Bali Shipment is coming!!!

The latest shipment from Bali will be arriving in early December, just in time for holiday shopping!  Most items will not be available online, but will be in the store.  Please, subscribe to the web mail on the website, so I can keep you up to date.  This will be the best Christmas ever, with fabulous bronze, stone and resin statuary...rayon batik clothing and sarongs...Indonesian Ikat and way too many goodies to list here.  Thank you for your continued support.  Spirithouse and our family of SEAsian suppliers promise you only the best of hand crafted, fairly traded fine goods.

Bali Revisited

It is time for this traveler to return to Bali.  The Island of the Gods calls to me.  My visit this September will be a little longer than in recent years, enabling me to do some searching for new goods and to spend some time absorbing Bali culture.  Please, contact me through the personal shopper feature on this site, if you have shopping requests.  The shipment will arrive in time for the Christmas holiday season.  I also plan to expand this blog to include some Bali culture, maybe even some video...so stay tuned. 

Sampai jumpa lagi...see you later

Ibu Janah

Galungan & Kuningan - BALI - April 5-10, 2017

Celebrated every 210 days, according to the Hindu Saka Calendar, Galungan symbolizes the victory of Dharma over Adharma, or virtue over evil.  Galungan is the most important feast for Balinese Hindus, a celebration to honor the creator of the universe, Ida Sang Widi and the spirits of honored ancestors.  During the ten days of Galungan, the Gods come down to earth and join the festivities, along wth the spirits of ancestors and deceased relatives, who come home to visit and are welcomed with rituals and offerings.

During the festival, tall bamboo poles called "Penjor" are decorated with fruit, coconut leaves and flowers and set up at the entrance of every household gate.  Bamboo altars are also set up, each one bearing woven palm leaf offerings.

On the final, tenth day of the festival, called Kuningan, the supreme God, Sanghyang Widi, descends to earth to give blessings to all the people.

The entire island of Bali is decorated and the festivitiess are held across the island during this religious festival.

Happy Spring!

The Vernal Equinox marks the beginning of spring, this year on 20 March, the festival that celebrates the season's change from dark winter to brightening spring.  Day and night are of equal length as the sun passes over the celestial equator.

Pagan Ostara honors the Spring Maiden of dawn as she oversees the budding of plants and burgeoning fertility of the earth.  The God Pan embraces the festive enjoyment of nature in dance and song.

Many religions celebrate holidays at this time of year including Hindu Holi, Jewish Purim, Sikh Hola Mohalla and Christian Easter.  The symbols of eggs, rabbits, flowers and seeds represent the fertility of spring.

At SPIRITHOUSE, we celebrate spring with our annual "waiting for the spring/summer shipments to arrive" SALE.  The instore 40% off discount includes all of our current stock of women's crinkle cotton and linen clothing.  The goodies on the way, from my January trip to Thailand will be in the store by mid April.  New styles of cotton clothing for women and men, fashion accessories and home decorating accents will grace our shop.  On the website we will soon introduce new styles of cotton clothing for women and men and add new home goods to our current selections .  Stay tuned for new temptations!

Best wishes to all for an abundant spring season.  Cheers!!

“thank you” to all of our loyal customers...

Let me begin by saying “thank you” to all of our loyal customers.  We are now in our 18th year, and will continue to provide you with unique items online and in our brick and mortar location in Nevada City.  “Stay tuned” as I finally keep my promise to blog.  Yes!  I have learned more about myself and the world around me than I ever dreamed was possible.  I want to share.  I’m also curious about the questions you have about where I go and what I do in Asia.  Ask away!

This past January-February marked my 37th trip to S.E. Asia. WOW. The smiling faces I see again and again on each journey there, now belong to my extended family.  They are the reason I feel comfortable and familiar there and look forward to every trip I make.  It has been a privilege to be a part of their lives, to see young people fall in love, get married, have a family and call me “Ibu,” Balinese for mother.  I am still “Sir” in Thailand...oh, well, it’s that language/translation thing.  In this amount of time, my Asian language skills have improved.  I still have the verbal capacity of a toddler in Thailand.  Bahasa Indonesian is a much better fit for my brain, although my comprehension far exceeds my ability to respond.  It is my favorite of the Asian languages to learn, sounds musical and I can read the words!!!  Vietnamese - forget it!  They may use our alphabet, but the pronunciations leave me mystified.  Fortunately, English is the international language of commerce, science and medicine.  I am grateful for my mother tongue.

Shipments from my recent buying trip to Thailand and Bali will begin arriving at the end of April and will start to show up in the store and on the website in early May.  No, it is not just like Christmas!  Maybe it is a little like that  holiday on steroids.  I promise to write another blog sometime soon featuring my perspective on the fantasy of “the glamorous import business.”

We will receive nearly an entire container of pillows from Thailand:  Traditional Triangles, Meditation Zafu, Seat Cushions and Bolsters as well as “Opium” style accent tables, our FABULOUS handbags, home decor  and of course, the Crinkle Cotton Summer Clothing that everyone loves.  Stone Statuary from Bali will arrive in time for outdoor projects as well as plenty of goodies to add an Indonesian touch to your world. Our private label rayon batik clothing line of sarongs, scarves, ponchos and pants made in Bali, have been staples since the beginning.

We are looking forward to another fabulous summer at Spirithouse.  The First Friday Art Walks start in May and we have our Summer Nights events, Wednesday evenings in July.  The store is open every day 10:30 to 6:00 and later during the special events.  Come in and say hello.

Thank you

Khap Khun Kha

Cam On

Terimah Kasih

Janah Campbell, owner, Fearless Leader, Ibu to the little ones

The Unveiling

It couldn’t be avoided any longer…we had to do it.  It was time to take one last hard look at the old website and say goodbye.  The times they are a changin’ and we felt the call to change with them.  We had some catching up to do!  

As we tip toed into the waters of social media it became evident that we are part of this evolution, and it is part of us.  So here we are.  After a few months of collective effort we welcome you to the unveiling of the new Spirithouse Import Gallery online! Join us as we reach out and connect with you…our friends…old and new, from over the years and over the miles to bring you the best of what Spirithouse has to offer.  No need to wait for that road trip to the Sierra Nevada foothills, the summer vacation to California, or the annual trip to visit the family out west…we’ll come to you.   

Spirithouse Import Gallery online will provide all that our brick and mortar store has to offer and more!  We will feature unique items available only online as well as the favorites you’ve come to count on.  In line with the reputation we’ve earned as the 'go to place' for that special gift for that special someone, that one unique item to complete your favorite outfit or that one perfect piece to achieve the aesthetic for your interior design project, Spirithouse Import Gallery online is proud to offer you a fine selection of jewelry, clothing, accessories, home décor, and museum quality collectibles.  If there is something you’ve seen in our boutique that you do not find in the online store or if you’d like our buyer to look for a particular item, service, or accommodation in Southeast Asia go to our Personal Shopper option, send us the details and we’ll work with you to find the perfect match!

Check back soon...check back often.  Because many of the items featured online are one of a kind we will constantly be adding new products.  

It’s easier than ever to connect with us...from the Spirithouse Import Gallery website you can join us on Facebook, Pinterest, and even subscribe to our newsletter to receive notification of new arrivals and special 'subscriber only' offers.

We look forward to stepping out and meeting you along the way as we make this new journey across the World Wide Web.