Say 'Salam' to the Arab Style Muslim Boy Doll.

Please note:  This article is a slightly older blog post, therefore some of the information and prices of the items featured here may have changed since I wrote it.  For more updated information about the Muslim dolls, please refer to the Muslim Doll page. Thank you.

Assalamu alaikum all,

Ahamdulilah I have just finished the latest doll design and took advantage of the amazing weather we are having, to snap some photos outside with the kids.  This doll has been made with Arab style clothes.  He looks as though he is all dressed and ready to attend Jummah.  This little Muslim brother comes complete with Arab-style head dress (eghal and ghotra), a beautifully embroidered white thobe with matching long white pants, and he even has cute little brown sandals for the hot weather :).  He can also be purchased as part of a matching set, with the niqabi doll shown in the photos below.  They have both been made as an order for a Muslim sister friend of mine who lives in Saudi (salam sis!) , but anyone can order these if they like them.  Each doll is $45.  If you are interested in purchasing, please contact me and place an order, with your general location details.  I will then let you know the shipping cost and other information.

Let's go for a swing!

Enjoying the roses...subhanAllah!

Relaxing in the garden.  Who's for a spot of Arabian coffee?

Detail showing the Eghal

Those cute little sandals...perfect for the hot weather!

The New Niqabi Doll! All Finished and Waiting to be Collected.

Meet the new Niqabi Muslim doll, handmade by Hijab Sparkle!

Please note:  This article is a slightly older blog post, therefore some of the information and prices of the items featured here may have changed since I wrote it.  For more updated information about the Muslim dolls, please refer to the Muslim Doll page. Thank you.

Assalamu alaikum all!

Insha Allah I hope you all had a lovely Eidul Adha. Alhamdulilah we made it to the Eid prayer at 8am at our local masjid (always an achievement for us with 3 small children, as I'm sure many of you understand ) and then had a barbeque the next day as the weather has been great lately alhamdulilah.  On the Sunday after Eid I took my two eldest children to the model train exhibition which we all really enjoyed.  My 4 year old son, in particular, was so excited when he realised exactly what a model train exhibition really was when we arrived there, I have never seen him so happy. He was literally spinning with excitement!

 Living in a non-Muslim country here in New Zealand,  and not having any public holidays for Eid, we sort of have to break our Eid up to fit in the weekends.  So this weekend Eid activities will continue here in Wellington, with get-togethers and community Eid events planned, insha Allah.

This photo shows the size of the doll in
comparison to my 6 year old daughter,

So...to the photos!  A friend of mine, a Muslim sister from New Zealand who is now living in Saudi,  asked me to make her a 'Niqabi' doll wearing Saudi-style dress, and this is what I came up with, alhamdulilah.  She loves wearing iqab herself, so this doll is just perfect for her.

This little cutie was a lot of fun to make.  She has a long black abaya with silver and white lace trims, and long black matching pants underneath.  Everything, including the shoes, scarf and niqab, is stitched on securely, so that insha Allah the clothes will never get lost and the doll always looks generally at its best.  With every doll I have been carefully re-designing and changing different aspects to make it safe and strong for all children to play with.  I have changed the eyes from buttons to small circles of black felt which have been stitched on with very strong thread.

This doll features a beautifully detailed black abaya, with a silver wave motif trim down the centre, finished off with a tiny pom pom trim at the sides.  It has a delicate lace trim accented with a narrow cream coloured ribbon and tiny bows.  There are also rainbow coloured silver sequins around the ends of the sleeves.

Closeup of the detailed trim decoation
on the front of the abaya.

Closeup of the shoes and pants.
Click for a larger photo.

This doll is a little more expensive than previous dolls, because it has quite a bit of detail, and some expensive trims included, as well as the extra time involved in making it.  If you would like to order a doll the same as this one, it will cost $45.  This is still very cheap compared to many of the other Muslim hijab dolls available, which are often mass produced and not made by hand.  Each one of the dolls pictured on Hijab Sparkle are completely hand designed and hand made by me.  If you would like this doll with different coloured abaya or trims, I can also do that for you if you wish.

