas cards was so far from my mind. Then the year before that, I actually went to the trouble of designing and ordering a bunch of cards featuring Ferdi and Elfi looking ridiculous in santa hats and 'posing' around a poinsettia. Trouble was, I didn't actually get around to sending them to anyone.

But this year is going to be different. (I think, I hope).

It helps that I can't decorate the apartment until the step-sons get here in a few weeks, so craft is a good outlet for me to feel the holiday vibe and assuage my envy at all the gorgeous trees I'm seeing going up around the world via Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.

I don't normally go for traditional colours at xmas time, but I actually like the red and green in these simple paper designs - it gives the whole thing a bit of a retro feel, don't you think?

Things to love about Korea #4: Random Compliments

2011-11-23T15:28:00.001+09:00

So, here's the thing - Korean women are beautiful. I mean drop dead stunning. Yes, in the photo above the first one is a model, and the second one's a K-pop star, but that third one is just a lady on the street (thanks to The Sartorialist). The hair! Those dark eyes! The style! The LEGS! (Now if my husband was writing this post, he'd stop here, because this is one of the things he loves about Korea, but I've got a different story to tell, so stay with me please.)

[Fun with fashion, K-pop style : Sistar in polka-dots, Miss A in... ]

Yes, I know Korea has something like the highest rate of plastic surgery in the world, and K-pop stars don't eat, but I see ladies like this on the streets of Seoul every single day. Korean women are beautiful.

And most of the time I can appreciate the beauty around me and be mature and not fall in to that terrible, terrible comparison trap. But every now and again I have one of those days. You know the ones - maybe you had a massive fight with your husband/BFF/dog last night, or perhaps you haven't had a good nights sleep in weeks, or maybe you're completely stressed out and your skin has decided to let the world know about it (or maybe even all three).

And on those days when I venture out into our neighbourhood - which just happens to be an area where pretty young Koreans flock to get their fashion fix and to flaunt those legs in the shortest hemlines - I can't help but feel a bit frumpy, a bit tired and old, a bit chunky.

And in that sea of shapely thighs and glossy locks sometimes I start shaking an angry fist at my lack of willpower and my Western love affair with pasta and bread, and cursing my parents for not having a single shred of Korean DNA to pass on to me.

And then, out of the blue, some random shop assistant will say 'you are very pretty'. Really! You see, whilst in my home town I wouldn't cause whiplash walking down the street, as a foreigner in Korea I am still a rare and exotic flower. (I know of another ex-pat who lived in Seoul for several years and was constantly being told she looked just like Nicole Kidman. Now this lady is lovely and gorgeous and all that, but she'd be the first to say she is not Nicole Kidman's twin sister.)

And what I like best about this, aside from the fact that it is rather lovely to be paid a compliment (we don't do it often enough do we? Go on, go pay someone a compliment, I'll wait for you), is that it gets me out of my own head.

I'm actually very, very good at living in my own head (it's generally quite a lovely place to be). But those out-of-the-blue compliments that are so far removed from the way I'm feeling at that moment make me remember in a flash that not everyone sees the world through my eyes, that sometimes I need to not live in my own head so much.

That maybe the reason I had the fight with my husband/BFF/dog is because I assumed they knew what was in my own head, and maybe I need to actually talk them through it, and reassure them that I do in fact love them. That perhaps I haven't had a good night's sleep for weeks because there's all this stuff in my head that I should let out every now and again. That the thing I'm completely stressed out about is probably totally solvable, if I took the time to share it with someone. So thank you, random shop lady, for reminding me there's a wider world out there.

Do you live in your own head sometimes? Does the world have a way of telling you to get out, every now and again?

An ode to the humble sandwich

2011-11-20T12:10:00.001+09:00

Sandwiches are the unsung heros of our kitchens. Too often they are underrated, easily dismissed, overlooked for things that we think are less 'every day', more complicated. But I think a sandwich is a wondrous thing. Yes, it's a complete and easy meal, but more than that a sandwich can be something of exquisite tastiness; a delicious harmonious blend of flavours, at once comforting and exciting.

We recently procured a meat slicer. It's like the ones you see at the butchers or in a deli, but made smaller and less lethal for the home kitchen. As a result we have been roasting many of God's creatures (pig, turkey, cow), thinly slicing the meat and mixing it up in all kinds of sandwich. Our most ambitious to date has been our take on the hoagie (a 'seriously oversized sandwich' according to The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches). Ours had ham, turkey, a soft and mild cheese, mustard, mayo, crunchy iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, capsicum, spanish olives and dill pickle on a chewy baguette. Yum.

ps. If you're in any way interested in the humble sanger I'd highly recommend The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches. It covers all the classics - croque monsieur, club, roast beef - but also includes such intriguing concoctions as the Elvis (mashed banana, bacon, peanut butter), the 'spamwich', the 'fluffernutter', the all-in-one breakfast sandwich (bacon and eggs wedged bewteen two waffles), and the doughnut sandwich ('not for the faint of heart', apparently).

ps (again). Do you love a sarnie? What's your favorite thing to throw between two slices of bread? I'd love to know!

Death by Doxie: The Dogs in Costume Edition (Part 3)

2011-11-15T15:01:00.001+09:00

Sooo, this makes three 'dogs in costume' posts...too many? Am I perhaps losing the last few of you who were defending my crazy dog lady status? Well, it's a risk I'm willing to take because really, have you ever seen anything more patently ridiculous than Elfi in a hanbok?

Dae han min guk!

The weekend (plus a few days) that was...

2011-11-15T14:18:00.001+09:00

Hooly dooly what a crazy few days it's been! There's been giraffes and rhinos and meerkats at Werribee Open Range Zoo; tons of fun at Straight to You, the Nick Cave Tribute concert in Geelong; tasty food and possibly a bit too much sake at the rather appropriately named Sake restaurant in Sydney; gorgeous greenery (see above), roos, rosellas and rocks at Jenolan Caves. Basically five days of friends, family, food and worlds colliding in the best ways possible. Happy days indeed!

Death by Doxie: The Dogs in Costume Edition (Part 2)

2011-11-11T08:36:00.000+09:00

I couldn't stop at just one outfit could I? (Well, I guess I could if I wasn't a crazy dog lady.) Presenting Ferdi Brown and his pal Peppermint Elfi. Good grief indeed...

Hong Kong in black and white

2011-11-08T20:33:00.002+09:00

I'm currently sitting in HK Airport waiting for my flight to Melbourne. Although I'm excited to be flying home, you all know how much I adore Hong Kong and it really does break my heart a little every time I have to say goodbye to this wonderful city/country/place.

Anyway, I thought it might be nice to share some of my favourite photographs from my last visit here. I love shooting HK in black and white because it really brings out all the wonderful lines and grids and patterns that are everywhere. (I'd say check out my Flickr for more, but I am a few months behind on updating my Flickr stream. It's on the list!)

From the top: Star Ferry; Smoko time on the Avenue of Stars, TST; Covered walkways in Central, HK Island; 'Secondhand Goods and Curios' near Graham Street, Central.

Mail Art from Saylor Made (+ one minor panic attack)

2011-11-07T14:33:00.001+09:00

Holy cow my mail box has been happy of late. First there was the stack of handmade greeting cards, then two dresses that I can see myself living in all winter from lyptis, then a package from my Mum which included two bags of twisties, a great book and a cute doxie card. And now a mail art reply from Saylor Made! Hurrah!

My favourite part? That would have to be the handmade envelope featuring two skunks 'hugging' (wonder what Mr Postman thought of that?). Followed closely by the three mini envelopes, each with little treasures in side. Consider the envelope-within-an-envelope idea 'borrowed', Ms Made!

On a completely unrelated topic, I'm writing this from the sterile confines of Incheon Airport, where I'm being tortured with muzak versions of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' while waiting for my flight to Hong Kong.

I'm about to embark on a somewhat crazy trip, which goes a little something like this: Seoul, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Geelong, Melbourne, Sydney, Jenolan Caves (near the Blue Mountains), Sydney, Melbourne, Seoul. And in all that madness I'm going to be seeing the Nick Cave tibute concert; avoiding being gored by a rhino; celebrating my Dad's birthday; having an early xmas dinner where my family will meet some of my husband's family for the very first time ever (including, quite possibly, the husband's ex-wife); hosting a weekend away with us, our friends, my Mum, my Step-dad, my sister and nephews...all in 10 short days.

