Crafts, shopping, & yummy ice cream.

I've been feeling a little crafty lately.  It started with a 'craft day' with friends a few weeks ago.  My neighbor friend made these curtains for us.  I stitched the pillows, along with several piano runners.  I like the way it turned out.

On a semi-related note, shopping here is a whole new experience.  There are small shops and giant malls, and not much in between.  The malls are organized by department/floor.  So the basement is grocery, 1st floor: kid's clothes, 2nd: home decor, etc.  And there's usually a food court floor, sometimes including McDonald's or Baskin Robbins.  All the malls I've visited so far have at least 6 floors.  

This past Thursday, I got to visit Dongdaemun in Seoul for the first time.  Dongdaemun is named for the "Great East Gate."  The actual gate is across the street from all the shopping.  More info here.

Dongdaemun shopping district is Korea's largest wholesale and retail shopping district, consisting of 26 shopping malls!  I was there for about 3 hours, and was only able to explore about half of one floor of one building.  Most of the floors were fabrics - everything from drapes to silks to flannel.  You can just buy fabric, or choose what you want and they will make it for you.  It's fantastic!

Despite all the fabric, I spent my morning on the accessories floor.  They had all types of jewelery, in individual pieces so you could create your own, or pre-made.  Since I'm kinda picky about the jewelery I like, I decided to buy the pieces and make my own.  I got the stuff for about $20, and made five necklaces this morning.  And I still have a lot of extras left over, for the next time I get the crafty bug.

Another piece of Korea trivia I just learned.  Koreans celebrate Valentine's Day on Feb 14, just like we do in America.  But according to Korean tradition, Feb 14th is when women give gifts to men.  So, on March 14th, the men are expected to return the favor.  So, essentially, there are two "lovers days!"  Because it's still Valentine's season, Baskin Robbins still has their Valentine's flavors.  I am addicted to Love Potion #31 - swirls of vanilla and raspberry ice cream, with raspberry-filled chocolate hearts throughout.  Yum!