I'm a Craft Hoarder!

My craft room has been a catch-all since I broke my elbow in March. I had never broken anything but a toe before that and the added insult of being right handed and breaking my right elbow put me over the edge. You can ask anyone who knows me that I am always doing something crafty. I just can't sit and do nothing. Even when we travel, I bring something to do.

Mentally, the broken elbow brought me low and then the worry of the trip to Korea just a month later was an added worry. I was not going to postpone that trip for anything although now knowing what happened I am thinking the broken elbow was a sign to do just that. The broken elbow made doing everything difficult if not impossible and slowed me down.

This photo above is the entrance to my craft room.

The broken elbow was just the beginning of the piles and the trip to Korea just compounded it. Also the shape that Rocketman returned from Korea in and all the doctor visits and subsequent surgeries made the piles grow.

When I finally decided to tackle the mess, I realized that I just had too much stuff and needed to do some purging. I went through everything including years worth of magazines and donated and threw out things. If I hadn't used something in the last few years, out it went. It took a week to get through it all. I have put some of the magazines on Ebay if anyone is interested.

                                     I'm still not completely finished and I may never be.

                                                    But it sure looks a lot better.

My dream house would have a second floor as a craft room. But for now, I'm very happy.

A Box From South Korea!

My Korean girlfriend, Hannah, emailed me a few months ago asking if I would order some things for her brother. I was happy to do it and also told her if there was anything she (or her sister) wanted that I could order that too and ship it all together. She could, in turn, buy me some things I want from Korea and whatever else to make up the difference. A win-win for both of us. On my list was some hanji paper, hanji books that I don't already have and a Korean purse. I had sent her box a few weeks ago and it arrived safe and sound. I also included some U.S. candy for her niece and nephews. I was so excited when I received my box. It was huge and this is what was inside:
     Korean ramyeon and snacks. They worked great as packing peanuts and tasted a whole lot better.

                           A Starbucks coffee cup for Rocketman and a cute bedazzled shoe for me.

                                                                   Not just one purse.

                                                                But two!

I also wanted a dojong (chop) with "sarang" on it. That's the word for "love" in Korean. I have some ideas of how to use it with polymer clay.  I also got a gorgeous brooch.

                                                             A cute wall hanging.

A bojagi (Korean quilting) book and a hanji pattern book. I also got some hanji paper.

 

It was just like Christmas and I loved everything Hannah had bought. But it was also bittersweet because it made me miss South Korea even more. But I would definitely do it again.



A New Driveway!

We sent in our very last house payment this month so we thought it was a perfect time to get a cement driveway. The asphalt was in pretty bad shape in spots.

                                                    It was also sinking near the garage.

 

The first day the crew removed all the asphalt including our basketball hoop (at Rocketman's request) and laid the gravel for the cement.

We also replaced our sidewalk. It had sunken and had gotten pretty wonky. They poured this the first day too.

And just as the crew pulled out for the day, the UPS man came and stepped OVER the yellow tape and left us this little reminder of his visit.

We were livid. Rocketman called the cement guy to see what could be done and was told to use a broom to smooth it out.  It worked somewhat.  We just couldn't believe he did it.  Let's see we have yellow tape marking the area and we have a once asphalt driveway gone with equipment left in the driveway. Hmmmm.



They finished it the next day and it took all day to do it. We can't drive on it for a week but we love it!

I also made my own laundry detergent this week using this recipe. I tripled the recipe and it filled this container quite nicely.

Neighborhood Canadian Geese

  

I walk three miles everyday and on my walk I pass by a small pond. A few months ago I met this family of Canadian geese. Papa goose did not like me walking anywhere near his little family but I really had no choice and I thought that he would get used to seeing me everyday.

When the babies were little, they would hit the pond to get away from me. I loved watching one adult at the front of the line and the other at the end.

 

                                      I watched them grow each week as I walked by.

Sometimes I ran by when Daddy goose chased after me. I was afraid he would bite my ankles. He really is fierce.

