Seoul Walking : Getting Crafty in Dongdaemun

Dongdaemun Fabric Market has been on my list of Seoul 'to dos' since the day we moved here three and a half years ago, but it took a visit from a dear friend at the beginning of the year to actually get me there (isn't it so often the way)? I've been back several times since, and it's one of the places I'm really hoping to make it to one last time before we leave. 

Dongdaemun is a big sprawling market with areas dedicated to the sale of different things - lots of cheap clothing and footwear, and a slightly disturbing section for pets and pet supplies (if you find yourself stuck in Seoul looking for a pet iguana, this is the place to come). Amongst the knock off sneakers, fish tanks and two dollar sweaters is the Fabric Market - if you have the slightest hint of a crafting bone in your body, this is the place to visit. 

Don't be fooled by the name, it's more than fabric you'll find here. Hundreds of tiny stalls are crammed in to two buildings, spread across six floors - it is beyond overwhelming (and often stiflingly warm, even in winter). There's beautiful embroidered silk, fluorescent lace, printed denim, corduroy, cotton and lace; there's spots and stripes and checks. There's beads and buttons, feathers and sequins, and all manner of embellishments and trims. There's embroidery hoops and knitting needles and teeny, tiny little pom poms. Oh, and then there's the ribbon! So much beautiful ribbon! 

The market is largely aimed at wholesalers. Each of the fabric stalls have little samples set out, which you can take for free (provided you treat the system with respect), but they'll also sell it to you by the yard. Most of the ribbon stalls will sell you some 'samples' for about a dollar a yard (which is insanely cheap, especially considering the quality on offer). The top floor is targeted more at your everyday crafter, with things for sale in standard quantities for standard pricing (standard for Asia, that is!). Jade beads and wooden beads and fabric patches and fat quarters and all kinds of rope and bias binding in every shade and hair clips and tiny teddy bears and little bows and pink plastic hedgehogs and oh my! You can pretty much find anything and everything you crafting heart desires! 

Seoul Walking : Fast Fashion in Myeongdong

I was thinking that my blog has been lacking a bit of Seoul* of late.  Experiencing this super sized city is a pretty big part of my life, but aside from the odd post here and there it hasn't really been a big part of my blog.  

I spend a surprising (frightening?) amount of time just wandering the streets of Seoul, soaking in the sights and sounds, reveling in all things intriguing and inspiring and, well, Korean.  I pop out for a loaf of bread and don't come back for hours because I get so distracted by it all.  And maybe you would like to be distracted by it all too?

Welcome to 'Seoul Walking' - an ongoing series of image heavy posts, each focussing on a different suburb or aspect of Seoul life.

Myeongdong (명동) is right on our door step and is possibly one of my most favourite places to be.  It's an almost always busy hub of K-pop, cheap fashion and pretty young things.  There's dog cafes, evangelists, fashionistas and tourists galore.  There's 10 dollar shoe stalls, two H&Ms, MMMG (my favourite Korean stationery brand), a four story Uniqlo (actually there's two of those as well!), three SSFW's (great for bags and accessories), A Land, American Apparel and so much more...

*I promise that I will absolutely stop making Seoul/soul puns soon.  Maybe.

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

[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!

Little Treasures

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?

Guest Post: Good Things with Ngaire from fox and deer

[Make My Wishes Come True clipboard by decoylab]

Today I am very happy to welcome fellow dachshund lover Ngaire to my blog!  I'll let her fill you in on the details...

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Hi and Hello!  Lovely to meet you!  My name is Ngaire (pronounced Nigh-re), I'm from Brisbane, Australia and I'm the curator of fox and deer blog.  Emily and I have formed a wee bit of a doxie appreciation friendship after I started following her on Twitter, and loved her beautiful photos of Ferdi and Elfi. [awww shucks Ngaire - you're making us all blush over here!]  I am also the owner of a doxie, of the overly large and red kind...this is Lola!

Aka DDW - Dead. Dog. Walking.  So named for her unending ability to ruin, eat or otherwise destroy practically everything we own.  She too is a dishwasher diver and appreciator of sun baths and food. ANY KIND of food (food being a fairly loose term, as her ideas of food and ours do differ somewhat...).  So, that is how Emily and I began to know each other, and I am thrilled to be filling in for her on this blog post while she is away.

I thought I would challenge you to think about your own list of five good things - what if you had all the resources in the world at your disposal?  And world peace and food for all were taken care of? What would be your top five items of pure desire?  Welcome to Good Things: The Wishful Edition! (Also, I love writing lists so any opportunity for a list?  I'm there!).

1. Eames furniture - brilliant and timeless design.  Specifically, this chair and this house bird.

  

2. An Abyssinian kitten - look at the wee darlings!

3. A full and unending supply of Sharpies.  All kinds, forever!  Why?  Because I love them!  Starting with these beauties - the brand new fabric Sharpies!

4. A Blythe doll called Miss Sally Rice.  I consider myself a collector of Blythe dolls ('cos two is a collection, right?) but this little pretty is my ultimate...if I could ever talk myself into paying over AUD $300 for a dolly.  I guess that is why she is on this list...

