I am trying to add fun and playful kids islamic decor to our home. Ever since my son read the book “Hassan and Aneesa go to Masjid” by Yasmeen Rahim, he’s been asking to visit the masjid. Of course I love this. And while the masjid isn’t too far, it’s difficult to make the time between work and his early bed time. But I was determined to make it happen for him. You could also put this up for Ramadan and Eid as a decoration and pull it down after the celebrations are over. 

Creating kids islamic decor 

I was inspired by the creative use of washi tape across Instagram and Pintrest. My favourites were these:

@peachyparade’s kids space

Well, if some were using washi tape for houses, couldn’t I use it to make a masjid? The part that really stumped me was how to make the domes. Washi tape looks best when it’s linear. It doesn’t bend or curve (after all, it’s just tape).

I was looking for wall decals for my shared boys room and had a lightbulb moment. I could use decals to fashion a dome!!!!!!

Once I landed on the polka dots, I debated for a long time between black or coloured dots. Our home is very neutral and the play space is in our open concept kitchen/living room. So the washi tape masjid would be in the most high traffic and visible space in our home. My husband really pushed me to think in colour. He believes that it’s a kids space. And it should be colourful for them. So I created a blueprint to see if I would like this

I practiced and envisioned what this space would look like on paper first

Upon my hours of searching for decals, I came across these.

They were perfect. They had a watercolour effect and came in multiple sizes. I ordered them off wayfair and was set!

What you need

1. Level (If you don’t own a level, you can usually pick up a small one from the dollar store. It’s a MUST)
2. Pencil
3. Black washi tape (I used Scotch brand purchased from Staples)
4. Decals
5. Newspaper/ Bristol board
6. Scissors
7. Credit card
8. Measuring tape
9. A helper
   

Let’s get crafting

PART 1: the Building Structure

1. First I drew the structure of the mosque (the building part only without the domes) with a pencil and level.
2. Apply the washi tape on the lines. To ensure the building is straight, place the washi tape on either the inside or outside of the pencil line. Do not try to apply the washi tape over the middle of the pencil line. TIP: roll out a long section of the tape (12-16 inches) and then apply it. I found this created a straighter line then rolling as you apply
   
   

   Getting my helper involved

3. To ensure the tape sticks, go over the tape with a credit card

PART 2: The Domes

This was really difficult and if you watch my highlights reel on Instagram you’ll see I had a few attempts of this before I figured it out. I recommend checking the video as it’s a lot easier to explain.

1. Measure the length of the roof of each structure.
   
   

   Measure out the side for the masjid dome

2. Mark the middle point with your pencil with an X
3. Determine how tall you want the dome to be. Using the level, mark another X at the peak of dome from the mid point of the roof
4. Take a newspaper or Bristol board and fold in half. Line up the fold with the midpoint of the dome.
5. Draw half the dome on the paper
   
6. Keeping the paper folded, cut the dome (think about the same technique as paper hearts)
7. Open up your full dome and trace it on to the wall. Use a light hand as the decals are slightly translucent
8. Now the fun part!! Use the decals to create the dome. I used the larger decals for the bottom and the smaller ones on the top. That helped to form the peak of the dome. TIP: place the dots on the middle of the dome line. That will ensure your dome is symmetrical.

Closing thoughts

I loved this project. My 3 year old son helped me with it. The hardest part is creating the dome and it only cost me $3 for washi tape and $30 for the decal. It adds such a great Islamic element to the play room.

You can also use this concept to create other structures like the Eiffel Tower or CN Tower. Be sure to tag me in your decal adventures @hanashappyhome

Update:

I have had this for 3 years in my home and we still love it. Here is how I decorated it for Ramadan. Check out more about my Ramadan decorations here