SweetShop Adventures; Dongdaemun Market

Greetings SweetShoppers! It's been a while since I've posted, but the weather here in Korea is cooling down so I find myself with more time and less humidity on my hands--perfect for crafting and blogging about crafting. One of the biggest crafting challenges I've found since I've come to Korea this year is finding a reliable, inexpensive source of crafting supplies.

For example, there's a cute little yarn shop near my house with some gorgeous yarn on display. The proprietor is a cute little old lady and one of the fastest knitters I've ever seen--the shop windows are full of display mannequins wearing her work. Imagine my surprise when I went in there, armed with my best travel Korean and...

Me: (in broken, halting Korean; pointing at a skein of Red Heart Chunky) How much is this?

Cute Old Knitter: 20,000 won. (About 18 USD)

Me: HOW much??!!!

Cute Old Knitter: 20,000 won. Cheap, isn't it?

Sweetshoppers, you know me. I don't pay $18 for a skein of acrylic yarn. I don't pay $18 for a skein of cashmere yarn, if I can help it. And I know you. If you ever come to Korea, there is no reason YOU should pay $18 for a skein of acrylic yarn. So when some kind people from the Gangnam Stitchers group offered to show me around the famed Dongdaemun markets, where bargains and variety abound, I gladly took them up on it.

So, what is Dongdaemun like? Well...they say a picture is worth a thousand words...

The possibilities were endless...

That, SweetShoppers, is ONE stall out of hundreds in the market. Armed with only my smartphone camera, I couldn't really get a picture that captured the sheer scope of the market, but imagine several hundred of the above, spread out over a city block in a basement full of other amazing things. The best part? Those balls of cotton/acrylic blend yarn you see in that photo were only 3,000 won($2.75 USD) each.

So, what is Dongdaemun, anyway?

To give you a little bit of context, Dongdaemun(pronounced DOHNG-day-moon) Market is a 10 block area of Seoul that contains 25 shopping malls, countless independent market stalls and shops, and over 50,000 manufacturers. All in all there's over 30,000 shops, so depending on your preferences, it probably sounds like either paradise or hell. Dongdaemun is known for its clothes, textiles, crafting supplies and the nearby Gwangjang market has plenty of nooks and crannies full of deliciously kooky street food to satisfy you after your shop-a-thon.  Historically speaking the area is one of several --daemuns, including the more famous Namdaemun--"daemun" means gate, and there are eight famous gates in Seoul that were part of the old fortress wall. The market portion of the Dongdaemun area is a fairly recent addition to the Seoul cityscape, having been in existence in one form or another since 1905. After being burnt down, rebuilt, renovated and rebranded it's now one of the major tourist attractions and cultural focal points of Seoul, and I'd highly recommend a visit even if you're not a major crafter or shopper. If anything, the night market--which is exactly what it sounds like--is worth a touristy visit. 

If you're in the Seoul area, and want to go to Dongdaemun, it's conveniently located on subway lines 1 and 4. Simply get out at Dongdaemun Station and follow the signs.

Okay, enough with the history lecture...what did you see there?

Too much. Honestly, the Dongdaemun experience was a little overwhelming for me. We're talking a whole city block packed with hundreds of small stalls packed with millions of skeins and hanks and balls of yarn and their accompanying salesmen(and saleswomen.) To be honest, I only took a few pictures and I bought almost nothing because after years of buying at small independent retailers and online--it was all a little too much for me.

That said, I did have a good time seeing just how much yarn there is in the world. A lot of the stall owners are crafters themselves and proudly showed off the things they'd made from their own yarn. I took a few pictures of the things they had on display. 

The monkey was my favorite...

The one thing I DID buy was buttons...I'm making a cream colored button up cardigan for this year and it needs a classy understated button...believe it or not, I found the perfect ones here...

I spent about $1.50 on some beautiful wooden buttons from this stall...but the selection was, frankly staggering. And there were about 50 other stalls with a similar selection of things. 

Like most market stall owners I've run across in my travels, this lady wasn't too crazy about having pictures taken of her or her wares, so I could only sneak this blurry one. This was the case with most of the vendors I met on that day, which explains the poor images in this blog.(Doesn't excuse them, just explains...) I've found that that is often the case in ANY big market, ANYWHERE, and I really wonder why. At least at Dongdaemun people tell you to put away your camera with a smile...at the Halės market in VIlnius, Lithuania, a large lady with a frown tried to snatch my camera and probably would have smashed it had I not scampered away and shown her(from a safe distance) that I was putting it away. I wonder why that is the case--do any of you know why market vendors hate photographers so much?

Also, I've noticed a curious crochet and knit trend here in Korea--skirts. Everywhere I go I see yarn skirts being made or displayed, but I have yet to see anyone wearing one. This has kept me from making one for myself, but when I see gorgeous ones like this on display, I do wonder what it would look like on...

In any case, Dongdaemun Market--the craft section anyway--was equal parts awesome, inspiring, overwhelming and exhausting. I spent about four hours there and that was ONLY in the craft section--I didn't get to look at any of the other million things for sale in the area. After buying my buttons in awe, I wandered over to Gwangjang market and ate a delicious bindaetteok to recover. I'll definitely go back again, and buy more things, and I reccommend it for hard core bargain crafters like myself, yarnaholic visitors to Korea, and just about anybody who wants a fun, colorful, crowded day out with no idea what you might get into.