I have been getting more requests like this one, for Muslim hijab dolls wearing clothes from a range of different countries.  Subscribe to my blog and facebook page so that you don't miss out on seeing the new designs.  Some which are coming soon include dolls with Yemen hijab clothes, and Somali hijab clothes.  My  friend in Saudi has also asked me to make a Saudi Muslim boy doll, which I am working on now.  If you would like a doll wearing a particular type of hijab style, please let me know and I will see what I can do.  If you email me a photo of what you are looking for, that will help give me an idea.

Please let me know if you have any questions or ideas, and I would love to see your comments about the dolls in the comments below or on the Hijab Sparkle facebook page.  You can also read more about the dolls and see more photos of different designs here.

Salam for now,

Regards,

All Ready To Sew! Four New Muslim Boy Dolls.

Four new Muslim boy dolls waiting to be finished.

Please note:  This article is a slightly older blog post, therefore some of the information and prices of the items featured here may have changed since I wrote it.  For more updated information about the Muslim dolls, please refer to the Muslim Doll page. Thank you.

Salam,

Who stays up until 3am sewing on eyes and hair? Yes, you guessed it, I do!! (Yes, crazy I know...I'm paying for it now, I can tell you.)  But alhamdulilah now I have 5 more Muslim boy dolls all ready to get started with. Insha Allah one will be made up for a little Muslim brother in Wellington.  The rest are going to be put on my blog for sale.  If you would like to order one with a particular hair or eye colour please let me know.  Alhamdulilah these seem to be getting snapped up rather quickly, which is why I have a few at once this time. I can also decorate his clothes with  your choice of ribbon colour (I have red, blue, fluro green, dark green, black, or brown.)

Insha Allah on my next trip to the sewing supplies shop I aim to get some different shades of calico for the skin colour.  When I go to the masjid I see my brothers and sisters who are all lovely different complexions (like me, for instance...pasty pink and white hehe).  Not that I really notice anymore, though...it's much nicer to notice a person's heart, isn't it?

By the way there is still one Muslimah doll left, waiting for an owner.  Here she is...very cute, with flowers and hearts.
You can read more about the handmade Muslim Dolls here.

Don't forget to like, share and subscribe.  Until the next update, enjoy your week!
Salam,  from

New Doll for Islamic Kindergarten

Please note:  This article is a slightly older blog post, therefore some of the information and prices of the items featured here may have changed since I wrote it.  For more updated information about the Muslim dolls, please refer to the Muslim Doll page. Thank you.

Assalamu Alaikum!

I have just finished making this Muslim boy doll for an Islamic Kindergarten here in Wellington.  Insha Allah the children there will soon be happily playing with this doll, as well as the Muslimah doll with the pink checkered dress, pictured below.

Muslimah Doll -
Patiently waiting for a new owner.

This little cutie on the left  is still waiting for someone to love her :) She is the only one left until I have time to make some more.

I will be taking some more detailed photos of this doll soon insha Allah.
She has such a pretty dress, with a big heart with lolly print on the front, and ruffled ribbon all around the bottom edge.  She also has hand stiched felt flowers on her shoes and scarf, and long pants underneath with pink ribbon trim.

If you would like to purchase this doll, she is $35, plus postage.  If you would like to know how much postage will be, just send me an email with your general location and I will work it out for you.

For more info about the dolls, the idea behind them and how they are made, please read this post.

Salam 

from

Meet the Muslim Dolls! ...Handmade by Hijab Sparkle.

Please note:  This article is a slightly older blog post, therefore some of the information and prices of the items featured here may have changed since I wrote it.  For more updated information about the Muslim dolls, please refer to the Muslim Doll page. Thank you.

Salam everyone!  I'm excited to introduce a brand new surprise on Hijab Sparkle...the Muslim Dolls!  These are completely hand made and designed in New Zealand, by me, alhamdulilah.