Excuse me while I go and breath heavily in to a paper bag.

Death by Doxie: The Dogs in Costume Edition (Part 1)

2011-11-04T16:34:00.002+09:00

Being an Aussie I've never really embraced Halloween (although last year we did get involved to help the homesick neighbours out), and so I was just going to let it pass unnoticed. But then I got an email from one of my step-sons asking if the dogs had costumes. So then I had to dress the dogs up, right? I couldn't just ignore him, right? Oh, let's be honest, it really doesn't take a great deal of encouragement for me to start acting like a crazy dog lady...

Shopping in Paris? Here's my top three tips...

2011-11-01T14:25:00.002+09:00

[Paris flea market finds - image by Pamela Jane]

If you're heading to Paris and you're hoping to squeeze in a little shopping, here's my top three tips:

1. Get yourself a copy of Paris: Made By Hand by Pia Jane Bijkerk. It's travel sized and lovely and lists a bunch of gorgeous shops that you might not find on your own. I only had two days for the wandering/shopping part of my trip so before I left I picked out the shops that looked especially interesting, Google Map-ped them all and planned out a day trip (obsessive? me? no...)

2. If you only have time to visit a few shops, I'd make it these three:

La Droguerie - if you are a bit crafty this is heaven on earth! It's got all kinds of sewing related bits and bobs, presented in a really gorgeous ye olde worlde kind of way. Think worn wooden shelving piled with mason jars full of tiny, shiny baubles; a rainbow of wool hanging down a walkway; a wall of beautiful ribbon and lace (with prices to match). Lovely.

Astier de Villatte - this was my favourite shop of all the ones I visited. Once again, there is much in the way of tradition, history and worn wooden shelving, but there is also something wonderfully modern about this little shop. The ceramics are a stand out - hand crafted in Paris, each piece has it's own unique flaws and imperfections (which I think makes it perfect!).

Colette - just because it's Colette.

3. Visit a flea market. It's what Paris is famous for, you get to pretend you're a local, and you might even find a little treasure to take home with you!

From left to right, clockwise:

Dragonfly plate from Astier de Villate;

Fabric off-cuts from ie;

'Dentelle d'Alencon' gift tags from Cassegrain;

Happy yellow tablecloth from a flea market!

J'taime France (really, I do!)

2011-10-29T09:30:00.000+09:00

I may not adore Paris, but I definitely love France. I haven't explored much of it, but from what a can gather it is a beautiful and tasty country. On our recent visit the husband and I hired a car and spent two lovely Autumn days in Champagne. After green tea and coffee, champagne would be next on my list of 'drinks that make life better' so I was pretty excited to be visiting the home of bubbles.

First up, we went to the Medieval town of Provins. Being only an hour or so outside of Paris, Champagne is unsurprisingly popular with weekenders. And unfortunately I managed to completely stuff up our original hotel booking (don't ask...). At one point it looked like we were going to be sleeping in the car, but the Ibis came to our rescue. It was basic, a bit out of town but is was also clean, super cheap and, importantly, not booked out. Provins proved to be quite a charming little town, complete with a lovely town square and views from the ramparts across the rolling countryside (the food, on the other hand, was surprisingly dire).

Next we spent a night in Epernay, which is where all the big champagne houses are based. Most of them do tours of their caves where they store thousands and thousands of bottles of bubbly, complete with a tasting. It was like a sort of homecoming for me...

Oh, and a few things I left off my last post:

- Your ability to easily understand a menu written in Italian does not translate to an ability to understand a French menu. Take the time to read each dish carefully before you order. Otherwise you may ask for what you think is mushroom risotto and be presented instead with a plate of baby cow glands ('ris de veau'). Which is fine, I guess, if you like baby cow glands.

- Almost everyone who is not French will tell you the French are rude and arrogant, but I don't think this is true at all. From my experience, they are confident and they are direct, but they are also friendly, helpful and welcoming. Some cliches are just that, I think.

Death by Doxie: The Ferdi Grooms Elfi Edition

2011-10-28T16:57:00.003+09:00

Although Elfi hogs most of the limelight we do actually have two dachshunds. One of my favourite things is to watch them together - I love that they are such good friends. Whenever Elfi is uncertain or nervous she will look for Ferdi (who is one year older, and also not quite as neurotic as she is). And they will always, always end up sleeping in a pile together. And each day Ferdi cleans Elfi's face (she seems to quite enjoy it, I think).

J'adore Paris (well, sort of)

2011-10-26T18:21:00.000+09:00

I have a confession to make! I don't LOVE Paris! Gasp! Shock! Horror! I do like Paris though, and it is a breathtakingly beautiful city. The only problem is that once you've oohed and aahed and oh-la-laed over all the prettiness, and you've battled the crowds and the queues to see all the big things (Lourve, d'Orsay, Pompidou, that tower - you know the one), and eaten your body weight (maybe more) in the best bread and cheese in the world, nae!, in the universe...well, once you've done all that, I'm not sure there's much more.

This was my third visit to Paris. It was as beautiful as ever, but it's kind of conservative. And I can't seem to find it's heart, it's soul. Not like Rome or Tokyo or Hong Kong, or even Barcelona, which I could visit again and again and again and constantly feel the bubble of life, the evolutions and revolutions.

Can you believe I'm writing this? About Paris? Do you feel like slapping me? Just a little? Maybe if I had the chance to stay there for a month or three, maybe then I'd feel differently, maybe? I do think Paris is a must visit, at least once in your life time, kind of city. And I do think I could most definitely live there (oh YES! I could!). But I'm not sure I'd rush back there again for another visit as a fleeting tourist.

But, if you are going to Paris (and I know you'd love it if you do go) here's some things:

- If you don't like the smell of cigarette smoke, be prepared to not like lots of Paris. Everyone smokes, everywhere.

- Walking is my favourite way to explore a city, but with it's grand buildings and wide avenues Paris is not an easy city to walk. I tried it the first day and very nearly broke myself. The second day I combined walking with the metro system and it was perfect. The metro is super easy to get the hang of and as an added bonus you'll feel like a bit of a champion for having conquered it!

- Having said that, le Marais (3eme & 4eme) is a wonderful area to go a-wandering.

- As is the Jardines de Tuleries, especially if you like to take a photo or two (see below).

- Motorists actually take notice of pedestrian crossings. After being in Asia this came as quite a shock (in Seoul drivers will toot their horn at you if you try and use a zebra crossing in the way in which the road rules dictate).

- Parisians still don't clean up after their dogs. Watch your step.

- Women in Paris actually are all thin and immaculately put together in a style-is-eternal kind of way (sometimes cliches exist for a reason). At aperitif time, pull up a cane chair at a cafe and spend a lovely hour or so watching them pass by.

- This trip I stayed in the Champs Elysees area (8eme) and it was my favourite area I've stayed in so far. Everything and everyone was fabulously beautiful. Note: I may be biased as I had a bad experience last time I was in Paris on my own (my hotel was in the 3eme, or maybe the 11eme); it was the only time I've ever felt unsafe traveling solo. But this time, staying near the always busy Champs Elysees, I never felt unsafe - even walking around alone at night.

- If you want to do the big museums, expect to queue or plan ahead and buy your tickets on-line. Also, there is a secret entrance to the Lourve if you pre-purchase your tickets; it's in the shopping centre underneath the museum.

- Be prepared to see extremes of unbelievable wealth and heart breaking poverty. There were a fair few beggars out on the streets in all the areas I visited. Not too far from the famous shopping area around the Galeries Lafayette I saw a whole family living on the street - the kids had a tent and the parents had a mattress. Might put a dampener on your shopping...

- Lots of bits of Paris are basically London, but with better food. I may get hunted down and shot for saying that, but the truth must come out.

- Have I mentioned the best bread EVER? Oh, and the pastries! The cheese! The omelettes! etcetera!

- Breathtaking beauty seems to equate to breathtakingly expensive hotels. It took me a lot of research to find a hotel that was reasonable, in a good location and that looked ok. I stayed at the Hotel Mayflower which was friendly and nice. The room was basic but it was a palace compared to the shoeboxes I normally expect to get in Europe.

- If you're planning on doing a weekend trip just outside of Paris book early, otherwise you'll find that everything is already booked out, and you'll end up staying at the Ibis like we did.

