Something I’m proud of in the last few days

June 16, 2016June 16, 2016Leave a comment

Today is day 9 of the Blogging babes challenge I’ve been doing with my friend from Polkadots&Popcorn. I had some real trouble thinking of something that made me proud the last few days. The thing is… in Korea there isn’t much to do on a day to day basis. Generally I wake up, spend some time online, get ready for work, leave for work, come home and go to bed. So there isn’t really time to do something worth being proud of.

This morning however I went to the gym. An actual gym with equipment, not our Park gym or home gym. I decided to greet my old friend ‘the electric scale’ and boy did she have some wonderful news for me. It seems like since I’ve been changing my eating habits a bit and trying to be more active I have managed to lose 3 kilograms in the past 2 months. I was pretty happy. Therefore I decided that this must be the thing that I’m most proud of in the last few days. It seems that changing a few things like buying less coffees and bread at work can make some changes even if it takes longer than one expects.

Pears

Apples

Everything Chanel

June 9, 2016June 9, 2016Leave a comment

I recently saw this beautiful picture on Pinterest and wondered how I could recreate this look. The bulk of the decor is Chanel inspired.

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Since I don’t have a lot of furniture in my little Korean apartment I will have to first get the staples like the couch, armchair and desk, but I have to make due with what I have for the moment so this is what I will need.

Modern Armchair, Parsons Desk, Leather chair and Modern Chesterfield style sofa

Various options for wall deco to recreate the look on the walls next to the curtians

Curtains and carpets

I saw these lovely pillows on Etsy

Lighting requirements

What to pack for a summer holiday in Korea

June 2, 2016June 2, 2016Leave a comment

This weekend we’re off to Busan to meet up with my brother and his wife for 3 days. We’ve booked the hotel, bus and train tickets, and we’ve printed out the itinerary. The only thing left to do is pack our clothes.

Travelling clothes. Because we’re going to travel first by bus and then by train I’ve decided to wear something simple and easy to move around with. This entails a comfortable but pretty shirt, jeans and some comfy sandals.

We’ve decided to go out for dinner the first night so I’m taking a cocktail dress with some high heels. I’m also taking a scarf because it’s not really appropriate to let your shoulders hang out in Korea.

As is always the case, living in Korea involves lots and lots of walking, therefore a pair of comfortable shoes is always a must. For walking around I’m taking some shorts and casual dresses.

Black monochromes

Cream and salmon ensemble.

For the ride home I will probably wear my jeans and mix it up with one of the other shirts, depending on how I feel.

Diner en Blanc ( Seoul)

May 17, 2016October 24, 20162 Comments

Diner en Blanc is a prestigious event held all around the world. It is inspired by François Pasquier who invited a group of his friends to meet him after a long journey. They decided to meet each other in a public park and everyone was requested to wear white so they could easily find each other. In honour of this event I’ve decided to collect a number of outfits one can possible wear to such an event. If you’re not attending one of these events you can always invite a bunch of your friends to a park for a casual picnic ( all dressed in white)

ROBERTO CAVALLI

ROLAND MOURET

DOLCE & GABBANA

STELLA MCCARTNEY

Nastygal

Revolve

These outfits were taken from Net-A-Porter, Revolve and Nasty Gal. Remember to keep your outfit classy.

What you need for a white picnic in the park. Ask your friends to bring a table and 2 fold up chairs along with their own table cloth and maybe some table decorations. It can be as elaborate as you prefer.

Don’t forget the French Inspired food. For more French inspired food you can look at the blog Manger. She is a French food blogger with great recipes and ideas.

Raspberry Tart

TURKEY ROLLS WITH MUSTARD & CREAM

Cheese platter

Escargots à la Bourguignonne

Macarons

Some more inspiration for arranging your own flowers and party treats.

The Flower Recipe Book & Sweet Designs: Bake It, Craft It, Style It

Deoksugung Palace Korea Part 1

May 3, 2016May 4, 20162 Comments

I’ve been in Korea more than a year and only recently had the opportunity to visit one of the Palaces. Contrary to popular belief, as a teacher in Korea, you do not have all the time in the world to do the touristy thing. But we had some time to spare on Sunday and decided to walk to one of the Palaces. Deoksugung Palace is situated in the Myeongdong district in Seoul.

History

Deoksugung Palace served as the king’s residence twice during the Joseon Dynasty. It was originally the home of King Seonjo and Prince Wolson who temporarily lived there after the Japanese forces withdrew from Korea in 1593. He lived here because all the main palaces where destroyed during the war. Prince Gwanghae renamed the Palace Gyeongungung Palace after rebuilding the palace and making it his main resident. The palace was used as a main residence by Gojong again during 1897. During the Joseon Dynasty the state was proclaimed an empire. The palace halls were rebuild and the compound was expanded to some three times its present size. Unfortunately Gojong was forced to hand his empire over to his son who became Emporor Sunjong in 1907. Emperor Sunjong Moved into Changdeokgung Palace and bestowed the title of Deoksu (virtue and long life) on his father, wishing him a long life. The compound came to be called Deoksugung Palace and the former emperor remained here until his death in 1919

Both Korean and Western architecture dominate the site. While walking amongst the Korean style buildings it feels like you’re walking in a different time. Almost like you’re part of a different era. It was quite an amazing feeling.

To get there you can take the dark blue line (line 1) and get off at the City Hall, across from Seoul Plaza. Alternatively if you get off at Myongdong (light blue line) you can walk about 2 blocks down Eulji-ro, past Lotte Duty Free to get there. Its right across from Seoul Plaza.

Next week I will feature the western style architecture at Deoksugung Palace.

Interesting reads to help save money in Korea