Roasted Chickpeas {recipe}

A friend introduced me to this hearty & healthy snack a few weeks ago, and since then I have been trying to perfect my own version. Chickpeas, also called Garbanzo beans, are high in protein as well as being low GI, as a snack they keep you feeling fuller for longer, helping to keep hunger pangs at bay. They are also said to lower cholesterol, so all in all a very good addition to your diet. As with most legumes they are higher in carbs, so don't eat a whole bowl by yourself, sharing is caring!

I have only ever used chickpeas to make hummus, and even then I would cheat by using the can variety, which saves the hours of soaking that goes into the dry ones. Here in Korea it can be rather difficult getting your hands on anything that is not a staple of the Korean diet, and as far as I can tell, my Korean co workers have never heard of chickpeas. I did however find a 1kg bag of them at the Asia Mart, opposite the Jeonju Bus Terminal for W6 000. 

You need to preferably soak chickpeas overnight to soften. If you don't have time to leave them overnight, they can be boiled on the stove too. Boiling on the stove will still take about 2 hours to soften. Click here for more ways to cook them without soaking overnight. 

After soaking, discard the water (you will notice it has a brownish tinge to it) and place the beans in a large bowl. Now you add your choice of seasoning. 

To roast the chickpeas you need oil and your choice of seasoning spices. I used Grapeseed oil as we didn't have any olive oil. I then used salt & blackpepper, Ina Paarmans Chicken spice (we stocked up on Ina Paarmans and other seasonings when we came over from South Africa), Robertsons Salt & Vinegar and celery salt. Combine the oil and spices with the chickpeas, rolling them around until coated.

Then pop them on a roasting pan, and roast on a high heat for about 30 minutes. Make sure to keep checking on the oven so they don't burn. I used a sheet of tin foil to cover my baking tray to avoid the clean up that usually follows roasting.

Remove from the oven and enjoy. They are best enjoyed straight out of the oven while still warm.

Happy Friday

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Happy Friday everyone!

I hope you have a *sweet* day and a fun filled weekend ahead.

Tomorrow is the second #DIYDaysInKorea meet up. I'm looking forward to baking this afternoon and seeing all the wonderful ladies who are coming along to share a Saturday afternoon with creativity, good company and as always...good food. 
 

WishTrend Korean Beauty Products with Free Worldwide Shipping

WishTrend is a Korean online beauty store which stocks some of Korea's most loved products. One of my favourite items they stock is the Klairs Illuminating BB cream (you can read my full review by clicking here) which I just love and which is still a firm favourite in my foundation routine. 

WishTrend is currently offering a selection of their best products with FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING!

Now you can get your hands on some of the products that help Korean women look so young and vibrant, well into their fifties, sixties and even seventies! That was the first thing I noticed about the women here, everyone looks so young! The older ladies especially, have the most beautiful skin (a few have surgery to thank for that) but for the most part women learn to really take care of their skin from a very early age. 

Here are the products I have my eye on.

This serum claims to brighten the skin, help heal scars, remove blackheads, and tighten pores. From what I've read on other Korean beauty blogs this little brown bottle delivers on it's promises and I going to be purchasing some for myself very soon.

Click here to order.

I haven't done too much research into these eye lash curlers, but I mean really, how cute and nifty are they? The wand is heated up so that when you brush it through your lashes, each lash is curled and the heat locks the curl in place, meaning luscious long and curly lashes, for much much longer. Besides, the white and gold one just looks so fancy, it belongs in my makeup bag.

Click here to order.

You can read my full review of this BB cream by clicking here. 

This is a slightly more unusual product. A powder spot treatment by Enca. It comes in a small, travel-friendly bottle (15ml)  and a little really does go a long way with this product and so the 15ml will last you for quite a while. You apply the powder to the offending area using a cotton bud or leave overnight and let the active ingredients do their thing. Seems to work remarkable from the blogger reviews I have seen, and need to get my hands on a bottle soon. 

Click here to order.

