Fantastic Poem... "A DREAMER"

Need some inspiration? I found it in this beautiful poem.

~ ♥ ~

A dreamer knows no chains

A dreamer lives through pain

A dreamer has no cages

A dreamer never ages

A dreamer heeds no lies

A dreamer always flies

A dreamer is a bird

A dreamer saves the world

J.C.

Photo by WenXi Chen

Gabbeh Rugs at my Sebastopol, CA gallery!

I did a quick video yesterday of some of the Gabbeh rugs at my gallery for those that have some interest in this type of rug. Hopefully the current Persian rug embargo will not last forever as the original and best Gabbehs always come from Iran. The Qashqai weavers that make these rugs, love color as you can see by the clothes they wear in the movie Gabbeh! (see last post!) As of yesterday, all these rugs are currently available plus a number of pieces I was unable to include! Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHbQQGq1pjU
Here is my article on Gabbeh rugs entitled, "What is a Gabbeh?"
Article on Gabbeh rugs.

Paradise Oriental Rugs, Inc.
137 No. Main St.
Sebastopol, CA 95472

707-823-3355

The Gabbeh Movie! Here is is!

This movie is an incredible window into the world of the Qashqai, the original Persian weavers of Gabbeh rugs. Spiritual, insightful and worth a watch. Each below link will take to to one of the seven chapters!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtdKH2YQPKY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNSKfcRs74I&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ-TEa6UZic&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Ibkz6maMg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OV8YqSfVxM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0PE1S8sFl4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFoqheSDRhI&feature=related

Oriental Rug Videos on You Tube!

I am adding new videos of rugs from my gallery to You Tube all the time. This first video is the navy Tree of Life rug that you see above.
Sometimes it's difficult to capture the magic of a rug in a photo so I'm enjoying making these available as time permits.

http://www.youtube.com/user/afsharlady?feature=mhum#p/u/6/nqol24hpBMI

Also added these videos recently.

http://www.youtube.com/user/afsharlady?feature=mhum#p/u/13/X3z7jSaXOJc

http://www.youtube.com/user/afsharlady?feature=mhum#p/u

If you would like to see more of my rugs, just check out my gallery page:
http://www.paradiseorientalrugs.com/gallery/

Hope you enjoy!

Another rug from Paradise! Navy Persian Bijar.

This Persian Bijar is 5'5" x 7'5". Timeless design woven with hand spun wool and vegetable dyes.
[This rug is sold as of a week ago...posted April 25, 2011]

[Bijar (Kurdish: بیجاڕ) is a city located in Kurdistan Province of Iran. Its estimated population as of 2006 is 46,156. With an elevation of 1883.4 meters, Bijar is called the Roof of Iran. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bijar

From my definitions page:

BIJAR: A town in NW Iran (including the surrounding villages) where the rugs of this name are produced. Bijar rugs are woven by Kurdish weavers with an incredible originality and variation in the designs created. Bijar rugs are renown for their durability and have been nicknamed, "The iron rugs of Iran". The most famous BIJAR design is the GARRUS design, which you can see above.

http://www.paradiseorientalrugs.com/rug_definitions.html

To see more beautiful rugs go to:

http://www.paradiseorientalrugs.com/

In Honor of Martin Luther King

Just read an incredible post with some wonderful MLK quotes!
Worth reading on the subject of freedom:
http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/what-is-freedom/

Selling your Oriental Rug on Consignment in the Bay Area or Sonoma County.

I am currently open to consignment sales of good quality hand woven Oriental rugs or runners, preferabley tribal in nature. Antique or new, but must be in good condition and clean. Persian tribal rugs are my first choice, but will consider any rug, if it has the magic! Small to large, OK.

Intersting and unusal pieces woven with vegetable dyes and hand spun wool or small silk rugs seem to find buyers easily in my gallery. If I don't think I can sell it, I will not waste your time. If you need to get the rug washed first we do handle washing rugs at my gallery so give a call. 

My shop is in Sebastopol, CA, so any consignment sales would work best if you are at least in the San Franscisco Bay Area.

http://www.paradiseorientalrugs.com/

If you have a rug or carpet (larger rug) you are interested in selling, send photos by email with size, age, any known info such as provenence to my email address, with your contact info:

afsharlady@aol.com

If you are more interested in selling the rug yourself, this article will give you some tips.

How to sell an Oriental rug, advise, value, where to sell, oriental rug consignment

Have a perfect Day!

Penny Krieger

Owner of Paradise Oriental Rugs, Inc.

137 No. Main St.

Sebastopol, CA

707-823-3355 Tues-Sat 12-5

Sunday, by appointment. Closed Monday.

I do not do appraisals so if you feel that is what you need first, Pamela Hiller is highly qualified and in Sonoma County.
http://www.hiller-restorations.com/rest.html

Oriental Rug Sale On Now! At Paradise Oriental Rugs in Sebastopol, CA!

Hello,

It's January and I am having a SALE. All rugs, including my fantastic Persian tribal rugs are currently 15% off with select rugs throughout my inventory 20-30% off. Sale will run for the next few weeks. Above are a few of the rugs at my shop that I consider exceptional.