- Get your hands on the Michelin Red Guide. It's all in French but you can figure most of it out. My husband swears by it. After testing it's inclusions and exclusions out over a number of years, I can now say it is the most reliable guide for hotels and restaurants that I know of.

- And the shopping? Well, that deserves it's own post - don't you think?

Color Palette Blog Walk: The Color of Joy

2011-10-21T08:30:00.000+09:00

Today I am super excited to be participating in the Color Palette Blog Walk hosted by the amazingly talented color genius herself - Brandi at Brandi Girl Blog. The theme for this round is 'The Color of Joy'.

Being the total nonce that I am, I signed up to participate without actually having any means of creating a palette (friends and family take note: Photoshop is high on the xmas wish list this year). Luckily Brandi came to the rescue and, using my photos and my rather poor color descriptions, put these amazing palettes together for me - thank you! So, with a massive debt of gratitude to Brandi, here are three palettes based on three things that bring me joy.

1. Autumn

Let's conveniently ignore the fact that this photo was taken in Spring, because really it does scream Autumn doesn't it? That soft, hazy light; the gorgeous red of the leaves; warm days, cool nights; comfort food; scarves and boots - oh Autumn you bring me so much joy!

2. Sea

One thing I've really missed about living in Asia these past years is the easy access to the (clean) ocean. It's not even that I love to swim (actually I'm a bit of a wuss - I'm easily freaked out by seaweed and things lurking unkown in the ocean depths; this fear hasn't been helped by a bad Bondi beach experience involving a stinging jelly fish who didn't want to let me go...) but there is something about being close to that big salty body of water that is immediately calming. Whether you're strolling along a windy beach in the midst of Winter, or leaping off a rock in your underwear because you've completely overheated in the height of Summer, there is something just so incredibly cleansing about the sea.

3. The Little Things

Joy isn't all about big events and big holidays, more often than not joy is found in the little things. Joy, happiness, often comes from noticing all those little things that happen to us and surround us every day. It might be this morning's perfect coffee, the smile from a stranger in the street, or the sunshine streaming in your office window. It might be a favourite print that you've had framed, a holiday souvenir that you treasure, or a piece of furniture that has a history all of it's own. Or perhaps it's just admiring the wonderful harmony between this purple-grey succulent, olive green Hornsea bowl and rosewood sideboard. Whatever it is, I'm always grateful for the little things.

------------------------------------

Want more? Why don't you have a stroll around the other blogs participating in the blog walk? And please allow for regional time differences - if their post isn't up yet, it will be up shortly.

Francesca at Francesca Watson Designs

Lori at Pretty Things

Marsha at Marsha Neal Studio Blog

Cindy at Sweet Bead Studio

Kerry at Kab's Concepts

Cynthia at Ornamental Style

Linda at Linda's Bead Blog & Meanderings

Erin at Treasures Found

Brandi at Brandi Girl Blog

Jenni at Jenni's Beads

Shari at Exploring the Wonders of Life

Fish!

2011-10-19T13:24:00.000+09:00

A fishy GIF. Just 'cos it amuses me. Happy Wednesday all!

What I wore...

2011-10-17T13:30:00.000+09:00

Well, weren't you were all so ridiculously nice to me for my first what I wore post? You've really only got yourself to blame for my continued narcissism...Here's pretty much what I'm living in at the moment, now that my favourite season is here.

For me, Autumn dressing is all about not overheating, not turning in to a red cheeked sweaty mess (so glamorous, right?). I love Winter layers so when the temperature drops I'm sorely tempted to start playing with boots and coats and fun knitted mittens. But I hate overheating with a passion, and there seems to be some arbitrary day when the air-con is turned off and the heaters are switched on regardless of the fact it's still 22 degrees and sunny outside...so instead I turn to leggings and shift dresses and I stay cool and happy.

My favourite thing about this outfit? It is so very easy to wear. It's one of those outfits where in your head you feel like you're strolling about in your PJs, but you actually look pretty damn pulled together. Plus, the best shoes ever - I love the colour blocking - which are surprisingly comfortable despite the rather high heel. Also, the bag (see below). Thank you for bringing a burst of sunshine in to my days, Kate Spade!

Dress: Mango

Stockings: Not sure, but they are 200 denier and they are ace!

Shoes: Nine West

Bag: Kate Spade

Piggy: Fruit Fly!

It's kind of strange that both posts have featured a Mango dress, because I don't really like Mango all that much (although I do like Penelope Cruz!) and I find their sizing is all over the place. Some non-Mango posts (maybe some vintage!) will be along shortly, depending on whether you all shower me with compliments again...

Death by Doxie: The Hounds Want Something Edition

2011-10-14T10:30:00.000+09:00

See that look? The one of total focus, commitment and intensity? The look that in Elfi's head says 'I want what you've got, and you want to give it to me' like some sort of Jedi mind trick? Well, that's the look that accompanies every meal and every snack around our house...

The BIG Project

2011-10-11T15:36:00.000+09:00

Do you have a big project in your life right now? One that is years, possibly even decades in the making? One that fills you both with unbelievable excitement and a healthy dose of trepidation when you think of it? For me right now, our big big project is the house we recently bought in Sydney, Australia.

While we are living overseas the house is being rented. But one day, when we final settle down a bit, it will be the house my husband and I will live in. We have quite a few more years yet of moving from country to country, from rented apartment to rented apartment, but one day this house in Sydney will be our first real home.

And it's going to be my responsibility to make sure it is a home we love. You see, eventually we'll be renovating. Or, more accurately, I'll be renovating - at some distant point in the future, while my husband continues to work overseas, I'll come back to Australia and play foreman. Even though it's a long way off, it's already an idea that fills me with eager anticipation (and stomach churning anxiety)!

I've channeled some of this excited energy into creating inspiration books for different areas - the garden, bedrooms, bathrooms, living areas, etc. It is so much fun pouring over interior magazines and dreaming away... Imagine how chock full of ideas these books are going to be by the time I actually get to work? Yikes!

Good Things...

2011-10-09T12:16:00.000+09:00

I don't mean to alarm anyone but in 76-ish short days xmas will be here! I adore xmas and this year I am feeling mildly organised (despite the fact that October has so far been one crazy mess of a month) - I have already planned out my gifts and started organising the decorations. And as generally happens about this time I've also started channelling Martha Stewart (the crafty bit, not the tax avoiding bit) and have been planning my gift wrapping 'theme' for this year. This paper weave idea from one of the cutest paper blogs around - minieco - is my current favourite. Wonderfully colourful, yes?

Also making me smile right now is the work of Swedish illustrator/designer Olle Eksell, as showcased in the awesome book from Japan. I love the humour and liveliness that is so evident in his work (just look at those birds! and the two awkward bathing suited kids, surrounded by fish!), and his packaging design is crazy good.

I may have mentioned this before but I'm a bit of a magazine junkie. Being in Korea is a bit like going cold turkey - English magazines here are so expensive, even a basic month-old 'Who' can cost you US $17.00. So I subscribe to my favourites, and there's a few local publications I love (including this great home decor one, this arty one, and this slightly insane fashion one). And whenever I'm in Australia or Hong Kong or anywhere else with a decent stock of English magazines I'm always looking out for something intriguing - which is how I stumbled across the first bi-lingual edition of the French magazine Raise.

I have no idea what the purpose or concept behind Raise is (it's tricky to find any information on their site, and the translation in the magazine leaves a little to be desired) but I'm a sucker for super cool images, and this features a ton of them. Just check out these two photographers featured in issue 8 - Marc Da Conha Lopes and Liu Di. Plus, cute kittens.

Aren't these illustrations fabulous? They're all from The Painted Peep Show (aka Blake Roberts), one of the talented members of the ace Etsy Greetings Team. I recently bought a set of the running dachshund note cards - Blake captures the energy and enthusiasm of the doxie so perfectly, I think. And yes, that is a portrait of The Golden Girls!

[Paris sunset by Elgarbo Art]

And lastly...I'm going to Paris! Hazzah, hooray, and other happy sentiments! I've been to Paris twice before - once traveling solo on my first trip overseas (fun, but a bit nerve wracking), and once with the step-sons and their Mum in tow (lot's of fun but definately not romantic!).