Do any of these products sounds like something you'd like to try? Wishtrend is also throwing in extra sample sizes of the Klairs Gentle Black Sugar Scrub with all orders if you use the following code: WISHGIFTSEP2014

Happy shopping everyone!

Disclosure: Financial compensation was not received for this post. Opinions expressed here are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission should you make a purchase using one of the links.

DIY Gold Animal Fridge Magnets #DiyDaysinKorea

Welcome to the next instalment in my #DIYDaysInKorea series. These posts are about making beautiful things for your home (whether that home is in South Korea or South Africa, or any where else in the world).

If you are based here in Korea and would like to join one of my DIY days (we are having our second meetup this weekend...click here to see what went on at the last we had in June) you can pop on over to the Facebook group for more information.  It's a wonderful place to meet new friends and spend an afternoon.

I hope you enjoy this series and that you leave feeling inspired.

x

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DIY Gold Animal Fridge Magnets

What you need

-plastic animals (I found these at my local Daiso here in Korea)

-can of spray paint (I found this gold one at my local DC Mart)

-saw/sharp knife to cut your animals in half

-heavy duty magnets (I found these small round ones at a local stationery store here in Korea)

-super glue

-drill to bore holes in the plastic (we bought our drill online through Gmarket...click here for the link))

Directions

Using your saw or sharp knife, cut your animals in half. Try to keep cutting as straight as possible to ensure your magnet will be flush against the fridge when you're done.

Use a drill bit that is the same or a similar size to your magents. This is where I would suggest round magnets as then inserting the magnets is much easier if the hole is the same shape.

Then spray paint your animals in your desired colour. I found gold spray paint the the local DC Mart here in my small town in Korea. Leave to dry overnight.

Finally super glue your magnets into the back of your animals and leave to dry.

Here are some photographs of my magnets on the fridge. They are the perfect thing for holding up snail mail packges from friends (like this one from Nadia) and of course my favourite free monthly printable calendar from HappinessIs.

Introducing Innisfree, my new favourite Korean Skincare & Makeup brand

Lately I have been spending more and more time wondering down the aisles of Innisfree, one of Korea's most loved skincare and makeup brands. Innisfree  is known for being South Korea's first all-natural brand, and is one  of the few Korean brands that use organic ingredients certified by France's ECOCERT organization. 

I have just found them on Instagram, and wanted to share their beautiful feed with you. You can follow along here @innisfreeofficial. 

A friend and I spent a rather unhealthy amount of time (and money!) at Innisfree yesterday, and I can't wait to share my reviews of these new products with you.

Here Is what I picked up this weekend: 

Have you tried anything from Innsifree? Any recommendations on products your love? Leave me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Stationery Store Special

I've got an exciting special coming up on all items in my stationery store!

The offer will only be available to my blog subscribers so make sure you sign up by clicking here, you don't want to miss out on this one!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Jeju Island over the Chuseok holiday

This past weekend was a wonderful 5 days for those of us teaching English here in Korea. It was the Korean Thanksgiving, Chuseok, a time when Korean families get together to celebrate. Many Korean people visit their ancestral home towns, escaping the big cities to spend time with grandparents and other family members.

Farmboy and I headed off to Jeju Island with two friends for 4 days of camping and exploring. It was our second time on the island (we visited Jeju back in 2010 when my mom came to visit us here when we were living in Korea the first time) and it was such fun to revisit the places we explored together, and take photographs in the same spots. Back in 2010 Farmboy and I had only recently started dating so it was a special time to look back on our first holiday memories together.

These photographs were taken by Storm, my stylist and partner in crime to the styled shoots I have been doing lately. I will have my photographs up in the next few weeks once I get to editing them. Storm has a great eye, you should pop onto Instagram (@StormRossSa) and follow along in her journey here in Korea.

Malaysia Travel Guide and The Perhentian Islands

Farmboy and I visited Malaysia in August last year (2013).  You may be thinking of heading there soon (or sometime in the future) so to help you plan your trip, I have put together a travel guide for the places we visited, as well as some tips from our stay. Please keep in mind that my husband and I may travel very differently to you, and have different likes and preferences for things. I prefer the more luxurious path, while Farmboy would stay in a hammock for the entire trip if he could. So we plan accordingly, and of course, try to stick to the budget. 

