A Crafty Arab

Friday, April 6, 2012

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!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Nowrūz - سال نو مبارک (Happy New Year!!!)

Yesterday was the first day of spring, but to Iranians everywhere, it was Nowrūz, the Persian New Year.

In 2010 the UN's General Assembly recognized March 21 as the International Day of Nowruz.

Since that is today, so I'm going to teach you a little about this festival celebrated the world over, including parts of Central Asia, Caucasus, South Asia, Northwestern China, the Crimea, by some groups in the Balkans, and of course in Iran, the US, and Canada.

According to Wikipedia:

Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in Iranian calendar. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed. As well as being a Zoroastrian holiday and having significance amongst the Zoroastrian ancestors of modern Iranians, the same time is celebrated in parts of the South Asian sub-continent as the new year. The moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year and Iranian families gather together to observe the rituals.

One of the ways that Nowruz is celebrated is to have a Haft Sin (or seven s's) traditional table in your home. This table includes seven specific items starting with the letter 'S' or Sīn (س) in the Persian alphabet. Items include:

sabzeh - wheat, barley or lentil sprouts growing in a dish - symbolizing rebirth

samanu - a sweet pudding made from wheat germ - symbolizing affluence

senjed - the dried fruit of the oleaster tree - symbolizing love

sīr - garlic - symbolizing medicine

sīb - apples - symbolizing beauty and health

somaq - sumac berries - symbolizing (the color of) sunrise

serkeh - vinegar - symbolizing age and patience.

Another way that Nowruz is celebrated is to spring clean, or Khouneh Tekouni (literally means 'shaking the house' or 'complete cleaning of the house') a few days before. And we did exactly that this last weekend, when we scrubbed our kitchen from top to bottom to get ready for some special visitors, yet another way to celebrate.

So to all my Iranian friends, سال نو مبارک, ('sale'noʊ moba'ræk) which is Happy New Year!

Happy Nowrūz Pink Apples Greeting Card

Thursday, March 15, 2012

2011 - 30 Day Crafty Ramadan Challenge Rroundup

I started the 30 days of Ramadan Crafty challenge back in July 2011 to give my daughters a creative outlet for making some fun Islamic crafts. I wasn't able to find any Islamic craft books at our local library or online, so we made up our own creations. It was our hope to inspire others to celebrate the month of Ramadan with their own children. We are looking forward to Ramadan 2012 to create more crafts!