As Ramadan approaches, Muslims all over the world prepare for a long month of prayer, meditation, introspection, delicious food (or lack thereof), and celebration. During this time, there is a global connectedness among the Ummah that is one of the most beautiful things to experience. Whether you are a deeply religious person, or just a “Ramadan Muslim”, there is no denying this time is sacred. I personally am not a deeply religious person, nor am I a scholar, so feel free to correct me if ever I am misunderstood, but the goal is to celebrate the Muslim culture in the context of our holiest month and perhaps educate & inspire some people along the way. Given the climate towards Muslims, extending that connectedness towards people outside of our communities is imperative for creating relationships grounded in understanding and mutual respect. So let us begin!
If you know anything about me, it is that I have a weak spot for stationary and packaging. You could package a brick in some unique and adorable way and I would thrilled. Really. Some girls like flowers and chocolates, but if you want to win my heart, give me a fresh piece of parchment, a cute notebook, some inky pens, and I will love you long time. So, it is with great pleasure that I would like to introduce the first designer for our Ramadan Series, The Pampered Muslimah. Sarah, the creator, is an elementary school teacher (as if that’s not adorable enough) who gets my love for stationary. She started off about a year ago making and selling Ramadan and Eid decorations and began her venture into designing. On the topic of designing, here’s what Sarah had to say:
“I’ve always loved designing things. For years, I’ve used the program ‘Print Shop’ to design posters and fun worksheets for my classroom, so I started dabbling in graphic design last summer and realized I really enjoyed it. Couple this with the fact that I have an obsession with anything kitschy and cute, I gather a lot of my inspiration from the sisters in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. They are where it’s at when it comes to bringing Islam into mainstream pop culture.”
Sister Sarah noticed a need for more mainstream, faith-based goods in her community and aimed to fulfill that need in a fresh new way. From what I have learned about the Dallas community, we have the same needs here as well. While there are plenty of vendors for clothes and jewelry, the modern Muslim perspective is missing in Dallas. Sarah told Dallas[Intuitive],”I started designing stationery and accessories specifically because I noticed that there really isn’t much of it out there for Muslimahs when it comes to this type of product, especially in Canada. Clothing, jewelry and hijabs have been done. I wanted to find a way to incorporate Islam into our everyday lives; to bring it into the mainstream in a fun and modern way. Stationery and accessories like tote bags and cellphone cases are things we use on a daily basis, therefore we are able to always keep our faith close to our hearts. I view my brand as a way for me to spread the beauty of Islam, to spread it’s message and help people to keep it close.”
Sarah was generous enough to send me some of her products and let me just say, in the midst of finals week, at the heels of Ramadan, this stationary is the most adorable thing I have ever seen. Everything is fresh, modern, yet brings a spiritual consciousness to the task at hand. It is all too easy to forget Allah (swt) in the chaos of our hectic daily lives, but subtle post-it notes inscribed with prayers and quick remembrances really brought me a bit of solace as I crammed for my Cognitive Psychology final. And if there was ever a perfect Ramadan care package, or Eid gift, The Pampered Muslimah is it.
The Pampered Muslimah’s main stockist is Salam Shop in Mississauga, Ontario — an amazing little boutique that is a collection of several amazing brands, spearheaded by owner Sudduf Wyne. With the amount of Muslims in Dallas, why has no one opened up a shop like this!? The Pampered Muslimah also sells products in Lajawaab Boutique in Lancashire, England. However, if you would like to get your hands on her amazing stuff, check out her Etsy shop
www.ThePamperedMuslimah.Etsy.com. The Pampered Muslimah is releasing a Ramadan stationary collection this week and ships worldwide. Be sure to follow both The Pampered Muslimah and the Salam Shop on Instagram and check out their adorable stuff, and stay tuned for more amazing vendors and designers featured for our Ramadan Series!
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