I'm super excited about this trip as it'll be the first time the husband and I have traveled to the city of light on our own. Plus, we are doing a quick road trip on the weekend to a little town near Reims (that's where champagne is made, my favourite beverage in all the world!). And then the husband is heading off to Dubai and I get to stay in Paris for two whole days on my own - taking in the Musee D'Orsay at my leisure, visiting the flea markets, eating my body weight in macarons, checking out the fait main stores in Pia Jane Bijkerks 'Paris: Made by Hand' (with thanks to @TheCraftRevival for the recommendation). Heaven!

Death by Doxie: The My First Gif Went A Little Like This Edition

2011-10-07T09:49:00.000+09:00

Okay, technically this isn't my first ever gif - the first one I tried was so immensely shoddy it has been safely hidden away. So really this is my second go.

It's a bit grainy because I had to reduce the size of the original photos so the gif doesn't crash my blog/your computer, but I don't mind that so much. I like how Elfi's eyebrows seem to rise in the last frame, and I also like the goldfish swimming in the background.

I think this gif making thing could be a little addictive...here's Elfi yawning, a little out of frame but it amuses me nonetheless - look at those big ferocious teeth!

With many thanks to My Poppet for the inspiration and the instructions.

Handmade Card Bonanza!

2011-10-06T09:21:00.000+09:00

I think I may have mentioned this before, perhaps once or twice or possibly more, but the Etsy Greetings Team really is very ace. Team member Susan, from Killam Creative, recently organised a card swap amongst the team and so it was that my mail box had a bit of a handmade card bonanza the other day. I think these pretties just might be playing a role in my 52 Weeks of Mail!

1. Unflappable Productions 2. AJ's Designs 3. Elves in the Attic 4.WyNotArts 5. PaperMoon's Designs

Holiday things...

2011-10-04T18:40:00.000+09:00

It's Australian school holiday time which means the step-sons are in town which means we are doing lots of fun things - road trips to crazy water parks, hiking Seoraksan, playing 500, cooking slap-up breakfasts and watching lots of hilarious things - but it also means I am completely behind on emails and blogging and bill paying and other not-so-fun stuff. So here's just a little sneak peak of the beautiful Seoraksan National Park, Instagram style. More posts soon, I hope!

Weekend water flowers

2011-10-01T13:37:00.000+09:00

In our garden we have two heavy stone containers which the dogs love to drink out of. We've had these water plants growing in them for months now and I've been waiting and waiting to see if they'd flower, and they finally have! Somehow they've survived being dragged out of their natural habitat on a near daily basis - for some reason Elfi seems to have a vendetta against them and picks them out and leaves them to dry on the paving - and have just started to bloom. Beautiful!

Our music mix

2011-09-28T16:47:00.000+09:00

[Cassette tape card wallet by Littleclouds]

When I was a younger I considered myself a bit of a music aficionado. I was quite disdainful of anything that lots and lots of people liked to listen to. My pencil case had bands like Nirvana and The Cure and Pink Floyd scrawled all over it, way before most people at my school knew who they were. I scoured record fairs for Neil Young and Hendrix and obscure Velvet Underground recordings. I coveted my Dad's LP collection (I still do, to be honest). I wouldn't touch Kylie or ABBA or anything that was in the Top 20 (apart from U2. For some reason my friends and I made an exception, a BIG exception, for U2. Obsessed doesn't even begin to describe it).

In short, I was an idiot.

Last weekend the husband and I stayed up 'til the wee hours, letting iTunes run on shuffle and taking turns to play DJ on the record player. We happily skipped from Joy Division to Adele, from Joni Mitchell to Rihanna, from MGMT to The Lighthouse Keepers. Because good music is simply that, good music. It might be a song that helps you make sense of the world or of a feeling. Or it might be a song that floods you with memories, good and bad. Or it might be a song that makes you wanna dance around your living room like an idiot (not that I do that...). It just has something about it that is inherently good, in and of itself.

So now I say 'no' to musical snobbery! (And to movie snobbery, and food snobbery for that matter). Don't get me wrong - this doesn't mean I like everything. But I try to like things on their merits, not because of some ridiculous wanna-be-hipster hang up I have. I believe that sandwiches are completely underrated, that Love Actually is one of the greatest movies ever made, and that Beyonce is a pop genius with a killer voice (and killer pins!).

What do you think? Do you say no to musical snobbery?

-------------------------------------

ps. the one thing our playlist is currently lacking is new music, because we are a wee bit isolated from the English speaking world, and there's only so much Kpop I can cope with. I'd love to hear what's on your music mix right now - tell me please!

Traveling Things: Pack your bags...

2011-09-26T10:30:00.000+09:00

[Mrs Gotrocks by curioush]

In the past month or so I've traveled from Seoul to Melbourne to Sydney to Phuket and then back to Seoul. I've spent a few days in Hong Kong and a weekend in Tokyo. I've just found out that next month I'll be heading to Paris (yippee!), and a little while after that we'll be going back to Melbourne and Sydney. Yep, if you haven't already guessed it from my blog/twitter/facebook, I travel. A lot. I love it, and I'm eternally grateful for the opportunities it's given us - I've learnt a lot from it in so many ways.

So I thought it about time that I share some of the things I've discovered from the past years of planning, packing, security searches, immigration queues, long flights and short visits - beginning with that not-so-fun task of packing your bags.

Let me start with an absolute cop out and say that travel is a rather personal thing in the end, which means that packing really is to. What may work for me may not work for you. Having said that, here are my top packing tips learned from many a packed bag. It's text heavy but I've highlighted the important bits in bold so you can skip all my waffle in between, if you like.

First up, take carry on whenever possible. This might sound like madness to some, but with practice you'll realise it's actually quite easy. My husband has turned me into a total carry on fan - I think it's that moment when you can walk swiftly past all the sorry souls waiting endlessly by the baggage carousel and head straight out of the airport into the fun of a new city, or back to the warmth of your own bed, that really sold it for me. We really only take check in when we are doing a wintery ski holiday, and sometimes I might check in a bag on the way home if I've been shopping. This post is really about the art of packing lightly.

If you don't take carry on, make sure your check in only holds stuff that you could deal with saying goodbye to. Checked bags can and do get lost. Also be aware that you may be forced to check in what you think is a perfectly acceptable carry on bag, some airports/airlines are quite strict on weight and size limits.

Insider travel tip - if your carry on bag gets weighed by ~~an over zealous~~ a dedicated airport employee (ie. not the check-in staff) and you're asked to check it in, head back to the check-in desk and ask for a tag from the airline - it'll let you carry on your bag regardless of weight.

When I was at uni and had to write an essay I would read everything relevant I could get my hands on and then wait a few days. At some level my brain was working away on all that stuff I had read, and after a few days a theory or an angle or a structure would always reveal itself (this process was usually followed by one or two all-nighters, I was never very good at 'getting an early start'). My approach to packing is kind of the same. A week or so before my trip I think about the climate, the activities, the social functions involved. Then I start pulling together a bunch of things to match, first in my head and then in the real world.

Next, I hang or pile my planned clothes in a group somewhere. That way I can stand back and see if everything kind of works with each other. If so, it means that I should be able to mix and match to create different outfits. It also means that the limited supply of shoes/jackets/scarves/jewelry I pack should work with everything.

Here's two examples:

The first group was for a trip to Melbourne/Sydney at the tail end of Winter. It's all black, tan and blue, with a bright pop of green for good measure. The second group was for a trip to hot and steamy Hong Kong - pinks, blues and purples ahoy!

A few other things:

- After I pack I do a quick run through of what I've packed to check it covers everything I need (Do I have something for that bush walk? That fancy dinner? Those chilly nights?). If you get a bit of pre-travel anxiety (like me!) this is a good way to soothe your nerves. At this stage I normally cull an item or two. Be ruthless. Having said that...

- You can never have too many singlets. They are great as stand-ins for PJs and for layering when it's cold. They roll up nice and tight and can fit in all kinds of tiny crevices that you didn't even know your little carry on bag had!

- Pack half as many t-shirts, shorts, jeans, tops, etc as you think you need - and twice as many undies as you think you need...trust me.

- Pack your shoes first, then fit everything else around them. Roll thin, small things. Bulky knits work best when they are laid out flat-ish across everything else.

- Make you luggage do double duty! If I'm packing some jewelry, I keep it safe and sound by packing it in a small purse or clutch - storage and night-time accessory in one!

