In December, I flew to South Korea to visit my sister Julie, who until recently lived and worked in Seoul. For me, dressing for Seoul was completely driven by weather and suitcase space. Coming from (mostly) sunny California, the weather seemed so cold! The other issue was that clothing sold here is not exactly weather-appropriate for winter in Korea and clothing in Korea is too small for me, such is life. Thankfully, Julie made some suggestions and I got really lucky at the mall. I also ate lots and lots of hoddeok to keep warm.
Me : coat:Laundry By Shelli Segal; tote 1: Twill Tote in Navy from Everlane; tote 2:The Nanugi Bag from the Design Plaza; shoes: Dolce Vita Shoes from Nordstrom Rack, gloves: handmade gift. Julie : coat and bag:H&M; scarf and gloves: Infiniti scarf and leather gloves (not pictured, in the bag) from Nordstrom Rack.
Thanks for reading! New video, vlog from visiting the Old Palace coming on Sunday!
I recently discovered the Lush Daddy-O Shampoo. Don’t let the purple stuff inside fool you! It’s like magic! My hair feels so light, smells good, and most importantly, it doesn’t get tangled after I wash it. I don’t think this is an intended effect, but it’s what happens and I’m not going to argue.
April has been a busy month at work so I’ve been trying to keep organized and stay on top of things. One thing that has helped me is The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing written by Marie Kondo, who is a Japanese organizing consultant and has a business in Tokyo transforming homes and spaces. I picked this book up at Vroman’s Bookshop in Pasadena (thanks to Karen!) and it has transformed not just my closet, but my life. I got rid of so many things and discovered that I had been stockpiling paper, toothpaste and random things that I didn’t need. Another thing I bought from the bookshop is the Stackbook, a sketchbook from Plumb Notebooks. This sketchbook is so beautiful with cream-colored paper and color swatches from a project by artist Linda Geary.
To get drawing, I brought out my long-time favorite sumi ink. The one I’m currently using is the Sumi Drawing Ink in a 180ml Bottle from Daiso. I often feel that I waste “good” ink on sketches and doodles, and then I end up just not drawing which is silly. To get myself to draw more without worrying about wasting materials, I just got a big bottle of this stuff. In my opinion, it’s good quality for the price. There’s something about drawing flowers in April that cheers me up, with all the birds singing outside and the sunshine.
Indoors, I’ve been addicted to YouTube, and one of the reasons why is Fran Meneses who has an amazing channel about drawing and going out and drawing and hauls about drawing. Wow. Watching her work and talk about finding an illustration style has been eye-opening and inspired me to start my own channel.
Looking forward to May!
(Photo: Huntington Library Botanical Gardens, see others at orloviephoto.tumblr)
Here’s how this adventure began: “You’ve never been to Olvera Street? We’re going to Olvera Street.” Starting out in Pasadena, Karen, Jeremy and I took the Metro out to LA. Taking the train will save you the hassle of trying to find and pay for parking. Honestly, I love the Metro – you get to skip the traffic and catch up on Hearthstone.. I mean, the news.
If you haven’t had breakfast or lunch, a great place to stop is the Grand Central Market. Want tasty sandwiches? They got that. Sticky mango rice that you’ll end up craving days after? That too. They’ve got healthy juices, meats, and if they are missing something then it’s sure to be opening up next week or so. This time, we were there for Eggslut, a breakfast place that serves up egg-centrific American food. There’s no way around it, Eggslut is deeply hipster and loved by very many people, so make sure to get there early. After devouring my breakfast I can tell you, it’s worth the wait. For coffee, Karen introduced me to B&G Coffee and their almond and macadamia nut latte. So good, even the New York Times mostly agrees.
From there we headed to Union Station to get our photo on. Unfortunately, taking pictures in the tunnels is prohibited according to security but I can understand, safety reasons and all that. With it’s iconic interior and exterior architecture, there’s a great many spectacular views so it’s definitely worth a visit.
Olvera Street is across from Union Station, so head there on foot. I would recommend bringing cash because right away you’ll see lots of stalls filled with things you want. The day we were visiting there was a performance at the adjacent Los Angeles Plaza Park, a nice spot to rest if you’ve been walking all day. Olvera Street is one of the oldest parts of Downtown LA making it a tourist destination and a lively place for people watching and photos. You can visit the oldest historical residence in LA, the Avila Adobe, grab a bite to eat or buy as many sugar skull crafts as you can carry.
