And the Winners Are...!

We have three winners! (Blog in progress. . . ) Last night, Sergei ~ more about him in a minute ~ drew the names of our winners. A piece of this dinnerware will go to each winner. This pottery is made in the Rostov area and it's shipped across Russia, I'd reckon. . .

So here are the prizes: From left, the *Cash Stash* (AKA ash tray), ceramic picture (or spoon rest) and salt dish (or holder of rings and things).

Meet Sergei. He was the right person to draw names. You see, Sergei was born in the Ukraine, immigrated to the U.S. last year and now lives in Dallas. All with some help from his wonderful new mom and dad. ;) Any-who, Sergei announced that Winner #1 is "V!" So, V, you get the little plate with the Orthodox church! (Dear V, please contact me at eileen.emch@gmail.com ASAP with your mailing address!)

Winner #2 is JEANETTE! So you get the *cash stash!* Yeah Jeanette! (Please contact me with mailing information!)

And. . . Winner #3 is Susan and Mark. So you get the salt dish that you wanted! Please contact me ASAP (eileen.emch@gmail.com) with your mailing address!

Here's Sergei as per his refrigerator photo. He loved drawing the winners. But, bless his sweet Slavic soul, he was near tears feeling the pain of those who didn't get a prize! His mom and dad, Steve and Stephanie, wisely explained that the non-winners wouldn't be sad ~ in fact, they would be happy for those whose names were drawn. Right?

Prizes for You: My Favorite Russian Pottery

Dear Blog-reading Friends, Just to thank you for being there, for swinging by and saying preevyet from time to time, brought some little gifts for you back from Russia. Oh, they're just little bitty things, but they're a few of my favorite things. For you. . .and You. . . and YOU!


(Click photo to enlarge.) Here are a few pieces I very seriously considered packing. The tea cups and the sugar bowl got nixed. . .

See, this dinnerware is made in the Rostov area. It's called Semakarakorsk, or something very close, named after the village in which it's made, several hours south of Rostov. I've come to love it and have scads of it. This is just my back-up stash, for when company's comin'. I did consider bringing a few pieces of my stuff to pass along. . .

But, in the end, I packed the usual, a big ol' bunch of these little salt dishes. And one's a prize for a lucky winner. You're not obliged to use it for salt, you know, it works great for jewelry. Or stray buttons. Or salt, especially if you use coarse-grained salt and like to sprinkle it on your food.

And then there's this little thing. With an Orthodox cathedral, a Cossack horseman mounted on his trusty steed. This is made to be hung. But you can use if for a spoon rest. Or for paper clips.

Then there's this that I'm sacrificing from my personal stash. Haha. Actually it's been in a box but it deserves a good home. It appears to have been designed to serve as an ashtray. But who smokes, anyway? Certainly not me, so let's call it. . . a button dish. Or a spare change dish. Hey, we could call it a cash stash. Kinda rhymes.

So, here's the drill to enter the drawing: 1) Leave a comment with your name or nickname. 2) Indicate which prize you would prefer ~ wish I could guarantee that you'd get it. . . but. . . 3) Share something about your interest or connection with things Russian. And that's it.

I'm hoping to draw three winners on Monday. I'll do my best! And dear friends, this is just to say thank you ~ spaceeba ~ спасибо ~ for your faithful support of From Russia with Love through thick and thin! When you come to Russia, you'll see this pottery lots of places, it's quite popular.

Boot-sandals: A Trend for You?

Are you a fashionista and out there on the leading edge? Are you an early adapter of the latest? Well then, you might be considering a pair of these boot-sandals. They're the hottest thing in Eastern Europe this summer.

But who wants hot for the summer? Well anyway, admittedly, I might be missing something. But the rationale for this sort of footwear escapes me.

If you're a trail blazer of fashion, please explain these to the rest of us. . . Say, dear blog reader, have you spotted these in the city where you live? Do you see yourself indulging?