While shopping in Hanoi, Vietnam last week I found this young boy carving stamps out of wood. I really wanted an elephant stamp so I show him my elephant wallpaper sample. We agree on a design and I tell him the size (4x4). He quotes me $32 – I say this is high and I will pay $20 – he reduces the size to 2 1/2 by 2 1/2. He tells me to come back tomorrow.
That evening I tell the hubby about my purchase – with a shocked look on his face, he asks $20? Not that he cared that I spent $20 – he is just surprised that anything in Hanoi would cost $20!
So the boy tugged at my heart.....the average income in Hanoi is $1000 per year. Do I love the stamp? Not really. It is a little too cartoonish and it is very hard to get a good image from it. But I know he worked hours carving it and it is a sweet little memory of Hanoi : )
Bangkok is a shoppers heaven. It is cheap and there are a million stores. I bought lots of presents - but can't post them or they will not be surprises : )
Earrings and necklaces I bought for myself. I paid $8 each.
Lace, buttons and more! Oh look at that lovely hand-made paper in the background - two large sheets @ 40 cents each. All the lace (yards of each) and buttons shown further down were $6.
fun mix of everything
Aren't these pretty? They will be perfect for cards.
smaller peach flowers
buttons
This looks like it is old. I paid $3 for the whole roll. It was quite the challenge telling the man I wanted to buy the entire thing as he did not speak a word of English. But I have become an expert in hand language.
Pretty decorative tape.
The pink molds were very interesting. I bought them in an artificial flower supply shop. They are used to mold the petals to make the flowers. I thought they would be fun to try resin in.
Can't wait to give them a try.
And this is the silk they sold to make the flowers. It feels like nylon. Not sure what I will do with it, but it looked like a fun material to work with.
Love love love the Japanese paper and characters.
Each page has a little message - this one says
"don't forget the moment!"
I thought this brand had really beautiful graphics.
Again - there is a little note on each page.
Did I need any of this? Of course not - but I tell myself - I may never visit Bangkok again so buy now! Plus the prices are so cheap it is hard to pass up.
We found a new area in Chinatown that has rows and rows of little shops filled with craft goodies. And when I say filled....I really mean FILLED!
We were limited on time, so I was only able to scratch the surface. Guess where I will be going on our next trip to Bangkok? Check out this store all the shelves in the counter are filled with buttons.
Yes ladies - those walls are lined with bags of beads!
And this store.....all beads.
Ribbons
And More!
Thread - every color under the sun.
Zippers
Cute girls working in the booths. They love to have their photos taken.
In a post last week I mentioned that I bought a bunch of "made" jewelry at the Chatuchak market and the wholesale mall. I needed more jewelry. Some are gifts : )
The following group (and the one above) I bought at the mall from two young sisters.
a close up
This is a gift so only a little peak.
a ring (another gift)
Now for the price....I paid $10.50 USD for ALL seven pieces! That's $1.50 each. I asked them three times if this was correct. They looked at me puzzled and said "this is good right?" I said yes, it is very good! Seriously, you could not buy the beads for this price.
Chatuchak Market
The next piece I bought from a mom and her two daughters. They make all the jewelry they sell. I bought several pieces from them for gifts. Can't show those : ). This is my favorite piece which I paid $5 for.
Look at the details - the one young girl that was in the booth told me her sister hand paints the centers:
These are from random booths - I did not pay over $5 for any of them.
Next, my sterling silver "splurges". Well, compared to the prices on everything else they were a splurge @ $16 USD each. I have purchased sterling designs like these at craft shows in the US and have paid over $100 for them.
These are all gifts. But the person does not read my blog so I am safe!
A bracelet - so pretty!
I have to STOP buying jewelry and start making my own!! Soon!! The art room might be finished next week and open for creating!
This weekend we went to a new area to look for antique furniture. As we were walking there, we came across this little shop called the Ho Tit Coffee Powder Factory.
In the front case were little jars of coffee beans with a sign that read: Over half a century of dealing in coffee wholesale and retail all welcome. We needed coffee so we popped in and asked if we could buy a small amount, a 1/2 kilo. The answer was yes, but what came next was totally unexpected.
They (owner and his daughter-in-law) invited us in for a tour. We walked to the back room where we had to take off our shoes and put on "slippers" to walk in the roasting area. Below is the owner next to the roasting machine - he has been in business for 60 years. He told us the machine is over 100 years old.
We learned that what we refer to as ground coffee, in Singapore they call it coffee powder. It was funny .... on the way home we took a taxi and as soon as we got in the car he asked if we had coffee powder. He thought it smelled really good.
They were so excited we were there and they wanted to share everything with us. They pulled out antique tools and had us pose with them. Below we are with the tools they used to sort the beans and spread them apart for drying.
Here is a very old weight they used to measure and carry the beans from the fields. It was a three-person job.
The daughter-in-law wanted me to be in the photos.
We can honestly say we have never had such fun purchasing coffee! We bought a Bali blend and it is delicious. The store is not that close to us, but after the special treatment we received, we would go out of our way to go back!
Bead vendor at the Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok (THE BEST market in the world!). I asked if I could take his photo - he smiled shyly and said yes as his two friends giggled at him! Wonder how often he changes his beads?