Malaysia is predominantly a muslim country, this is something to keep in mind for a few reasons. Alcohol is very expensive there, and in some places forbidden. Also, try and research which national or religious holidays are happening during your trip. This may seem obvious to some people, but it was something I had never thought to research. We were there over Ramadan and were staying on the Perhentian Islands at the time. The island we were on basically shut down for the week and we could only find a handful of places to eat at. Bear that in mind when making your final bookings.

We spent 8 days in Malaysia. After landing in Kuala Lumpur, we headed straight to the Perhentian Islands by overnight bus and spent the rest of our trip there.

Perhentian Kecil

The Perhentian Islands are made up of 2 islands, Kecil & Besar. Besar is the more family friendly island, and Kecil is the livelier island made up of backpackers and part goers. We spent 5 nights on Perhentian Kecil in a range of accommodations. We weren't able to find any places to book online and so had to join the hoards of people on the first boat in who had to walk up and down the beach in search of a place to stay. We were envious of the French couple who whipped out their booking confirmation on the boat, and then proceeded to amble their way to the only fancy looking resort on the island. We were insanely jealous, as the rest us on the boat kept eyeing up the competition to see who would make it off the boat first in search of a room for the night. This is why we now try to book at least 60% of our accommodation before hand. From Kuala Lumpur you can take an overnight bus to Kuala Besut which is where you then catch a small boat to the Perhentian Islands. Once on the islands there are plenty of taxi boats that you can take to get from one island to the other for about US$15 one way if needed.

We caught an 8 hour overnight bus from Putra Station to Kuala Besut (-+US$20 pp) which stopped at the port at about 4am. We found out later that AirAsia has numerous cheap flights from KL - Khota Bharu, from there it's an hour taxi ride to the port at Khuala Besut.

From the port it's a 45 minute boat ride in a small, fiberglass boat (watch your belongings...everything gets wet!). The speedboats take you just short of the shore, from where you take a mini 'taxi' boat to the beach. It's completely unnecessary, but unavoidable as the main boat won't stop any closer to the shore. It's a cheap transfer (about US$2 a person) but still very annoying. From there it's a short wade ashore through knee-deep water with your bags (keep that in mind when packing!). When leaving the islands, there is a jetty from which you leave from, which makes things easier for the return trip.

Kecil Island is small enough to explore in one day. There are 2 main beaches, Long Beach (usually where you are dropped off by the boat) which houses all the backpackers and night life. And then Coral Bay. Coral Bay is the place to go for spectacular sunsets, slightly cheaper prices, and small private beach coves. The snorkeling is better at Coral Bay, but the swimming is better on Long Beach. It's only a 15 minute walk through the Jungle from one side to the other.

I highly recommend staying at Ewans Place (click here for his facebook page). His was the only restaurant open during Ramadan and he was so helpful in organising us a last minute room, after a few pleads and batting of eyelids. The rooms are simple, but clean and more than adequate. Nothing fancy, but they are situated in the middle of the island, away from all the noise of Long Beach. 

While both Kecil & Besut Island share the same diving sites, the dive operations on Perhentian Kecil are slightly cheaper than those on Perhentian Besar. Daytime dives can be as cheap as US$25 each depending on the company and distance to the site; night dives cost around US$40. We don't have our diving licenses, but packed our own snorkels and goggles from Korea so we have the freedom to snorkel wherever we want to.

Khota Bharu

After our stay on the Perhentians we headed back to the mainland port of Kuala Besut and caught a taxi to the airport at Khota Bharu. We had booked flights using the AirAsia app on our iPhones (having our iPhones with us has been a life saver on many a trip, their GPS location mapping and the apps for booking hotels and flights with the click of a few buttons have made traveling so easy). There were 4 of us to share a taxi (about $20 for the hour long trip but you can haggle the price). Once we got to Khota Bharu we had some time to kill and headed to the main market in the town square. It was such an interesting experience, well worth a stop at.