Peace, beautiful people!

Handmade Product Update: Pamper and Preen

So I thought I'd do a quick update on Pamper and Preen's Honey Caramel soap, which I reviewed last week. I've been using the soap about a week or two now, and a few things have become obvious;

1)I won't be buying this soap again. The next two items are why.

2)It is, ultimately, VERY drying. Although at first it didn't seem to have much of an effect, prolonged usage has turned me into Mel, Master of Ash and Flakes. Personally, I have dry skin and I HATE that tight stripped feeling I get after using a drying product. I've had that after every shower so far this week, aand I don't like it. Thank God for cocoa butter.

3)It doesn't last long. I've been using the bar of soap for two weeks, and it is less than half the size it initially was. I'm very careful to store my soap in a covered dish, so it's not stray water causing this.

Overall, this was nice to try, and I'm glad I could support a local handmade seller with a stray £5. But I won't be doing it again.

Peace!

I Buy Handmade: Pamper And Preen

Look, at this point I'm not even going to bother apologizing for how long it's been since I've updated this blog. I'm doing a full-time MA, I have a part time job, and I also have *Bill Cosby voice* FIVE other blogs. Count them, one, two, three, four, five! And while that's really no excuse for being a lazy and unreliable craft blogger...that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So what's brought me out of Dreadful Blog Silence? Another excellent handmade vendor, that's what.

So, as you can imagine, I spend a lot of time on etsy.com, perusing other people's wonderful wares. As you can guess from the SweetShop mission statement, I am vey passionate about handmade items and supporting sustainable development, wherever that may be. The third leg in the tripod of my personal stance on buying and selling is supporting local makers and sellers as well. So, usually, my trip to etsy starts with me clicking the "Shop Local" button on the left hand side of the page.

And that is how I came across Pamper & Preen soaps. Usually I buy handmade items because of a personal connection to the maker or particular aesthetics or ideals. This time, it simply was a matter of hey, I'm out of soap, they live in Manchester too, and I have 5 extra pounds in my account this week.

I bought Pamper & Preen's Honey Caramel Cold Process soap for £2.85 plus an additional £2.46 shipping. YIKES at the shipping, right? Especially since they're right around the corner, practically. But because I've recently been all but forced to charge exorbitant shipping rates for my own products, I feel a bit more charitable about such things and went ahead and paid it. For the most part I'm glad I did.

The Honey Caramel soap looks pretty much it does on Pamper & Preen's site...so no surprises there. It has a deep, sweet fragrance with hints of vanilla and coconut as well as honey and caramel. The bottom edge is scattered with a sprinkling of black seens. I'm not exactly sure WHAT they are, but they're great for exfoliating and they haven't turned my skin green yet, so they don't bother me. This is what it looks like unpackaged;

I bought this soap because I have dry, sensitive skin and I need something that cleans my grimy self without turning me into Mel, Master of Ash and Flakes. This soap pretty much fits the bill...it gets me clean. It smells lovely, although the scent doesn't stick around for very long. And while I haven't been using it for very long, it hasn't dried out my skin, which I definitely appreciate it. I do slather on a thick moisturizer afterwards though, so if you aren't an after-bath lotioner, you might not have the same results.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm damning Pamper & Preen with faint praise...I'm not intending to. It's a beautifully made bar of soap, and while it doesn't exceed my expectations it meets them very well. If you like handmade soaps and want to pamper yourself with a lovely scented bar of soap, I'd recommend giving Pamper & Preen a visit HERE.

Peace beautiful people!

I Buy Handmade: ForgetRegretArt

There are a few things that I love; pretty things, getting parcels in the post, and supporting other wonderful artists. I'm happy to say that today, I got to do all three of those things thanks to Demi at ForgetRegret Art.

The contents of my parcel! A card and some cards..

So I first met the lovely Demi, at the Cherry Events Craft fair, which I blogged about HERE. I had a great time meeting lots of local artists and artisans at that fair but what really caught my eye was the ForgetRegretArt stall, with its selection of handmade paper journals, notepads, and blank business cards.

Business cards? I've needed some business cards for some time, but hadn't seen any that I really liked until then. I asked about the blank cards, and was pleasantly surprised when Demi told me that for a small extra fee, she'd hand write the cards for me in calligraphy.

Handmade, distinctive, classy cards written in calligraphy? Consider me sold. I e-trotted over to the ForgetRegretArt etsy shop HERE and placed an order. After about a week, I checked the post this morning and found these waiting for me!

That's my name. Please wear it out.

Aren't they gorgeous! They're exactly what I wanted--simple, clear, and handmade! I absolutely LOVE them and couldn't resist doing a post to show them off. I highly recommend checking out Demi's shop--in addition to business cards, she also does sketchbooks, jewelry, and a wide variety of original art prints as well. 

The best thing about buying handmade goods from the artist directly, though, isn't the quality of the product. (Although it's always excellent!) The best thing is the personal touch that artists often add to their orders when sending them out. Considering how many companies see fit to use large and impersonal communcation methods(call centres, anyone?), there's something really special about doing business with a personal flair.

The most charming part of buying from ForgetRegretArt, then, was finding this in the package with the cards;

Handmade thank you card by ForgetRegretArt!

Nothing to say to that except thank you too, Demi!

To check out ForgetRegretArt(and I really think you should), click HERE. Peace!