in all the chaos ...

... I mustn't forget the Algerian Action Craft Auction!

Remember? Algerian Action are fundraising for little Youcef to have much needed medical treatment. It has been postponed and will begin on the 8th of June in sha Allah and run for a week. I will be auctioning off one of my crocheted creations in sha Allah. Will you be creating something to auction off? 


And before I head off to get some work done, here are some things I've been admiring in cyberspace:


Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, Algerian Stuffed Galette and Cornflake Crusted French Toast. All perfect for summertime family meals when it's too hot to cook eat heavy meals! 


Handmade Healing Salve

A beautiful, fresh and simple doily


A fun font collection


Paper party decoration tutorials


And all these amazing truffle recipes for a special treat ... some time!


By the way, deux yeux Teux Deux?

Read more...

my creative space - busy

The first annual bazaar at Berlitz Ladies Center will be held on the 6th of June and guess who will be there behind a table bearing crocheted goodies alongside some yummy cakes made by one talented cake maker (aka sil). Erm, yes, me! In sha Allah! And I'm getting nervous about it. But I don't have time to get nervous!

I've been crocheting some new things ... (Baby barefoot sandals are cute!)

some old things ...

some funky chunky things ...

some light and lacy things ...

some more of my usual ...

... and some other things!

So if you're in Jeddah, stop by! It's an all day thing and located just off of Tahlia Street!

More hopefully not as nervous creative spaces at a new home right here!

A big thank you to all of you that have left me messages about my uncle. I really appreciate it. He's trying to come to terms with the long term dialysis that he needs to have. Another uncle of mine has to have heart surgery soon due to blocked arteries. So a lot of health issues going on in my family. It's so important for us to take care of our health! 

Read more...

praying for my uncle

I just wanted to stop by and say thank you and jazakillahu kulla khayr to everyone that has left comments and messages for me about my uncle. Yesterday, the doctors said that both his kidneys have failed and that he will have to be on long term dialysis. I spoke to him yesterday and tried to tell him all the things I wanted him to know, that I miss him, that I always loved going to his home and feeling the warmth, that he always makes me feel better, that any sufferring will in sha Allah be recompensed. It's hard being far away. Alhamdulillah my Mum flew over and got to London this morning. She is at the hospital now. They are still waiting to transfer him from Harrow to a kidney specialist in Hammersmith. He hasn't had things easy in life, but nevertheless remained jolly and friendly all the time. That oil painting is one of his that is hanging in my parents' home! He is a very creative, talented soul who always brings a smile (and usually a giggle) to everyone's face ma sha Allah.

posted from Bloggeroid

Read more...

handmade joy swap celebration

I'm still here. A few things have been going on. My firstborn "graduated" from primary school and they had a concert/party yesterday. But things have been a bit sad too. One of my uncles is very ill with kidney trouble. They are waiting to transfer him to a kidney specialist at Hammersmith. I miss him. It's horrible to be so far from family at times like this.



But I wanted to drop by and post today as I took part in a swap that Anne set up back in March and it took a while for parcels to get to there destinations and to coordinate a day for everyone to post about their Handmade Joy. I felt that it wouldn't have been fair on my partners and the others that took part, if I hadn't posted today.



Two weeks ago I received a lovely bit of handmade goodness from Judy of Hartfelt Fabric and Paper Creations.



It was beautifully wrapped.



A gorgeous piece of paper cutwork. I was so touched when I read that she had used lillies for her theme as she he had read here, that lillies were my favourite!
Have a look at her blog to see how she created this. I think I will find a window in my new home in sha Allah, for it as it has a lovely stained-glass effect when the sun shines through it!

As we didn't send our handmade packages to the same bloggers we received from (thats cool isn't it?), I got to send mine to the talented Anne herself. Of course it was hard! She crochets, she paints, she takes beautiful photographs! I didn't know what to send her! My first thoughts were to try out something different and send that to her. But I wasn't very happy with the end result. So I sent her something that I liked and hoped she might use.



And something that has become my trademark amongst friends!



And ofcourse I had to add a little crochet love to my Saudi Arabia postcard!



You can check out the other participants work here.

Wishing you all good health and joy this evening. We can never take these for granted.

posted from Bloggeroid

Read more...

my creative space - surprises!

The bad thing about my personal postal system is that due to the way that my husband is employed here, my postal adress is in a city which is a 10-hour drive away from where I live. I feel that it's safer and sometimes quicker for my post to be brought over from the UK!
The good thing is that sometimes I get a couple of nice surprises in one go!

Surprise number 1 was of the posty kind. I got this beautiful tea wallet and a selection of teas (because you know coffee is just so overrated!) from Callieknit!

Lately, my special treat has been to slowly work my way through this

so I was quite surprised to find some Republic of Tea, Blood Orange Chocolate Red Tea. Oh the aroma alone is enough to soothe the soul! Then there was some Numi, Red Mellow Bush Rooibos Tea and some of Teavana's Tranquil Dreams Herbal Tea. Have you tried any of these? Angie also sent me a recipe for chocolate chip scones!

Surprise number two was also a posty kind of the handmade joy variety but I will have to wait a bit before sharing that with you!

Surprise number three was very much in line with my perfect crafting day! I had heard of a new yarn shop in Jeddah, on the Saudistitchers group on Ravelry. I finally got to have a quick look yesterday and yes, ma sha Allah it's got to be the best I've seen here! It's called Arts and Crafts and it's in Sultan Mall. I picked up these


but they have all sorts of dk, and aran (which are usually hard to find here), needles and hooks, all sorts of goodies!

And I'm still playing around with the cotton.

Check out some more creative spaces here.

What's your creative space looking like?

posted from Bloggeroid

Read more...