A FEW TIPS

• If you're short on time, look to see if you can find cheap local flights on sites like AirAsia (this has saved us so much time and we have been able to book flights for reasonable prices). Download the AirAisa app, it's super easy to use. For Malaysia we booked our internal flights for about $120 last minute for two people from Khota Bharu to Kuala Lumpur
• When booking flights be sure of what is included in your flight booking, especially with Air Asia. We booked flights for Malaysia for really cheap, and then only after booking did we realise that we could only take carry on luggage (which was restricted to 7kg's a person, and they were super strict at the airport, weighing all our bags including my big camera bag).
• Take your smart phone with you. We didn't have data, although we were told that sim cards were readily available and pretty cheap. But we were able to jump on some free wifi in cafes. The GPS function on our iPhones was an absolute life saver, as it functions in helping you navigate, even when not connected to wifi.
• Jot down your expenses, this helps you stay on track. We took only cash for our 2 week trip and writing what we spent where helped us to stay within the budget 
• Download the Orbitz and Hotels.com apps on your phone. By booking through the app you usually can get good discounts discount and can book last minute. When we were there in 2013 there were no places on Perhentian that you could book online, but this might have changed by now.
• Visa Requirements: For South African/UK/US/Canada/New Zealand/Australia passport holders, no visa is required for 90 days. You need to have a passport that is valid for 6 months after your departure date, so if you arrive on the 1st of the month and leave on the 30th of the month, the passport should be valid for 6 months from the 30th of the month.  If you passport is not fully valid your airline may not allow you to board and the immigration authority will not permit you to land in Malaysia.
• Pack a sense of humour. You will get lost. You will fight with your husband/boy friend/friends. You will get sick at least once and you will have an amazing holiday all the same. 

Is there anything I've left of the list? Any places you'd recommend in Malaysia? Or any tips you think should be included here, pop me a comment below. 

If you have any questions about our trip feel free to leave me a comment below and I'll get back to you soon.

Happy travels!

[This is the second travel guide I have done, click here to see my guide to Vietnam]

The best brunch in Seoul... SuJi's Deli in Itaweon

A quick Google search for the ultimate places to brunch in Seoul will show you a decent number of places to get your fill of a good old fashioned greasy fry up. But, as Seoul is a long way away from our little town, we wanted to make sure we weren't going to be disappointed as we often are with breakfasts here in Korea.

Suji's seemed to be ranked as one of the original brunch spots. So, armed with a bunch of very hungry South Africans we headed off to stuff our faces.

We were delighted with what awaited us...

Prices were what we had expected for a restaurant that caters for the Western market, pricey but totally justifiable. I mean, look at the size of the pancake platter.

Their menu is extensive and has something for everyone.

Everything was delicious (except the tea...who premixes frothed milk into English Breakfast?!) but the orange juice and burger made up for that.

It gets full very quickly, so make sure to get there early if you are a large group. Or just to be safe, call ahead (Tel 02.797.3698) and make a reservation.

Directions

서울특별시 용산구 이태원로 134, 2층 & 3층
2nd & 3rd Fl, 134 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Take Subway line 6 and get out at Itaewon, Exit 4.

It's all the way on the end of the main Itaewon drag, close to the McDonald's and right next door to SkinFood which is what you'll see when you reach the end of the road walking towards Noksapyung Station.

Tel 02.797.3698

Website: Sujis Diner

Opening Hours

Deli Cafe: 8am - 9pm 7 days a week

3rd Floor Restaurant: 11am - 10pm weekdays & 9am - 10pm weekends/holidays

Autumn Festivals in Korea 2014

Summer will slowly be drawing to a close here in Korea, and with that we can expect a break from the humidity and of course something that Korea is very famous for, it's Autumn/Fall foliage.

Here is a list of upcoming festivals to look forward to in September & October. The leaves won't be turning yet, that happens towards mid November, but there are enough interesting things to see before that happens.

