In my search for the perfect photo frame craft for Eid photos, I stumbled upon the origami photo frame. I was so taken by the fact that the frame looks like the 8-point Islamic Star. I put my own twist on the craft by creating an Islamic Art geometric print.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides this great resource on Islamic Art and Geometric Design if you want to do a deep dive, but in short, “The geometric designs in Islamic art are often built on combinations of repeated squares and circles, which may be overlapped and interlaced, as can arabesques (with which they are often combined), to form intricate and complex patterns.”

In the process of creating this craft, I was so inspired by the mosques in Japan. I highlighted a few in my video. They were beautiful, yet minimalist and simple. The Turkish influence was evident, but with a uniquely Japanese twist. I learned there are 80+ mosques in Japan.

The 8-point star, which is visible in the frame shape and in my print, is an ancient symbol that goes as far back as Byzantine and ancient Indian cultures. But it was adopted by early Muslims and spread across the Islamic world.

I made the geometric print friendly for all artist levels by using shapes to trace. This is a great activity for kids ages 6-99.

Supplies:

• 8.5 x 11 white printer paper
• scissors
• colored pencils or markers
• circle shape (bottle cap)
• square shape (dulpo block)

Watch my Youtube video for the full tutorial on how to make the Islamic Star Photo Frame.

A wonderful book to pair with this craft is Amira’s Picture Day By Reem Faruqi and Fahmida Azim. Reem has been an inspiration for me throughout my writing journey, so I had her newest book on pre-order. It is so fun and kid-relatable. My kids were on the edge of their seats. Definitely check it out! 

Peace & Salam,

Natasha