Matryoshka Store News

We are back

2008-09-06T23:10:00.002+08:00

We are back after 2 weeks of holidaying in Melbourne and Canberra. It was fantastic! Thanks so much for all your messages! We will start going through them on Sunday, you should receive a replay within a couple of days.

Matryoshka Store will be unattended from 23 August to 6 September

2008-08-15T22:02:00.001+08:00

NB! Please note that the Matryoshka Store will be unattended from 23 August to 6 September 2008. This will not affect orders paid by a credit card or PayPal, they will be processed and dispatched as usual. Orders paid via direct bank transfer or cheque/money order will not be processed until 6 September.

August News

2008-08-07T20:51:00.006+08:00

We now have plenty of matryoshka dolls to choose, everything in the store is available for immediate delivery from Russia. There are 300 different product titles, the most popular being the nesting dolls with floral patterns in 5 and 10 piece designs.

5 piece matryoshka with flowers

10 piece floral nesting dolls

Have you painted nesting dolls yourself? Showcase them!

Unpainted nesting dolls are also extremely popular and it would be very interesting to know what people are doing with them. You are very welcome to send us photos of nesting dolls that you painted yourself, or your kids or students painted them. You can send us a reference to your website or blog - we will be pleased to showcase them in our store!

Get ready for Christmas

The nesting dolls are an excellent and original gift for Christmas. People enjoy giving and receiving matryoshkas as a gift because this is something different from what one gives or receives every year. Our store stocks a wide variety of designs and sizes of Russian dolls, the prices range from just over $5 to hundreds of dollars, so there is a perfect gift for everyone.

There are also wooden Christmas decorations painted the same way as the Russian nesting

dolls, they are in the Christmas nesting dolls category. Seemingly simple figurines 5 - 7 a box are hand painted with so fine brushstrokes you would not believe it!

Just remember that your purchase will be sent directly from Russia with about 3 week delivery time via Air mail and 3 month - via Surface mail. The Surface mail is about half the price of the Air mail, so if you are planning ahead and want to save some money, it is the time to buy for Christmas right now.

New fast server

Those of you with fast computers have probably noticed that the website site is now more responsive and the pages load faster. This is because we moved to a new faster server. It is also more secure with daily backups and a new SSL certificate from Comodo.

New payment options

We can now accept master and Visa credit cards directly! Credit card payments were accepted through PayPal In the past, which was confusing for some customers and some customers did not trust PayPal. The credit card payments are now processed through secure eGate provided by ANZ bank of Australia. Unlike PayPal, the payment now is straightforward and thus more convenient. For security conscious, we do not see, collect or store your credit card details, this is done by the bank with all the security they can provide, we only receive a notification at the end that the payment has been accepted.

Naturally, the other payment methods (direct bank deposit, cheque, money order, PayPal) are still available.

Discount coupon

We believe that our Russian dolls are fantastic and want more people to appreciate this. Although the product is already very competitively priced even with the postage cost from Russia taken into account, we would like to offer a further discount. Please use the discount coupon “f58d8029” without quotes at the checkout to receive 10% off in August and September. You can share it with your friends and relatives; they will also be entitled for discounted purchases.

Delivery times

2008-03-16T18:35:00.001+08:00

Thank you so much everyone sent feedback about the delivery of their orders! We now feel a lot more confident. Here are some of the results based on your feedback.

Airmail shipping:
Australia and New Zealand– 9-21 working days
US and Canada – 7-16 working days
UK and Europe - 7-14 working days (one parcel took 24 working days to the UK)
Hong Kong - 8 working days (was one parcel only)

We received only two feedbacks for the deliveries via Ground mail: the shipping to Australia took 14 weeks and the one to Canada – 8 weeks.

Great choice of nesting dolls again

2008-03-16T18:34:00.000+08:00

Our first Christmas/New Year season had a dramatic effect on the stock. Now, more than two months in the New Year, the stock is gradually recovering. The choice is great again – you are now welcome to have a good look especially if you were not able to find that precious little set of nesting dolls before Christmas!

Matryoshkastore.com will be 1 year old soon!

2008-03-16T18:23:00.002+08:00

Did you know that our website is not even 1 year old? We started working on it in April last year and opened the online shop in May. It now receives 100 individual visits a day; nearly 500 orders have been delivered to our satisfied customers.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

2007-12-17T15:38:00.000+08:00

To all our valued customers and friends we would like to express our appreciation for taking interest in matryoshka dolls in 2007.

We wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season and a new year filled with good health, happiness, prosperity and success!

Please note that the Russian Post will be closed on 1 – 7 January, thus some delays can be expected during this period.

With kind regards,
Tatiana and Alex @ matryoshkastore.com

Russian nesting dolls ... suffering?

2007-09-06T21:21:00.000+08:00

July 31 (Rusberg) — About 5 million Russian matryoshkas (nesting dolls) — nearly a half of the total yearly production — is without owners and need government aid, a report by major relief russian agencie says.

The Non-Governmental Organization Committee of cultural problems in Russia have issued a briefing paper that says slow trade in nesting dolls sector leads to a humanitarian crisis that has worsened since last ten years.

The paper, called “Rising to the Humanitarian Challenge by matryoshka makers in Russia,” is the latest documentation of the misery faced by russian matryoshka painters.

“Five million nesting dolls are in urgent need of emergency aid. Most of them are contained in rooms without basic services and increasingly threatened by dampness and tightness,” said the relief agencie’s report.

“The government of Russia and international donors can do more to deliver humanitarian assistance to reduce unnecessary suffering. If matryoshka’s basic needs are left unattended, this will only serve to further worsening the condition.”

And so on ... Fool's day joke?

Matryoshka Wine Bottle Holders

2007-09-05T19:06:00.000+08:00

I wonder how many people have seen them ?

These exquisite wine bottle holders are doll-style wooden containers handcrafted in Russia. After being carefully lathed from linden wood, they are hand painted and varnished. Those persons familiar with Russian art will find them very similar to the highly collectible Russian matryoshka (nesting doll). Each wine bottle container is meticulously hand painted in beautiful colours. Some of the bottle holders illustrate the scenes from fairy tales and legends. Others depict different aspects of daily life.

The matryoshka bottle holder is : -
A marvellous souvenir from Russia
A unique and stylish decoration for your house
A fantastic gift (especially with a bottle of good wine inside it!)
An original way to serve wine at a restaurant and at home
A great conversational item
An indispensable accessory of a Russia-themed party and a Russian wedding

Evolving Michael Jackson

2007-09-04T17:43:00.000+08:00

Funny nesting dolls from here:

If you want to make your own matryoshka dolls - no problem, here is unpainted blank nesting dolls.

Matryoshka Fridge magnets

2007-09-02T16:36:00.000+08:00

I was going to write about Matryoshka Fridge magnets, how lovely they are, that they are hand carved of wood and hand painted in the best traditions of Russian nesting dolls. And that you can put these great decoration items on a fridge or any metal surface. These truly stunning little magnets will add a touch of Russian glamour!!! They are also very fine items for collectors of kitchen magnets.

Well, pretty much all of them are gone, only a few left. These are some of those that I had:

Matryoshka doll marks its birthday in style

2007-08-29T22:27:00.000+08:00

Russia Today:

One of Russia’s most famous symbols is having a birthday. It’s been more than 120 years since Matryoshka dolls first appeared in the country, and Muscovites have been celebrating.

You know that when you take home this lady, you’re not just making room for her but also her entire extended family. But that’s all part of the charm for millions of fans worldwide of the Matryoshka doll.

Although she’s based on a design that originated in Japan, the Matryoshka has become as much a symbol of Russia as the Kremlin, and Muscovites were dressed up and out in force to wish her a happy birthday.

In true party spirit a traditional folk band were getting the rest of the crowd in the mood for dancing.

The birthday celebration is part of Moscow’s international crafts fair and featured painters and artists from across Russia and beyond.

So why does the Matrioshka have such an enduring appeal?

“People can’t leave their roots behind. They should not forget where they come from. This sort of event helps people to remember their heritage. For example, almost any Russian person had a Nevalyashka, a Matryoshka in their childhood. And we help them see them again here,” stresses Marine Alekseeva, Director of Ismailovsky Kremlin.

And for budding artists there was even a chance to give their favourite doll a change of style.

Now Matryoshka’s more than a hundred years old but she still looks great for her age and she does like to keep up with the latest trends and fashions.

Matryoshka Kilt Pins

2007-08-29T21:42:00.000+08:00

These have become such a hot commodity!

Pretty item from Russia – five wooden dolls dangle from a large lapel kilt pin. These delightful hand-painted dolls are miniatures of the famous Russian babushka nesting dolls.

This is a very versatile item and can be used as a brooch, a clasp for a shawl or scarf, or hung on your bag as a charm – or for anywhere else you choose! Both adults & children alike love the whimsy of these pretty pins – the 100% original Russian folk jewellery.

The tiny wooden nesting dolls are hand turned and hand painted in Russia with a lot of love for detail: each has a face and a flowery decor. They are finished with glossy lacquer.

There is such a variety Matryoshka kilt pins available! It can be a flowery ornament in you favourite colour, pets, families, fairy tale characters or even the whole Christmas set with Santa, Snow-maiden, two snowmen (a boy and a girl) and a Christmas tree.

August News

2007-08-14T21:09:00.000+08:00

Sale!

The August Sale is in full swing now: 30% off on all 5 piece country style babushka dolls and all 10 piece sets with ornaments and flowers till the end of August!

Changes to the Store

We have made a few changes , it is now easier to shop at the Store than ever

Added a lot of description, the main ones being Help and How to Buy
Generally cleaned the pages
Removed Paymate (Australian analogue of PayPal) from the payment options (redundant: PayPal now does the same - accepts credit cards without creating an account - and works faster)
Added Ground shipping option to save your money. Please, beware: it is very slow and can take 3-4 months

Give away

For a limited time only till the end of September, we are giving away 10% discount coupons. They can be used unlimited number of times during the period and passed onto anyone. To use it, just enter 699705ac when you see a field for a discount coupon at the checkout.

Weird Stuff

A well-known in Russia web designer ventured into nesting doll making and came up with a terabyte matryoshka. It is apparently very popular among computer geeks. Do you want me to try to get it into my Store?