Good Things...

[Grumpy owl + champagne + huzzah!  By Pocket Carnival on Etsy]

How are your festive season preparations/celebrations going?  We are trucking along here, enjoying the cool crisp winter and pretending we are not in firing range of a crazy man; feeling a little bit festive and a little (ok, a lot) behind the ball on everything.  So much going on!  Lots of good stuff:

This how-to video from Marimekko.  I adore stop motion, and these look like a lot of fun to make, and it's Marimekko.  What's not to love?  There are a couple of other how-to's from them on YouTube too, go have a look! (ps. all I want for Christmas is everything from Marimekko...)

This on-line magazine called Toffee.  It is absolutely jam packed with all kinds of gorgeousness - beautiful photos, illustrations, interviews, inspiration, crafty ideas, projects, printables, recipes...lots of my favourite crafty, arty people have contributed.  Plus, the first issue is themed around 'feeling kitchsy'.  So awesome!

This blog, which my Mum has started writing.  It's called occasional eating and drinking and that's pretty much what it's about, life and the food and drink that goes with it.  As a kid I do remember my Mum often dabbling in writing, the odd poem here and there.  She was also the person who introduced me to some of my favourite authors when I was moping about looking for something to read as a teen.  I think it is totally ace that she has started up her own blog.  Go show it some love, if you like!

The wintery weather that we've been experiencing in Seoul.  It's been ear-bitingly cold but the days are so crystal clear, the sky so blue and the air so crisp it's hard not to love it.  Also, we had our second snow fall for the winter early this morning, and they're predicting more next week!  Huzzah indeed!

And lastly, all of the screen printed fabric by Summersville.  Great product shots too.

A Creative Odyssey - Blog Hop

The wonderful Jess of Epheriell Designs has put together a 'blog hop' around the theme 'A Creative Odyssey'.  The plan is that each day one or two bloggers will post about their creative dreams and goals for 2011.  Over 40 bloggers are taking part (including me)!

The first two posts went up today - click on the image above and you'll see the whole schedule with links to each blog.  A great way to discover new blogs and to get to know bloggers you already follow a little better, with a healthy side order of inspiration and encouragement!  Cool idea huh?  

Thanks Jess!

Finding friends abroad

[Gorgeous doggy photo from edart on Etsy]

Have a quick look at any ex-pat blog and chances are sooner or later you'll find a post on friendship. And this is because finding a friend when you are far from home can be a little tricky.

Sure, it's very easy to find acquaintances, probably easier than if you were at home.  There are always people, maybe a little bit like you, who are desperate to have a 'normal' conversation, in their own language.  Or there are people who are looking for a travel buddy to accompany them on their latest adventure to a market on the other side of town.  Or there are people looking for the latest sucker kind-hearted individual to join their committee for the local international kindergarten, or to help them raise funds for injured indigenous cats.

But to find a friend, someone with similar likes and passions and wants as you, now that's tricky. And that's kind of okay with me.  I have people who mean a lot to me back in Australia, and I always try to make the time to call them or email them or visit them.  I have a bunch of wonderful, inspiring, supportive on--line buddies who I really treasure (and hope to meet in real life one day!). And I have my wonderful husband and my wonderful family, who both drive me crazy and keep me sane.  

Besides, I have always leaned towards the life of the hermit, with time to myself and a small circle of close friends.  I can safely say that on the friends abroad front, my expectations are rather low and that's okay.

So it comes as a pleasant surprise to think I may have met someone in Seoul who could one day possibly be a friend!  Gah!  Exciting!  (Excuse me while I giggle like a school girl...).  

Like me, she is a tiny bit anti-social, in that she likes to avoid the small-town gossipy mess that some ex-pat spouse communities can degenerate in to.  She also has a dog that means the world to her.  And like me, one of her biggest concerns if the whole North-South Korea thing goes haywire is how to get her furry loved one to safety.  To the point where she actually rang the Australian Embassy in Seoul about it.  And the quarantine department in Canberra.  Which makes for an hilarious crazy-dog lady story over dinner, but I think it's also kind of cool too.

She likes to craft and to paint.  And, importantly, she likes the same white wine as me.

And when, last night after dinner, I told her that I was in the process of trying to loose weight, she said, in an honest matter-of-fact kind of way: 'you've only got a few more kilos to go'.  Nothing fawning, or passive aggressive, or snarky.  Just a simple, yep, well, good on you, kind of response. What a lovely, lovely thing!

Anyway, I must not get too carried away, I don't want to jinx it!  

New traditions #1: The Great Advent Calendar

Now that December is here and there's really no escaping what's around the corner, I've noticed a bit of talk about holiday traditions around the place (like this sweet little post by Lauren Soponis, or this one by Samantha Marie).  Traditions might be big or they might be small, they might be stern faced and serious or they might be frivolous and silly, but whatever they are these are the things that anchor us and that bind us - they say 'we are creating something together, we share something'.  And they also help say something about a commitment to the future, they take us beyond the right now.

I've always loved xmas, and I've always loved those little things that we did as a family that marked out this time of year as different to any other.  I have fond memories of special summery breakfasts at Mums and of late afternoon gatherings at a house near the beach, a welcome end to a day usually packed with long drives, strange relatives and too much food.  But, life has changed a bit over the past few years...

When I moved in with with my (now) husband, it was one of those insta-family deals.  He came complete with two beautiful sons and his (now) ex wife, the boys lovely creative mum.   Yes, it was (and still is) at times awkward and nerve-wracking and heart-wrenching, but on the whole we make it work and I am so grateful that my husband and step-sons and Pepe have let me be a part of it all.

Anyway, clearly thinking that there hadn't been quite enough change in our lives, it wasn't long after moving in together that my husband and I decided to leave Australia and go live in Hong Kong. New family, new country, new adventures...new traditions, including moving our xmas celebrations abroad (complete with step-sons and Pepe)! 

Helping to create new traditions, festive and otherwise, has been one of the things I've really enjoyed over the past few years.  Just little things that mean a lot - to me at least!  

New tradition number one is The Great Advent Calendar.  It started last year when I saw a photo of a giant advent calendar in Living etc, it was huge and tree shaped and made of felt and it had a pocket for each day that you could fill with all kinds of fun stuff.  And I thought 'yeah, I can make that'.  So I did.

And I also decided that each year I'd add a little something to it.  This years addition is some toadstools on the tree trunk.  I'm really pleased with how they turned out.  I think I might do some toadstool brooches for the Etsy shop, one day.

First snow in Seoul!

Ok so I did get a little bit excited about our first bit of snow in Seoul last night.  So I've probably already tweeted, facebooked, emailed, or SMSed you about it.  Maybe more than once.  Apologies (but you have to admit, it is kind of exciting!).

Here's what was left this morning: