Friday, September 27, 2013

New Arabesque Hamsa Earrings

I needed a break from all the clocks and signs I've been making for the 2013 Arab Festival (to be held a the Seattle Center on October 12th & 14th).  So today I took some time off and designed these earrings.  And with a bit of Seattle sun coming through my studio window, I was able to capture the sunshine from outside.

After I finished all four pairs, I also designed another set with a different hamsa hand.  But the bead isn't looking like how I want it to look, so I put it aside to work on it a different day.

I'm not sure if I'll be bringing to the Festival yet, as there appears to be another jeweler selling, so I thought I would try them out on my Zibbet site first.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Children's Arabic Clocks Sneak Peek

On October 12th & 13th, at the Seattle Center, the 2013 Arab Festival will occur.  This event is every other year and one of the biggest gatherings of the Arab community in the Northwest. 

This will be my third time with a booth, so I've been having fun in my studio coming up with new products for my clients to come find.

For the last few days, I've been making these Arabic clocks for kids.  I'm still in the middle of the process of creating them (in fact they are drying from their third coat of sealant as I type), but I wanted to give you a sneak peek.

I will not be posting these to my shop until after the Festival, as I want to first see how they do in person.  If you'd like to see some of my other clocks, please visit my Clock section of my shop.  Of course you can always email me directly if you'd like a custom clock.

I can't wait for you to come see them in person!

Monday, September 16, 2013

The Muslims are Coming...and Coming...and Coming....

This last weekend, I had the privilege of seeing a sneak peak of the comedy documentary, The Muslims are Coming, directed by  and .  I am huge fans of these two, especially on twitter, where their daily dealings with bigotry are an amusing, yet horrifying, peek into America's vastly emerging intolerance for the freedom of religion.


The Muslims Are Coming Theater lobby before both sold out shows.
A short synopsis from the official website:
THE MUSLIMS ARE COMING! follows a band of Muslim-American comedians as they visit big cities, small towns, rural villages, and everything in between to combat Islamophobia! These Muzzies not only perform standup at each tour stop but create ridiculous interventions in unsuspecting town squares, like the ol’ classic, “Ask a Muslim Booth.” Rest assured, you’ve never laughed this hard at a Muslim!

So I gathered my friends and family (most of whole I had taken to see Dean last time he was here) and we headed down to sharia law a theater...oops, I mean sit with our neighbors and share some popcorn.  Stopping before hand at Shawarma King for some eats, of course.

The documentary was hilarious, and often times painful, to watch as a Muslim.  Because I have been where these comedians stopped.  As a map of their mid American was reveled, I sat in horror as I realized that I have set foot in every single city.  And now, for the next 128 minutes, I would have to relive it again.

A few years after we came to the US, my parents took us on a RV trip from Michigan to California and I fell in love with America.  When I was older, I made it my mission to finish this trip and visit the rest of the United States.  I wanted to learn all I could about this country that my parents uprooted me to.  At last count, I have seen about 45 states, including Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico.

But this time, on the screen, I was traveling as a bystander, and with me in the car are famous people like the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, Colin Quinn, Lewis Black, Rachel Maddow, CNN’s Soledad O’Brien, Ali Velshi and the Young Turk’s Cenk Uygur as well as business tycoon Russell Simmons and even US Representative Keith Ellison, all telling me that you know what? It's a-okay to be a Muslim.

It shouldn't be a crime. 

What would be a crime?  For you to miss this movie.

If I did have to pick one thing that I didn't like about the documentary, I would say the title is misleading in that it implies the Muslims are currently arriving.  In fact, we've been a part of the American quilt since the earliest Muslim immigrants came as slaves from Africa beginning in 1501.  But I can't really complain about it that much.  The title also makes for a off the charts funny theme song that I had stuck in my head the entire evening.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

New low price of Arabic Aphabet Magnets

Over in my Zibbet shop, I sold a set of my 28 Arabic Alphabet 1" Magnets this weekend.  When I went to get the order ready for shipping, I realized that $25.00 seemed a bit much for these magnets.  So I've lowered the price to the same price as the poster.

Yup, you read that right, now you can get all 28 magnets for only $18.99.  That is quite the deal if I do say so myself.  Now the Arabic Alphabet Poster, Arabic Alphabet Game Cards and the 28 Arabic Alphabet 1" Magnets (with and without pronunciations) are all the same price.

I've also decided to offer a deal that if you order all three items together, the price is $50.00.