- No sharp stuff in your carry on, sorry. That means no swiss army knives, no bottle openers, no nail scissors. You might be able to get away with plastic knitting needles, or small sewing needles, but best to check with the airline first.

- With all the rules about liquids and gels you won't be able to pack your jumbo sized bottle of conditioner if you're aiming for carry on so beg, borrow and buy travel sized toiletries with abandon. Having said that...

- You do not need as many toiletries as you think you do. Seriously. Just try and go one trip without your straightener/night cream/hair gel and you'll realise you can cope. And people won't notice the difference. You will still look pretty and cute. And if not, it's just a few days/weeks/months anyhow!

- My husband follows a rule that I think is way easier for men than women, although I do try it sometimes. He packs clothes that are at the end of their life span, and throws out as he goes. This also means he has space to buy new stuff, if he wants to.

- Remember: you can always buy it there. This applies especially to the basics - toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo. The fun thing about this rule is that when it turns out you can't actually buy it there, you realise you don't really need it anyway!

And my absolute number one top tip for packing? As you walk out the door check that you have your wallet, your passport and your mobile phone. In the end, if you have those three things you will be fine no matter what else you've forgotten.

Happy Weekend!

2011-09-24T17:31:00.002+09:00

Hello! How are you? Are you having a happy weekend?

We're in the midst of one of my favourite kinds of weekends - the kind when you can stay in your jim-jams all day if you want because there's nothing urgent on your to do list, no obligations or must-dos.

Here's what we're up to:

- Cooking up a roast beef with all the trimmings, including this delicious version of cabbage and bacon.

- Listening to this and this and this a bit of this.

- Watching Underbelly Razor (we are total suckers for anything Underbelly!).

- Waiting for my husband to wake up (he's a world champion sleeper, he could sleep for his country no problem) and working on some paper goods and mail art, and finishing off three mammoth blog posts all about travel.

- Catching up on some reading here, here and here.

- Making something inspired by my new most favourite cookbook in the world - The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches.

- Strolling about our always fascinating neighbourhood.

Hope you are having a lovely break too!

Death by Doxie: The Elfi is a Dinosaur Edition

2011-09-23T15:22:00.000+09:00

Here is Elfi, masquerading as the cutest dinosaur that ever lived. We bought this for her in Tokyo. It is perfectly proportioned for a dachshund and was near impossible to resist. They also had lion costumes! Next time...

Elfi doesn't entirely mind clothing. She gets quite excited when winter rolls around and I start pulling out her her little coats. I think it's partly because they smell like her, partly because she associates them with going for walks (which she loves) and partly that she just likes the extra attention. Whatever it is, it's nice to have a (mostly) willing clothes horse (dog?)!

Three (by three) pairs of shoes I'm loving right now...

2011-09-21T11:33:00.000+09:00

[Image of total loveliness by Lola's Room]

So yes. I am a female. And I love shoes. Oh it's all just so terribly typical and cliched and predictable, isn't it? But, there it is. Sigh. I love shoes to the point that I acquired three new pairs this week (it doesn't happen every week, I promise). I love shoes to the point that I have some in my collection that I can't even wear, they are just so darn pretty it makes me smile to look at them. I loves shoes to the point that when the step-sons are drawing humorous caricatures of their nearest and dearest they always draw me standing next to my giant cupboard of shoes, or doing some other shoe related thing.

Here are some that are currently in my shoe-dreams:

The lovely Pip from Meet Me At Mikes has written before about her penchant for a pair of Swedish Hasbeens, but it wasn't until this morning, when I saw a photo of her in mid-craft sporting a pair of these 'Jodhpurs', that I decided I needed to add them to my shoe wish list.

Woah! Check these out! Is there anything more beautiful than a perfectly formed boot? To me these are perfectly formed - just the right amount of buckles and straps, curves in the right places, toes that aren't too pointy or too round. One of each please, Mr Lauren! Yes, these are from Ralph Lauren! Not normally the first name I think of when I dream of shoes but their current boot collection is very swoony I think.

And lastly, some sparkly shiny color-bursting fun from Miu Miu! I swear if I owned that sparkly yellow pair I'd wear them every single day, they are so very happy! (And so very expensive. Hence that is why they are in my shoe dreams, and not in my shoe cupboard.)

New in the shop...

2011-09-19T21:50:00.000+09:00

I have so many blog posts floating about in my head at the moment, but I just can't seem to find the time to actually put any of them together, which is rather frustrating. But never mind, because what's not frustrating is that I finally figured out how to make my own banners and avatars and what not (thanks picnik!). So you might have noticed I've been playing around a bit with this blog a bit, and with the graphics for Jorpins, my Etsy shop.

Plus I finally got around to making and listing the stencil note cards that some of you saw a sneak preview of on Instagram an age ago. At the moment I've got three sets in the shop 'Happy' (the one above), 'Hello' and 'Love'. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out - they look even better in real life I think!

52 Weeks of Mail

2011-09-17T14:36:00.001+09:00

I've mentioned before that I'm a member of the awesome Etsy Greetings Team (I know I use that word a lot but this team really is awesome!). A little while ago Angie from Bear River Photo Greetings threw a gem of an idea at the team - an idea about the joys of snail mail, about re-connecting with friends and relatives. And we all got a bit excited and some amazingly talented people pitched in with graphics and thus 52 Weeks of Mail was born!

The idea is that starting October 9 we are all committing to sending at least one note or card or letter to friends/family each week for a year. Easy, yes? Fun, yes? Maybe you might want to join in to?

More information here.

Like 52 Weeks of Mail on Facebook.

Tweet using the hash tag #52weeksofmail.

Add the button to your blog.

Send some love!

Hello Tokyo!

2011-09-14T19:37:00.000+09:00

In Korea (and across large swathes of Asia) we've just had the annual autumn holiday known as Chuseok (Moon Festival in China). It's a three day event celebrating a good harvest and involving rituals of ancestor worship. It's one of the big holidays, and Seoul is pretty much deserted as Seoul-ites head back to their home villages for family feasting. The husband and I took the opportunity to head to Tokyo for three days (one of my favourite cities in the world and it's only just over two hours away!).

I've been to Tokyo a few times but I haven't really visited since actually living in Asia, so it was interesting to compare my experiences. The first time I went to Tokyo I was in a constant state of wonder - a great heaving noisy flashy city filled with all manner of inscrutable, foreign and just plain Japanese things. I loved the way the people were so polite and ordered and community minded, and yet at the same time so individual and extreme.

On this trip I guess there wasn't the same shock of the different, I live in a city where I don't understand most of what goes on around me (signage, language, customs) every day. And Tokyo these days isn't looking as bright and flashy as it once did - it's a bit worn around the edges from years or economic stagnation and the neon signs have been switched off in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. But there is still something beguiling about Tokyo, about Japan, and by day three we were already planning our return.

Some things:

- Aside from his super-Spidey-sense of picking great restaurants, my husband is not the right person for me to be in Tokyo with. I am already planning a solo trip, one where I can spend a whole day in Tokyu Hands (he lasted all of 40 seconds) or Ito-ya if I want to.

- Dachshunds are big in Japan. Not big as in fat, big as in popular, to the extent that they even have special dachshund sized dog costumes which fit their long body and short legs perfectly (I may or may not have bought something...stay tuned!)

- You can not eat a bad meal in Tokyo. It doesn't matter what you have a hankering for, you will find it in Tokyo and it will most likely be the best darn [insert food name here] you've ever tasted. One of our favourite meals of the weekend was at an American Chinese restaurant in Shinjuku. So good.

- Living in a densely populated, crowded city does not necessarily mean a stroll down the city sidewalk has to end in bruises/broken ribs/missing eyes. The only time I got bumped into was when I stupidly wasn't paying attention (hello Hong Kong and Seoul, I'm looking at you!).

- These days I automatically start looking at the city I'm visiting and ask 'would I live here?', even when there's absolutely no likelihood that we will ever one day actually live there. The answer, Tokyo, is yes.

- I am increasingly obsessed with the black and white setting on my trusty Canon.

Comfort Food: Tuna Casserole

2011-09-12T14:00:00.000+09:00

The good thing about the greatest thrifted cook book in the history of the world (aka Cookery in Colour) is that as well as being an absolute visual treat it is also your one stop shop when you want to whip up some fatty, salty, creamy comfort food (or anything involving toothpicks, ham or glace cherries).

