BARAKAH LIFE handmade

Zaytuna's Minara & Fundraiser

Gorgeous Chicago

This past weekend Zaytuna hosted a Minara titled;  Agenda to Change our Families at Northwestern University as well as an award ceremony and fund raiser at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.

Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry

I had absolutely no idea that Chicago was such a pretty city, the city feels like a blend of Portland, Oregon and London. Place can really set the tone for events and the museum was a very special setting for Zaytuna's evening event. 

With the decor I was hoping to create a simple but elegant look. Earthy colors were chosen for the table linens in a lamor fabric. On the stage backdrop a fresh green garland of Ruscus and Salal leaves were draped. The stage flowers were all orchids and the dining table centerpieces were simple shaped modern white vases and with leaves instead of flowers; Monstera and Lily Grass. We were able to also benefit from the  museum's current glass exhibit which includes nine glass chandeliers which were conveniently hanging above the stage.


 
    
 




 

Mother's Day

Mother's Day Flowers

Stage flowers from the Mother's Day event that Zaytuna & Rumi hosted in Fremont.

The flowers include Lilac's, Scabiosa, Roses, Spider Mum's, Stock, Sweet Peas & Statis

Childrens Art Exhbit

Please join our Annual Children's Art & Craft Exhibition.

Deadline for submissions: May 30th
Exhibit will be in June

Sewing During Recess?

I received a call Friday afternoon from my friend Homaira, she said that all week the 5th graders at Northstar School had opted to sew during their recess. She had taken a project from the Barakah Life handmade site and they had happily worked on it to its completion. I told her I'd provide the next project as I wanted to work with this enthusiastic group myself.

Yesterday, I went to the school to work with the kids and we had a nice time together. In fact when lunch came, they all said that they did not want to go they wanted to sew. It took a little convincing to let them know skipping lunch was not an option.

The joy in the yesterdays lesson for me was to see the joy in the children, their eagerness and desire to create and learn.

Walk with the Scholars

5K Walk-a-thon, Family Fair & Silent Auction

Ilm Tree is holding a family fun day, fund raising event for the school. Confirmed scholars are I. Zaid Shakir, S. Alaeddin El-Bakri, Q. Amar Bellaha, P. Hatem Bazian, U. Abdullah Ali, and U. Abdul Kareen Yahyaa. The event will be held on June 8th at Deer Hill Ranch in Lafayette, California,  which next year will be the new home of the school. It's a lovely setting with farm animals and rolling hills.



I'm working on my donations, a couple of pillows for the silent auction. The silk is green and sand colored with one of my favorite Rumi poems.

Barakah Life News

Spring Projects

 
Here's a picture of my spring projects. There always seems like lots to do but I'm sure I would not want it any other way! 

CHILDREN'S ART EXHIBIT 2008
http://barakahlife.typepad.com/spring_art_festival/

The Children's work will be displayed in June at Hayward City Hall. All children 5 and  up are welcome to participate. We have one submission that's on it's way from Glasgow, a collaborative project from some children there.  We'll get the submission forms up on the site soon.

ILLUME, STUDIO VIVE & BARAKAH LIFE
Starting with the July issue of Illume Magazine, Ahmed Bashir, of Studiovive will be collaborating with Barakah Life on the decor section of the magazine. He has a gorgeous fresh style which will be nice for more people to experience. I'm very excited about the work ahead.
http://studiovive.com/

BARAKAH LIFE IS GROWING
I've been collaborating with Su and Mikael Pittam for a few years now on different events and projects here in the Bay Area. We've decided to formalize our relationship and they are now, as Mikael say's "committed for life". Su is Barakah Life's designer and full fun partner in everything creative and Mikael is Barakah Life's Marketing Director.
As we discussed yesterday this business is only partly about products and services the heart of it is people and connection.

AZAAN & BARAKAH LIFE
We have a couple of exciting projects in the works for all of the creatives out there. We hope to share it with you soon so stay in touch!
http://azaan.com.au

UPCOMING DECOR PROJECTS
Barakah Life is working with Zaytuna Institute on a couple of their  upcoming events:

Chicago Minara & Fund raiser - May 31st

Washington D.C. Fund raiser - June 28th

Asian Art Museum

 

 

Asian Art Museum
San Fransisco

Beginning May 2008 the Asian Art Museum will be offering  FREE admission to all visitors on the first Sunday of each month, courtesy of Target.  

Target First Free Sundays Kick-Off Celebration

               

May 4, 2008

               

10 am – 5:00 pm

               

FREE Admission

The Asian Art Museum will celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by kicking off an entire year of Target First Free Sundays. The celebration will be a day-long festival for the entire family featuring live music, artist demonstrations, dance workshops and performances, book readings, storytelling, hands-on activities for all ages, guided tours of the galleries, and more!