The bigger the babies grew, the less inclined they were to move when I walked by choosing instead to squawk at me and shake their wings.

This is the family this morning as I walked by.  Now that they are getting bigger I sometimes go a week without seeing them thinking they left.

But Daddy goose was keeping a close eye on me, ready to chase me off if necessary. It's been so much fun watching this family grow.

Eastern Medicine in Minnesota

 Rocketman is still struggling with fatigue after his nightmare kidney stone in South Korea so I talked him into some Eastern medicine. My doctor had recommended Dr. Ren and I made an appointment last Friday for Rocketman. I went along for curiosity sake. The St. Paul clinic is located in an old mansion.

This photo is taken as you walk into the office. I loved, loved, loved the charm. It was 19th century meets Asian influences. They had kept so much of the bones of the home like the latticework in the entryway and the stain glassed windows.

They even had the Chinese herbs like we found in the Korean Eastern medicine doctor's office.

This is the waiting room where you wait for Dr. Ren to come retrieve you for treatment. You also need to remove your shoes before you go upstairs into a treatment room. I loved the creaking sounds as patients went up and down the staircase.

                  There is also a cat named Tai Ji that is the friendliest cat I had ever encountered.

                                              We also found this notice about Tai Ji.

 

Kitty loved Rocketman. Rocketman filled out a short questionnaire that just asked about medications he was on. He went upstairs and she took his pulse in each wrist and told him that he had a weak kidney. Wow! She had no idea what he had been through but she was spot on. She did 15 acupuncture needles on him and had him lay there for 30 minutes. She also prescribed some Asian medicine pills of which he needs to take 60 a day. He was to return in one week. We were surprised that our insurance pays for the acupuncture.

 

I'll keep you informed of his progress and if he sees any changes. He is really looking to get back to normal.

 

 

Dr. Ren also has a book.

 

 

 

Vomit Alley by Suwon Station - May 2013

This photo is of me with the owner of the Fine People convenience store located behind the Dormy. We lived in the Dormy while our apartment was prepared and it is also where we stay when we visit Korea. It's close to Suwon Station and my Paldalmum where I take my craft classes.

I met him in 2011 when it took 5 weeks for our 10 day air shipment to arrive. I was rarely without a Pepsi those days and every few days I would pick up 4-5 cans and that's how I got to know him. He also gave me a free brown egg every once in a while as a thank you which endeared him to me. He knew very, very little English but you know that has never stopped me from communicating.

He was always having trouble keeping a girlfriend because of the hours he worked. I think the store is 24 hours and he was always there whenever I stopped by. I felt so bad for him. I reconnected with him during our trip in April. He hadn't changed a bit and was still having trouble getting and keeping a girlfriend. This time he told me he wants an American girlfriend.

It was really wonderful to see him again.

I also took a video of Vomit Alley. It was really funny when my Korean girlfriends came down to visit when Rocketman was in the hospital. They would walk that way to catch the bus back to Seoul at night and they couldn't believe the vomit piles they saw. They told me that it was awful and not like Seoul at all. So they understood how I came up with the name.

A Wonderful Surprise from PolymerCAFE Magazine

I was contacted by Trina Williams, a contributor to PolymerCAFE magazine, a few weeks prior to our trip to South Korea asking if I would like to be their next featured artist. I was so surprised and happy for the opportunity. I had met Trina years ago during a taping of The Carol Duvall Show where she interviewed me along with other polymer clay artists there on that day for an article she was working on for the Polyinformer.

She started by emailing me a list of questions which I answered and emailed back. Then we spoke on the phone for some final questions and thoughts. They also wanted a polymer clay project to go along with the interview. I decided to put my love of Korea into the project and I made a Korean hanbok girl.

She turned out great and I love the photo Rocketman took of her. You can find my interview and the instructions on how to make the hanbok girl in the August 2013 edition of PolymerCAFE. I want to thank Trina for doing a wonderful job on the article. I am truly honored to be part of this wonderful magazine.