Fez K-Cup Headband {Tutorial}

April 24, 2018April 24, 2018 | acraftyarab

The fez is a headdress, usually made of felt, that is worn in formal and informal occasions in the Mediterranean area of the world.

Sometimes in the northern regions, such as Greece or Cyprus, it was worn by woman, but the southern countries, it is primarily on the top of men’s heads. In some areas of North Africa, it could be different colors, including red, black or white.

As a child, I remember my father wearing a black fez, with a black, thick tassel, in Libya during the holiday seasons when he worn a traditional outfit. However, while we were in Morocco this past summer, I noticed that the shops in Fez sold mostly red hats.

I spent some time with one of the shop keepers learning about the history of these fascinating hats. I learned they were used in the Ottoman area by the military and while they were banned in some areas, others in fraternal organizations use them with pride.

While cleaning out my studio for Earth Day this past weekend, I came across an extra K-cup favor that had been left over from our past craft. Instead of throwing it away, we used it on a headband to celebrate these special hats.

Now it will go in the pretend trunk for many more afternoons of play. All the directions to make the fez hat are here and you’ll also need these items to make the headband.

Supplies

Felt with glue backing
Fez favor
Pen
Scissors
Headband

Place the Kcup over the felt and trace it out.

Cut out the circle from the felt.

Remove the backing from the felt and add it to the underside of the headband. Add the fez hat favor to the top.

Now your fez headband is ready for wear.

To check out other fez hats we recycled out of a party cup, be sure to check out our fez party hat.

Visit A Crafty Arab on Pinterest to learn more about the Arab world.

Repurposed Arabic Perpetual Calendar {Tutorial}

April 17, 2018April 17, 2018 | acraftyarab

Earth Day is coming up on Sunday April 22nd and people like to celebrate by spring cleaning their home.

A close friend asked me to come over last week to help box up some things to donate. She wanted to take the clothing items to a Syrian fundraiser textile drive happening in our community, while throwing away some items she no longer used.

I was boxing up some things when I came across a perpetual calendar in the “Get Rid Of” pile. A perpetual calendar is a type of perennial device that is valid for many years, not just one. I asked why she was getting rid of it but she said with the convenience of cell phones, she never uses it anymore.

Lightbulb moment for me: why not convert the English numbers and months to Arabic to help my daughters practice more?

I asked if I could take it home and save it from the landfill and she said yes.

Once I got back to the studio, my daughter helped me use Mod Podge to make the magic happen of amending our months and numbers. Check out the rest of the materials used and how we are celebrating Earth Day by re-purposing things around us for a new use, in this case, a multilingual learning tool!

Supplies

Perpetual calendar
Arabic months and numbers print out
Foam brush
Mod Podge
Ruler
Xacto

We measured the size of our existing months and numbers pieces.

We added a tiny bit of overage to all the sides and cut everything down. It’s better to trim any extra later than try to make a small piece fit.

To adhere the paper to the wood, we added Mod Podge with the foam brush to the piece and also to the back of the paper. Once we added the paper, we also added an layer of Mod Podge to the top.

We did the same to the numbers, making sure to place a zero, 1 and 2 on both cubes. We placed the 3, 4, and 5 on one cube and the 6, 7, 8, and 9 on the other.

Just a reminder, similar to English, where the 6 can be turned upside down to become a 9, the Arabic language has that same ability with the ٧, which is 7 that becomes a ٨, an 8.

Our calendar was done and ready to go in our kitchen. We are going to start a tradition of saying the month and days in Arabic at dinner each night.

There is a slot in the back of the calendar (behind the numbers) that used to hold a note pad and pencil. But I am going to add the days of the week, when I get a chance to print them out.

If you enjoy re-purposing materials into new things, check out these other recycling projects we’ve made into calendars

Arabic Ramadan Countdown Calendar {Tutorial} – made from fencing materials

Ramadan Dates Calendar {Tutorial} – made from cardboard rolls

Be sure to visit A Crafty Arab on Pinterest for more DIY craft tutorials.

Oman Paint Chip Art {Tutorial}

April 10, 2018April 11, 2018 | acraftyarab

I have wanted to teach my daughter about Oman, officially known as the Sultanate of Oman, for awhile now since it’s the last Arab country in the Arab League we haven’t discussed.

Oman (Arabic: عمان‎ ) is an Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered with the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest with the south and east on the Persian Gulf. The Sultanate is administratively divided into eleven governorates.

We printed out a copy of them to use in today’s artwork made of paint chips. We got eleven chips of the same color variations of red, to show the unity of Oman, but highlight the differences.