When my daughter was very little I wanted to make her a Muslim doll, complete with hijab, which didn't have too much detail on its face or body.  My daughter and her little brother love to play together and make converstations between the characters in their toy box, and I wanted them to have some Muslim characters to play with. My children are all homeschooled, and all still very young (6, 4 and 1) and therefore they spend a lot of time at home playing, which is an important part of their development.   I consulted Islamic scholars about how the character should be portrayed, and they told me it would be fine as long as I didn't make it too detailed and try to re-create Allah's (SWT) creation.

So I got out my pencil and sketchbook, and began to draw a very simple version of a Muslim doll.  First I made the two Muslim girls, and then my son wanted one too, so I made the Muslim boy version.  As you can see, the face is very simple, with eyes only.  I think this also helps to develop the child's imagination, as they can decide which mood their doll is in when they play.  The dolls are all fully clothed, complete with long dresses, long pants, and a scarf for the girls, and a long shirt and long pants for the boys.  The boys also have a muslim cap.    The dolls are made mostly of cotton (calico/cotton, and polycotton), and then filled with polyester filling.  The shoes and some other small details are made with polyester felt. Some of the clothes are also made from recycled vintage fabrics, which I have collected over the years.  I have tried to vary the skin colours, too, to reflect the wonderful multicultural nature of our Ummah, masha Allah. They are 43cm long from the top of the head to the tips of the shoes.

It would be easy to mass produce these dolls, but as I make each one completely by hand, I found the fun in making them was that each one was differerent.  I enjoy thinking about the colour of the clothes, the details on the shoes and hijab, etc. I also thought of taking orders if people want them, but I thought it would be much more of a surprise to post them to my blog as each one was made, and customers can purchase exactly what they see.

Someone suggested that I give each one a different name, but then I would like to give that task to their new owners, insha Allah.

The Muslim Dolls, all packaged and ready to be sold to their new owners.

I really can't count how many hours have gone into making these dolls, from the design to completion.  I just make them one at a time and try to enjoy the process of making them as much as I can, and hope that the new owners will enjoy playing with them as much as I have enjoyed making them.

They are $35 each, which is very inexpensive considering the price of a mass produced doll in the shop, of this size.  I didn't want to make them too expensive, as I know it is hard to find Muslim dolls, especially in New Zealand, and I want as many Muslim kids (and adults!) as possible to enjoy them. If you need info on shipping cost to your particular location, just drop me an email.

The boy doll is not for sale, sorry!  I promised my 4 year old son that if I didn't sell the doll at the Masjid Open Day, that he could have it (he looked at me with those eyes...you know how it is lol).  However, I will be making more soon, insha Allah.  Join the facebook page or subscribe to this blog if you don't want to miss out.  There are two different Muslim girl dolls l for sale, however, as you see in the photos..

Safety note:  The eyes on each doll are made of small buttons, which have been securely sewn on with much care.  However, to be on the safe side, you might want to save the doll for children 4 years or older if you think this might pose a choking risk to your child.  The outer fabric of the dolls is made mostly of cotton, but the inside is polyester stuffing, therefore please keep away from the heater or naked flame.

If you have any questions, or would like to purchase one of the Muslim girl dolls, please feel free to ask in the comment section below, or contact me via email or the Hijab Sparkle Facebook page.

Have a great day, insha Allah!

Salam,

The Hijab Sparkle Stall at Wellington Masjid Open Day.

The Hijab Sparkle Stall.

Salam everyone!  A few weeks ago I set up all the goodies from the Hijab Sparkle blog on a stall, at the Wellington Masjid Open Day.  The Open Day was being held as a part of New Zealand Islamic Awareness Week.  Alhamdulilah it was a great day, and it was so nice to see all my friends, as well as meet some new ones. This is the Masjid where I converted to Islam, and it holds some lovely memories for me...but I haven't been there for a while as we have moved a little further away, and I am homeschooling my three small children, so it's a bit hard to find the time to get there as regularly as I used to.

