Better Late than Never

So.................................. some time in 2014 I had the opportunity to travel to Korea (of course for work).

Here are a few pictures of the most memorable, and by far, MY favorite place, in Busan, South Korea.

sometimes spelled Pusan, depending on who is writing it

Ladies and Gents,
        Welcome to the wonderful and amazing market of Busan "Busanjin Market"  <3

 There were five floors of household goods. 


Make sure you have a print out of the address in Korean (just in case you get a male cabbie or they don't speak English)


I had an amazing cab driver. I not only learned a couple of haggling words before I went in (thanks cabbie) but I received a little history on the market!! According to Mr. Cab driver, the Busanjin market is the "newlyweds market".  It is where a woman and/or her family would go to get anything she may need for her new home, or for her family to find fabric for traditional bridal wear. Double click the photo below to really see it, do it some justice.



Here is a terrible panoramic view of 1/4 of one floor. Lots of fabric and merchants to choose from, all within different price ranges.

These are Hanbok, traditional dresses. More and more women enjoy the western bridal look but there are still some that stick to tradition.

Not an Artist!

Hello all!  So being in the military I have had the opportunity to meet so many talented people, dancers, musicians, poets, writers, just true artists. Well I didn't really get the artistry gene (I can dance and sing.... not SANG.... just sing) but I try sometimes. Well recently my command held our annual children's Christmas party, they are always looking for volunteers. Last year I helped with the cookie decorating station, easy for me as a baker, this year I saw an opening for face painting. I jumped right on it and offered myself. 


Now you may be wondering, "why did you offer to face paint if you can't draw?" My response to that would be, "That is an amazing question that I don't have an answer for other than that fact that it was an exciting impulsive idea."  Now about 3 days before the party that question did finally hit me, like a sack of potatoes. No, Like a brick. No, I guess more like an anvil.... you know the cartoon AMC anvils that fall randomly from the sky and crush you! Well that happened! So I jumped into action, I found a lady in our area who does face painting purchased some supplies from her to practice, used a mannequin head I had purchased from the Daiso (Japanese dollar general) almost a year ago but never used and started drawing.


Thanks to Official Snazaroo YouTube channel I could at least draw a butterfly going in to the party event.

Not the best but this is how I looked after 4 hours. Yes I did this myself!
This was my I'm tired smile!


After that I just Googled  <- can this actually be used as a word?
By the end of the afternoon I had draw about 3 butterflies, 4 Christmas tree scenes (snow falling, snow on the ground, gifts under the tree), 2 gingerbread men, a princess crown, Santa hat, and a sad Pikachu. Now I did have the joy and opportunity to start with my own boys to practice (snowman and Pikachu).  Now for the adults that saw the Pikachu photo they immediately laughed and thought I was copying some Pokémon meme, unfortunately not so, just first time drawing Pika. Using mind you.. a Google search "how to draw Pikachu step by step".


As the afternoon went on I became a little more confident (stayed away from Pikachu or any real drawing) but my work got better. The kids were happy, the parents were happy, and I volunteered. So Yay!! <3.. never again though (face painting that is)! I will leave this to the professionals in my area!

My boys and two young ladies that let me take a photo!

I had fun, it was interesting and now I know face painting is not a strong suit for me. My boys had a blast playing in the fake snow snuck a photo with Santa and rocked out with their friends.

Super blurry on one side----photo of a photo! Snowman face paint going strong!

Always remember:


*Everyday you are living you will learn something new (big or small)
*Never be afraid to try
*You are never too old to learn/try something new!




***volunteer for things you KNOW you can do!*** LOL


From my family to yours Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa

Cheap mom Blue Velvet cookie style

So I decided allowing my twin boys to spend $2.50 daily on cookies during school lunch was getting expensive. That's $12.50 a week or $50 a month (if my math is right!) I don't know about you but that's ridiculous!!!! So I went on a hunt for fun and easy recipes.

I found a lemon cookie made with 4 ingredients (www.tastesoflizzyt.com) so I started wondering if it can be made with other flavors……well slap my knee, as I kept reading Lizzy clearly stated the concept could be used with other flavors! No more wondering needed.

4 "ingredients":  a box of cake mix, frozen whipped creme (I used fresh heavy creme), an egg, and powdered sugar(optional)

The hardest part for me was changing and finding the right temp for my oven. TIP-purchase an oven thermometer, your oven temp is not always correct.

I decided to use a blue velvet cake mix and………it was a hit!!!
My picky twin 8 year old boys loved them!!
YAY WIN!!!

Check out the link for the recipe.

Have fun and enjoy!

Chalkboard Wall

Chalkboard Wall

 

 For those who may not not know I am a military service member. I don't get much time to craft or sew, I am always on deployment, but when I can I try to craft for my minions. So this particular time I decided to not only make it something that could be fun, but something that could be meaningful. Being stationed overseas you can't always get what you want from the store but here in Japan, you more than likely can find everything you want and things you never knew you wanted. 

I went to a local store called Homes (like a Lowe's or Home Depot meets Bed, Bath & Beyond, meets PetSmart!). I went perusing down the isles until I found the paint. I wasn't sure at first what I wanted to do until I saw at least 4-6 shelves of chalkboard paint and 4 shelves of magnet paint <-- didn't know this one existed. So I picked up a small container of chalkboard paint and a cheap paint roller kit.

Don't be fooled by the English labels, the instructions are definitely in Japanese!

 

  So I began the process. Taping off the area, prepping the paint tray. No my boys' wall recesses for the closet doors so taping off one side was unnecessary. Begin to paint.....

TIP: Always cover the tray with a plastic trash bag of some sort. This makes for an easy clean up and the tray can be reused

 

 

 

REMEMBER: Tape off anything you don't want painted (i.e Light fixture)

Give your self time to let each layer dry. Most of the posts that I read said to clean the walls first, I would agree with this statement to smooth out the wall(booger, sticker, tape removal) but if it is just marks, I don't feel it necessary if you are covering it with a dark paint color. 

Lay down at least 2-3 coats ***Always ventilate the room, open the windows turn on a fan.....***

TIP: Remove painters tape before final coat dries

In the end you and your loved ones will have fun writing on the walls. For me I get to leave love notes when I leave for work before they wake for school.