{Batik Birds from Indonesia on Silk and Cotton}

Of course, while living and working in Indonesia for over three years,
we did bring home some of its beautiful Batik.

From Bali we got a large batik on cotton, with birds.
This one hangs in our dining room.

From the Kraton Palace in Yogjakarta, Indonesia, we got this beautiful silk batik. 

They gave demonstrations inside the Palace, about batik painting and we did buy this.

Together with our best friends from Dublin we visited there during the weekend. 

This Palace is worthwhile to visit if you ever travel to Indonesia!

 With the glass, it is rather difficult to capture this beauty on silk.
It is hanging in our veranda, where windows are on two sides...

The matting of this one, and also the framing of the top batik, has been done as usual by Irok Gallery. They do museum quality framing!

For some batik making try this link for video.

{French Lavender Sachet with Vintage Rose Filet Lace}

Here comes a generously sized long Sachet, filled with French Lavender. 

It is done in an all cotton burgundy luxury fabric, that has been hand-rolled and fringed artistically.

The most precious decoration however is the Vintage Rose Filet Lace.

Lovingly done by hand, in the so called 'linen-stitch'.

This unique gift item is available at: Spectrenoir

It would also pair nicely with the {French Linen Heart for Door Knob Hanging} from my previous post that has similar Vintage Rose Lace...

Check back, as I will be listing special French sachets, door knob pillows, tissue and cosmetics bags, shopping totes and more.
All quality goods, made in France from designer fabrics such as:  
Chérubin; Lecien; Olivades; Soleiado and Liberty of London.

All these cotton and/or linen luxury items are labeled:
La Mère aux Anges and will be embellished by vintage buttons or laces.

{Romanian box with Royal Blazon: Nothing Without God}

This is a very unique, vintage box from Romania.

The blazon reads in old Romanian: 'NIMIC FARA DUMNEDEU'

Meaning: 'NOTHING WITHOUT GOD'

That was the blazon of the Royal house of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in Romania before  WWII.

In Latin 'NIHIL SINE DEO' and translated into Romanian as 'NIMIC FARA DUMNEZEU'.

Pronounced in old Romanian as 'NIMIC FARA DUMNEDEU'.

Have a look here for more info and click on all the other hyperlinks from there.

This very unique box is again available at my Zen Cart powered on line boutique: Mariette's Back to Basics.

Lined in burgundy velour this is a very special treasure.

Sorry Sold out...

In 1989 while living and working in Italy near Venice, I did watch often the Romanian channel on TV as I could understand that for about 60%, with my ability to speak fluent Italian at that time...

It was on Christmas day of 1989 that we witnessed the execution of the communist Romanian dictator  Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife Elena... This communist dictator ruled for almost 30 years. 

It was therefore a joy to help some wrestlers from Romania from the now free nation, when they were here in my town, for some Olympic training, in 1996. 

You all know that the 1996 Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta; my capital.

They all needed special gifts for their wives and girl friends and thus the local Chamber of Commerce called on me. 

They asked if I spoke any Romanian. 

No I said, but if they speak slowly and I speak slowly Italian we can converse. 

Indeed it worked and they got their list translated and stores mentioned for finding their loved ones' wishes...

A young lady from Romania did help me out with the translation of the old Romanian, which I was not sure of... Her name is Alexandra.