Happy Chuseok (추석)! Roughly translated as "Autumn eve," Chuseok is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday in both North and South Korea. It's celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar on the full moon (at the Autumn equinox). Westerners understand Chuseok as "Korean Thanksgiving," and although its… Continue reading Happy Chuseok! Plus, WIP cardigan progress
Category: Expat in Korea
Aug. 15: Love for Korea and the Humble Granny Square
Today is Korean Liberation Day, a major holiday celebrating Korea's 1945 emancipation from the Japanese empire. We're in holiday mode and the Korean taegukgi (태극기, national flag) is flying high. A much more humble observance underway for us crafters is the yearly commemoration of the granny square, a familiar, homespun classic that's found on countless… Continue reading Aug. 15: Love for Korea and the Humble Granny Square
Traditional Korean painting “Minhwa” and WIP update
One of my favorite Korean handicrafts is Minhwa (민화), or Korean folk painting. I recently acquired a lovely reproduction of a well-known Minhwa theme, called Hojakdo (호작도), or a tiger, magpie, and pine tree scene. There are many versions of this triad, and this one makes me smile. Minhwa paintings have a charm and accessibility… Continue reading Traditional Korean painting “Minhwa” and WIP update
Happy New Year! First post of 2021 and Winter view
Just checking in to send out a wish for a happy, healthy, hopeful New Year. I have to laugh a little as I look at my modest crafting resolutions from last year. Hardly any of the things I dreamed of doing got done! But a few important ones did - for example, I made my… Continue reading Happy New Year! First post of 2021 and Winter view
Happy Holidays and three more podcasts on my “to-listen” list
Happy Holidays! ❤ It's Christmas in South Korea, and Santa Claus sprinkled some of his special magic over my little household last night. It was a glorious day of typical winter chilliness (6 degrees Celsius), which kept me largely inside, catching up on holiday calls and media, and organizing my kitchen. At this writing, Santa… Continue reading Happy Holidays and three more podcasts on my “to-listen” list
A peek at Autumn in Korea, plus crafty doings
Hard to believe that it's been two weeks since my last post! I've been a bit bogged down by work, family matters, and attention to the U.S. election. I have been faithfully keeping up with my crafty projects, even though they've slowed down for the moment. After the end of the semester, I'll definitely devote… Continue reading A peek at Autumn in Korea, plus crafty doings
Finished Metropolis cardi, and button shopping at Seomun Market in Daegu
The Metropolis cardi is finally finished, including 7 buttons I found today at Seomun Market in Daegu. I was prepared to hunt for awhile before I found some I liked, but I ended up finding ones I liked at the first shop I went into. They are 1.5 cm shell buttons with red and black… Continue reading Finished Metropolis cardi, and button shopping at Seomun Market in Daegu
“Leibster Award” Questions Answered
Thank you very much to @rosyhappylife for nominating my tiny little blog for the Liebster Award. I've been requested to answer various questions about some facets of my life (easy ones 🙂 ), so here goes. Her questions for me are: If you had to describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be? That's… Continue reading “Leibster Award” Questions Answered
Last day in Seoul with video
I had a lovely time in Seoul, and wish I could have stayed just one more day. There were so many charming shops and cafés near my little hanok (traditional house). I'll share a few short videos of more places that I told you about. Remember in my last post, I mentioned Shin's Old Tea… Continue reading Last day in Seoul with video
First 24 hours in Seoul – palaces, handicrafts, hanok, and tea
I started my two-night getaway by using the convenient Korean train system to get to Seoul Station. I so love traveling by train. There is a bit of romance about it, and it's nice to see the Korean countryside in all its lush, green summer aspect, while whizzing by in temperature-controlled comfort. PHOTOS: Comfortable with… Continue reading First 24 hours in Seoul – palaces, handicrafts, hanok, and tea
