Russian Scarf For a Picky Girl

My daughter is very picky about her clothing, so when she asked for a Russian scarf I knew I had a problem. I told her that I needed some time to think and choose. As she is just nine, I did not want a very classic looking scarf, and certainly not a black or red one. I was looking for something more subtle, to go well with grey and beige shades that she loves. Finally, I found this: Amber Evening ("Янтарный вечер"), a smaller sized scarf (34 inches or 89 cm), which seems to fill the bill. Its soft grey background and orangey-creamy roses look good with Madina's own subtle colours.

What I especially love about Russian shawls is their versatility. It suddenly became cold? Cover your head with it!

..And when it becomes warm again, you can just drape it around your shoulders. Or fold it and put into your purse. My daughter is an expert now, and she is the only girl in her class who has a scarf like this - not something synthetic.

I do not have a scarf like this for sale, but I have many others in my Etsy shop.

A Different Shawl

Some Russian shawls are really famous and recognisable. For instance, this one was featured in a very famous old Soviet movie called "The Gypsy" ("Цыган"), where it was worn by a very beautiful young actress, Matlyuba Alimova (Матлюба Алимова). The movie is from 1976, so the shawl is quite vintage.

I do love shawls which are different. I handle so many of them, and some are truly stunning, with lavish and intricate design, with huge roses and rich colours. I like all of them, but sometimes I become a bit tired of sophistication and luxury, and a shawl full of grasses and wild flowers is a welcome change. This one also has hydrangea which I love. I have it in stock, and I foresee that it will not last, so get it now if you want it.

No Regrets About Cherry Blossoms

We do not have many sakura trees in Tashkent, but I am fortunate to have one close to my house. Today I spent half an hour under the tree, marvelling at these blooms. They look like vintage lace to me, frayed edges and imperfections making it even more precious. It is a pity that these blooms do not last, but I remember their fleeting beauty throughout the year.

There was a haiku by Issa:

when cherry blossoms
scatter...
no regrets

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

(and this is my winner of "The Most Beautiful Last Rose" contest this year)

Venetian Glass Beads for my Russian Shawl

...So, I have this large Pavlovo Posad shawl that I adore - Fairytale by Sukharevskaya (шаль "Сказка", художник Сухаревская). It is in my favourite colours, it has a lovely intricate print, it is huge and silky to the touch and warm... my Precious! I love it so much, I decided that I needed a bracelet specifically for this shawl. I am sure you can understand.

This is me and Fairytale in Samarkand during the last weekend; a Russian shawl is a perfect travelling companion. You wear it when you are cold, and when it is too warm, you just fold it and put away in your bag, as it is so compact.

And can you see that bracelet? I feel that I could hardly find anything better suited for this shawl. I do not wear costume jewelry, but I cannot afford to buy emeralds and tourmalines in the size I would love to have for the shawl. However, I feel that murano glass with vermeil cores (that is gold over sterling) is jewelry enough, and this bracelet definitely suits my needs.



I must admit, I am very proud of how clever I was when I bought these beads. I was thinking about some Chamilia or Pandora charms, but I must admit that their glass beads are too expensive for me. And then I found these Perlavita beads here. There was a discount, so I bought six beads, most were about 5$, and only the 'wedding cake' bead - the one with painted flowers, it is called Serenissima on the website - was 14$. But I felt that I had to have it.

I was a bit confused when I received the beads (expertly packed, in perfect order, and there was a small gift, too). They are lovely, but rather large and cannot be combined with my Pandora, as I planned to do. They fit on Pandora and Chamilia bracelets, but look too bulky. However, I decided to wear them on their own, for which they are perfectly suited, and put them on the leather cord, to wear wrap style.

When I look at this, I am in aesthetic heaven. I think they look very festive, and provide the much needed splash of colour in the gloomy days of late autumn. I love the effect of foil under coloured glass, and I love the depth and richness of colour. To me, Venetian glass is as precious as gemstones. I do not wear plastic, as it is not jewellery to me, but Perlavita murano beads are very much jewellery - a real treasure.

You can see all of my Perlavita venetian glass beads here: 

And now I hope there will be a discount for the Serenissima beads, too, as I would love to have several more. I bought Chamilia teardrop earrings where you can put different beads, so I definitely need more beads!