 There were many non-Muslims there, learning about Islam and meeting the Muslims from their community.  For those of you who haven't been to the Wellington Masjid in Kilbirnie, it is a large building, Masha Allah, with two levels.  The upstairs level is the main prayer area, as well as some large rooms.  In the large rooms there were many beautifully set up information displays and activities relating to Islam, for the public to view.  There were many people involved in setting up these displays, and they stayed there until very late the night before to help.  May Allah SWT reward them all for their hard work.

On the downstairs level (known as 'the basement' to most people!) there were Muslims selling all types of amazing food, as well as others selling their own hand made goods and other items from around the world.  Again, this was set up and organised by a truly dedicated group of people, may Allah reward them.  Masha Allah I am always so impressed by the amount of skill people in our community have of producing such wonderful goods...whether it be food, crafts, soap, etc.  I am sure that if all the Muslims lived in a little village, we would just about have everything we need!

Oh...and I almost forgot...there was a free BOUNCY CASTLE!! And free candy floss, and free face painting!! For most of the kids I'm sure that would be the only things they would remember hehe.  For the ladies, there was free henna, which is always very popular.

Close up of the Hijab Sparkle table.  

Alhamdulilah it was a successful day for Hijab Sparkle.  I made a few new customers and gave my business card to as many people as I could.  One of the difficult things about selling online is that you have to let people know that you are out there.  As well as this, many people like to know who they are buying from, so it is a good idea to get out and show people the face behind the name!  

More goodies :)

One of the main bonuses of setting up a stall at the Open Day is that people have the opportunity to talk to you about Islam. I hope you enjoy looking at the photos I have posted of the Hijab Sparkle stall.  If you look carefully you may see some new products which I made especially for the day (I was up all night on my sewing machine to get them finished the night before!) I will be posting these on my website very soon, so stay tuned!

By the way, the best way to stay tuned to new goodies at Hijab Sparkle, as well as competitions and promotions, is to join the Hijab Sparkle Facebook page, and subscribe to this blog by hitting the 'JOIN THIS SITE' button on the left :)

Salam :)
from

Spot the Difference!

 

NOTE: Tell your friends to become a friend of Hijab Sparkle on facebook and ask them to make a comment in the 'SPOT THE DIFFERENCE' competition. If they mention in the comment that YOU sent them here, I will enter YOUR name FIVE more times in the competition. That's FIVE extra chances for YOU to win for each of your friends that enter! AWESOME!

New Stick Pin Collection: 'Fancy Dangles'.

I'm happy to introduce my new stick pin collection, 'Fancy Dangles'!  This represents many hours of designing, making, and photographing.  Alhamdulilah, I think these little beauties have turned out just right, I am really pleased with all of them.  This is just a taste, as there will be more to come when I have photographed them, but I couldn't wait to show you.  I am also working on some stick pins I am calling 'Simple Elegance' which are more simplified pins without the dangle, so subscribe, become a friend on facebook, and keep checking the website, as I will be adding more very soon.

Take a look at the new designs, and let me know what you think.  I always love to read your feedback, and I read every comment, I promise!  Get your orders in quick, too, because these are sure to fly out the door.  Have you got just the right pin to wear with your Eid outfit?  Or perhaps you like to give presents to your friends when you visit their house for an Iftar.  These are the perfect gift for someone special.  They can either be worn as hijab pins, or on the lapel of a jacket.

Have fun!
Wassalam

Vote on Facebook for your Favourite Filigree.

Choose a  number, and vote for your favourite filigree on facebook!

Salam everyone!  I thought it would be a good idea to add numbers to the filigree components (see photo above), so that if you are interested in any it will be easy for you to tell me which one/s you prefer.  If you head over to my Facebook page, you can even vote for your favourite!

Want to know what these fabulous filigree are for?  Read more about them here.

Fabulous Filigree!