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September 2014

25th September – 28th September Wonju Hanji Festival in Wonju (Traditional Korean Paper)

Hanji Theme Park in Wonju-si, Gangwon-do

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26th September - 5th October Andong Maskdance Festival

Downtown Andong, Talchum Park, Hahoe Village and surrounding areas in Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Source

26th September - October 5th Suncheon Bay Reeds Festival

Suncheon Bay in Dongcheon, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do

Source

October 2014

1st October - 12th October Jinju Lantern Festival

Namgang River in Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do

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1st October - 5th October Gimje Horizon Festival

Byeokgolje in Gimje-si, Jeollabuk-do

Source: CoKoreanAdventure

1st October - 5th October Anseong Namsadang Baudeogi Festival

Anseong Matchum Land in Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do

Source: VisitKorea

2nd October - 11 October Busan International Film Festival

Theater District in Nampo-dong, Suyeong Bay Yachting Center, Haeundae Beach, and other locations in Busan

3rd October - 9th October Mungyeong Traditional Chasabal Festival (Traditional Tea Bowls)

Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park in Gyeongsangbuk-do

Source: VisitKorea

October 4th - October 8th Gwangju World Kimchi Culture Festival

Jungoe Park in Buk-gu, Gwangju

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23rd October - 26th October Jeonju Bibimbap Festival

Jeonju Hanok Village in Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do

Source: VisitKorea

Thank you to Visit Korea for the above information. 

Self Portrait Challenge // week 2 The Mirror Selfie

This is a challenge to photograph a self portrait image {or two} every week for the rest of the year. By forcing myself in front of the camera I hope to learn a thing a two about posing my models and clients, and perhaps be creatively inspired to try a few new things that scare me. Click here to see the previous posts.

I am also included all the settings I used to take these photographs, in case are interested in recreating them or want to know more about how I take my photographs. 

Enjoy!

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The Mirror Selfie

Camera: Nikon d700

Lens: 50mm 1.4D

Settings: ISO 400 Aperture F/1.6 Shutter speed 1/200 sec

Post editing: basic exposure & noise correction in LightRoom

Camera: Nikon d700

Lens: 50mm 1.4D

Settings: ISO 400 Aperture F/1.6 Shutter speed 1/200 sec

Post editing: basic exposure & noise correction in LightRoom, black & white conversion

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Would you like to join the challenge? No fancy cameras needed. You can even use your phone. This challenge is a fun way to challenge yourself to get in front of the camera, instead of hiding behind it. I'd love for you to join me!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone.

x

Introducing TJ Stationery {and a GIVEAWAY}

Today I want to introduce you to tj stationery & gifts, an Australian based gift and stationery store that celebrates the simple pleasures in life. 

"Meet Jenny, a simple girl with an appreciation for all the little things in life. She lives in a humble Sydney apartment with her partner and bunny. One day, out of desire to do something that truly made her happy, she decided to start her own online store - combining her love for drawing and obsession with stationery. tj stationery & gifts is her creative outlet, a place where she can express her ideals of happiness, in the hope of spreading happiness to others".

You can find tj stationery & gifts on Instagram and Facebook, as well as in their Etsy store where they stock all kinds of pretty things to brighten up your day.

{Giveaway}

Jenny is giving away this lovely set of 6 letterpress cards for you to spread a little love to those around you. Perhaps someone you know needs a little cheering up, or maybe you want to say a little thank you to the lady next door who sporadically gives you fresh veggies. Whatever it is, use them to celebrate the simple pleasures in life.

This giveaway is open worldwide!

Just use the entry form thingy below (all you have to do is find us both (@CityGirlSearching & @tjstationerygifts) on Facebook and tweet about the giveaway...it's super easy!)

Winners will be announced on Thursday 4th September.

Good luck everyone!

Life After The Dress {Episode 15} Hannah Keppler

In this series I interview married women of all ages and from all walks of life and ask them real questions about their lives now, after all the glitter and sparkle of their wedding day is over. If you'd like to read more about the series and meet the other ladies I have interviewed, click here.

