Handmade Felt Jewelry Bag Tutorial

I like making things special for my customers. As the Mothers Day is approaching, I wanted to make A Cup of Sparkle jewelry even more special. I designed and handmade this cute red jewelry bags with an addition of a Handmade hand charm.  I don't have a sewing machine at home; so, I did hand-stitching. It is such a fun project... I cannot wait to get different colors of felt and make it in different colors.

Here is my short tutorial if you want to make it on your own. Once you make the first one, making more takes less than 15 minutes.


Materials: Felt, velcro tape, coordinating embroidery thread, needle. handmade charm, scissors

Step 1: Cut your felt to 6"x 4" (16 cm x11 cm) -for a rectangular jewelry bag

I used this size, because business cards fits inside the bag very nicely.

Step 2: Fold the felt lengthwise, to where there is ~1.5" is left for the top part.

Step 3: Stitch each side with hand. Keep the tension on the thread very loose for big stitch look.

Step 4: Fold the top part outwards less than 0.5" and hand stitch the folded line horizontally.

Step 5: Place a felt flower or a button in the middle of the top closure and hand stitch it securely 

Step 6: Place the velcro at the center of the top and bottom parts.

Add a bit of more cuteness with a handmade charm..

Step 7: Va laaa...  Now, open inside and enjoy your cup of sparkle...

TIP: You can use this bag as business card holder, lipstick holder, or coin purse, or.. many other ways.

Blue Flower Bouquet Inspiration Story

Puya Alpestris at
Berkeley Botanical Garden 

Blue Flower Bouquet Necklace
by ACupofSparkle

I used to think that if I see a blue flower in a bouquet in a flower shop, that must be not natural. Purple flowers are pretty common such as lilacs, hydrangea, lavender, iris, ... but; 'true blue' is very rare to find. One of my visits to Berkeley Botanical Garden in California, I have seen the most unusual, beautiful blue plant. I captured this photo with my camera. This plant is called Puya alpestris, also known as sapphire tower. It's hard to resist touching the aquamarine blue petals to make sure that they are not plastic. The colors are so irresistible and vibrant.

    This amazing flower is simply the inspiration to A Cup of Sparkle blue flower bouquet necklace. The flower cluster is composed of blue bell flower beads and natural Mookaite gemstones in yellow, orange and red colors hanging on a long bronze chain.

What do you think about blue flowers? Do you like them? 

Are there any others that you know of?

Mother's Day Handmade Gift Ideas - Custom Handmade Keychains

Mother's Day is approaching soon. Did you pick a present for your mom yet?
I have made some unique keychains using my bird nest designs special for Mothers Day. The selected Mother's Day jewelry and accessories are on Sale at A Cup of Sparkle. Not all the women wear jewelry, but; we all carry key chains. It is hard to go wrong with gifting a keychain to someone. You can personalize these handmade nests with different colors and different number of beads.  You can also add different charms on your keychain: birds, leaves, initials, .. They are so much fun. I am planning on making one with 5 eggs as a gift to my mother-in-law.
What do you think? Do you like them?

Custom Personalized Handmade Keychains by A Cup of Sparkle

Earthy Tones: Brown

What color tones would you say that expresses your individual style best?

I found brown very earthy that is easy to match things with; grounding well with oranges, reds, beige and bold blues. When combined with different shades, they create a earthy, classic and elegant look. One of the first browns that comes up in my mind are:

• Coffee
• Skin
• Chocolate 
• Soil
• Fresh bread
• Potato
• Caramel
• Autumn

Do you have any favorite browns in nature?

   I have recently added the brown crystal circle earrings and necklace to my Etsy jewelry shop. I accented dark browns with light brown keeping the casual and contemporary style in sterling silver.  The wire-wrapped tiny Swarovski crystals looks so stylish that works great for a day or an evening time. You can also find this circle designs in blue, opal, black and green colors at A Cup of Sparkle.

Brown Crystal Wire-wrapped Necklace

Brown Crystal Wire-wrapped Earrings