Arizona Community & Culture Decor & Style Inspiration event planning Hand-made Refugees Syrian

Vintage fabric favor bags

See this darling little favor bag below? So much can be said about it: cute, pretty, a lovely vintage touch, great little sack for teas and other treats – but the most important thing about this bag is that the hands that stitched it are those of a brave female refugee.bags-loose-teaI picked this vintage Ralph Lauren textile years ago not knowing what I wanted from it but was sure it would fit in somewhere – it became my favorite and served many purposes ~ I have used it for linen layering, propping, back-dropping, tying pretty bow and what not. While brainstorming with a bride for her hand-made wedding, this idea of bags clicked to both of us. I had worked with the bride for her shower and had an understanding of the vision of her wedding. She was looking for cute packaging for very cute bracelets for her bridesmaid. Knowing that she loved the fabric and flowers, I showed her the cloth and suggested we make the bags. She was instantly overjoyed!! I do sew occasionally but at that time, could not fit it in my schedule, so my next task was to look for someone who could do it for me…

Tan is a very dear and old friend of mine and probably the most modest person I have ever met. I knew she was dedicating her time actively to help out refuges that were re-settling in Arizona at that time. She has worked through various platforms and one of them is American Muslim Women’s Association of Arizona (AMWA). Although she was helping in all aspects of the lives of the refugees, one of her main goals was children and women (I blogged sometime ago about another projecct she was instrumental in: “Beads to Empower“). She had started multiple projects that focused on betterment of their lives from getting them acclimated to the unfamiliar surroundings to making them self-sufficient. So while I was looking for someone I could delegate the sewing task to, Tan’s project came to my mind and I contacted her. Sure enough, there were quite a few skilled to do the job! I sent out the fabric with sample and the charming print came back as the cutest little and oh-so-charming favor baggies! The bride and her bridesmaids loved them!  The leftovers got featured in a popular shoot that was on local and national blogs on The Luxe Pearl, Phoenix Bride&Groom and Arizona Weddings Blog. I will be blogging the shoot myself sometime soon!

eyes2see_yourjubilee_bridalbrunch-7I also used them for my advertisement in WeAZ Magazine.tea-crockery-ad-06-14-page-001

Tan – a very consistent person continues to work for preserving the integrity and furtherance of refugees. AMWA has recently started the program called “Sewing for Success” which promotes skill training and thus independence in the remarkable ladies. If you have some sewing projects that you had always wanted but could not find time to complete, do contact AMWA and they will be able to connect you to the skilled seamstresses!

About Author

Hi and welcome to my blog!

My name is Riffat and I am the writer behind this blog. Through this blog I share many things I am enthusiastic about – my curated items from old era, passion for tea and tea parties, design and décor, DIY projects. I specifically like to create themed and seasonal parties incorporating vintage treasures. I am married to an awesome guy who has {a good case of} wanderlust and is a grand but healthy foodie. Occasionally I will be journaling and sharing his experiences in travel, recipes and restaurant reviews. On my blog you will also get to meet our 3 amazing boys – the oldest is neuro-diverse and his being on the spectrum has given a different and incredible meaning to our family! I would be a very different person without him. Besides enjoying my family and this blog, I am a full-time speech and language pathologist.

We recently moved to Dallas from Arizona. Back there, I ran a vintage china rental and sales business. I had the pleasure of working with some amazing vendors in the event industry and got featured on many international and national blogs. I started blogging specific to my collection but recently switched to life style blogging to touch more aspects of life.

Originally from Pakistan, I am a multicultural and multilingual person and enjoy diversity to its fullest. I welcome new things and ways and learn from them but believe in restoring and preserving as well. I love people who inspire each other, are successful holistically, spread positive vibes and make a difference in this world for themselves and individuals around them. Overall, I strive to be a very well-balanced person and this blog plays some part in achieving that!

I absolutely love to team up with creative minds! Feel free to contact me for style consultation, photo shoots, vintage & antique articles, tea parties and hand-made items. I also do product reviews and feature items on my blog. I have a small shop on etsy featuring my collection and hand-made items.

(1) Comment

  1. […] their families’. For refugee women, other than Beads to Empower, they have started programs like Sew for Success and Balloon Twisting and Face Painting. All this and much more is done to for the betterment and […]

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: