A Cup of Sparkle is on Vacation!

It has been a crazy couple weeks full of hard work to finish all the Christmas orders. I wanted to share at least one of the custom designs of a birds nest post earrings and brooch I made for a customer, which represents 2 and 4 children in gorgeous purple colors eggs. I wish I took photos of all the custom jewelry I made. Unfortunately, time was running too fast for me to finish everything on time.

Custom mothers jewelry with 2 eggs and 4 eggs representing children

I will be traveling for holidays so; my Etsy shop, A Cup of Sparkle jewelry and accessories will be closed until I come back on January 5th. I am looking forward to sharing my new collections with you when I return. I will be shopping for lots of new and unique beads and materials during my trip.
I will be also putting lots of new craft tutorials to my blog in the new year, I promise!

I hope all of you are doing well; enjoying the Christmas music, the lighted trees and the joy of upcoming holidays. Lots of love and sparkle...

P.S. I will be traveling to France, Italy, Switzerland and Turkey. Please come back to check out some photos from all those cool places I will be visiting...

Cookie Decoration Party: Fun Christmas Activity

Christmas time has so much to offer...  This is the time of the year when families and friends gather together, which I love most about Christmas. Office parties, tree decorating with family, gift-wrapping with friends, children and neighbors, dinners with family, and many more new years organizations to get-together. Here is one of those get-together I was at yesterday: Cookie Decorations Party!

 

 Every year, we get together for a Cookie Decoration Party to decorate a huge variety of cookies. This is the 3rd one I have participated so far. Everyone brings a bunch of cookies and we all decorate them together. At the end of the night, everyone get to pick cookies from a big selection of decorated cookies and take them home. We have an awesome hostess who supply so many colors and shapes of sprinkles.

This is our workspace I took a shot of after we are done... It looks quite messy, isn't it? :)

And,  these are some I made ...

Have you ever gone and organized a cookie decoration party? If you have not, I should tell you that it is the most sweetest party you can imagaine!!! I highly recommend it...

Farm fresh organic eggs: New Dalmatian Collection

Birds nest with eggs

The nest on the left looks almost real, don't you agree?

A Cup of Sparkle dalmatian jewelry collection is handcrafted with speckled eggs that is definitely a wearable art inspired by nature, which are also one of my favorite gemstones among all the colorful pearls and bead eggs I use in my nest jewelry.

Dalmatian Collection by A Cup of Sparkle: Birds nest necklaces, brooch pins, earrings

The dalmatian collection is handmade with sterling silver wire and jasper gemstones. You can find unique pendant necklaces, brooch pins and earrings of this design: all made with farm fresh organic eggs... All of the designs can be also customized with different number of eggs.

A Cup of Sparkle will be open until the end of the week to get custom orders. If you are still shopping for Christmas holidays, there is something for every mommy or nature lovers. You can visit my online Etsy store to purchase any of this new collection by clicking here.

Silver post earrings by A Cup of Sparkle

Let's follow the sun... A trip to Bora Bora Islands!

Now, it is December and I think it is time to travel some place warm. Let's pack up sandals, a beach towel, swimsuit, sunglassess and head to Island of Bora Bora in the Pacific Ocean... oh, don't forget to take some sunscreen!

Such a happy place with beautiful weather... Over the water bungalows are the most fulfilling, and dreamy places you can stay in.  There are so many activities you can do in this island... eating delicious seafood, snorkeling, golf or just relaxing laying in a hammock. This place is meant to be the center of the romantic universe! 
Don't you agree?

Take what you need.

Photo via Pinterest

Hello to all of you! I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving and had so many memorable moments with your family and friends. Thanksgivings are extra special for me since my husband proposed me on Thanksgiving day.
I wanted to share this cool idea with you.. please take what you need ... Have a fantastic week and enjoy the last days of November!

PS:Remember this? Similar idea on a piece of paper; spreading smiles...

Celebrating... A Cup of Sparkle's 1st Year!