So the other night when I was looking for a healthy dose of comfort food, I turned to it's glorious technicolour pages. Resisting the urge to make the 'Tipsy Cake' (so called, I'm guessing, because it's chock full of sherry) I turned to my old favourite - tuna casserole. Granted, I didn't stick to the recipe entirely (I used pasta instead of rice, I added corn and I left out the mustard) but I did make sure I included the key ingredient. Nope, not tuna (although that is, obviously, in there) but a can of cream of mushroom soup. And it was delicious.

[not looking delicious...yet]

[oven ready]

[tummy ready]

Here's the recipe I used (modified from the original) - feel free to add and subtract flavours depending on your cravings!

Tuna Casserole

3 cups cooked pasta

200 gm can tuna

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup (condensed)

About 1/2 cup of milk (depending on desired 'wetness'!)

Grated cheese, to your taste (the original recipe says 85 gm, I have a feeling I used more)

About 3/4 cup can corn

salt, pepper

Mix all the ingredients using only half the cheese. Pour into a greased 3 oz (1.7 l) casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake in moderately hot oven until the cheese on top looks yummy. Serve with a crisp green salad and lemon wedges.

My nephews...

2011-09-07T15:49:00.001+09:00

...are freakin' adorable. That is all.

Mail art to Saylor Made

2011-09-05T19:12:00.000+09:00

Last week I wrote about the lovely mail art package I received from Saylor Made. Well, I now know my reply has made it to her safe and sound so I can show you now as well! I sent her a package themed around blue, birds and maps - three things that I spy on her blog and in her art on a regular basis, so I hoped it was all to her taste.

The package included: some mini bunting I made from street maps of Hong Kong and Korea; a print of one of my favourite photos from our recent visit to Dubrovnik; some 'Jorpins' owl stickers; a cut out of a seagull from a Korean magazine (a Busan seagull, no less!); three notecards featuring bird pictures from an old 'Book of How'; plus a few other bits and bobs. You can see more on Saylor Made's blog here.

And the winner is...

2011-09-05T15:49:00.000+09:00

...Felicity from Gifts of Serendipity! Congratulations! I'll be working on your tailor made prize this week so it should be on it's way to you shortly.

Thanks to all of you who entered - I loved reading your comments, it helped me get to know you a little better I think. And also a big 'hello' to those of you who came for the giveaway and stayed for the blog. You are all ace!

Actually, the end of a giveaway makes me a bit sad. I'm always excited for the winner, but I really do wish I could give you each a prize! Hmmm, maybe I'll have to do just that in my next giveaway.

***UPDATE***

Just to clarify, this was a randomly drawn winner - I use the third party drawer service at random.org.

If anyone is interested in viewing the results, I can provide you with the access details.

Thanks!

Cookery in Colour

2011-09-03T13:25:00.002+09:00

Introducing the greatest thrifted cook book in the history of the world - Cookery in Colour (the Australian edition), published by The Australian Women's Weekly some time in the mid 60s from what I can gather.

Yes, the cover looks just like any other old cookbook, food splattered and a little bit boring. But look! Inside is a treasure trove of clashing colours, fabulous fonts, checks and stripes and all kinds of food involving toothpicks. And then there's the completely psychedelic 'easy party sweets' page.

From hence forth, all of my crafting inspiration will be guided by the patterns and hues in this glorious tome. I love it so much I could post a photo of every single page, but then you might hate me, so here's just a little taste:

Death by Doxie: The Dachshund Free Edition

2011-09-02T10:17:00.004+09:00

"How can you have a death by doxie post without a dachshund?" I hear you ask, horrified. It's my blog so deal with it, I reply.

This is Coco. She was my dog before Ferdi and Elfi. She was a gorgeous chocolate brown kelpie x lab. I'm writing about her because even though she hasn't been around for a bit over five years the other night I woke at about 3.30 am, thought of her and shed a tear or two. And that's not the first time it's happened. It doesn't happen often, but a few times a year I will think about my old hound and I will feel a bit sad.

I got Coco as a young pup from the RSPCA. She was a pretty special dog. She was unbelievably loyal and super smart. She saw me through so much - my first 'serious' relationship, a broken engagement, several broken hearts, a move to Sydney which took me away from family and friends. When I was feeling sad and lonely she used to sit next to me on the couch, right up close, and put all her weight against me like a big comforting presence. She forgave me for being out all night and forgetting to feed her. She was calm and gentle on a lazy Sunday morning, she was jumpy and happy on a lively Saturday afternoon. She really was a true friend.

The problem was that Coco liked other dogs, but she did not like other people. Around strangers she was nervous and aggressive. Even around people that she knew well (like my parents) she could be unpredictable. In these situations, she could be dangerous. Coco needed extra special care and attention to ensure she didn't hurt anyone.

And so, when I was about to move in with my now husband, and I knew his step sons would frequently be around, I had a long hard chat to my vet. After 10 years together, I had to put my beautiful hound down (gawd writing this is harder than I thought...). It was heart wrenching taking her to the vet that one last time, her face still so full of trust. Ughhh, it really was horrible. But I know that I made the right decision - dogs like Coco and children do not mix.

Here she is when she was just a cute little puppy (on her first day home actually) - a little nervous and hermit-like maybe, but before she had jaws to do serious damage.

Do you have a special dog from your past that you still think about?

(Instant) Collections: Sheet Music

2011-09-01T11:49:00.001+09:00

I've mentioned before that any time I head back to Melbourne I always make time for a spot of op shopping. Here's an instant collection I picked up from my last visit - sheet music from the 1940s. The illustrations and fonts are simply wonderful, and I love the soft thickness of the old paper. And that's not to mention the history hidden in the titles and lyrics.

When I originally started searching for sheet music I was thinking of making envelopes, gift tags and the like, but these are way to precious to cut up! I might have to scan them and use them that way? Can you guess which one is my favourite?

Mail art from Saylor Made

2011-08-30T17:38:00.000+09:00

Look! This is the amazing mail art package I recently received from Saylor Made - isn't it all kinds of wonderful? I really love the way all the bits hang together so nicely, and I especially like the gorgeous floaty fleeting watercolours.

She included: a 'bonjour note card (with a lovely note!); two gorgeous water colour prints; a magazine clipping of some wintery red berries in a hand drawn frame ('for the birds'); a print of some of her favourite stamps (love this, great idea that I just might pinch...); an etching of a maple leaf from her nature collection; googly eyes; my initials in fuzzy felt; and last but most definitely not least - a 'blarg' print, which I can very much relate too. All encased in a handmade envelope of perfection:

I am itching to show you my reply, but I'll hold off until I know my package has been received. To be continued...

Seoul Sky

2011-08-27T17:32:00.000+09:00

The rain has finally stopped in Seoul and we are currently experiencing what one might call 'Summer'. It's been perfect sitting-on-the-balcony-with-a-glass-of-wine-before-dinner weather. But there's still hot and cold air battling it out and isolated thunder storms do pop up here and there. All of which means we have been experiencing some pretty spectacular skies in Seoul of late. I took these photos a few days ago, when there was a rain storm in the distance just around dusk. Beautiful yes?

ps. I saw on Instagram the other day someone calling these 'Jesus clouds', referencing images like this I guess. Jesus clouds! I quite like that. And speaking of Instagram, did you see my post of the Seoul sunset the other night? It was quite magical.

Death by Doxie: The Elfi Has Her Own Couch Edition

2011-08-26T14:08:00.000+09:00

There is a couch in my office/study/craft stash/library/games room/disgrace. It's a couch I bought many years ago in another life time - I was living in Balmain, Sydney and I so clearly remember finding the couch at a Freedom clearance centre. It had a tiny little mark on it so was on sale for some absurdly cheap price, the only catch being that I had to get it home myself. I can't remember how I got it home, I have a feeling I may have tried to carry it the 20 minute walk back to my little house. Or I may have tried to squish it in my Holden Astra. Either way, it clearly was a traumatic process as I have now blocked it from my memory.