Today's interview is with Hannah, owner of The Ruby Orchard in Howick:

I used to stop by The Ruby Orchard whenever I was in Howick and longed for the day that I had a home to fill with all of the delightful goodies in store. It's been so wonderful getting to know Hannah (although it has all been over email) and I look forward to meeting her for 'real' soon.

Go grab yourself a cup of tea and get ready to be inspired.

x

Q1: Please introduce yourself (age, of both yourself and your husband, where do you live, what do you do & how long have you been married for?)

Hello! I am Hannah a 33 year old British Mum on a South African adventure! I am married to Greg a 38 year old South African and we live in Howick, KZN. We have been married for almost 6 years... and then we were 3! Our 3 year old Jonah arrived 3 years into our marriage – possibly the cutest boy on the planet!

We lived in the sleepy Devonshire Countryside in UK, and were both career monkeys who barely saw each other. Since moving to SA in 2012, Greg has joined the family business and I have opened The Ruby Orchard a décor furniture and gift shop in the Midlands. From Director of Sport to buying pretty things and designing furniture – Such a change, but so worth it. Greg and I now see each at least 4 times a day and I blog about our shop, decor ideas and products at TheRubyOrchard.

Q2: Which Disney character do you feel sums you up to a ‘T’?

Sally from cars. She grew tired of her high powered job and made a new start in a small town. She is straight forward, hardworking, and witty! 

Q3: How did you and your hubby meet?

Cringe... The Walkabout bar in Exeter, Devon. Jugs of snake bite, dancing, kebabs... the usual shenanigans of a 22 year old singleton. 

Q4: Was your wedding everything you hoped it would be? Would you go back and change anything? Do you have any advice for brides-to-be?

Our wedding was 100% everything I had hoped for and more. So many wonderful friend and family have said since that it was the most relaxed wedding they had ever been to. No strict timings for the day (apart from the ceremony) made it flow effortlessly. 

What I would change...? Maybe the music. In hindsight I wish we had had a live band rather than a DJ. Mainly because my mother in law kept hijacking the decks with Celine Dion... ah man...! 

My advice for brides-to-be: You don’t have to spend a fortune, have a fancy venue and hundreds of guests to have a beautiful wedding. We got married on my parents farm, arranged the flowers on the tables ourselves, I did my own makeup, friends played the music in the church, we hired the students I was teaching to run the bar and waitress and we borrowed our wedding cars from friends and famous Cricketers! 

Q5: Has ‘life after the dress’ been as you imagined it would be?

I have loved every minute of building our lives together. Our 6 years of marriage have been pretty hectic (careers, finding forever home, a baby boy, packing up our lives, goodbye forever home, immigrating, starting a business, drawing plans for forever SA home). Doing these things with a husband who supports and cares, is honest and gentlemanly has made life after marriage exactly what I hoped it would be. 

Q6: What do you think makes marriage work?

Acceptance, appreciation and lots of giggling. Accept each other for whom and what you are, you should not have to change to make a marriage work. Appreciate each other every single day and always giggle... especially at the little things that only the two of you understand! 

Q7: What have you learnt about yourself since being married?

I have leant I don’t need hobbies or sport or things anymore... A Sunday with Greg and Jonah washing the car, mowing the lawn, doing washing and baking in our little cocoon family world is pure bliss. 

Q8: If you could describe your marriage in 3 words, what would they be?

 Trusting – Devoted - Understood 

Q9: Do you have any pearls of wisdom you would like to share with my readers about being married? Perhaps something some wise person once told you, or something you've learnt the hard way?

Never go to bed with an issue that hasn't been resolved, if you are cross, upset or unsure... it needs to be ironed out over a cuppa and chocolate before bedtime! 

• Blog
• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Email: therubyorchard@hotmail.com

I hope you have been enjoying this series as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.