 Happy 1st Year Anniversary to A Cup of Sparkle!!!

I want to thank all of you for your support and making it such a great year! I really enjoyed getting to know many of you. A year ago today, I opened my jewelry shop. It made me so happy to hear your stories, to see the cute baby pictures you send and hearing great news from some of you who just learned that they are expecting. It has been always a great pleasure for me to be able to make something for moms and share your happiness.

I also want to thank all of my blog readers for your feedback and comments on my blog. Your lovely comments has always been one of the greatest power of inspiration for me and I wouldn't be able to do this without you... I am very much looking forward to A Cup of Sparkle's second year.
I am spreading some sparkle love over everyone on my Etsy shop with great offers to celebrate my first year. Thank you again from bottom of my heart!

Lots of love,

-Melike

My color crush: Plum Purple

Warm, romantic, and beautiful... Purple is always a great color for winter. It looks amazing when it is paired with shades of green and browns. Just imagine a plum tree and its color spectrum. Add a bit of blue like the blue sky on a beautiful sunny day or grays on a winter day for a warm gray-purple mix. 

                 Do you imagine the nature when you explore new color combinations? 

I use this approach all the time when I am designing jewelry or dressing-up. If you are seeking-out design inspirations, it is always fun to look outside of your window and observe the colors of nature. 

Plum purple earrings, large tulip flowers with purple freshwater pearls

This large tulip earrings are new in my shop. With the Christmas and new years parties coming up this season, I wanted to offer bold, statement jewelry to A Cup of Sparkle customers. This silver earring are very unique and absolutely perfect pair for a party. I will be adding more statement jewelry to my shop for this season.. stay tuned for much more of Christmas Collection!

Hope you are all having an inspirational weekend!

Walking on a sunken bridge... How cool that is?

I am sure all of you crossed so many bridges, but have you ever walked on an sunken one? This incredible bridge in southwest Netherlands parts the water so that pedestrian can walk in between. If you look far away, you cannot really tell that there is even a bridge existing. You can touch the water while passing through.  Isn't the architecture so cool? 

Sunken bridge in Netherlands

Are you wondering what is at the end of the bridge? A beautiful 17th century castle...

Personalized Mothers Jewelry

Personalized mothers nest necklaces were lately one of the most popular jewelry in my shop. I have been personalizing these cute nests for A Cup of Sparkle customers, most of which are going to be gifts for moms for Christmas.

Mothers Jewelry - handmade nest necklace

Nest necklaces with one, two, three and four pearls comes in similar sizes using various sizes of pearls. If you are looking for a special and unique gift for your mom, mother-in-law or grandma, you might consider these handmade sterling silver necklaces. They all come in special handmade packaging ready to give as gifts for holidays.

This one below is my latest custom necklace with 7 eggs. It is going to be a gift for another special mom for her birthday. It is the highest number of eggs I have ever used in my birds nest designs. I didn't know whether it is possible to make with seven eggs, but I guess it can be done.

 Doesn't that look cute?

Nest necklace with 7 pearls representing 7 children

Tiny post earrings for holidays

Pyrite handmade post earrings, gift ideas for Christmas

Tiny post earrings is great for those who favor small, elegant earrings. Small studs can be worn every day to almost every occasion. Lately, I have added new colors and gems to birds nest collection for holidays. Lots of sparkles, green and reds perfect for holidays... These will make great handmade gifts for Christmas that is also perfect if you are on a low budget.

 

Birds nest shaped silver earrings are made with silver wire hand woven into a ball shape and has 3 cute gemstones. Posts secure the earrings comfortably in place. You can personalize your nest in any color you like with precious stones like garnet, pyrite, pearls, turquoise and jasper. Petite and stylish, the perfect companion to any outfit. You can wear these earrings as a pair or individually, if you have more than one piercing.

Matching necklaces of this nest earrings are also available in my shop. Please indicate the colors of your choice with your purchase and feel free to contact me for any request for matching custom necklaces.

A fairy tale Castle Neuschwanstein

Can you imagine living in a castle? 

I cannot really, but if I could, I would live in Neuschwanstein Castle; located in Bavarian Alps in Germany. It is known as the castle of fairy-tale king, whom was very shy and wanted to build his own castle with the state of the art amenities isolated from public. The castle's unique location combined with the kings eccentric taste and love of arts&music makes this castle a special place. The 15 rooms and halls of the castle are full of original gold paintings, mosaics, elaborate wooden furniture and incredible artwork. Only king's bedroom took 14 carpenters to finish its woodcarving in 41/2 years to complete. Isn't that crazy?

Neuschwanstein Castle,  Translation is The New Swan Rock

Unfortunately, king Ludwig died mysteriously before the castle construction was completed. The irony is the castle opened to public just weeks after the king's death and it is being visited by thousands of tourists every day even though it was built to be a private refuge for King Ludwig.

Neuschwanstein castle is well worth a visit if you ever set foot over Germany for a visit to live a fairy tale at least for a day...

Homemade Coupon Book using Paint Chip

I had a bunch of paint chips I grabbed from a paint store last year back I was painting my house. I wanted to make something special for my husband's birthday and I found the perfect handmade gift for him using my free colorful paint chips.

Handmade gifts, Mini Coupon Book

I got this coupon book idea from the web while searching for handmade gift ideas for men and made a new A Cup of Sparkle version of it...  I wanted to thank to all bloggers and crafters out there for this great gift idea!!!!

I used long strip paint chips that already had perforations on them to tear out the coupons; exactly like what I wanted. I cut the chips ~1/2 inches above the perforations to create enough space to punch holes. I embellished the front cover page using 3 different colored chips and some scrapbook material I had at home.

I made 8 pages that I personalized for my hubby including one blank one that can be redeemed for anything... I used different colors for each page to make it colorful and fun. The paint chips were too thick to print on using my printer so, used my label maker for some of the phrases ... I trimmed the corners with a paper trimmer.
To finish, I added a piece of orange ribbon and tied a tiny bow. I kept it loose to make room to turn the pages.

Coupon book - dimensions: 2"x3.5"

It is a great gift for anyone; mom, dad, significant other, friend, co-worker, ... that will make them feel very special and happy.  This mini coupon book will also make perfect Christmas or Thanksgiving gifts especially if you are low on budget. The cost of this project was $0.00 and the impact was priceless.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Bee Happy.

Let me introduce you to Queen Bee. She is very cute and extremely hard-working. I wanted to host her today in my blog to spread a little joy... Queen Bee is the one that lead the beehive and the also the sole survivor in the hive when the winter arrives. I love how organized they make their hives and produce the sweetest thing ever: Honey... It is absolutely incredible!

Handmade Bee Key chain by A Cup of Sparkle, BEE HAPPY!

This key ring design features two honey colored glass beads and a cute Queen Bee. I also combined brass and silver metals. A sweet key chain for those of you who loves bees and honey... If you would like to have this keyring made to a necklace, make sure to give me a buzz...

Have a great, happy November! 

PS: I am working on a handmade gift for my husband's birthday today. I hope you can come back and visit again to see my finished present for my sweetheart.

POM POMS from wool. Learn how to...

Pom Pom Necklace Tutorial

Happy Halloween and a happy Monday to all of you! Hope you are enjoying your day so far. Lately, I have been looking for cozy sweaters, winter scarves and of course some winter accessories. I taught myself to make pom poms and used my wool pom poms to make a necklace using a super easy tutorial. I thought I'll share my newest necklace with you.

Anyone can do this cozy and cute beauty... When I first saw this pom pom style necklaces on the web, I thought I will need expensive tools to make it but; I only needed wool, a thread, some small beads (optional) and some dish soap and water... That is really it. Total cost was less than $5 and 2 hours - including the learning and creating process.

What do you think? Did you like it?

