Merry Christmas from A Crafty Arab

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas today. 

Whether we read His words as Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus or Bahá'í, He is Allah in all written and spoken Arabic.  Below is a humbling reminder of this unity.

This is a beautiful photo taken in Beirut, Lebanon with a Christmas tree in front of a mosque.  It  showcases how we Arabs come in all faiths and love to embrace this uniqueness of our historical ancestors.

Christmas in Beirut, Lebanon

Be sure to check out my Arabic Christmas section in my shop, and always support handmade! :)

December Arabic Authors Book Club

My Arabic Authors Book Club meet this month and our book was Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World by Shereen El Feki.

I am not at liberty to discuss what our group spoke about that evening, however, I wanted to share these photos of our Arabic food offerings as an idea of what our topic of discuss was.

Enjoy!

30 days of Ramadan Crafty challenge roundup (2013)

As the year is drawing to a close, I have realized that I did not do a roundup of the 2013 30 days of Ramadan Crafty Challenge.  So before our new year starts, I'd like to take care of one last detail from one of the best years ever for A Crafty Arab.  Shurkran to everyone!

As many of you know, I started the 30 days of Ramadan Crafty challenge back in July 2011 to give my daughters a creative outlet for making some fun Arab/Asian/Islamic crafts to celebrate this month of their heritage and culture.

Most of the crafts I've done in the past three years have been ones that I have created on my own or had to adapt from other resources.  I had to do this since there are currently no good craft book for Arab/Asian/Islamic/Eid/Ramadan crafts.  But maybe things will change soon and I can take my craft ideas and turn them into an ebook.  I'm just not sure there is a market for it, as it's never been done before.  Plus, I'd love to hire a photographer as my skills are amateur.

Until then, please enjoy this list of 30 free DIY craft tutorials to celebrate the days of Ramadan with your children.  If you'd like to see all the images of all the crafts, make sure you visit my Pinterest board for this year.  And follow me to get updates for 2014!

1.   5 Pillars of Islam Wind Chime

2.   Arab League Word Puzzle

3.   Arabic Numbers Toss

4.   Camel Coffee Cozy

5.   Clothespin Debke Dancers

6.   Crafting Update - Eid Party Distressed Wooden Sign...

7.   Crescent Moon & Star Thaumatropeis

8.   Eid Mubarak Money Envelopes

9.   Eid Mubarak Puzzle Card

10. Eid Mubarak Sheep Magnet

11. Eid Paper Star Table Toppers

12. Eid Party Distressed Wooden Sign

13. Elegant Brown & White Eid Decorated Letters

14. Emirates Button Card

15. Glass Zakāt Decorated Jar

16. I'm Praying Door Hanger

17. Ishmael and Family Story Stones

18. Libyan Cooling Fan

19. Mini Canvas Minarets

20. Moon & Star Stamp

21. Mr. Jalabiya Eid Mubarak Card

22. My First Ramadan Sharpie Plate

23. My Ramadan Moon Flip Book

24. Nazar Hair Clip

25. Ramadan Crescent Moon & Star Ithnain

26. Ramadan Dates Advent Calendar

27. Ribbon Moon Door Hanger

28. Somalian Flag Pennant

29. Sun Printed Arabic Numbers Cards

30. Woolly Sheep Eid Mubarak Card