Stationery Love - Rock Paper Scissors

By Emsu

Among other things, something that Raus and I (yep, Raus too) really miss from South Korea is the plethora of cute cute cute stationery stores. There are dozens peppered throughout Seoul, and whenever we went out we would inevitably end up spending a few minutes in a stationery store to pick up some cute cards, letters, or notebooks. While Ann Arbor doesn't offer the vast number of shops, it does have at least one shop filled with things both cute and cool - Rock Paper Scissors!

I went by there the other day to pick up some cards, and found these pretty things. Awesomely, Rock Paper Scissors now has an online store too, so we can all enjoy their collection of goodies :) You can also show them some love on their Facebook page here.

Hers: Four Things From My Week: 3rd August

By Emsu

Now it's my turn to highlight some things from my past week!

1. Birchbox

I recently signed up for Birchbox, and I'm so glad I did! I received my first box this month, and it really just felt nice to get a small package in the mail filled with goodies. Absolutely worth the $10 a month.

2. Jam and Tea

I've been enjoying (and nearly finishing) the spoils from my daytrips in August -  jam I bought at Germack in Detroit and tea I bought from Essence on Main in Clarkston. I feel like I'm especially savoring these things since I know I won't have the opportunity to do daytrips like those for a while, as school has just started up. Looking forward to fall break already!

3. Magazine

I'm not a regular reader of Scientific American Mind, but I bought the September issue while waiting on Raus to get out of work. This issue was "back to school" themed, with articles about self-esteem, learning methods, and the benefits of handwriting. The articles inspired me to rethink my law school study ways and ditch my laptop for classroom note taking, with a pencil (I know...I'm a revolutionary! We'll see how long this lasts). It's one of the few magazines I've purchased in which I read the majority of the articles, so a worthy mention. 

4. Garden Zucchini 

Holy moly, look at this thing! I don't think I can really get a good photo that shows the size of this, but it is HUGE. We picked it from our neighbor's garden (they gave us permission), and I've been gearing up to make some loaves of zucchini bread with it. I suppose I should make some other things with it too, but I don't know what else to do with a zucchini. Help me out fellow netizens!

Exploring Michigan: Clarkston

By Emsu

Since this summer began, I have been pretty keen on exploring different parts of Michigan. I think I've visited a total of 6 different towns so far, so I obviously have a ways to go, but Clarkston definitely ranks as one of my favorite places so far.

A few days ago, I was able to meet up with a dear dear friend of mine in Clarkston. The two of us hadn't seen each other since she left Seoul about 3 years ago (!!), and hanging out in this cute town was the perfect way for us to spend time catching up.

The cutest fashionista :)

Our first stop was The Union. This restaurant was amazing, both decor and food. The building is a refurbished church, and so many of the windows feature stained glass and most of the seats are pews! In the photo above, the board with numbers on the left was the old bingo board used in the church basement on bingo nights. 

I have a thing for mac and cheese. I've had a lot of good ones in Michigan so far, but the Union ranks in my top 2! (The other is from Zingerman's Roadhouse...I really can't pick between them.)

Mmm...turkey reuben.

So happy to be reunited!

I was very lucky to have absolutely nothing else to do this day, so after lunch we spent a lot of time just wandering around Clarkston's cute downtown area and popping in and out of little shops. Most of the photos below are from the Union General, a little gift shop next to The Union. 

I come across so many stationary stores that sell wrapping paper like this. I love them so much, and have framed a few of them in our apartment! They make excellent posters, especially at $4-$5 a pop.

Love cute cards. Love cute EVERYTHING.

Cupcakes! Sadly I was too full from lunch to try anything. I'll have to return for a future trip back soon.

I want to learn how to make handmade soap now.

Lovely little tea tins, made in upstate New York.

After our shopping session, we headed to another local favorite - Cook's Farm Dairy. This WONDERFUL ice cream shop is actually located in Ortonville, but it's still close enough for a visit if you're ever in Clarkston. 

Welcome to America, where a "single" cone looks like this! I got Pistachio Almond on top of Coconut Almond Fudge. I don't like to speak in superlatives normally...but this was the best ice cream I've ever had. Srsly.

We got to look at the cows who made our ice cream while we ate our ice cream. Thanks cows!

After ice cream, we went to my friend's aunt's house and lounged outside for a while. I got to see a lot of this:

It was a really great day. Definitely a town I recommend visiting, preferably with a long-distance friend :)

Date Night in Ypsilantii - Wurst Bar and Corner Brewery

By Emsu

It was recently brought to our attention that although Ann Arbor has several delicious culinary offerings, neighboring Ypsilanti has several awesome contenders as well.

Raus and I hit up Wurst Bar for dinner and were not let down by their tasty selection of bratwursts  and beers. Raus was adventurous and ordered the Spicy Rattlesnake Chorizo with caramelized onions on a salted pretzel and I got the PBR Poached Bratwurst with kimchi-kraut (!!!) on a brioche. Both were super tasty, as was our appetizer - poutine tots! Make sure to check em out on Facebook as well.

Mm...rattlesnake chorizo!

Afterwards we went for a couple beers at Corner Brewery, the distribution headquarters of Ann Arbor Brewing Company.

Sadly, it was pretty late when we got there so we weren't able to take any good photos of the interior, but this place has a giant outdoor seating area perfect for these last cool nights of summer. You can keep up with their events on their Facebook as well.