I am in love with it and will be making another one when I purchase more colorful wool. I am thinking red or maybe I will combine various colors together. Click here for the tutorial I followed from Design Sponge blog. I also learned that you can use drying machine to make this pom poms; if you want to try. (Tutorial) I preferred making it 100% handmade to avoid any unexpected results from the dryer...I am unfortunately quite famous with shrinking clothes extra in the drying machine :-)

Let's visit the Cotton Castle in Turkey!

What about a visit to my home country, Turkey to bathe in this georgous natural waters of Pamukkale, Denizli; located in southwest Turkey. We might also do some shopping for Turkish towels while we are there since they have one of the best towels in the country.

Pamukkle's english translation is Cotton Castle. It gets its name from this white terraces of calcium carbonate minerals deposited by water from the hot springs.  These terraces almost 200m in height have been formed in step-like arrangement gradually in the course of the ages.  They are absolutely stunning and super interesting, don't you agree? They kind of look like oyster shells...

Thanks for joining me at our second Let's tavel to Abroad destination... See you next time!!!

Robins nested blues

NEW robins blue keychain accessories are available in beautiful turquoise blue colors. I have been in search for beads that looks just like the robins egg and I think I finally found them... These birds nest keychains come in one, two, or three eggs representing your kids or anything else that you like. They are really  for everyone who loves nature.

Robins nest handmade key chains

The beads are made of glass and oval shaped just like real eggs. They make very unique and special gifts for moms, mother-in-laws, grandmothers, etc... This keychains are part of A Cup of Sparkle Christmas Jingle Collection and they are limited.

Handmade accessories for moms- great gifts for holidays

I hope you liked them! They all come with two cute charms; one of them is a heart and the other is an animal of your choice; ladybug, bird, turtle, dragonfly, bee... You have so many options to customize this unique keychains.

How to make mosaic artwork with glass - A Tutorial for Beginners

Hello my dearest readers and HAPPY MONDAY!!! I learned to make mosaics couple weeks ago at a class held by a mosaic artist in Seattle. Her name is Laura Wright. It was such a fun evening... Laura was so kind to open her house for this class. I thought I will share with you what I made and what I learned.

My A Cup of Sparkle Laboratory walls were quite naked so; I thought I will make a cup with sparkles... and write my jewelry shop's name with glass.

I made this mosaic artwork  on a 8"x12", 1/2" thick wood board.  I used black, red, soft pink, white colors of recycled glass and mirror for sparkles. The corners are pre-cut square tiles.

Materials: Recycled glass, wheeled glass nippers, substrate, adhesive-thin set/concrete or a tub of pre-mixed AcrylPro ceramic tile adhesive, sanded grout, a plastic knive for spreading, a cup to mix the grout, tile cleaning sponge, bucket of warm water for cleaning the grout on the mosaic, gloves for grouting and a picture hanger to hang your finished mosaic.

Step #1: Draw your design on paper. We will do an indirect method so; you need to draw the mirror image of your design. Place your sticky tape over your picture sticky side up.

Step #2: Place your glass pieces face down accordingly. Cut the glass to desired shape for your design. If you want to make changes, the glass pieces come-off easily. So; don't worry. This step took me around 3 hours... Writing letters was quite hard, but; FUN! :)

Step #3: Place your adhesive on the wood board (substrate) by completely covering it.

Step#4: Flip your design on the board with the adhesive.

Step #5: Gently tap in each piece using your fingers; especially the smaller pieces.

Step #6: After 30 minutes or so, gently pull away the tape from bottom to top. Move around any pieces that need adjusting.

 

Grouting: Wait 24 hours. Place your mosaic on a newspaper. Fill a bucket with warm water. Put your gloves. Spread your grout well-mixed with water on your mosaic. Cover it very well. Wipe off the extra grout. Wait 5-10 minutes. The grout will dry fast and you can wipe it with a towel until your mosaic looks shiny and smooth. Here is a video that explains the grouting part pretty well.

