Mahaba to summer

Marhaba is Hello in Arabic and is a greeting word of Persian origin, roughly meaning "No harm can come from me to you." It is mostly used as a sort of slang, a Middle Eastern version of Hi. If you want to say Hello in a more formal manner, you'd say As-Salamu Alaykum, which means "Peace be upon you."  Today I created this new sign to hang on the front door of a dwelling, welcoming people to your home with a nice Hi.

With the patches of warm weather we've been having here in the Pacific Northwest, I was inspired to welcome warmth and the release of the kids from school. Ramadan is right around the corner and with it a whole new month of Islamic crafts. So welcome to June, July and August...ahhh, summer!

1 comment:

Humble Mom said...

AsSalaamu Alaikum, I agree!
And it looks like you are getting off on the right foot. MashaAllah.

May 30, 2012 at 9:34 PM

Eid Mubarak Coloring books for Ramadan

I had a booth last year at a mosque and thought I'd make something fun and inexpensive for the kids to buy with thier Eid money.  That is how these cute little coloring books came into being.  There are coloring pages that include images not seen in traditional coloring books.  I'm now selling them in my Zibbet store.

Did someone mention cupcakes?

Man, do I love my cupcakes. Especially the ones that I buy at my local grocery store since I have no baking skills at all. They are so moist and have the perfect amount of frosting. I don't ever feel so guilty for eating a whole one, mainly because there is a ton of guilt surrounding eating a whole cake. And the rest of the country has finally caught into the cupcakes craze because there are cupcake restaurants opening up faster then Starsucks around the Northwest.

But, there were no Islamic cupcake decorations. Until now.

I give you, the arabesque Eid Mubarak cupcake topper and wrapper! Available at my shop and ready for your Ramadan celebration. Go ahead, share them on Pinterest. I know you want to :)

Arabesque Cupcake Topper and Wrapper

Arabic tags, tags, tags

I love tags. They are so charming and petite and you can give them to your favorite people in so many ways. You can put them on a gift, use them in scrapbook or write little love notes on them to put them in lunch boxes.

Today I made some Arabic Love and Congratulations tags to list in my Zibbet shop. The front either have the Arabic word Love (with an adorable heart over the word) or the Arabic word Congratulations (with a really zany font). On the back it says To / From, also in Arabic (the To is on top). All the words are to be read from right to left.


Arabic Love scalloped circle hang tags

Arabic Congratulations scalloped circle hang tags

Back of the scalloped circle hang tags

I'm also going to do some Eid and Ramadan tags too, so stay tuned to my blog to see those!

3 Little Monsters

Once upon a time, ten years ago, a monster came to live in our house. Then, 16 months after that, a second monster came to live with us. And finally, five years ago, a last monster snuck into our house. These monsters, while cute, ate our food, made us buy them toys, and worse of all, took over our bathroom. I no longer had a tub to soak in because these monsters would leave their clothes, wash cloths and toys all over my sacred space. After they abused my tub to its full extent, they would get into deceptive princesses nightgowns to trick us into giving them good night kisses, and then ceremoniously, leave their wet skin on my floor.

So yesterday, I had had enough of these three wild monsters. I found a kitchen sign at my local Goodwill, took off the hideous CAFE sign on the top, sanded it down, and painted it green to match the colour of the monsters’ own bathroom that gathers dust. I wrote each monster's name over her hook (in Arabic, naturally), and added squares around the sign to match the wallpater border that is in the bathroom already.

Now after they take a bath, my monsters can leave their wet skins in their own bathroom.

And we lived happily ever after...

Ways to Kill Almost Any Organization

I have been in the non-profit world for over 20 years now.


I have been an Executive Director, Secretary, Treasurer, PR, Membership Chair, Member-at-Large, etc.  You name it and I've done it.  I've been in health organizations, art organizations, helping animals, building homes, and even served on a board for a drum festival.  They have all been amazing learning opportunities for me.  And at every single one of them, I've sadly seen these behavior by others.

So here are some tips on how to kill an organization.

• Don't attend meetings, but if you do, arrive late.
• Be sure to leave before the meeting is closed.
• Never have anything to say at the meeting - wait until you get outside.
• When at the meeting, vote to do everything, then go home and do nothing.
• The next day, find fault with the officers and other members.
• Take no part in the organization's affairs.
• Be sure to sit in the back, so you can talk freely to another member.
• Get all the organization will give you, but don't give the organization anything.
• Never ask anyone to join the organization.
• At every opportunity, threaten to resign and try to get others to also.
• Talk cooperation, but don't cooperate.
• If asked to help, say you don't have time.
• Never read anything pertaining to the organization.
• Never accept an office - it is easier to criticize than do things.
• If appointed to a committee, never give any time or service to it.
• If there are finances to pay, just ignore it.
• Don't do anymore than you have to, and, when others willingly and unselfishly use their ability to help the good cause along, then complain that the organization is run by a clique.

Thank a teacher today

Teacher Appreciation Week begins on the 7th until the 11th of May 2012, and it's the perfect opportunity to say a simple thank you to someone that plays a big part in your child's life.

For the whole week, these are some ideas that your child can do for their teacher:
-Bring her a potted plant
-Take her a smoothie
-Give her a gift certificate to a local bookstore
-Write her a handmade note filled with a list of all the things they love about her
-Send your child to school with some breakfast muffins
-Get her a scarf in the school colors that she can wear on Sprit Day
-Buy her a box of chocolate

And remember:

Artists create beauty.

Judges settle disputes.

Spiritual leaders inspire hope.

Journalists uncover truth.

Police officers keep peace.

Doctors save lives. 

Teachers do all of the above…

Plus lunch duty.