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.

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.

His: Four Things From My Week: 3rd August

I've been reading Amy Chua's "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" recently. While at first I have to say that the narrator and the Tiger Mother in question annoyed the hell out of me, I did find what she had to say made a lot of sense. Sure I didn't care for her or her 'Look at me, look at me' attitude, but I found her approach a refreshing change to a lot of the parenting skills, which we find in society today. I won't go too much into it, but this book is defiantly worth the read, whether you agree with her or not. It does raise some great talking points and if you're in a relationship with children still a little off it gives a opportunity to have that conversation with your partner about what kind of parents you intend to be. 

Decorating a apartment on a tight budget has mostly consisted us of trawling our local thrift stores in search of bargains. This week we picked up these cute little spice shakers from 50 cents each. I thought both of these little tin pots looked so cute, and yeah sure a salt shaker would have been better than tarragon one but oh well, the green fits in a treat with our kitchen.

I brought my bag in Thailand from this awesome outdoor/indoor market that sold pretty much anything you can think of. Costing only about 10 USDs, I take my bag nearly everywhere I go, filling it with everything from gum, to hair gel, to a spare t-shirt.

Last up, my shoes. I recently started working in a shoe shop in Ann Arbor, and though it doesn’t sound glamorous it is perhaps the best job I’ve ever had. I work mostly with music majors, but there's also one art major, a singer in a popular funk band, and a right wing Tuxedo shop owner. And what makes it all the better? I get 50% off shoes. I think I have a new obsession. 

Belafonte and Lavender play dress up

We brought Lavender and Belafonte a couple of little outfits to try on. Ok they weren't the biggest fans, but a couple of treats later and they didn't really seem to care what they were wearing.  While Lavender makes the prettiest princess, Belafonte looks a thug in his T-Shirt. 

Our Apartment: The Study

For the study we wanted somewhere where we both could do our work, a little space that both inspired and calmed the soul. With little room to play with we opted for two large shelves that run across the length of the room, and a desk on the opposite wall, rather than against the window. 

We painted the walls a light grey again, and filled the room with splashes of color. The red chairs were purchased from a yard sale, while the desk and lamp are from Ikea. The two shelves we got from Home Depot, cut to the length of the room.

The little bits and pieces are collected from our travels, little reminders of where we've been and where we want to return. 

Korea is excellent for picking up cute little stationary pieces. They do cute better than anyone. 

A lot of the room features home made projects. The magnetic pin board is a old picture frame, some metal from home depot and fabric from a thrift store than Mary Soo put together. The posters were quotes from some of my favorite Wes Anderson movies. 

I really like this room and I feel we used the space really well. I hope you like it. 

Our Apartment; The Dining Room

The dining room was the first room decorated. We decided on a dark slate color and a light grey for the walls, and switched the lighter color from the bottom half to the top. I wanted a room that mixed minimalism with thrift store finds. Again, thanks to Ikea, Salvation Army and a host of other second hand stores in Ann Arbor, we were able to do this all for a couple of hundred bucks. 

We brought the table top and the legs from Ikea. Buying them separate is a much cheaper option that buying a complete table. The chairs were purchased from a couple of different thrift stores in Ann Arbor, as was the mirror. 

The art work was our attempt at the crayon paintings you find on Pinterest. Rather than just lining them up and allowing them to trickle down the canvas, we used a hairdryer and just made pretty patterns with the crayons. 

The cabinet is the White PS Locker from Ikea. We got the lamp from another thrift store while the little bunch of flowers are dried from our wedding day. 

The room has become a really nice space to relax in, whether it be for dinner or when Mary Soo needs to spread her books out during a study session.