VA-LAaaa!! Your mosaic is complete and ready for hanging. I hung mine already that matched so well with my red wall paint. I am so happy with it :) Let me know if you have any questions on the tutorial. There are also many youtube videos that might help you visualize what I am talking about. 

Wishing you all a great week!

Beaded Cluster Necklace: Autumn color palette

This beaded necklace is perfect for Autumn lovers. A beautiful and unique combination of seasonal colors: cinnamon brown, amber, mustard yellow, burgundy, smokey grey, soft pink and fire red combined for an earthy, natural look. It is made with round mookaite beads individually strung on a hand-prepared soft metal piece.

I tried to incorporate the autumn color palette as much as possible in this necklace design. I just followed the nature while choosing colors. You can wear this silver cluster necklace both with muted and rich, warm colors. It is a perfect match for any fall closet. You can click here to the fall sale to see more photos and details of this necklace from my Etsy shop.

Let's be a fish in a bowl in Marseille...

Not sure how much all of you like camping, but this transparent bubble tents in Marseille, France might worth the try. It feels like staying in a luxurious hotel, like camping in the nature and also being at home... it is an experiecnce of all at the same time inside of a giant bubble. Kind of bizarre in a cool, confortable way! The best part of this bubble tents is that you can watch the sunset, the stars and sunrise crystal clean from all angles....

 What do you think? Would you like to be a fish in a bowl for a night or two?

I would, if you could afford :-) These bubble tents are also available for purchase for those of you who don't want to travel that far; starting from $11,000 and goes up to $20,000. You can even rent them for an event, such as a wedding.. Pretty cool, don't you agree?

Thanks for stopping by... I appreciate you joining me at our first 'Let's Travel Abroad' destination. Wishing you an adventorous weekend!

Let's Travel Abroad together!!!

I love crafting, making things with my beads, crystals,and metal wire in the A Cup of Sparkle Laboratory... There is one more passion in my life that is on fire all the time: Traveling!
I love love love seeing new things, places, shopping in different countries and getting to know different cultures and people So, I thought on Fridays I will talk about places I have been or I want to go and why... I have to confess that my geography is terrible but; I am so exicited to learn more about the world and take you to abroad with me by 'Let's Travel Abroad' Friday posts and photographs. What do you think? Would you want to do some traveling abroad with A Cup of Sparkle? I will be happy if you would stop by on Fridays to be a part of this adventure.

I thought I will take you on an outdoor adventure in Marseille, France tomorrow... A Meditteranean port town just southeast of France. I will see you tomorrow at our first destination in Europe.

Pumpkin Jewelry for Halloween

Pumpkin earrings jewelry for Halloween

Halloween is coming soon.. I love the color of the pumpkin orange! For the pumpkin orange lovers there, I created a wide selection of Halloween pumpkin inspired jewelry. How cute is this pumpkin earrings with peals and green leafs? 10mm size beads are set-off with beautiful sterling silver bead caps. It will definitely help you to get into pumpkin patching spirit!

Handmade Fall Jewelry by A Cup of Sparkle

Ceramic orange necklace, pumpkin crystal hoops and pumpkin pearl nest keychain are some of the other fall jewelry from my Etsy shop. This selection of colors in green, silver, antiqued brass and orange are perfect for fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving...  Enjoy!!!

Making gifts extra special with handmade wrapping

Handmade gift wrapping for Christmas

Have you started your holiday shopping yet or maybe even packaging your gifts?

One way to make your gifts extra special is to package it in a unique way. It will make your loved ones feel extra-special! This weekend, I worked on my new jewelry bags for my Etsy shop;A Cup of Sparkle. For Christmas packaging, I designed new bags in two different color combinations: Red and green accented with small bows. You can learn how to make these easy and multi-functional felt bags here from one of my earlier posts.

Jewelry bag tutorial

It is very important for me to present my designs as best as I could to you whether you are getting it for yourself or as a gift. I hope you liked this new handcrafted felt bags... All the A Cup of Sparkle jewelry and accessories will come in these bags from October till January.

