Adventures: Trick Eye Museum in Seoul

I am going to share a little about a weekend outing that Rich and I took to the Trick Eye Museum in Hongdae! Rich and I were rearing to go this weekend and had originally planned to spend our Saturday soaking up nature, but some unfortunate weather moved into the area and made the day rather bleak. Undeterred we decided to make the best of our day and headed inside for a fun visit to the Trick Eye Museum in Seoul, or Santorini Seoul.

We started the day in typical Waygook fashion and got lost shortly after leaving the subway. Doh! I made the mistake of following the Korea Tourism directions...do not do this if you want to get to the museum in a timely manner, and are not that familiar with Hongdae.

LUCKILY, Rich is a savant with directions and maps and got us back on track, which was wonderful since it was FREEZING outside.

Santorini Seoul is located in Hongdae, not to be confused with the Santorini Seoul Greek restaurant in Itaewon. The museum is fairly easy to get to (with proper directions..DON'T JUDGE ME!) and costs 13,000 won for admission, there are 3 separate galleries for you to visit and a small hall of mirrors. I will say that it was a rather small museum and so getting to all of the 3D paintings was a bit tricky, so if you visit the museum make sure to have some patience with you.
 

Here are some photos of our favorite exhibits

Rich and I had a blast at the museum and we thought it was well worth the price even with our initial stint getting lost. I really enjoyed it and I am happy to have finally crossed it off my list of things to do in Seoul. I would definitely recommend this for both a date or group activity, and especially for breaking up the cabin fever feeling that can come with bad weather.

Here is a really great map that I found on how to reach the museum from either Hapjung station or Hongik station....I wish I had found this earlier! When you come to the museum it will be in the basement of the building so just keep an eye out for the museum signs!

Here is the museum website http://trickeye.com/English/index.php

The museum is open from 10am to 9pm everyday, which is AWESOME, especially for the teachers in Seoul who might want to swing by after work.

Have a wonderful day and keep an eye out for new vintage items in the shop! We had a great photo shoot today and will be adding some real beauties very soon.

Orange Banana Smoothie

I will be sharing a smoothie recipe which takes my current fruit obsession to a whole new level! Lately, I have been obsessed with oranges and cannot seem to get enough of the sweet citrus treat, and this morning I was hankering for a new way to enjoy the fruit. I turned to my blender and thought for a few minutes while surveying the contents of my fridge before whipping up this simple, healthy, and yummy smoothie.

What you need:
1/4 cup Milk (I used Lactaid milk because of my lactose intolerance, but real milk would work just as well. Also, if you are lactose intolerant like me, but prefer soy milk I am certain that it would be just as delicious)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 medium orange, peeled and quartered
1 frozen banana (I used a frozen banana because I wanted to add creaminess to the smoothie and wanted to avoid ice to keep the flavor from being watered down)

Directions:

Get your blender handy and get ready to make smoothie magic!

Put all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.

Pour smoothie and enjoy!

Makes one serving

Nutrition:
Fat: .54g
Carbs: 56.21g
Fiber: 6.18g
Protein: 10.51g

Weight Watchers Points+: 5pts

Have a wonderful day and I hope that y'all enjoy this healthy treat when you want to shake up your morning routine! It tastes almost like an orange creamsicle, which makes this smoothie a winner for welcoming spring.

Funday Friday!

Today I am going to share a little slice from my everyday life in Seoul! I am working towards a routine of keeping the blog updated, and I definitely want to make sure to share the small things that make living in Seoul so special to me.

To start I had the Taekwondo 3rd Gup belt test today for my first stripe on my red belt, and I did really well! I started to study Taekwondo when I moved to South Korea almost a year ago and I can honestly say that the experience has been amazing. I cannot tell you much I have enjoyed learning Taekwondo in the traditional Korean style, and the amount of self-discipline and reflection that it has given me is invaluable.

BUT! That isn't to say that class is all seriousness and no fun. After the testing requirements for the day were fulfilled we all had a bit of fun with a spare breaking board and I wanted to share it with all of you! Yes, that is me! How do you like my Kihap?

 

After all my sparring and testing was done for the day I headed over to the Hagwon, I taught English at to take some Easter treats to my old class. I love dropping in to surprise them all and when I do there is never a shortage of smiles, hugs, and laughs. Here are a couple of shots from my absolutely favorite class that I think of as "my kids".

The privilege of being a teacher to so many children while I have lived in South Korea has literally changed my life and my heart has become so much fuller for having met them. I love every single one of my former students and I miss seeing their smiling faces everyday!


Expect a grand 'ol shop update/rehaul VERRRRRY soon! I have been working hard at getting spring vintage in stock and decided to rephotograph just about everything now that I feel that I have a system that I enjoy.

I hope y'all liked this little bit of my Friday in Seoul.

