Healthy Kids Day at the Y

This past Saturday was Healthy Kids Day at the YMCA.  I had been asked to recommend a craft for the kids to do from Libya. So I recommended the Eid Tea Light Lanterns and it was a huge hit.
At the event there was Ethiopian food, Hispanic flower crafts, Australian reef fishing, face painting, inflatable castles, an Indian fashion show, and tons more activities.  So many of the kids were none stop moving with the Family Zumba, swimming, and the Amazing Race.  It was so fun and I hope we do it again soon.

The only thing that had to be adjusted was the Libyan flag. They had the old one up, so we took out some construction paper and adjusted it for them.

SHAG New Haven Quilling Class

Today I taught a class at SHAG New Haven Senior Housing in Bitter Lake. I've never taught quilling to seniors and to be honest, I was nervous, wondering how they were going to work the quilling tool. Turns out there was nothing to be nervous about. They did an amazing job and turned out some gorgeous flower cards. We even got time to make some free standing cars. I was very impressed and hope that I get a chance to do more with them again!

Here is a photo of me, my ladies and the beautiful cards they made.

Fundraiser for A Dear Sister

Shakira Wagner is a 17 year old, American Muslim girl from Arizona. At a young age her mother reverted to Islam and gave Shakira the choice to follow in her steps, she eagerly chose to do so and considers herself having been raised Muslim.

In the last four years, Shakira has been getting more involved in the Muslim community in Arizonaand consequently, more involved in her deen. Recently, Shakira has applied and been accepted into the Rihla Program from the Deen Intensive Foundation to study for one month in Istanbul, Turkey. She will be taught by knowledgeable teachers such as Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, Imam Zaid Shakir, Sheikh Yahya Rhodus, Ustead Walead Mosaad, Dr. Umar F. AbdAllah, and many more.

I am currently offering to help this Shakira in her quest at the Deen Intensive Foundation in Turkeyby donating 40% of any order in my Zibbet shop when the code SHAKIRA is used at checkout. The 40% does not cover shipping and will be sent to Shakira once payment is received.

Quilled D with Husking

I'm so excited that my quilling class at Ben Franklin Crafts and Frames is this Thursday. When I went into the store last week, to check on sign-ups, I was told that the Quilled B I made for display was a huge hit. Since I am one person short for the class sign-ups, I needed to do more to draw attention to the class.

So I took another letter (D!) and brought it home. This one they are going to display at the front of the store. For this letter I decided to do the quilling strips in one colour (lavender) and painted the letter itself bright yellow to stand out on the shelves. The flowers are in a new method that I've never done before called Husking. While it uses the same paper as quilling, it uses cork and sewing pins for the technique. And if you sign up for my class on Thursday, I'll show you how to do it!

Quilled D

Close up of Husking

Arab American Poem from Book Spines

April is Poetry Month! Our local library is having a contest and is asking everyone to create an original poem made up entirely of book spines.

I looked on my book spines at home and created this poem made up of Arab American fiction and poetry books.  My daughters have also gotten excited about this contest and want to create their own poems.  Unfortunately the library only takes teen submissions, but I'm going to encourage them to create them anyway.  I can't wait to see what they come up with also!

Origins

Scheherazade's Legacy
A Map of Home
Once in a Promised Land
And Not Surrender
Back of the Throat
The Language of Baklava
Wrapping the Grapeleaves

In the Country of Men
Dinarzad's  Children
Never in a Hurry
For Sides of the Only World
A Different Path
Rest in Love

In the Country of My Dreams
A Border Passage
Before Our Eyes
Sadness of Others
Through and Through
Holy Surprise of Right Now
Space Between Our Footsteps
The Lives of Rain

Islamic Mosaic Paper Cut

Papercutting is an art form with origins back in the 6th century. Jianzhi, as it is called in China, was usually done by the royals, since they could afford paper. By the 14th century, the artfrom was being created by everyone and had spread to other parts of the world and was called Sanjhi in India, Kirie in Japan, and Papel Picado in Mexico. There are many notable silhouette artists, who create beautiful works of art using an image of a person, object or scene outlined, cut out and placed on a solid colour background.

Inspired by these cultural masterpieces, I created my own Islamic Mosaic Paper Cut and will show you how to do your own.

You'll need:

Framed Mosaic Paper Cut Template
White Cardstock
Cutting Mat
Ruler
Craft Knife
Glue
Red Cardstock

Print out the Mosaic Paper Cut Template on some sturdy white cardstock and use the craft knife and ruler to cut out the lines on your cutting mat. I found it best to move the cutting mat as I cut out the lines with the ruler rather then move the white cardstock. This helped the white paper stay in place during the cutting.  I also found it easier to cut the little spots free hand, rather then the ruler, since they were easier to see.

Glue your cut out design on the printed side to hide all your lines.

Enjoy your paper cut!