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...