Shopping in Seoul...

Well, shopping in Seoul, South Korea eleven years ago!  I've been scanning all my old photos onto my computer, for safe keeping and to share with friends and family on facebook.  When I ran across my photos, from when my husband and I lived in Korea, for a year, I thought you guys might like to see some of the amazing shopping I experienced...

of course there is so much I regret not purchasing, but I bought what I could and I still love the amazing Chinese antique console I did purchase...along with some great antique books, bamboo pipes, orchid pots and many other items I still treasure.

I know I've mentioned this a couple times before, but one of the regrets was leaving behind some amazing calligraphy brushes.

I loved shopping in the antique district in Seoul...this was where I bought my antique Chinese console.

even after a year, we probably only visited a small percentage of the markets!

I hope you all enjoyed a little glimpse into my past.  If you're looking for a great place to vacation, I highly recommend Seoul...for the food, the shopping, the temples, the palaces and the people!  I'd recommend going in the spring, when the cherry blossoms are in bloom or in the fall, when the japanese maples leaves are changing...beautiful! 

Kilim & Calligraphy...

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but my husband works for the U.S. government, so our mail is shipped to an APO address.  The mail arrives at the airport in Sydney, so my husband sends one of his guys to pick up mail once a week. 
Yesterday was mail day and we received a ton-o-mail!  We got a box from my Mom, with the calligraphy brushes she bought me for my birthday in it!  A package from Istanbul, Turkey, with two more of my Kilim pillows (I'm only waiting for one more to arrive).  And a big box of stuff we ordered from Walmart...filled with things we can't find here, like my husbands brand of deodorant, the laundry detergent we prefer, a few bottles of foundation, for me (they have it here, but it's $17-$23 a bottle vs. $5 at Walmart!)

Enough about our shipping process...I want to share some quick photos I snapped of my new vintage kilim pillows and my awesome calligraphy brushes...

first, I tried the calligraphy brushes on the coffee table (still planing to add a darker stain to the table)...

they were proving to be an impossible temptation for my son...Since the coffee table plan wasn't working out I decided to test them out on the mantel...

I plopped them inside a great orchid pot I bought in Korea...what do you think?  At least they're away from little hands...I can picture him sweeping the floor with them and then rinsing them off in the sink...YIKES! 

also, two more kilim pillows have joined the family...

these two are from a different dealer in Istanbul, than the first two.  I do like them, but they smell strongly of cigarette smoke and aren't as nice quality or as clean as my other two. 
While I understand they are made from vintage kilim rugs and won't be pristine, which adds to their charm, I was surprised that zero effort went into cleaning them up.  One had very noticeable dirt spots on it and when I scratched at it with my fingernail it started to flake right off, so I took a damp rag and gave it a little scrub and was able to clean it right up. 
As for the ciggarette funk, I first sprayed them down with vanilla body spray (I had to do something quick they were that stinky!) and now I'm going to throw them in the dryer on fluff with a bunch of dryer sheets...I think this will work. 

Again, for the deal I got on them, they're great...but, I have one more pillow arriving from the same dealer as the first two pillows, so I'm very excited to see if the quality remains as good...if so, he will be my go to source for Turkish kilim pillows.
Despite a little dirt and some odor, I couldn't be more thrilled with our new treasures!

Hawaii Condo: Living Room

It's snowballing, It's an avalanche!  But, it's just so fun! 

The room basically has the look and feel of our existing home and of course we'll bring many of our favorite items to mix into the new space.  I think we decided to hold off on a new sofa, all together, now that we've becided to buy a place in Hawaii (unless we find something outstanding here).  It doesn't make sense to buy an expensive piece of furniture without knowing the demensions/scale of the room in a house that you're buying and will live in for a long time. 

Is it bad that I'm now willing the time to pass by quicker, in Australia, so that I can design our new condo in Hawaii??  Crazy!  Needless to say, we still have a long road ahead of us.  Our son starts school next year (January), so I am going to find a job here.  We recently found out that I am aloud to work here, but it's quite the process, but they pay really well in Australia, so it's a money making opportunity I would be foolish to pass up.  Anyway, I hope I'm not boring you all to death with my, just for fun (for now), design boards.

The Gifts Are In The Mail...

My birthday gifts are all in the mail and won't be arriving until well after by actual birthday, but they're all exactly what I wished for!

I'm getting these Kilim pillows from Turkey, from my husband...









and my Mom bought me these calligraphy brushes from Wisteria...

Birthday Wish List...

My birthday is in February and I've been admiring a few things, so I thought I'd throw together a little post to give a few people some ideas....oh, and to share some cool stuff with you all...

{Graphic printed basket, papier mache tortoise shell, kilim pillow, kilim pillow, calligraphy brush, calligraphy brush, calligraphy brush}

Topping the list are a few kilim pillows and a collection of calligraphy brushes!  They seem to always make my yearly Christmas list and Birthday list...hint, hint!

Calligraphy Brushes...and Regret

While living in Korea, one of my favorite things to do was to make the trip to Seoul (a couple times a month) and ride the subway all around and explore different shopping districts, temples, museums, the zoo, etc.  However, the antique districts, temples and palaces were my favorite spots to visit...and photograph.  I love to explore and immerse myself in the antiquity of a place.

Even with all the shopping I managed to accomplish...and trust me there was aplenty....I still managed to leave the country with a few purchasing or rather lack of purchasing regrets.  My number one regret is having not purchased even one of the many beautiful calligraphy brushes!  

{image via steve barru photographs}

I would stand at store windows and admire the displays of them, in all sizes, designs and styles and tell my husband that I planned to buy some, but time just seemed to slip away and I just never did!

{image via circa trade}

{image via circa trade}

{image via circa trade}

Since leaving Korea, I've seen beautiful calligraphy brushes in stores in Hawaii and on the mainland (even at Tuesday Morning), but I never picked any up. I think I just wished I'd bought them in Korea, for the memory! Actually, I do have the memory of them, but I'd still love to have some to pick-up and handle, to display and to pass down to our son and possible future Grandchildren...do you know what I mean?

{image via fotopedia}



{image via the world effect}



{image via armory antiques}

Here are a couple display ideas I found. 

{image via dear designer}



{image via home decorating news}

I've decided that I am going to start collecting them!  They're just too beautiful not to!  My traveling days are far from over and I'm adding calligraphy brushes to my list of must have souvenirs!  You know what...I think I may even make a trip into Chinatown this weekend and see what they have to offer, maybe I'll find a beauty to keep as a memory of my life in Hawaii?  If I make it there, I'll be sure to take photos for a Weekend Recap post!