Kaab’a Candy Party Treat {Tutorial}

August 7, 2018August 10, 2018 | acraftyarab

I made these Kaab’a inspired candy party sweet treats, over the weekend, for the kids that are taking part in our Arab Cultural Camp.

As we are go through our daily activities, we will be learning about Middle East and North African holidays, celebrated by Arabs. One I want to talk about is Eid Al Adha, coming up on August 30th. A central ritual that occurs is the pilgrimage to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, to see the Kaab’a.

Our last day of camp involves going to the art museum, so I came up with these sweet treats to take with us on the bus. They will not take up much space, I can discuss the Kaab’a and the best part is that there will be nothing to throw away: the kids can refill the tube with other treasures.

The tubes I found had silver lids, so I turned them black with paint I was sent as a Plaid Ambassador. Be sure to clean the paint nozzle after each use and these stencil sprays will last a long time. What I love about them is they take up so little storage but hold so much paint.

Supplies

Black candy
Black spray paint
Plastic tubes
Gold coins

My daughter helped spray paint the lids. We left the box outside in the sun but put a plastic tray over it to keep out bugs and dust.While the lids were drying, we filled a tube with the chocolate candy till it was 2/3rds of the way up. Then we added two gold coins, and filled the rest of the tube with more candy.

Once the lids dried, I slipped them on and the Kaab’a inspired candy treats were ready for our on the go day.

To see other Kaab’a inspired crafts, visit

Kaab’a Gum Party Favor {Tutorial}

Light Ray Kaab’a Oil Resist {Tutorial} Guest Blog

Stop by A Crafty Arab on Pinterest to see more fun DIY tutorials that teach about the Arab world.

Arabesque Cardboard Roll Vase {Tutorial}

July 31, 2018July 31, 2018 | acraftyarab

We made this arabesque cardboard roll vase after having a lot of cardboard rolls left over from our Ramadan wreath. It’s a great way to recycle all that cardboard into a fun kid’s craft.

When we were making the wreath, my daughter was playing around with other designs and came up with some fun shapes. She made a comment that the design looked a little like the designs she saw in Morocco last year. I was so happy she recognized the arabesque shape and brought out the rolls again for her this weekend to play with them again.

She came up with this vase cover to liven up our glass flower vase we use in the kitchen. She used paints I received as my role as Plaid Ambassador that shift colors in the light.

I’m looking forward to giving her more cardboard rolls in the future to see what else she creates. This a great way to recycle all that cardboard and save it from a landfill. I enjoy allowing her free time to be creative while getting her problem solving skills (how high is the vase? how will the sides stay while the glue sticks?) juices flowing.

Supplies

Scissors
Cardboard roll
Glue
Paint
Paintbrush
Washi tape (optional)

My daughter cut the cardboard rolls into stripes that were about half an inch wide. She painted them inside and out and left them outside to dry.

After the little pieces were dried, she glued four of them together in matching colors.

She then took the new shapes and glued them to other shapes.

She added more shapes until the design was the same height as the kitchen vase. She then started to glue the four sides to each other.

Pro tip: she said it was easier to glue two sides together first and to use washi tape or another type of tape that will not damage the paint. But only is a few spots as it’s hard to remove after it dries.

Once the sides had dried she slipped the glass vase inside the cardboard roll vase.

The great part is that I can set it out as decor, but when the flower need to be changed or the vase needs to be washed, I can just lift it right out. She said she can make more to match different holiday themes or room decor colors.

I am looking forward to walking into my kitchen tomorrow and seeing this beautiful decor on my table, handmade by my daughter to brighten up our home. If you also enjoy seeing more children’s creative around you, visit

Arabic Letter Rose Door Decor {Tutorial}

Arabesque Window Cling {Tutorial}

Be sure to stop by A Crafty Arab on Pinterst to see more arabesque tutorials.

Mosque Cardboard Ring Toss {Tutorial}

July 24, 2018July 26, 2018 | acraftyarab

To get ready for our Arab Cultural Camp in two weeks, we crafted this mosque cardboard ring toss this weekend using recycled material.

Our day at camp will be divided up into four sections, Cooking, Crafts, Outdoor Play and Service Projects. We want to use the ring toss during our Outdoor Play, along with a few other games like our Arabic Numbers Toss. We also are going to be using our Arabic Game Die.

Mosques are seen all over the Arab world since they are not just places for prayers. Many towns use them as community buildings as they tend to be the largest gathering place around. They were built for function as the minarets that were attached serve as a ventilation system for the building in very hot climates that would have an opening in the ceiling that would both accumulate and allow warm air to leave the building through a cupola. Mosques usually have a center hall room with a raised ceiling or dome to allow for heat to accumulate and rise upwards leaving the cold air on the lower floor allowing for a system of natural air conditioning.

We will be talking to the campers about architecture in the Arab world while we create and play fun games.
To make this mosque ring toss used paints and supplies sent as my role as Plaid Ambassador. Other supplies, like the square dish and round lid, came from our kitchen. The tri-fold was rescued from our school art room when I was cleaning it out.

Supplies

Square template
Round template
Paint
Sharpie
Scissors
Paintbrush
Foam Brush
Ruler
Glue
Crescent moon and star wood shape
Stencil
Tri fold board

We researched different types of minarets on mosques all over the world.

Before long, my daughter had drew out a simple design that combined the Ottoman with the Qairawan minarets.

She measured out how much space she needed to have four minarets and used the Sharpie and ruler to draw them. She did this on the back of the tri fold board so that the black ink would not be seen later.

Once the minarets where done, she added side flaps to help hold the ring toss when it was standing. She made them slanted. She then cut everything out.

For the main part of the mosque, my daughter used the round lip to create a dome. She only drew out half the circle and then created a rectangle underneath it. She used the stencil and paint in the rectangle to give the mosque wall a design.

The final paint job came with the blue sky. Originally, she had wanted to paint it with stars, but changed her mind and kept it solid.

After the paint had dried, she went back with the stencil and added details with a gold Sharpie.

She also glued the moon and star to the top of the dome.

She set her mosque aside to dry on a flat surface and started on her rings for the toss. Rather than create plain circles, she decided to make a khatam shape, the Arabic world for eight point star. She used a square plate from the kitchen to outline two squares, offset from each other.