[Image from here]

5. Mounted deer head - now there is a small problem with this last item on my list...because I am quite open to a real deer head on my wall.  I do not advise the killing of a wild animal, but I do feel for those who have been killed and are under appreciated.  I feel if they are already dead, at least in death I can offer them love and a happy home.  Does that make sense to you, gentle reader?  No? Well it doesn't to my husband either, which is why I have chosen to show a faux deer head instead...

And I would be more than happy with Mr Faux here, but if there are any real deer heads out there reading this...you are very welcome in my home!  I just have to make sure DH doesn't give you the decent burial he feels you deserve.

Do you blog?

Why not write up your own five good things list in a blog post and share it with us in the comments? I would LOVE to read what your own heart desires!  

Lovely to meet you!  Peace, Ngaire

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I'm pretty sure that's the first time we have ever had a cat on Good Things*.  Ferdi and Elfi are less than impressed, but then Lola is so adorable...all is forgiven!  What a list Ngaire - thank you!

A Day in Hongdae

One of the great things about having people come to stay (aside from hanging out with people you love and having an excuse to drink beer at lunchtime, of course) is that sometimes it forces you to get out and explore all those areas that have been on your 'must visit' list.  So it was that during my sister's recent visit we spent a rather pleasant day in the Seoul neighbourhood of Hongdae.  Cute cafes, affordable vintage and local clothing, amazing stationary shops, rustic home wares...here's a few of my favourites:

i think so : head down the narrow stairs and find a concrete bunker type space filled with wonderful stationery and other bits and pieces.

Market m* : there's a certain look to all the cute little cafes (tiny potted plants, chalkboards, garden labels, black and white postcards...) and this is the shop where they get it all from.  It's a little bit Muju, a little bit Ikea, and their garden section is the best - full of little succulents and wire pot plant racks and black board plant spikes, plus lots of simple storage ideas.

Bricolage : a tiny little shop selling simple but lovely stuff - think twine, kraft paper notebooks, wooden pegs.

Little Farmers : with a focus on eco-friendly wares, Little Farmers stocks more cute stationary, super soft baby's wear, plus a really amazing collection of leather goods.

Joey's Brunch Cafe : I'd read about their 'extra cheesey broccoli soup' on the design*sponge Seoul guide (see below) so we stopped for lunch here when we happened upon it.  The service is friendly and the serves are huge - this is comfort food and a half.  Lots of cheese, cream and fresh baked focaccia, I'll definitely be heading back here next time I want a bowl of happiness.

Pretty much every clothing store we encountered : wearable, affordable, just a little bit quirky; a great mix of handmade, vintage, local stuff.

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In case you missed it, Beci has written a post about her visit - have a look if you want to see more of the colour of Seoul and hear about some of her favourites!

Also, lots and lots of thanks go to this guide to Seoul on design*sponge, by blogger Katie Merchant, for many Hongdae pointers!

Melbourne: Shops

Oh Melbourne!  With your endless array of mid-century modern vintage shops, your quirky little designer boutiques in strange lane ways, your queens of craft selling all things handmade...oh, wait, I kind of did this yesterday didn't I?  But it's true, Melbourne is a pretty cool place to shop.  And the lovely thing is that most of the fun is in the looking, you don't even need to buy anything!

As I mentioned before this trip I stayed at my sister's house, which entailed running a few errands here and there.  The good / bad thing is that every time I went somewhere to pick something up, she'd always be telling me about some cute shop just around the corner that I had to check out... One of my favourite such places was OK OK in Brunswick, mainly because of their own brand tights and socks which are amazing quality and fabulously colourful and...made in Melbourne! Awesomeness!

I also finally got to check out Third Drawer Down, and Mr Kitly where they had an exhibition involving hanging plants and crocheted lamps, and a Japanese paper craft book all about thank you cards which I couldn't resist.  And there was Cottage Industries on Gertrude Street where I lusted after zig zaggy crocheted cushions, and admired the crocheted tree out the front.  Actually all of Gertrude Street was pretty impressive - lots of wonderful arts and crafts and textiles on show.

Death by Doxie: The Copyright Infringement Edition

Our apartment block is quite literally surrounded by stalls selling clothes for dogs.  And seeing as the winter is actually really cold in Seoul I do actually have to buy them clothing (True! I read it on-line somewhere. A dogs body temperature can drop quicker than ours.  If they are out in cold wind.  And not a husky.  Or something.).

The weird thing is I never knew Ralph Lauren, Adidas and Gucci made so many dog clothes.  Or that their seller of choice was the elderly Korean 아줌마 ('ajumma')...

This is Elfi telling me how much she loves wearing clothes.  And to go ahead and buy that little bee outfit I've had my eye on.  Your wish is my command, Elfi.

Underground Shopping: Vinyl

Hidden under Seoul is a labyrinth of underground shopping centers.  These subterranean wonders begin to make a lot of sense as you swelter through a wet rainy summer; or start loosing the feeling in your fingers, nose and toes in the heart of winter.

Each of the underground shopping centers has a fascinating mix of goods for sale.  They also tend to very much specialise in particular items, with groups of shops selling the same things gathered together.  Among other things, the one closest to our apartment is full of shops selling vinyl records by the box load.