BARAKAH LIFE handmade

Habeeba's Welcome Home

I arrived in Jeddah a little over a week ago to be here for the birth of my daughter's baby and  made it just in time. She had a healthy happy boy!

Her kids bought balloons and we did a little welcome home decor for mom and baby.

Essential Feminine Company ...Live your beliefs

"Live your beliefs and you can turn the World around."

-Henry Thoreau

A friend of mine Maureen Simon has started a monthly web gathering called "The Living Room at The Essential Feminine" which is a complimentary monthly conversation and networking session. It's an hour of conversation and sharing in the living room at the Essential Feminine Company.  Each month, in the first half hour, she covers a topic of great interest to women and then opens the lines for announcements, wishes, desires, and general networking.

Know what you believe and stand by your beliefs. The world needs your clarity and determination now more than ever.  Maureen Simon

Maureen’s experience with women is based on over 25 years of successfully mentoring and guiding women leaders from around the world to create successful lives and businesses that reflect their values. As a social alchemist she addresses women’s pertinent issues of social change and transformation. Her work as a pioneering consultant supports women to reduce economic stress, open new channels for their personal and business expression and enhances their ability to access the deeper powers and gifts that each woman holds within their feminine essence. As a highly intuitive business and life designer, Maureen incorporates principles of mysticism, alchemy and social entrepreneurism to achieve focused outcomes and results. In her work with women, she supports them to design lives and business that ali

Maureen has worked with women representing a wide range of businesses including Fortune 100 corporations, worldwide entertainment and media industries, government, and the creative arts. She mentors both Fortune 100 executives as well as leading edge business entrepreneurs. She is founding member of the Global Women’s Leadership Network at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business in Silicon Valley. She is a graduate of the State University of New York and has studied community organization, human services and public policy. Maureen’s work has been featured in numerous printed publications, including London’s Vogue, Marie Claire, Self, Women & Home, Good Housekeeping, Bay Area Business Women, Marin Independent Journal, The Financial Times, and many others. Maureen appears as a regular guest for the London Broadcasting Corporation as well as numerous other radio engagements in both the U.S. and England. She is based in San Francisco, CA and London, England.

You can visit her site at: http://theessentialfeminine.com/

You can contact her at info@theessentialfeminine.com

Blogging Birthday

Barakah Life's First Year Blogging

A few days ago marked the end of a year of blogging for Barakah Life handmade. Through this little blog I have been able to create, share and connect in new ways and with many new people which has been a true blessing for me.

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank my lovely friends that have helped and encouraged me; Su, Safiye, Hina, Mikael and Diane. I am also very grateful for the comments, wonderful emails and the new friends that I have made.

Thanks to all that are taking part in this years "Sew Giving" Bee and to the bloggers that have kindly added the information and flyer about it to their sites. It's been so uplifting to hear from people and to see some of the quilts that have been made. Once the quilts start arriving I will post pictures of them.

The year ahead promises some new growth for Barakah Life, coming this Spring our new web site will be launched.  Mukhtar Sanders of Inspiral Design http://www.inspiraldesign.com/ is working on it and I must say it's looking good.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Blessed new year.

Khadija

Box of Good Cheer

Handmade Friendship

I received a very nice surprise in the post this week, a box of good cheer in the form of these handmade Kanzashi magnets from my blogging friend Diane, from the Craftypod podcast. What a special treat to have a gift from the hand of a friend.

Thanks Diane for thinking of me!

Friendly Visitor

My sweet little bird paid me a visit while I was working today. This is something new for her and it was a sweet delight for me.
 

MeMe Tagged

Diane from CraftyPod tagged me for the "7 Random Things About yourself"

1. I was born and raised in Alaska and we homesteaded for a time when I was young. I went back a few years ago and as awestruck at the majesty of Alaska, I had lived in it all those years but had not seen it. 

2. I am a minimalist in most parts of my life except when it comes to craft, sewing and event materials. I keep everything just in case you never know it just may come in handy some day.

3. I hope to start a non-profit in Mauritania helping artisans with seed money, design assistance (using their designs to appeal to western market) and the basics of business.

4. I love walking at sunrise to catch the first light of day.

5. I always hated art in school and never felt artistic or creative. It took a long time to see that there were other models for creativity.

6. I love foreign films and all films visual and reflective.

7. One of my favorite books is "The Man Who Planted Trees" by Jean Giono. It is a lovely story and lesson for life, one person can make a difference.