Think of this as a belated Eid present from me to you! :)



Friday, August 23, 2013

A Crafty Arab 1st ever Amazon review!

I've been selling my Arabic Alphabet Animal on Amazon for a close to two years now.  During that time, I've sold quite a few of the posters, but I have never been given a review.  I have over 100 positive reviews at my Zibbet shop, but my Amazon item has never gotten one, not sure why.

Now I have my first and I'm so excited I had to share it with you.



Thank you Laila for being so supportive on my products and writing up my first assessment!

Here is what she wrote:
I love this poster!!
We put it in a frame and it looks beautiful in my daughter's nursery. At first I thought it was going to end up being more for me than her. But once she turned 18 months, we started looking at it together. And "A Crafty Arab" also has flashcards to match. Now at 22 months she knows all her Arabic letters and the matching animals. Also makes a great baby shower gift.

1 comment:

Raige Creations said...
that is AWESOME!!
congratulations.
your business is thriving, keep up the good work.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Fall 2013 Quilling Board

Now that summer is almost over, it's time to start planning my fall Quilling classes at Ben Franklin Crafts and Frames in Redmond. I will be teaching two classes: one on October 24th and the second on November 21st, both from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Please contact BF to enroll.

There is a shelf in the front of the store that advertises upcoming classes, so I created a new board for my dates. I have found that despite how much social media I do to get my minimum three students per month, these boards brings in about 90% of my audience. This is why I spend so much energy on creating a new board for each session.

The board I dropped off yesterday had some new quilling techniques I'll be showcasing.   Plus, for the first time ever, I've included random quilling shapes on the board itself.  I hope these will help people see how many different designs can be created with one single quilling strip.

Here is the overall board:
 
Starting from the top, I included a flower that highlights a  new technique I just learned.  Upon closer inspection reveals, I hope you can see that each petal consists of two colors. So if you want to learn how I got these pink and yellow petals to do that, come to class!
 
This simple bird peace card is made up of one single V shaped quilling strip.  I then added various sizes of  teardrops and of course glitter.
 
Come to class to learn why I cut this paper into 3/8 inch instead of using the standard 1/8 inch.  Once you see how easy this card is to make, you might want to consider spending a few pennies to make it for your boss's card this year.
 
In the lower right corner I added ornaments. The upper simple ornament I make and sell at Ventures in Pike Place Market.  But I decided to make a second to show a different design.
 
While my original ornament only uses two shapes, the newer more elaborate ornament uses the same two shapes, but adds two more.  If you can't figure it out on your own, come to class and learn!  You'll have plenty of time to make them for your family members as gifts for the holidays!
 
Here is a close up of the random quilled shapes.  My daughter choose which ones needed to go on and glued them down.  I am quite proud of her selections.

This playful bee asking 'What's the buzz' card was so much fun to make and was inspired by my quilled rings that I also sell at Ventures.

As you can see from my close up below, the paper design has changed from what I've done in the past and what is on tutorials on the internet.  And if you come to class, I'll share with you my secret to these multicolored rings.  In the upcoming long, gloomy, grey, rainy, and miserable Seattle days, you can make these pop up flowers to brighten up your friends homes. 

I wanted to add a pair of my butterfly earrings to show how versatile quilling really is to use. In class, I'll talk about the different sealers you'll need to consider to protect your paper. Here I wanted to demonstrate how one of the earrings is sealed, but the other is not.  I'm so sorry the photo is grainy, as you all know by now, photography is not my strength!

For the fall card, I wanted to play around with the paper glued on it's side for the lines of the tree trunk. I really like how the tree knot fit in so well. It is a bit hard to see, but the upper leaves are red and orange and the lower are a light green.  Of course my 10 year old pointed out afterwards that the leaves that had fallen should have been colored and not green. Kids and their logic!

And finally in the middle of the board is the info about the class.
 
Don't forget: October 24 and November 21.  Sign up by stopping by BF or calling (425) 883-2050.

I'm looking forward to seeing you there!


Friday, May 17, 2013

Girl Scout Handsewn Troop Signs

Last year I made a Girl Scout sign for my daughter's troop.  This year I had two other troops in our service unit ask for their own signs and I just finished those today. 

These are 29 inches by 43 inches and look great held up by the girls in group photos.

If you are interested in your own sign, please contact me at ACraftyArab at gmail.

 A Crafty Arab Custom Made Girl Scout Troop Flag

 A Crafty Arab Custom Made Girl Scout Troop Flag


 A Crafty Arab Custom Made Girl Scout Troop Flag