Have a wonderful day!

Modcloth: What I Wore

Today I'm going to share how I took two wonderful pieces from Modcloth to create a fun, but sophisticated look for a dress-to-impress occasion. A while back I mentioned that I was going to be heading stateside to visit a university that I was interested in attending for graduate school, and now that all of my decisions have been made I wanted to share a little of what happened!

I'm more than a TEENSY bit superstitious and I was convinced that if I shared early it would all come to naught. I blame my years as a softball player for my superstitious nature...I still can't walk onto a field without tapping my feet against the first post by the entrance. >.>

Anyhow, I went to the University of Alabama and I was blown away by how beautiful the campus is! I am a total sucker for brick and 19th century architecture and a winning football team NEVER hurt anyone. I am a rabid college football fan, but no matter where I go for graduate school, I will remain true to my first love the Kansas State's Wildcats! I LOVE, BILL! Did I mention how much I love college football?! Haha, yep.

I had a really great visit, but I was pretty conflicted about what I should wear to visit the school and meet people from the university. Because I spent most of my time teaching younger students in a school with a black t-shirt and jeans dress code my office appropriate attire is pretty much non-existent. I realized that while such a lax dress code at the Hagwon, I worked for made dressing for work a snap it also didn't encourage my professional wardrobe. I always fool myself into thinking that I have an amazing wardrobe due to all the shopping and modeling that I do for the shop, Seoul Sold. Whoops!

In a pinch, I turned to Modcloth for inspiration and ended up putting together a winning outfit for my visit! One of the things I love about Modcloth is that so many of the pieces are not only fun and stylish, but also of the appropriate lengths and I've never purchased an item that looked cheap. Perfect for the woman looking to make a great impression without sacrificing her personality to a black pantsuit. (I DO love a good pantsuit, just not EVERYday)

I decided on buying the Essential Elegance Skirt, and the Run and Hydrangea Top. I was drawn to both items due to their versatility and I figured whatever the weather in Alabama, I would be able to make an outfit or two out of them.

I loved how well the two items went together, and that I would be able to use them separately to get the most out of my closet. The pretty secretary top would do well with jeans or a skirt and can easily be dressed up or down. When paired with the essential elegance skirt the floral pattern of the blouse helped create a balanced outfit that didn't look too heavy, but well constructed and thoughtful. The essential elegance skirt's quality is outstanding, but if worn incorrectly it could easily overwhelm whoever is wearing it due to its heavy fabric and length. I will say that the double-tier draping warranted a few twirls when I first put it on. Such a pretty and classy skirt! Just like the hydrangea top the skirt could easily go with a casual top like a v-neck shirt or a dressier top for a night out on the top.

I was THRILLED with my purchases and I couldn't have been happier with how they came together for my big visit to Alabama, a visit that went GREAT! I will have more wonderful news very soon about my graduate school future!

Shop the items:
Modcloth
Essential Elegance Skirt: 69.99 get it, here
Run and Hydrangea Top: 34.99 get it, here

Sneak Peek!

After being computerless for much longer than I liked, I am finally back! I didn't end of getting a new computer, but instead got my old one repaired which was a relief! I had thought a new computer was a must since every service center I visited refused to work on macs....or to speak English. My Hangul is improving everyday, but a discussion about hard drives and ports is still waaaaaaay out of grasp for me. To help me out in my language fix a Korean friend of mine helped and went with me to the nearest mac specific service center we could find in the city, and they handled the linguistic side of the visit!

HAPPY DAY!

Now I have my computer back with a brand-new hard drive and I am ready to start reinstalling all my software, AND have started getting together a major shop update! Here are a few of the newest items that will soon be making it into the shop! I hope you all like them, are as excited for the spring season, and all the great fashion and colors that come with it like I am!

Another one bites the dust...

My beautiful mac has gone the way of the Dodo bird and died on me about a week and a half ago. I have been missing my lovely mac like I lost my right arm, and I have definitely been itching to have my beauty back since I have a whole SHOP FULL OF UPDATES just sitting there on my flash drive!!

I am on my husband's PC right now and for some reason it is not agreeing with my blog or shop. Also, trying to get things up and editing without my software/mac platform has proven to be harder than I realized. I am pretty much smashing my fists and face into my husband's computer and hoping that it works. I cannot believe how dependent on the mac's setup I have become!

I think I may be getting a new pretty baby in a week or so, and I have my fingers crossed that I have a bright and shiny present coming my way! I can't wait to get back to a normal posting schedule and I have a slew of new vintage finds, reviews, and adventures all ready to go when I am finally plugged back in.

I think I have been dealing with my mac-less situation decently, but who can say? Has this happened to anyone else and how did you deal with it? As a blogger/etsy shop owner I know that I am starting to feel the itch!