Anyway, no one sits on this couch unless the step sons are here and they're playing Wii (because the husband and I never play Wii without them here. Of course not. We wouldn't even know what Mario Kart was if we tripped over it. Cough.). And Ferdi is too short legged and physically challenged and, well, stupid to figure out how to get up there. So Elfi is queen of this couch (up there she's sharing it with a little soft doxie friend, beautifully made by Kate Durkin).

Wake up Elfi!

What I wore...

2011-08-24T14:26:00.000+09:00

Well, I've finally succumbed to complete and utter narcissism - presenting my first (and possibly, though hopefully not, last) 'what I wore' post! I've been toying with doing some of these after seeing them here and there over the past 12 months, and especially after seeing them on lots of blogs that aren't 'fashion' blogs. But then I was kind of put off after asking the husband to take some pics of a favourite outfit one day - his reply? 'that's a bit weird, don't you think?'.

But then I read this great post by Jess from Epheriell Designs about fashion as play which really struck a cord. Yes, dressing up should be fun! As a kid I was a tom boy and a bit of a geek - the nerdy outsider with good dose of 'alternative' thrown in. I had trouble putting together an outfit that I was happy with, putting together something that told the world a little bit about me. So it's been a pleasant surprise that as I've got older I've started having fun playing dress ups. And hence, you get to put up with the most narcissistic of blog posts. Indulge me, please?

I bought this dress from Mango years ago. I didn't love it at the time but it has gone on to become a firm Summer favourite, the kind of frock that you know you'll miss when it finally does fall apart. I like how the fabric has aged to, with the background dark blue getting a lovely washed out look which makes the colours jump out even more. Plus ruching. And pockets. Love. The shoes are my current favourites - wooden platforms from the 70s. The wooden sole is curved up at the front so you kind of rock back and forth with each step you take!

Dress: Mango

Belt: Zara

Cardigan: Hong Kong street market

Shoes: Vintage Marmalade

Dachshund: Jonathan Adler!

ps. Notice I don't say on what occasion I wore the outfit? That's because if I dressed for occasions in my actual life I'd be blogging pictures of me in my pyjamas or my week old track pants saying 'what I wore whilst tweeting' or 'what I wore whilst buying the dog food'. I realised I while ago that I'd have no fun (and spend my life in jeans and a t-shirt) if I always dressed appropriately for the 'occasions' in my life.

ps. Ignore my tan lines, okay? Thanks...

Creative Collective Snail Mail Swap

2011-08-22T11:15:00.002+09:00

What seems like a lifetime ago I took part in the Creative Collective Snail Mail Swap and I'm so glad I did because I got some really wonderful goodies! A bit late but here's a little peak at the packages that made their way to Seoul.

First up, from the always amazing 74 Lime Lane a gorgeous collection of prints and other papery goodness. I'd actually spied Kellie's post about her snail pail packages, and had left a comment saying I really hoped I was one of her swap partners, turns out I was! So yes, I was pretty excited to pick this envelope out of the mail box.

And then there was this package of perfection from the mysterious Nancy. A gorgeous hand written note, the best little notebook ever, cute envelope decorations, plus polka-dots - I adore every bit of it!

Being part of this swap and soaking in the wonder of Saylor Made's Mail Art Monday posts has made me greedy for more! There is so much thought and care taken with all of these wonderful packages, and I am absolutely brimming with ideas for more snail mail goodness, so please - if you are keen to start a mail art 'conversation' do get in touch.

ps. This month the Creative Collective project is all about photography - are you joining in? I am rapidly running out of time but I do have a little something to contribute, if I can pull it together by the end of the month that is...

ps. I'd also like to say a great big heartfelt thanks for all your kind and thoughtful words over the past few weeks. I've truly appreciated each and every one of them. It really makes all this blogging and tweeting and on-line connecting mean so much more, so thank you.

Farewell...

2011-08-19T17:14:00.000+09:00

My wonderful Grandma did pass away last week. But instead of dwelling on the sadness and the loss that we feel right now, I want to tell you about some happy things.

First up, I'm happy that I was able to make it to Melbourne to visit her in hospital and to be part of her farewell. I'm happy that I got to see all of my cousins, albeit all too briefly.

I'm happy that my Grandma lived till a ripe old age; that she lived an incredible life full of love and strength and learning and adventure (oh the stories she could tell!). And I'm happy that she got to share in the lives of all her grand kids and her countless great grand kids. She was a part of our happy times and our successes, and she supported us through our less than shiny moments. I'm happy that we've been lucky enough to have had her presence in our lives.

I'm happy that she was able to pass on her love of family, her stubbornness, her open-heartedness, her not-taking-life/yourself-too-seriously-ness, her lifelong-learning-ness, to a second and third and fourth generation - that's pretty cool huh?

Grandma - you will be sorely missed, but you will not be forgotten. x

Death by Doxie: The Outtake Edition

2011-08-11T15:43:00.000+09:00

In last week's Death by Doxie the ever handsome Elfi helped me launch my latest giveaway (which is running all this month - have you entered yet? You can do so here). It was her first 'real' photo shoot, with props and expectations and all that. She did not come through with flying colours, but these photos crack me up (plus I really like the lighting and the persepctive). So, here is Elfi trying to run away, steadfastly refusing to look at the camera, and generally hating every second of it...

Good Things...

2011-08-06T11:51:00.000+09:00

From Zim and Zou, possibly my most favourite thing ever. Typography + paper craft + embroidery. It's called 'Weave', it's a font, it's beautiful. Go love it some more here.

Have you discovered kickstarter yet? It's an amazing site where you can pledge to support a whole bunch of arty, crafty, creative projects. In return, if the project you've pledged to support is successful in reaching it's funding goal, you'll be rewarded for your support in a whole range of fun and creative ways (the rewards are designed by the people behind each project - so they may include anything from a hug, to something tangible like a print or tickets to an event, to something like a one on one Skype session to discuss your shared passion for typography).

I first heard about kickstarter through Dannielle, who was promoting this great project by Jessica Swift. It is such a lovely way to get involved in the creative community, to directly help people whose ideas you like. They do have a section for 'small projects' (less than $1000), but even on the bigger projects you can become a backer for as little as $1! Or maybe you have a project that needs funding?

From Kurt Riedi and Steffi Gloor, a rather charming way to view the weather forecast (found via Mrs Eliot Books). Here in Seoul the weather has been swinging between deadly monsoonal rain and stifling sticky heat, but at least now the forecast can look pretty.

Simply amazing critters by Melbourne artist Troy Emery (I can't remember how I got on to these, if it was because of you please let me know). In his sculptures, Troy explores craft and natural history and creates all kinds of awesome. Would love to see one of these sculptures in the real world some time.

And last but most definitely not least, my Grandma is a good thing and then some. Here she is with my sister and I (note the co-ordinating parkas!) on 'Australia's Favourite Steam Train' (I quote) Puffing Billy.

My Grandma is quite a remarkable person. She's always been around to look after the gaggle of grand kids and great grand kids; she's been the tough glue that's held our big messy sprawling extended family together. Strong, caring, confident, quick to laugh. Stubborn as a mule at times (no, I didn't inherit that, why do you ask?) and unlikely to say no to a glass of bubbles (no, I didn't inherit that either. *cough*).

She's now 90 and lying unconscious in a hospital bed, hopefully at peace. She is in all of our hearts and our minds. And even though she's 'had a good innings' as they say, all our hearts are breaking a little right now. I'm flying out to Melbourne tomorrow, possibly to say goodbye. If things are a bit quiet here over the next week, you'll now why.

Death by Doxie: The Giveaway Edition

2011-08-05T08:15:00.001+09:00

What's that Elfi (you handsome hound you!)? You've got something to tell us?

It's a giveaway you say? Not of you I hope? I'd never give you away!

But yes, you are right Elfi - it is a giveaway! I said awhile back that I would host one once I had over 100 followers on my blog, and I do! Hooray! The thing with this giveaway, which is a little unusual, is that I can't tell you what you'll win because the prize is a mystery. And the reason the prize is a mystery is because it depends on who wins it! You see, I want to tailor the prize to you, lucky winner.

What I can tell you is that it will include at least one foreign language craft book; some ace stationery handmade by me especially for you; plus a piece of Korean awesome-ness yet to be determined (and probably more, I do like sending things in the mail).

'How do I enter?' I hear you ask! Easy, just leave a comment below making sure that you include some sort of linky thing so that I have some way of getting in touch with you (Twitter, blog, email, etc).