If you would like to be featured here on the blog, you can drop me an email using the contact form above or leave me a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Weekly Wishes {8}

Hello and welcome to my Weekly Wishes series where I talk about my goals and wishes for the week ahead. Popping them here on the blog will hopefully help me to stay on track with the things I want to do or get done. These posts are part of a link up by The Nectar Collective where Melissa has a wonderful community of women who link up their weekly wishes and are there to support and encourage one another. It's also a great way to make new friends and find new blogs to follow, why don't you join me?

THIS WEEKS WISHES

1. Get back into my early morning exercise routine. That includes a 30 - 40 minute Blogilates session (using the app workout calendar which I have downloaded onto my phone. Simply download the app, buy the calendar for 99c and then go through each video posted for that day). Then a 30 minute yoga session (I have really been enjoying the website DoYogaWithMe which has loads of different videos to choose from, from 15 minute quick pick me up sessions, to 90 minute strength classes, all free to stream online).

2. Start planning for the upcoming festivals that will be happening here in Korea. I need to choose which festivals I want to see, and then start marking them down in my diary before the weekends all fill up with other activities.

3. Post my new giveaway with TJ Stationery.

4. Get organising the latest #DIYDaysInKorea meet-up which will be next month! Click here to find out more or join our Facebook group to be part of the next one.

That's all I have for this week.Do you have anything you really need to get done this week? Drop me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful week everyone <3

Self Portrait Challenge // week 1 double exposure

Today I was inspired to start a weekly self portrait challenge. This is by no means a way to showcase my face all over this blog, but rather a way to practice portrait photography and try out new techniques and poses (without having to track down a friend and force them to pose awkwardly for me). I love shooting portraits, and am always trying to find new and creative ways to showcase my subjects beauty, so I hope that I can apply the new things I've learnt online so I can share them with you.

I will also be posting what settings I used and whether I did any editing to the photographs so you can try them at home.

Thank you to the lovely Colette & Kristien who inspired me to start this challenge today.

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Experimenting with Double & Multiple Exposure

Camera: Nikon d700

Lens: 50mm 1.4D

Settings: ISO 2200, Aperture F/16, Shutter speed 1/200

No post editing

Camera: Nikon d700

Lens: 50mm 1.4D

Settings: ISO 1250, Aperture F/3.5, Shutter speed 1/1600

No post editing

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I learnt so much about double (and multiple) exposure today (thank you to another of my favourite South African bloggers, Emma Jane Nation for further inspiration on this subject).

I created the layering of images in camera, instead of the alternative way of producing these images in Photoshop and was surprised at just how simple it was to do.

If you'd like me to do a tutorial on double exposure, let me know in the comments below. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!

x

Vintage Fashion Shoot in Buan, South Korea

A few weeks ago I posted the first batch of photographs from a blueberry styled photo shoot  I did with the lovely Helen, pictured below. Here are a few more, these ones with more of a focus on Helen's collection of vintage items from her travels. I contacted Helen asking her is we would like to be my model (click here to see more of the styled photo shoots I have done with my stylist and friend Storm). Helen was happy to join us, and we also turned the shoot into a bit of a fashion shoot too, so she could get some shots for the vintage clothing store she is planning on resurrecting when she gets back home to the States.

If you're in South Korea and are in need to a photographer, please don't hesitate to contact me.

x

Weekly Wishes {7}

Hello and welcome to my Weekly Wishes series where I talk about my goals and wishes for the week ahead. Popping them here on the blog will hopefully help me to stay on track with the things I want to do or get done. These posts are part of a link up by The Nectar Collective where Melissa has a wonderful community of women who link up their weekly wishes and are there to support and encourage one another. It's also a great way to make new friends and find new blogs to follow, why don't you join me?

THIS WEEKS WISHES

Today marks the first official day of the second semester at my school (I teach English at an all girls middle school here in South Korea).

Farmboy and I just got back from a wonderful trip to Bali for our summer holiday and now it's time to get back into some sort of routine again. So here are my goals for the week ahead:

1. Get back into the habit of drinking more water (at least 2 litres a day)

2. Put my Fitbit back on and commit to walking 10 000 steps a day for the next 5 days (you would be surprised just how difficult it actually is to walk 10 000 a steps a day. I thought I was a pretty active person, but 10 000 steps is a lot further than you'd think. Full review of my Fitbit to come soon).