I wandered into Pratunam Center Mall (Chit Lom BTS) in Bangkok and discovered loads and loads of jewelry supply stores. I was in this mall for 4 1/2 hours!
There was a mix of shops - beads, jewelry supplies including silver, and jewelry already made. Only one women would not sell to me - everyone else did and I am pretty sure they gave me the wholesale price as the stuff was so cheap. I am not sure they could have offered lower prices!
Even my lunch was dirt cheap - 40 baht (1.31 USD) for a nice plate of pasta with fresh shrimp - cooked to order!
The strands below were 50 thai baht each ($1.65 USD). I am not sure if they are glass or stone, but they are definitely not plastic.
Petite freshwater pearls - the same at 50 baht a strand ($1.62). I have never found them this cheap. Did I mention very little English is spoken at this mall? Some stores none at all. But I speak the language of beads! With a finger to point and a calculator - what else do you need?
I was overwhelmed at the amount, variety, and colors of the beads.
I was not sure what I needed (did I need any?) so I grabbed a few colors and beads that caught my interest. Below - large freshwater pearls 60 baht a strand ($1.98 USD). There are two different colors but the photos makes it look like just one.
And the pink and green stones below were around $3.00 USD each. I do not have the ability to purchase wholesale so maybe they are always this cheap......anyone out there who can purchase wholesale.....are the beads always THIS CHEAP?
We are due to go back to Bangkok in April......guess what mall I will go to?
I also bought tons of handmade jewelry - will do a sepearate post on this soon!
D had business in Amsterdam for three days and the weather was so nice, I decided to tag along.
Amsterdam has always had great independently owned stores, but I noticed even more this time. Two of my favs:
Het Grote Avontuur
Loved Loved Loved this boutique.....a mix of vintage and colorful stuff from around the globe.
You have to check out their web page; don't miss the English translation link on the left. The photo story link is really creative and fun to watch.
The inside of this boutique was GREAT, so modern. Didn't catch the name.
All of the vases are filled with fresh flowers.
I so want this hanging birdcage chair - 2500 Euros!
What a great display.
Always love how they decorate their bicycles.... so colorful. But the drivers are crazy! They do not follow any rules and believe they have the right away ALL THE TIME. You really have to stay alert when walking on the street and the sidewalk.
I love Amsterdam on a sunny spring day! I also visited the Van Gogh museum. They had a special exhibit on Picasso in Paris - 1900 - 1907. Very inspiring.
And last, D working on his blackberry in his outdoor office!
Hillary had her first spring sale on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It was a great show and I was happy to be in town to visit her. My cards did very well. If you want to check out her merchandise or purchase, you can do so on-line at:
She has these shows in her home - where hundreds of women wander around. I can't image having that many people walk through my house!
When you enter, you feel like you are in an exclusive little shop. There is merchandise EVERYWHERE!
Even the walls of the stairway going down to the basement are full of merchandise. My honey said he would leave me if I ever tried to do this! I think I will leave this part to Hillary.
Almost everything she sells is handmade by local artists.
My cards!
I was going to buy one of these petite collages. There was a woman who was looking at them when I walked up...I politely waited to select one, but she bought all of them!
Dara who owns full circle studio is one my favorite jewelry designers at Hillary's.
If you have a chance, you should stop by her web page.
....a wall in Hillary's house. She has a great eye for decorating and merchandising.
She has a frame in her living room that she decorates each month; this month was dedicated to the royal wedding.
Hillary with her full size cut out of Kate and Will - all the way from England!
More great finds:
Check out her video with all her royal wedding merchandise - isn't this beautifully done? My cards are at 147 : )
Hillary truly creates a unique place to purchase handmade items. If you are in the Northern Virginia area, her next show is on April 14 - April 16, and if you can't make a show, you can always purchase on-line!
Last month I wandered into an interesting blog, Jessie and Buddug the shop, and discovered the owners had a lovely altered arts store in London.
Lucky for me, we were leaving for London that week! It is in a funky neighborhood, Columbia Road, where most of the stores are only open on Saturday and Sunday along with a huge outdoor flower market.
I told my husband it was on the top of my list of "must sees" during our trip and the only day we could do it was Sunday. He is use to my crazy requests, and like always, he took me there : )
I felt like I was walking through a live version of a Somerset Studio or Somerset Life magazine - it was that good!
They are two best friends from Wales, Jessie and Buddug, who own the shop. In addition to the store, they both have Blogs - Jessie and Buddug.
I asked if I could take photos and they said absolutely! I wanted to photograph every inch of the store.
There were so many fun displays with stunning art creations.
Check out these fun vintage watch rings.
This was a miniature dresser covered with vintage paper.
Sweet little dress.
The visit made me want to go home and play in my studio.
If you have an upcoming trip the London, make sure you plan to visit this wonderful little store. But remember on Saturday or Sunday only.
Just down the street is an antique store with a little coffee and tea shop in the back. One of the best cups of coffee I have had in a long time. The creamiest foam ever!
This neighborhood is definitely on my list of things to do when I go to London. I am hoping we have a trip during the holidays - I am sure it would be extra special.....
Welcome to my blog! I live in Singapore with my sweet hubby D - I blog about what it is like living abroad, my mixed media art and jewelry, flea market finds, photography, food and travel. We travel often so you will get a peak into many countries around the world. I post several times a week. Enjoy your visit and please drop me a note!