Have a look! The below link will take you directly to my galleries.

http://www.paradiseorientalrugs.com/gallery/

Here is a link to my ARTICLES page with all the FAQS, about shipping out of state and yes, I do "on approval" even on SALE priced rugs. http://www.paradiseorientalrugs.com/article.html

There is additional info on how to ascertain value, when and if you need an appraisal, how to sell your Oriental rug and much more.

I carry Persian Gabbehs, Persian tribal rugs such as Qashqai, Bijar, etc., vegetable dyed Turkoman rugs, veg dyed Afghan rugs (Heriz, Sultanabad designs, etc...), Oriental rug trappings; saddle bags, bag faces (the front of an antique saddle bag, torbas (storage bags for nomadic weavers), sofrehs, which are eating cloths and actually very durable AND ballasht's which are woven to be pillows OR grain sacks to be tied to the side of a camel. Also I have a few pieces from some of the other rug producing countries, for example a dragon rug from Buton. I am always available for questions so here is my cell...your direct line!

Penny 707-536-5022

Email is good too as I am online frequently.

Happy New Year to You and my most sincere hopes for you to achieve the goals and dreams that you have put forth for this year!

http://www.blogger.com/www.paradiseorientalrugs.com

TheUnderCoverRugLover, aka Penny Krieger

In Appreciation.

Hello Rug Lovers,

If you are reading this blog, this would be my assumption.

Please accept my sincere wishes for a fantastic Holiday Season and my hopes for each and everyone of you to have a peaceful, prosperous and Happy New Year!

I personally would like to take the opportunity to give THANKS for all that I have. On a global scale I a wealthy beyond all conception, relative to what many in other parts of the world call life on a daily basis.

A warm, safe home to come to at the end of my work day. [Filled with beautiful rugs, which is even more amazing.]
Good, nutritious food to eat every day with a kitchen to cook it in!
A job that I love, that I created with little if any resources from a dream in my mind!
Adult brothers and sisters that all are still alive and with which I love and have shared much.
An abiding faith that if one tries hard enough for ANY goal, the universe will ultimately surrender and bring forth in actuality that which one seeks, notwithstanding tons of hard work!
Good health. Crossing my fingers on this one!
The talented and skilled weavers that create the beautiful rugs that I sell in my gallery.
And last but not least, my beautiful dog, Dante, that is my companion through life and makes me smile every single day!

I am also very thankful for those in the world that work tirelessly to improve the health of the environment, working conditions globally, human rights violations and fairness in business and trade, . They all have my tremendous admiration and support.

Additionally, I am thankful to each and every person that has ever done business in my retail gallery and all those that have contributed to my continued survival, including all of my wonderful wholesalers, as a retail seller of Oriental Rugs.

Sincerely,
Penny Krieger
AKA TheUnderCoverRugLover!

What Makes an Oriental Rug Valuable?

Here are some of the factors that I consider determine the value of a good quality hand woven rug or Oriental Rug.

1) Beautiful colors. Are you enchanted? Are the colors working harmoniously together?

2) Design details. Do you like the details of the design? I have seen a gorgeous rug with possibly one aspect of the design that did not sit right with me. The layout of the design is called the "drawing" in the trade. If the colors are beautiful and the drawing of the rug is artistically pleasing, you are off to a very good start.

3) Quality of the materials used. Most Oriental rugs are woven with wool, silk or cotton. Is the wool spun by hand or machine spun? Machine spun wool, even on a hand woven rug, costs less than hand spun wool. Additionally, there are different qualities of wool. The finer the wool, the more it costs. See my article, “How to Buy an Oriental Rug”.

Sometimes cotton is used in the foundation, such as the warps and wefts. On very fine silk rugs, usually the better pieces have silk foundations so then you have a piece that is 100% silk. This rug will cost more than a silk rug woven on cotton warps. Silk threads are finer and thus one can tie tighter knots. More work, more labor, better skill, higher price.

4) Quality of the dyes used and the skill with which they are applied. Vegetable dyes, sometimes called natural dyes, are costlier to produce and take experience and skill to apply. In the history of weaving, the master dyer was one of the most respected members of the tribal community. Additionally, he never revealed his secret formulas for creating the beautiful colors that made Oriental Rugs and Persian Rugs so famous throughout the world.

5) Skill of the weaving. Is the weaving even? How can you tell this? Flip over the corner of the rug and inspect the back. Are the lines and knots mostly even or zig zagging every which way?

6) Popularity and demand for a particular type of rug in the market place always affects price.

7) Availability. This is another important factor as if the type of rug is too scarce and highly sought after, such as certain antique rugs, prices can reach the stratosphere.

8) An additional consideration would be the cost of fuel as this can affect shipping prices.
Value of the American dollar in international markets also affect price here in the US.

9) For antique rugs: Condition, beauty, true verifiable age, rarity and market conditions all affect the value. How well it is marketed and the reputation of the seller, or auction house can also influence the price.

Best Thoughts,

Penny Krieger

The Undercoverruglover!

Owner of Paradise Oriental Rugs