Autumn Redness: Maple Leaf Necklace Jewelry



Maple leaf necklace jewelry

I have a huge crush for red leaves in autumn. Aren't those red maple leaves look fabulous? Autumn accessories flourish with shiny petals, leaves and earthy tones. Very romantic and feminine.



This striking maple leaf necklace is made with bright red luctie beads shaped as Canadian maple leaf aligned on a gunmetal black chain.There are ten leafs that has visible veins on them curved just like they are real. It will make a great autumn jewelry to accent your fall wardrobe. I hope you enjoyed this handmade nature inspired necklace by A Cup of Sparkle. Matching earrings for this necklace can be also made upon request. As always, please contact me if you have any questions.

PS: My 10K run went really great last weekend. It was so much fun! Once again, thank you all for your support.

Have a fulfilling weekend.

What is everyone doing this weekend? I am running a 10K at the Haunted Hustle Marathon in Puyallup, WA. I decided that I needed a new challenge in my life and started training almost a month and a half ago. I used to not even run a mile but now, I am able to run 6 miles with the support of my family and friends. It has been a very joyful and self-fulfilling experience for me. I am counting down to Sunday morning now...

The most fun part of this race is that it is haunted! The 10K course featuring hills through a Cemetery has haunted sites, sounds and scary characters along the way.

Doesn't that sound fun? 

And yes, I and my two friends will be running in costumes as Zombies in hot pink tutus and black outfits.

To complete my look,  I also made a comfortable but scary headband by simply attaching a bat on my headband. I wanted to do so much more for my Zombie costume but; I have to make sure I am confortable in my outifit expecially when it will be raining during the race...

Hope you have a fulfilling weekend. Please wish me luck and strength!

Hummingbird Necklace Jewelry

Silver Hummingbird Necklace

Silver hummingbird necklace is a very unique handmade jewelry. Its nest is crafted with fine sterling silver wire and handwoven. The birds nest and the hummingbird pendant suspended freely on a steling silver chain. The silver hummingbird is beating its wings as it always does...I picked tiny natural turquoise beads for the nest as the hummingbirds have very vibrant colors. This necklace will make a treasured item in your jewelry box. I hope you liked this necklace as much as I enjoyed designing and making it!

Have an awesome month of October eveyone! Enjoy the beauty of the nature in fall...

Pinecone treats with snowflakes... More fall cooking at A Cup of Sparkle kitchen

Once again, I wanted to take you to A Cup of Sparkle kitchen for more fall season cooking. If you have not seen fall leaves ice-cream sandwich tutorial yet, you should take a look at it! I got so many good reactions from you that I thought I will share another fall recipe with you.

Pinecone treats



Today's cooking recipe is very simple, fun and chocolaty.This pinecone treats are great for thanksgiving and christmas celebrations.Very eye-catching! It will be also a great cooking activity you can do with kids.

Here is the recipe for this nature inspired pine cone treats which I found from Turkish blogs:

Ingredients for ~10-15 pinecones
1/2 packet of rice krispie (~60g)
1/2 stick of butter
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of cacao
2 bars of chocolate (~100g)
1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar

Preparation:
1- Melt the butter in a pan. Add the honey, chocolate and cacoo. Melt them all together in low heat.
2- In a large bowl, add the melted chocolate mixture on the rice krispie and mix them.
3- Fill inside of a lemon squeezer to give the shape of a pinecone. Press it and invert it upside down on a serving plate.
4- Let it cool down.
5- Sprinkle powdered sugar before you serve it to make winter snowflakes effect.

Your pinecones are ready in a very short time without baking! I hope you will enjoy making the pinecone treats as much as I did...

AFIYET OLSUN!  (BON APPETIT!)

TIPS: You can add pinenuts, crushed walnuts or sesame seeds to your pinecones to obtain extra flavor and crunchness. You can also use cupcake sleeves to serve it instead of a platter.