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Showing posts from December, 2008

A Moroccan Brithday celebration - Marrakech

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My daughter was invited to a birthday party at a Moroccan families house. There was a horse for tours round the garden, a man with a pop corn machine, a candy floss man, an entertainer who jumped around making little people dance and clap. Then came the sandwiches and cakes and all sorts of different milkshakes. It was fabulous fun. After a couple of hours I noticed everyone leaving, so I thanked the hostess - who exclaimed your leaving no we are going into the salon for games and a tea party. These are some photos I took in the salon. It was incredibly grand. You see unlike the west the Moroccans have huge salons for entertaining. It is the most important room in the house, where large families and friends unite and often stay the night on the Salon Beldi , Moroccan Sofas. Look at the gorgeous Zellij tiles, all hand fired, hand cut and hand set in these wonderful patterns. A real skill that you don't see many other places. All the walls were done in this intricate craft as you

Beautiful Beni Ouarain additions to the Zamzam Boutique

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A number of you have been enquiring about the Beni Ouarain carpets at the Zamzam Boutique and asking me to find more wonderful pieces to add to the collection. These days it is getting harder and harder to find great examples of these stunning carpets, which is why my stock is a little depleted. However great news for you Beni lovers. Today I found some wonderfully interesting pieces which I have managed to buy. Please look at the Zamzam Boutique for all the current pieces for sale. The two top pieces are very unusual and below I have shown you two simple hatch. These only pop up once in a while and I know that a number of you are very keen on the simple hatch. A fluffy Beni for Christmas anyone? they are lovely under bare toes!

Rams head sculpture - Zamzam Riad

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This frog is one of my favourites, I just love the way he looks and he is so smooth to touch. Sally carved her sculptures from pure pieces of alabaster or other natural materials and after this she has them cast in bronze resin. I wanted to share with you some of the wonderful sculpture for sale done by Sally Joyston-Bechal. I love the organic shapes of her sculptures. This is the dove in bronze. I adore this mother and child carved in stone. Sally has just made us this gorgeous rams head which we are going to put in Zamzam. A real Moroccan symbol, he has such elegance and character. Please go to Sally's website www.bronzeresinsculptures,com and have a look at her other work it is really fantastic.

Oukaimeden - skiing Marrakech Atlas Mountains

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Skiing in Morocco - Marrakech to Oukaimeden

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After discovering the skiing last year at Oukaimeden in the high Atlas only 1.5 hours from Marrakech and being an keen skier myself, I have been eagerly awaiting the snow in the mountains this year. I discovered the wonderful skiing only at the end of the season, so have had to spend all year, rallying up a girl group and waiting on the snow. It is now here! My friend had invited me to go up with her family and children but the day before she called to say there was a blizzard up there so would call me at 8am the following morning to make a decision. The next day I awoke, the sky was blue and crystal clear and the recently dumped on mountains standing proudly and invitingly on the horizon, what a day I thought. She called - we're off, see you up there. We dashed around the house jumping into salopettes and ugg boots and little one into her leopard skin hat and matching boots (she had these on in the summer with her swim suit, a very funny sight.) The drive up there is gorgeou

stunning Azilal, Berber carpets at Zamzam Boutique

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I just bought these fabulous vintage Azilal Carpets for the Zamzam Boutique. I hope you are as excited as I am, they are just stunning and superb quality wool. I love this zig zag one, I have never seen this pattern before. Look at the superb kilim weave detail at the end of the carpet, just gorgeous. A real stunner as well, I was so excited when I found these. It's all about timing when you find these wonderful works of art, it is literally like going on a treasure hunt. Often you find nothing and then you uncover a wonderful carpet. If you would like details on these carpets please email me at zamzamriad@gmail.com

A fairy tale Birthday lunch - Marrakech Riad Style

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What a wonderful day we had, all dressed up and ready for a very special day of marvelous friends, conversation, laughter and above all delicious food which when it came left us all totally silent. Something very rare for this group of people. The Riad a beautiful fairytale in itself acted as an enchanted garden in the winter sun. We all arrived served a gorgeous cocktail or 4 and chatted wildly before going into the warm dining room for lunch. We ate, all sorts of roasted vegetables some with feta cheese, some roasted on the vine, radishes with butter and salt, crispy fried sardines, followed by a saffron paella to die for crowned with cray fish. The wines carefully though out were all Moroccan and delicious. We finished with this light chocolate and fig torte and a pile of strawberries with a few bottles of cava . What a perfect day in Marrakech . It poured with rain apparently but non of us noticed. The magic was everywhere even in the flowers and the birthday girl bl

Berber Wedding blankets at Zamzam

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Yesterday I bought some fantastic Berber wedding blankets. Look at this one it is so unusual with the little blue and silver square woven into it. I love the chunky row of sequins in theis one with the pretty kilim running through it. I got these for a really good price so please email me for the details if you fancy one. The chunkiness of this one is just scrumptious, they would make wonderful Christmas presents. It only takes one week EMS courier to the UK. This is a new black wedding blanket, simple but stunning and the new ones measure 3x2m so great for covering a double bed.