Photos From A Friend
When my friend Latifa travels she sends me wonderful photos of the culture and texture of the country through their crafts. This year she went to Morocco, Turkey and Iran. One thing she's mentioned is that where ever she's traveled people are people, and she is endlessly fascinated by them.
The photos are of incredible craftsmanship in wood, tile, plaster and reed. The workmanship says volumes about the value of beauty at least historically in these societies.
A Beautiful Year Ahead
I just received my new "Longing for the Divine" Calendar for 2008 and it's a beauty. The calendar is filled with striking imagery partnered with the words of scholar-saints. Andalusian Arts, www.AndalusianArts.com works at not only creating an calendar of outer beauty but also by it's efforts at customizing it's calendars for community organizations to use as fund raising tools. Organizations like the UMMA Community Clinic in Los Angeles can use it to raise funds for it's very good work. This year we purchased ours through North Star School here in the Bay Area. The calendar has become a staple in our home and we always look forward to another year of Longing for the Divine.
My Touristy Photos
I managed to get a little tour in before I left the city. I was enamored with the history, charm and scale of the old architecture and with the many details on the buildings. It is the attention to detail and craftsmanship that I found so impressive, it was definitely a source of creative inspiration for me.
I needed to find flowers for an event here in London and wanted to locate something close. To my surprise we were able to find flowers in the Marylebone train station right across the street from our hotel. We had been told it was a little flower stand and instead found a mound of flowers, they were a visual feast.
DDaownsio Versailles
I wanted to share a few architectural details from the Versailles Ballroom in the Coleman House in Wales. The room has so many stunning details, from the plasterwork on the ceiling and moldings to the beautifully veined marble columns and the wooden doors with their golden designs. It’s all the little details that make this room so grand.
We arrived in the beautiful country of Wales a few days ago. The first couple of days were spent in the capitol city of Cardiff and now we are in the glorious green countryside in a place called Pen-y-Fai, Bridgend. Above you can see our hotel the historical Court Colman Manor, which goes back to Tudor times. It’s a lovely old manor with so many wonderful architectural details.
The conference here is the launch for the international organization "Global Centre for Renewal and Guidance", their primary objective is to share the Islamic message of harmony, justice, balance, and humanity. The organization hopes to work with other organizations and people of goodwill to help create peace, justice and harmony.
2007 Barakah Life Handmade
