Mali: and a tale of African trade beads

Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I'm not sure what country I'm in. I blink and I try to make out whether I'm in a hotel room or home in my own bed.

But no matter where I am, there are always beads in my shopping bag.

Beautiful old Venetian trade beads.

Favorite vintage glass beads from Sudan.

Incredible antique glass beads from Mali.

Huge gorgeous old Venezia glass beads from Dogonland.

Enormous bone beads from Kenya. Light wood black and silver Tuareg prayer beads.

So lovely antique white and turquoise glass beads from Mali.

 Intricate hooks I designed and had handmade to hang my beads  (and everything else) on.  Inspired by Ethiopia. 

PS I've just arrived in Cairo and tomorrow I hit the road.  Follow my adventures on Twitter  here. 

PPS Gorgeous new stock of Moroccan Beni Ourain carpets and sequined wedding blankets for sale.  Take a peek right here. 

Marrakech's Corinne Bensimon: a tale of a Moroccan dinner party

She lived in Marrakech down a path at the beautiful Beldi Country Club.  Her door was lit by a Moroccan lantern.

Her name was Corinne Bensimon. She was French.  An interior designer, a stylist, a boutique owner....

She was a woman who loved to laugh.

Her tunic with its grey on grey embroidery was chic, very chic. (I shop in the Men's Department, she whispered to me.)

In the heat of the Marrakech Summer, she had set the table for 9 in the garden.  So lovely.

The wine was poured.  A photographer, a publisher, an architect, a doctor, and more raised their glasses.

  The flowers so scarlet in a muted cloisonne vase.

An old Moroccan door as a backdrop. A spray of buds. 

There was dining and wining and funny stories.

And then it was over. It was far past midnight when we left.

 

As we made our way back down the path, all we could hear was the rustling of the tall grass. 

Can we please live at the Beldi Country Club, too?  I asked my husband. But he just laughed.

Villa Mandarine: or a tale of Moroccan interior decorating

So lovely and with the very prettiest gardens..........Where am I talking about?  Well, the Villa Mandarine in Rabat Morocco, of course.

Checking in is a blue and orange affair.

Go up a Moroccan tiled staircase and you'll find more treasures......

like vintage Moroccan carpets and a painted Berber wedding chest.

  The decor, with its masks, has an African appeal......

There's even a carved African door mounted on the wall (and did you notice the fantastic floor....?)

Maybe a drink at the bar..........

with its adorable lights

or a nightcap under a zebra skin?

 
You can even shoot a game of pool in a Moroccan tiled pool hall.......

If I go missing for a few days, you might find me here, sipping mint tea and flipping through a magazine ...

Find out more about the Villa Mandarine right here.

Marrakech: and a tale of Geraldine's chic Moroccan picnic

Oh they were French.  But of course.  And so the invitation for a Moroccan pique-nique chic made perfect sense.  (The French do that sort of thing -- an ordinary old picnic simply won't do.) 

And so it was that we packed ourselves into the car and up up we went to the lake outside of Marrakech.  It was hot, oh very hot, but a cool breeze made it's way through the trees.  

And when we arrived....... a sea of Moroccan carpets greeted us, along with a vintage trunk filled to the brim with straw hats.   A hat for each  -- so thoughtful.

We set our baskets down and aimed to stay for a good long while. 

Drinks were served from a bar covered with Moroccan tumblers.  Pretty, so pretty.

Soon there were platters of freshly prepared Moroccan good-ness.  We took our earthenware plates.....

and it was heaping after heaping.

As for the Moroccan picnic ambiance.........?  Ooh-la-la, Geraldine outdid herself.......!

Did I mention dessert?   Fruit slices and macarons, bien sur. 

Followed by lounging

and the climbing of branches.....

One last macaron..........

And all then all the hats went back into the trunk........

On the drive back home we secretly wondered when we might next receive an invitation for a Moroccan pique-nique chic.......Perhaps you'd like to have one?  Please let it be soon..........

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PS I've left for Mali on assignment.  See you there:-)