Al Maun Fund

Today I wanted to talk about a great non-profit organisation that I came across recently which do a great deal of work for people in need. Below is a piece from their website:

Al Maun fund was established to assist those in need by helping in some small way, by giving a portion of funds for rental help, utility turn-offs, supplying emergency food, clothing, baby needs, household goods, co-pays for doctors visits or prescriptions, eyeglasses and the like, and also locating additional resources if needed. Any small unexpected expenses, or necessary needs that comes up in our daily lives, but that a family may be unable to pay due to any number of reasons.

We also aim to provide reading material for the incarcerated (male & female) through our prison outreach program on a periodic basis, in addition to our other social service programs, referrals and resource database.

The staff and helpers of Al Maun Fund are located in various parts of the United States, and our intention is to do our best to aid anyone with their needs, not only through financial assistance, donated goods and resources, but by also giving encouragement to have sabr & to have total reliance on Allaah in their time of tests and trials. As only Allaah is the One All Capable of rectifying their affairs and sending His Bounty to them.
Services are provided to anyone in need. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, color, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.

Contact Details:

Website: http://www.almaunfund.org
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/amfsadaqah
Twitter: https://twitter.com/almaunfund

Below is short video about the organization:

I am not in any way connected to this Organisation, I just simply want to spread the word of what a great service they are doing. If anyone is able to help or donate to them, then please contact them directly.

Red Nose Day 2013

Today it is Red Nose Day in the UK. This is a fundraising event organised by Comic Relief. Anyone who has children in the UK will know about this day as nearly all schools do their part in raising money for this charity. I have 3 children at different schools and they are all taking part in different activities. My Son, the eldest is just donating money and they can buy red noses for the charity. My eldest daughter donates money and goes to school wearing something red. My youngest is donating money, going to school in something red and also having a fun afternoon. The afternoon involves a party where the children can buy cakes. have face painting etc. for small donations.

This year I actually made some homemade cakes for my youngest to take into school - normally I buy shop bought ones! But seen as I now have some recipes for cakes that I can cook, I made them this year!  I really need to have more practising with cake decoration. The Top photograph is the cakes that I made.  The photograph below is of some cakes that my 10 year old daughter made and designed herself to take to her school.

The recipe we followed for these cakes was my madeira cake recipe - here is the link: http://www.karimascrafts.com/2013/03/madeira-cake-recipe.html

Where to find cheap fabric

This is my own list:

1 Donated items from family and friends
2 Market stalls
3 Charity Shops / Thrift Shops
4 Car Boot Sales
5 Back yard sales
6 Fabric shop sales
7 Online Stores

1 Send the word round to your friends and family that you are keeping a fabric stock for sewing projects and that any donations are welcome. This can be clothing, sheets, curtains etc.

2 Visit outside markets. They normally have stalls that sell end of roll material, which is generally much cheaper than if you bought this from fabric shops. Also some stalls may have clothes or material that you can make use of for your projects.

3 Charity Shops / Thrift Shops are a great place to find some bargains if you are willing to spend time searching. I have written a blog article just about this topic (dated 29 January 2011).

4 Car Boot Sales – You can find a lot of bargains at Car Boot Sales. There will normally be a choice of new and old items here.

5 Back Yard Sales are quite popular over in the US but I have never seen or been to one in the UK! Here you can find some really good bargains if buying sheets or curtains.

6 Fabric Shops normally always have sales occasionally or some stores have a bargain section where they always have some rolls of fabric at reduced rates. The nearest large stores nearest me is Dunelm Mill and Hobbycraft. The other store I like to shop at is a local family run business store that have a great choice, this is Dainty Supplies Ltd this is their website (www.craftonline.co.uk).

7 Online Stores are becoming a lot more popular. I must admit I have never bought any fabric online, but I do know a lot of people do this. Apparently they can be very reasonable.

There may be some others I have missed but these are the main ones that I personally know about.

My Crafting Passion

I love crafting, I think I have always been interested in this since I was young. However, I never had much time to pursue this.

One of my earliest memories of sewing something was when I refashioned a long skirt that I owned. I simply cut this skirt into a short skirt and hand sewed the hem. I remember at the time feeling great, because I knew none of my friends would be wearing the same outfit!

Another memory was my DIY table. When I moved into my first apartment I didn’t have a table to put my hifi onto. I did however have a large strong box which used to hold my new TV. I used this as my table for over a year, I simply placed a nice throw over the box and nobody had a clue that it was only a cardboard box.

It has only been the last few years that I have been able to pursue my crafting. Once I became a SAHM (stay at home mum) which was 5 years ago now, I started sewing a few small projects. I used to borrow my mum’s old sewing machine for my projects. Then after a year of using my mum’s machine my husband bought me a new sewing machine as a surprise birthday present for me. This then made it easier for me to do more sewing projects.

Once my youngest turned 3 last year and she started nursery, I then had a bit more time on my hands to do more projects. This was when I started using the computer more for designing my own birthday cards and calendars for my family and friends. I also used the computer a lot for doing research on my family tree, I spent a whole year investigating the family tree and found out quite a lot of interesting facts about the family. I occasionally still do this, but only when I feel in the right mood.

I also love organizing. I live by my charts, forms and diaries. I design all my own charts and diaries and I use these on a daily basis. I always carry with me a small diary/notepad with me at all times. I never used to be so organized, but after I had my third child I had to start some kind of organizer, because there were so many things going on with each child that I was just overwhelmed. I had experience of making forms and charts when I used to be employed, so I knew the basics. I started with simple planners, but every year I have always ended up updating them to accommodate all the changes that occur. Children have such busy lives these days!