3. Get prepared for the fundraisers a group of us here in my province are putting together to raise money for outreach projects that help those who have been affected by human trafficking. To find out more about what you can do to help, have a look at this wonderful organisation The Exodus Road, a nonprofit coalition that empowers freedom from sex slavery through covert investigation and rescue.

That's all I have for this week.Do you have anything you really need to get done this week? Drop me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful week everyone <3

Highlights of Beautiful Bali

Farmboy and I have just got back from our summer holiday in Bali. One of the major perks of living in Korea is the opportunity to travel South East Asia, as places like Indonesia are easily accessible.

We were in Bali for 12 days and tried to see as much as could in the time we had. I will be posting a full travel guide soon, like I did with Vietnam (click here) but for now I'll leave with a visual feast of colour.

I traded in my trusty Nikon D300s a few months ago, for a Nikon D700, which I used to take these photographs. As I now shoot full frame, I have to invest in full frame lenses (and these do not come cheap!) Currently I have only a 50mm prime lens and this is what I used for the entire trip. No fancy zooms (I had to make do with my feet) and no wide angle shots. It can be a stressful process trying to find the 'perfect' lenses to take with you on holiday, and you often feel you need to have ALL the things to take perfect photographs. But, what I soon came to realise is that all you really need is a little patience and practice to train your eye to capture your subjects in new and interesting ways.

We loved our time in Bali, spending 4 days in Ubud, 5 days on the Gili Islands (3 days on Gili Meno & 2 days on Gili Trawangan) and then 3 final days in Ubud. We stayed in a variety of accomodation, from fancy villas overlooking rice paddies, to bamboo huts on the beach. What our time so memorable was the people we met throughout our stay. We had a wonderful host and tour guide for our first few days who taught us so much about the people and their way of life in Bali.

But more on that to come in another post.

For now, the photographs.

Enjoy!

DIY Painted Vase and How to Arrange your own Flowers #DIYDaysInKorea

Welcome to the next instalment in my #DIYDaysInKorea series. These #DIYDaysInKorea posts are about making beautiful things for your home (whether that home is in South Korea or South Africa, or any where else in the world).

If you are based here in Korea and would like to join one of my DIY days (we had our first official meet up a few weeks ago and it was such fun...click here to see what went on) you can pop on over to the Facebook group for more information. 

I hope you enjoy this series and that you leave feeling inspired.

x

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DIY Painted Vase & Flower Arrangement

Myself and my very talented friend Storm, who moonlights as a stylist & florist, had some time on our hands and found this pretty cheap glass vase at our local Daiso here in Korea. Storm straight away had an idea to repurpose it with a lick of paint, and off we went on a scavenger hunt for flowers around our neighbourhood. 

Today Storm is going to show you how to arrange your own flowers in such a way that they look beautiful, artsy and, expensive.

What You Need

glass vase or something you can turn into a vase such as a glass, bowl etc (does not need to be expensive or fancy) 

spray paint

flowers, bought or foraged from the garden or sidewalk

Directions

Easy peasy lay some newspaper down and spray the outside of the vase (I would omit spraying the inside as it was in fact unnecessary) wait to dry and get creative. 

Place sticky tape in a grid formation to help give the flowers shape and volume. It also gives the foliage more structure and keeps the flowers in place. 

Get creative with your flowers and make an arrangement from the heart. You can't go wrong with flowers, start with your foliage (the green leaves and other bits of non blooming elements) then your focal flowers (the big ones) at the base and go from there.

And there you have it, your own beautiful floral creation, without the price tag of a fancy florist.

If you create your own arrangement, please tag me in your photograph (twitter: @roxyhutton Instagram: @roxyhutton Facebook @CityGirlSearching) I'd love to see what you create.

Happy DIYing and flower arranging!