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Showing posts from July, 2008

You can't eat an elephant whole! - Berber Wedding Blankets

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WB 8 one of my latest editions. I am truly ensconced in buying for Zamzam Riad now which I have to tell you does not come easily to me. I am of the school, choose something really fab - buy it - love it and then buy another piece. I am a woman on pieces. I would rather spend money on a piece than on many odds and sods. So you see, suddenly having to buy alot at the same time is hard for me, not natural. I'm a one thing if I'm lucky buyer, terribly choosy , never buy en mass. Let me tell you 3 weeks ago it dawned on me like a tidal wave that I needed to get on with this buying thing and that i didn't have time to choose a piece, that 7 bedrooms, a salon and a terrace let alone the rest (I can't even buy a soup bowl unless i adore it) had to be bought and that I had been shallying around for far to long. Don't get me wrong I can buy carpets 3 at a time, but they are my thing and I've found some excellent people who seem to provide more and more amazing on

Moroccan textiles and tortoise

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After weeks of tilling hard earth, fighting weeds and not much water, today I found a tortoise in the vegetable patch, munching on my beautiful lettuce! I have posted you some photos of beautiful woven Moroccan cloths, they come in all colours and plain. They measure 3x2m so are idea to cover beds or make curtains with. They are made out of silk and linen and look more stunning than in my photos. If you would like some please drop me an email, I will also add them to the Zamzam Boutique. Shopping in earnest now for the Zamzam interiors, can't wait to show you some photos of the finished Riad !

The Wonderful Moroccan Coast

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We are now back from 3 days glorious break at the coast. The weather was absolutely sublime, cool at night and in the morning so that you could slowly wake up and take your time over breakfast and then wonderfully hot with a breeze in the afternoon. Although July and August are busy season for the Moroccan holiday makers, there is so much beach that you can always find a spot for yourselves. The English really don't realise what they are missing, 3 hours from the UK into this complete coastal paradise. You don't have to go to crowded Agadir on a package. There are many many coastal villages on the Moroccan coast you can stay at. When you arrive the streets are lined with key shakers offering accommodation and apartments. Being on the Atlantic coast the sea food is also a fantastic bonus. The coast I prefer best is the coast from Rabat to Essaouira , which is rugged and sandy with crashing waves all around. It is perfect for young children as there are many warm rock pools t

Funky Moroccan Barbeque

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We are just finishing the tadelakt on the terrace, I chose a beige but it looks more flesh coloured to me! These photos are of my funky barbecue on the terrace, where you will be able to dine under the stars or have a lovely lunch. The barbecue wall was made using Moroccan water pots. What do you think?

Little Beni Beauties - Zamzam Boutique

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Sorry I haven't posted for so long, I have just got back from a whirlwind trip to the UK. The extremes in temperatures have also taken their toll on me giving me a horrid cold, which I don't seem to be able to shift, something to do with the aircon at night I think!! Recently I have had alot of enquiries for small Beni Ouarain carpets. These are quite difficult to find at the standard Beni Ouarain is 3 x 2 meters. I have been on a hunt this week for people and these are some of the smaller pieces I have added to Zamzam Boutique . Most of these smaller carpets are around 2m x 1.5m. They are beautifully woven and with top quality wool. A far cry from your european rugs, each piece unique in it's design believed to come directly from the Universe through the weaver. I hope you love them as much as I do. The pretty last one is an Azilal, my favourite weave, soft and supple with a touch of eccentricity, they usually have colours on the back.

Zamzam Riad Update

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Photo of the exciting fireplace in the salon, black and tan tadelakt . I can't wait to serve you all a gin and tonic in this wonderful room. We have had a tough and I mean really tough couple of weeks in the Riad , but we have regathered our composure, re-jigged the building team and on Monday the rest of the R iad floors are going in and painting is beginning!! It always gets busy when you decide to leave the country for the week. All the tops of the pillars have been carved now and they are ready for the tadelakt to go on. Slowly we are pushing to the end and ready for the opening of our African Boutique Hotel in Marrakech Medina! I think this plaster carving is really clever, do you?

INGRID BETANCOURT FREED - at last

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'Nirvana' in Bogota for freed hostage Mauricio Due-As AFP/Getty Images Freed Colombia hostage Ingrid Betancourt, center, is kissed by her daughter Melanie Delloye, left, as her son Lorenzo looks on, at the airport in Bogota. As former Sen. Ingrid Betancourt reunites with her two children, transfixed Colombians share in the exultation. "Paradise, nirvana, must be something very close to what I am feeling in this moment," she said on an airport tarmac after being reunited with her two children, Lorenzo, 19, and Melanie, 22, who arrived in Bogota on a French government aircraft. "These children are my light, my moon, my stars. It was the desire to see them again that drove me to get out of the jungle."It was another nationally televised chapter in the sociopolitical drama that has transfixed Colombia and much of the world. Betancourt is a dual citizen of Colombia and France, and her case has become a cause celebre in France while generating intense interest t

Oversized Bags

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A wonderful lady in Marrakech has been making these over sized silver leather bags. They have got little pockets at each end and internal wallet and phone pockets, the leather is also lovely and soft. There are only 5 left! if you would like one drop me an email and if you are in the UK i can bring it over on Wednesday 9 th July when i leave. I bought one of these and what i love about it is how useful it is for a flight bag, now adays as they will only let you on with one hand bag. Other good news is I heard last night that BA are putting on two flights from the UK to Marrakech in the Autumn. We could do with BA getting going again after they sold of GB Airways, a franchise and the flights were taken on by Easyjet .

Berber Carpet Clients - Zamzam Boutique

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Here are some photos from happy clients who have bought gorgeous Beni Ouarain carpets from the Zamzam Boutique. I thought you would like to have a look at how they look in everyday houses and apartments . Above is a small Beni , good for the hall way, 1m x 2m. These are medium sized Beni Ouarain carpets with strong black hatch designs. This large old Beni is one of my favourites, it has tons of character. Uneven hatch with little square in between. Don't they look fantastic in modern/traditional settings? If you would like to see more of these beautiful carpets for sale click on the Zamzam Boutique and look at the collection!