Some of the filigree components which
will soon be made into gorgeous stick pins.
Click to see larger image.

 I promised I would show you some of the filigree components of the new stick pins I am designing in time for Eid.  These will be available very soon insha Allah.

Prices will range from $10 to $15, depending on how much work is in each one.  I will be adding many other beautiful dangles to these, including gold and silver hearts, stars, feathers, teardrops, and flowers.

If you like a particular design but would prefer it in a different colour, I may be able to fulfill your request in some cases, so just ask and I will see what I can do.

Click to see larger image.

An example of a stick pin.
Click to enlarge.

There are a limited number of these particular designs, so if you would like to order now you are more than welcome. These make great Eid presents, and they are very inexpensive to send to friends and family overseas, as they fit nicely inside an envelop and are very light.  Just send me an email or write a comment under this post if you have any questions. 

Wassalam

Where It All Happens!

I thought you might be interested to see the space where I make many of the items on Hijab Sparkle.  This is where I spend long nights, often until 2 or 3 in the morning, making handmade jewellery and hijab pins. 

I use hundreds of small jewellery components called 'findings' which I source from a variety of locations, and use them to create all sorts of designs.  People often ask where I get my beads and components from.  I order them from the internet from local and international websites, and the beads come from as far away as Asia, North America, and Africa.  You can see in these photos some of the tools that I use, in particular the long nosed pliers which are used to close the tiny 'jump rings' which connect the different components.

As you can see I am a bit of a hoarder, collecting anything I can find that I can use in jewellery making.  I have a bit of a thing for storage boxes and organisers, which I always keep a lookout for.  Everything fits nicely in the shelves like a big jigsaw puzzle.  Move one thing out of its place, and...well...let's just say it is not the best place to stand next to if there is an earthquake! hehe.

My 'studio' as I like to call it, is just a simple computer desk with a book case placed on top of  it.  Not very fancy, but it does the job!  Many of the storage boxes and containers you see I found in second hand shops around Wellington.  I also find the most beautiful vintage beads and findings which I incorporate into my designs from time to time.  I'm sure the second hand shop owners are curious about this strange Muslim lady who comes in once a week to gaze for hours at the jewellery diaplay, and leaves with bags of broken jewellery and armfuls of organiser boxes!!

If you look carefully you can see some really beautiful filigree 'drops' on the desk.  These are some new sitck pin designs I am working on in time for Ramadan, and I will show you a close up in the next post.  The finished designs will be posted very soon, so make sure you subscribe to my blog and facebook page so that you don't miss them.

Well that's all for now, I'm off to make some more sparklies!
Hope you are having a day full of sparkles :)
Wassalam

A Brand New Look!

Salam and Hi everyone.  Hope you are somewhere warm and toasty in this cold weather...in front of a fireplace, or tucked up in bed with your hot water bottle.  Or perhaps you are reading this from somewhere warm and tropical?  I hope you are having  a great day whatever the weather. 

I have been busy creating a new look for my Hijab Sparkle products.  I have added a label to the top with the HS logo.  What do you think?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, I love to hear your feedback :)

I have also decided to make a new batch of stick pins.  I feel inspired, as Eid will be here soon insha Allah, and many people like to have new pins to go with their Eid Hijab.  They also make great inexpensive gifts to give to people here in New Zealand, or to send overseas.  They are very light and fit nicely into a normal sized envelope.  Stay tuned, and make sure you are following on Facebook, or subscribe to this blog, so you don't miss out on the new designs which I will be bringing out very soon insha Allah.

Im just going to throw another log on the fire.
Keep sparkling!

New Wooden Necklaces - Just Added!

 

Yay! Four wonderful new wooden necklaces added to the growing collection.  So many to choose from! I only have one of each so get in quick and let me know which one you want if they take your fancy :)

To see all wooden necklaces, click here.

We've got the fire going tonight...it's a cold one!  Hope you are warm and toasty where you are.

Wassalam