In your comment you must tell me:

1. What your favourite craft is, what craft you would love to learn, OR what craft you love to look at to fuel your creative ideas?

2. Your favourite colour/combination of colours?

3. Your favourite kind of thing to read about/look at on Good Things* (travel? craft? doxies? recipes? good things?)?

Your prize will be crafted around these three answers!

Extra entries if you spread the word (tweet, facebook, blog) - just make sure you let me know you've done it so I give you the credit you deserve. Entries close on August 31 at midnight (Seoul time). The winner will be chosen at random, some time shortly after that (I'll once again be using random.org's third party draw service).

Hooray!

Well, you may be handsome but you are certainly one reluctant model. You could at least try and look a little excited...

Collections: Foreign Language Craft Books

2011-08-04T13:11:00.021+09:00

Remember an eon ago when I shared my collection of magnets? And I said I would gradually share all my other collections with you? Yes, well, I don't think I meant quite this gradually...

But onwards and upwards hey? Here is collection number two - foreign language craft books. Or more accurately Asian language craft books.

Living in Hong Kong I'd practically trip over cute, quirky craft books at every turn (mainly Japanese, but increasingly Chinese too). I'd pop in to my local book store and there'd be dozens of little tomes featuring ace things to do with buttons or ribbon or left over take away boxes. Worse still, every 7-Eleven in Hong Kong (and there is one on every second corner, actually there is one on every corner) would have at least a few crafty gems on their magazine shelves. And now here in Korea I'm confronted by an even bigger selection of local and Japanese crafty goodness.

And it doesn't even matter that you can't read the language. Most of these books have rather detailed step by step instructions with diagrams, patterns and photos, so provided you've got a tiny bit of crafting nous you can muddle through just fine.

As they tend to be picture heavy I mainly use them as inspiration, rather than the source of whole projects. It might be the combination of materials used, a particular design element, a print or a pattern. I especially like the paper craft ones (you can see more about one of my favourites - Paper x Paper - here), and I have recently discovered the beautiful and endlessly inspiring Japanese embroidery guides (Fumiko Nakayama's Color Embroidery is particularly wonderful!).

Those last three featured are: a fantastic Korean book on paper cutting which comes complete with a ton of ideas on how to use them and a CD of patterns; a book called 'Animal Mascots Made of Wool' which features the 'heartwarming whale'; and a ridiculously cute Japanese book on felt softies. If you want more information on any of the books you see just get in touch and I'll pass on the ISBN.

ps. I do have an ulterior motive for sharing this collection with you. Without giving too much away it may have something to do with the words 'give' and 'away'... All will be revealed tomorrow!

ps. Also if you live in a place with great craft books in a language-other-than-English and want to do a swap please get in touch!

Little Treasures

2011-08-03T10:46:00.001+09:00

Did you see yesterday's post about my visit to Hongdae and the Free Market? Weren't those little pincushions irresistible? Clearly I thought they were, because I bought one home with me! So adorable! I love finding little treasures like this - small things that are lovingly made, useful and not too expensive. They inject a little bit of happiness into your every day life, don't you think?

I also stumbled across this little box of wonder in one of the many Hongdae stationery shops. It's full of stickers featuring Scandinavian matchbox designs. There is just too much ace-ness in here for me to soak in! Look at those patterns, those colours! (Also, please note bubblegum manicure also procured in Hongdae.)

And lastly, the cutest pencils ever!

Have you uncovered any little treasures lately?

Hongdae Free Market

2011-08-02T13:46:00.000+09:00

Last Saturday, waking up from a dark night of the soul and feeling very much like pulling up the covers, laying in bed all day and quietly weeping about the pointlessness of life, I instead dragged my sorry self out of bed, whipped up some hot cakes (yum!) and headed out to Hongdae. I've been wanting to check out the Hongdae Free Market (a little market for handmade goodies that runs every Saturday and possibly Sunday) since arriving in Seoul, but it's my husband's idea of hell so I haven't quite been able to get there. But this Saturday my poor husband had to go off on a work trip, hence I got to visit the market in Hongdae.

Hongdae on a Saturday is heaving! If you are looking for a peaceful escape from the city, this is not the place to come. It was hot and oh so sticky and crowded. But it was also wonderful to see all the cute little handmade things. The attention to detail that you see in traditional Korean crafts came through loud and strong in the work of the artisans at the market, and I picked up a few little treasures (more on that tomorrow!). Plus it's always nice to see crafters at work, and to meet the people who make the stuff. So despite the crowds and the heat and the sweat I'm glad I went. The hot cake/market combo definitely helped pulled me out of my malaise...

[Credits: amazing ink drawings by artist Go Eun Young; unbelievably cute pincushions from Jin Hyo Jung and Kang Eun Soon]

Holiday Slideshow: Gaeta, Italy

2011-07-29T09:37:00.001+09:00

Do you get a bit sad on the final night of your holiday? I always get a bit sad. Because I know I'm heading back to reality, to bills and emails and groceries and laundry. Because I know I'm saying goodbye to the possibility, the anything could happen, of travel (at least for a little while). Even writing this post, about the final stop on our holiday is making me feel a little bit sad!

After getting off the big boat we headed towards Rome and stayed in a little seaside resort called Gaeta. The old town is rather pretty and lovely to walk around, and we had the best meals here (seafood pastas, simple grilled fish, yummo!). Gaeta is packed with hotels and restaurants and places to camp. It feels a bit like the kind of place where families from Rome would go every summer holidays, year in year out. A bit like Sorrento or Torquay in Victoria (what would be the equivalent in your neck of the woods? Maybe the Gold Coast for Queenslanders? Or the Sunshine Coast for New South Welshians?)

We stayed in a stunning hotel a bit out of town, Grand Hotel Le Rocce. It had a beautiful little beach (though it was quite a trek getting down to it and back, probably for the best after all that pasta...) and gorgeous terraced gardens with the most amazing collection of succulents. If you have a few days to kill and you're flying out of Rome I'd highly recommend a couple of days swimming and eating in Gaeta.

Our holiday ended the way all our European holidays end - with my husband completely underestimating the amount of time it will take us to drive to Rome airport, which leads to a very nervous hour or so watching the clock in the car and me telling him to 'drive like the wind!'. And then we get to the airport with barely a moment to spare, so the husband throws the step-sons and I out of a moving vehicle whilst yelling 'grab the bags! run to the check in desk!' while he speeds off, throws the car keys at the poor hire car guy and sprints back to meet us. Ahhh, the fun of family traditions huh?

ps. thanks for indulging me and my holiday slideshow posts! I hope you enjoyed them - if so, there are lots more photos on my Flickr. And if not, normal programing will resume shortly!

Holiday Slideshow: Venice, Italy

2011-07-28T13:35:00.001+09:00

So here's the thing - we were not going to get off the big boat in Venice! I know, some of you might think that is crazy but we have all been to Venice numerous times (not that you'd ever get tired of it), the view from the boat is really quite wonderful and unique, plus Venice at the height of Summer is not as magical as it could be (the heat! the crowds! the rip offs!). Hence the plan was to spend the day on the boat - relax, enjoy the empty pool, soak up the birds eye view, and maybe have an early cocktail o'clock.

But then we realised that the Biennale was still on, and how often do you happen to be in Venice when famous artists from all over the globe are staging a show? So we dragged ourselves off the boat, paid some hideous amount for a cab driver to take us 20 meters, and threw ourselves into the stinking out streets of Venice. Unfortunately by the time we ate lunch (pizzalicious!) and walked all the way from the port end of Venice to the garden end (where the Biennale is held), it was time to get back on our big boat (or risk being stranded in Venice forever, a concept I am not totally at odds with).

I was a bit disappointed not to have made it to the Biennale. I am a total sucker for 'concept' art, and I've been lucky enough to visit the Biennale once before - it was fantastic! The pavilions alone are wonderful (each country has their own, built in different styles and eras) - lots of deco and mid-century modern goodness to soak up there. And then there are the installations which range from the wonderful to the surreal to the comical (and which also neatly reflect the stereotypes of each country, so that in the German pavilion you'll find weird stuffed toys hanging from the ceiling wearing gas masks, and in the Japan pavilion you'll find giant anime/cartoon characters constructed from animal skeletons). Oh well, I guess I'll just have to visit Venice again in two years time...