Boston's Japan Festival

This Sunday is the second annual Japan Festival in Boston. We participated last year and had a really fun time. The weather is suppose to be gorgeous this weekend too so I'm very excited. Here's a glimpse of some of the photos I will be selling. Hope to see you there! :)

Little Getaway

Hello all! Wow, I'm very behind with my blog postings. I assure you it's for good reasons :) I've been busy getting ready for the shows this season. I also have a few exciting business opportunities that have come up. I haven't decided what to do yet but I hope to share some goods news soon! Anyhow, James and I went to Quebec City this past weekend to celebrate our up-coming one year wedding anniversary. (I can't believe it's going to be a year already!) Here are some photos from our trip :)

(left) Yummy fresh donuts at Tim Hortons. The cherry timbits were so good!

(right) Strolling around Old Quebec.

We tried poutine for the first time and the ones at Chez Ashton were really addictive. I'm going to miss these when I'm craving for comfort foods!

We stopped by Paillard a couple of times. It's a chain bakery/cafe that was near our hotel. The pastries and food were good. Their macarons were delicious too. The cafe has a very comfortable atmosphere. 

I don't know exactly what this is called but it was good. The outside was flaky and buttery like a croissant and the inside was a frangipane (almond custard) filling.  

(left) How pretty is this store window? Love all the nutcrackers with their dessert-hats!

(right) I love how high up Le Chateau Frontenac is. The houses lining the street is so charming too. 

Erico on rue Saint-Jean is a must-visit for any chocolate lover. The chocolates are pretty and tasted amazing. I especially love the jasmine one (pictured in back). It was divine!

We found these awesome macarons at Marche du Vieux-Port (a farmer's market in Lower Town). Aren't the colors amazing? They tasted great too. I am so inspired by them. I can't wait to make a vibrant batch of macarons now! Btw, we also bought locally made maple butter and apple butter at this market. (The vendor won us over with her delicious samples!) It's a fun place to go and see where the locals shop.

We stayed at Le Chateau Frontenac and were greeted with these beautiful flowers in the lobby everyday. 

Quebec City is so charming and the people are really nice. We had such a fun and relaxing time. I have to thank my wonderful husband for planning everything. He got a lot of brownie points for this one! :)

Great Start

We had an amazing turnout for opening day this year. It was a great way to start the open market season. I want to thank my wonderful friends for coming out and always being so supportive of my little business. Thank you to all who stopped by as well :)

I'm so happy that many of these cuties found new loving homes! I love the display frame that my brother built for me. I'm lucky to have such a talented family! Don't know what I would do without their support ♥

SoWa Opening Day this Sunday!

Time really flies! We're entering our 3rd season at SoWa Open Market this Sunday and I can't wait! I am so excited to debut these cute throw pillows that mom and I have been making for the past few months. I've shared pictures of them in this post before but since then we've made three more adorable animals - bears, monkeys, and pigs - and also mini versions too! Don't you want to take one home with you? :)

These handmade miniature guitar pins/brooches will also be available for purchase. These are handmade by my uncle in the Netherlands (see more of his work here). They are extremely intricate. (Look at the guitar strings!) I am so proud to be able to share his amazing work. Btw, I think these pins would be such a cool alternative for a boutonniere for a guitar-loving groom-to-be!

These wired headbands are also new for the season. Mom and I made these too! They are pretty and fun to wear. I was inspired to make them after seeing them in Asia and finding out that they are hard to find here.

As always, my photos will be available for purchase. Hope to see you at opening day! :)

Perfect Simple Sandwiches

Hi everyone! I'm happy to start blogging again after the tough week we had (Boston Strong!!!). I still have a lot of photos to share from our honeymoon and today I want to talk about our favorite breakfast place in Seoul. Almost every morning, James and I bought sandwiches at this place call Isaac which was just a few steps away from our hotel.

They were simple sandwiches with just ham, egg, and cheese but they were delicious! They were made to order so the sandwiches were nice and warm. The bread was perfectly toasted with a bit of butter. There was some sort of sauce on it too. I'm not sure what it was but it was slightly sweet and made the sandwiches extra tasty. We looked forward to eating them every morning. (Don't worry, we still ate plenty of yummy Korean food!)

We really love finding little places like this when we travel. The funny thing is that we both thought this was a mom-and-pop business because it was tiny and the same nice lady made our sandwiches every time. It wasn't until a few weeks ago when I watched Eat Your Kimchi that I found out that Isaac is actually a very popular chain in South Korea with thousands of stores! So weird that we didn't see any other one the entire time we were there. (Maybe it's a good thing because I would've been tempted to eat it all the time! lol)

Happily waiting for our sandwiches :)

James tried a "VIP" toast one morning while I stuck with my regular order :) The VIP had a burger patty, a fried egg, shredded cabbage, pickles, and a different type of sauce. It was good but we both like the classic one better. 

They are known as toasts in Korea and they are so satisfying. The best thing is that they only cost about two dollars! I highly recommend them :)

Btw, I love watching Simon and Martina's videos on Eat Your Kimchi. They are such a cute and fun couple. Their videos were helpful and fun to watch when I was planning our trip.

Boston in my heart

My beloved city suffered a tragic event yesterday. A joyous day of celebration is marred by a senseless act of violence. My heart is heavy for the pain and loss. My thoughts are with the people who are injured, their family and friends, and all who had to witness the horrific scenes firsthand. I hope that they will be able to eventually find peace.

Thank you to all the heroic people who were out there. Their bravery, courage, and selflessness shined through and showed that there is much more good than evil in this world.

I love my city. We are strong. We are resilient. We will be okay.

And the winner is...

Who's lucky #3 on my list?  

It's Devon!!! Wait...that's my sister! lol That's too funny but it won't do. She gets a lot of goodies from me already so I'm sure she wouldn't mind that I pick another winner :)

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE IF IT'S YOU!

Thank you all for participating and supporting my little blog! It means so much to me! Please stay tuned for more giveaways :)