Arwa Al-Khawaja Makes it Only for You

Dana Ghzawnah

7 years ago

They always say “necessity is the mother of invention.” Arwa Al-Khawaja, a 33 year old Palestinian woman, is a founder of Elekbas project. It’s derived from “Just for you”, addressing females in Arabic. Elekbas is a handmade shop & blog by Arwa. She told Barakabits the story behind this amazing project and what inspired her to launch Elekbas.

As a freelancer and English-Arabic translator, Arwa uses her laptop and takes it everywhere she goes in case she has some urgent work. As every one of us, she hated to sit on the desk all day because caused pain in her neck and shoulder. She used a pillow to raise the laptop and because of heat, her laptop turned off and nothing worked to operate it back as some parts melted inside.

Meanwhile, she tried to find a suitable alternative and there she found the cushion lap desk with many designs. It is like having the laptop on a regular desk, but a mobile one. Arwa found it as a perfect way to protect the laptop itself, keep it cool, raise it for more comfort, and provide comfort while working for a long time on a laptop.

This inspired Arwa in a way to start her project as she explained:

“So I wanted to make one for my own, but with a special and different look, I thought of adding Formica to it, no one did it so far. I made one and I loved it, it was very comfortable, then I started thinking, why not make more and start selling them to relatives and friends? It worked well then I decided to do more and sell it online.”

This was the start of Elekbas project. It’s not only limited to create lap desks in different designs. Arwa loves all kinds of crafts, and she always finds time to make things. She does sewing, crochet, and some other handmade stuff. Another amazing design is the Palestinian Kufiya dress which is a new product in her online shops.

The Palestinian Kufiya Dress made by Arwa.

Arwa makes everything at her home and will continue doing so for ever. Regarding the materials she typically uses to make the products, she purchases all the fabrics online from more than one place, sometimes it takes about two months to receive them. The wooden tops are made by her father, as he is the best carpenter she knows! She explains further:

“As for other handmade items that I make and sell, I can find all embroidery and sewing materials here in Ramallah, but I wish if they had more fabric choices like the ones I use in my shop.”

If you want to spoil yourself with a piece of Arwa’s great handmade stuff, visit Elekbas. Don’t forget to follow her on Instagram and check her Facebook page.