Chang!

Chang - Thai for elephant. It is common to see an elephant walking along the side of the road. Its owner is always happy to sell you bananas to feed it. An elephant with its trunk extended up in the air symbolizes good luck. I love elephants. There are elephants all over my house - glass, wooden, porcelain, candles, metal, photos, artwork, soap, cushion covers. They are not always obvious but they are there! So I did a search on Etsy to see what elephants could be found. Here are the results!

A Night Out in BKK

                 

Every year when the rainy season ends and the "cool" season begins, the beer gardens appear outside of Central World for two months.  Each beer company sets up its own section. Every year the decor becomes more elaborate. Some look like an actual night club. Each company also provides live music - which can be rather loud with several bands playing at once. The weather is perfect, the beer is good, and there are lots of people to watch. There is also a beer garden at Suan Lum Night Bazaar which is open year round; also has live entertainment, and a good variety of food stalls.  This market is supposed to be torn down in the near future.  

Glamorous Gold!

Here are some gorgeous Etsy finds for dressing up for New Years Eve or any special occasion.  Chose a  statement making glittering gold dress or a small, simple accessory such as an evening bag or a piece of jewelry.  Be bold - wear gold!  Happy New Year! Sawadee pi mai!

(Click on the photo to enlarge; you will see the name of the shop and price for each item.)

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

I love Santa ornaments and have collected many over the years.  Searching through Etsy, I found many Santas in a variety styles  and made of a different materials. Happy Holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you! Not a holiday here in BKK - work as usual. Went out to dinner with some friends. One of the restaurants in our neighborhood had a special Thanksgiving dinner to cater to the expats. It was delicious! Was a little apprehensive about the food, so was pleasantly surprised! Didn't over eat either. On Saturday, I'll cook a complete dinner with all our traditional dishes for our family.

Tomorrow the great Etsy Black Friday to Cyber Monday sales begin! Check out my shop - 20% off all items! The original prices are still there - to get the 20% discount send me a convo and I'll adjust the price before you send your paypal. OR go ahead and send your paypal payment and I'll refund the 20% via paypal. Have fun shopping!

Christmas Ornament Collection

Check out these gorgeous handmade ornaments! All of them are available on Etsy!  This is just a small selection 

that I found.  Any one of these would make a great gift for your Secret Santa, or  a new addition to your tree.

Loy Kratong

This beautiful holiday is celebrated throughout Thailand on the full moon of the 12th lunar month (usually November). It pays homage to the river goddess for its extensive use and providing a livlihood for so many people.
Everyone can participate by getting a little “float”, lighting the candle and joss sticks, making a wish and putting in the river to float downstream.

People of Bhutan

Here are more photos of Bhutan - featuring the wonderful people we saw and met on our journey from Paro to Ura.

An Obama Victory!

Bangkok celebrated the news of a new US President! The Roadhouse, the Democrats Abroad headquarters, was packed with Obama supporters throughout the day and well into the evening. The Obama t-shirts were a big hit as we walked through the night market. The venders loved it! We bargained some great deals-Obama has already had an impact on our economy!

Bhutan

I recently spent 8 days in beautiful Bhutan! Step back in time, to a world of no McDonalds, Starbucks and 7-11's! These friendly people are proud of their country, their king, traditions and customs. We traveled throughout the country from Paro all the way to Central Bhutan to a little village of Ura. Narrow mountain roads with steep drop-offs, spectacular mountain views of the snow capped Himalayas, rice fields ready for harvesting, lush valleys.

Foot Massage

    

Wednesday nights = girls' night out! Having a foot massage has become part of our weekly routine. There are a never ending supply of spa & massage places through out the city. Although we are always game to try  new spots, we are  happy to return to our favorite spot, Baan Dalaat at the top of Soi 8 on Sukumvit.  Very quiet and serene, a variety of foot massages are offered: hot & spicey, chocolate & coffee scrub, emotional rescue, herbal, heat therapy, as well as the classic.  So relaxing!!!!  

Treasury

I was featured in an Etsy Treasury this week. This is the second treasury that I have been in. Well, the only ones that I am aware of. This gorgeous Earth & Sky treasury was created by Shady Side Farms. Stop by her Etsy shop to see her awesome handmade braided rugs, knitted sock, wool yarn and more!
A treasury is a collection of items from 12 different etsy shops. The curator selects items from thousands of etsy shops that fit a particular theme. The admin of Etsy select various treasuries to feature on its front page. There often as many as 333 treasuries at one time - check here.

Girls Night Out - 3 Week Update

Week 1: We are all back and a new season of Wednesday nights has begun! Our first stop was Witches for happy hour. After two (small) pitchers of margaritas, we went next door for a foot massage! AHHH - heaven! Then we walked to Luan Suan for dinner at an Italian restaurant. Two new members have joined us - Jenn from HK and Kelly from Colorado. Marg also met us for dinner since the restaurant is across the street from her apartment.

Week 2: As we were about to leave for town, a torrential thunderstorm blew in. We could not get to the guard gate - Jeanette and Kelly were squished inside the guard house waiting for us. Mike and Cathy picked us up to take us to Marcy's for wine and snacks. It stormed for quite awhile - we enjoyed our wine by candlelight as the electricity was out. Marcia - we loved your old apartment. Carol - your couches are comfy! You are still with us. Once the storm ended about 7, we went to the Wine Connection for dinner. Even tho we didn't get to town - it was a fun evening.

Week 3: Movie night - Mamma Mia! Once our large group of eight arrived at Central World, we shopped around and had dinner at the Loft. Cathy bought a new toaster. Jeanette bought a fly swatter. Mamma Mia! was a fun movie! Since we were in the theater with the lazy boy chairs, it was too hard for us to get up and dance!

The Queen's Birthday

Thailand's Queen Sirikit celebrated her 76th birthday on August 12. It is a national public holiday as well as Mother's Day. She continues to play an active role in the country's development. The Queen is known for reviving many of Thailand's ancient arts and crafts which has expanded immensely since 1976. With her encouragement and financial support, many women have been able to help support their families by producing handicrafts. She is also recognized as one of the world's leading conservationists. In 1986 she was awarded the certificate "Distinguished Conservationist - Forestry and Wildlife" from the World Wildlife Fund for her work in conservation. She has initiated several programs to carry out plans for reforestation by rehabilitating several forest areas, as well as a watershed conservation project. This remarkable woman is respected and loved by her countrymen. Long live the Queen!

Wardrobe Basics

According to Tim Gunn (Project Runway), every woman should have these basics in her wardrobe: trench coat, black and/or white turtleneck, jeans (a dark and a light pair), black dress, white denim jacket,black skirt, white button down shirt, cashmere sweater, tunic, flats and an oversized bag. Shoes and bags do not need to match.