Happy Friday and have a great weekend.

Woohoo, it's finally Friday! I am taking time off from work today for a long weekend to camp at Olympic National Park in Washington. Hope you all enjoy the last day of the week and have a great weekend.

Tutorial for Handmade Cardmaking: Personalized Lab Coat Card for Doctors

I enjoyed my first attempt to card making (here it is), I thought I will try to make an another. This card is for my twin sister who always sends me beautiful cards from Turkey. Mehpare, my sister, is a doctor and currently doing her residency at a hospital southeast of Turkey as a physical therapy and rehabilitation specialist. I saw this card on the web and thought it will be perfect for her: shaped as a white lab coat.

Whether you already make your own cards or just a beginner like me, this personalized lab coat card is doable. It took me two tries to get it right since all I had a photo of it but, I have all the instructions for you with detailed measurements in case you would like to try to make one as well.

Materials: Scissors, A4 size white paper, one white button, adhesive, colored paper of your choice, pencil, ruler, eraser, printer for name tag printing (optional)

Step 1: Fold the A4 sized white paper from both sides in a way that the width is a total of 5" and the two front closures overlap by 1" as shown in the photo #1.

Step 2: Cut the paper vertically to 6". You can make it longer if you are using a large envelope.

Step 3 and 4: Mark 1" from the top and 2 inches from the bottom of the rectangular on each of the two closures, using a pencil.

Step 5: Fold the corner so that the corner will meet on the pencil marks at the top and the bottom. This will be the collar of the lab coat.

Step 6: Apply the same folding technique on the other side. Your card should look like the photo #6.

Step 7: Mark 1" from each corner of the collar with a pencil.

Step 8: Draw a horizontal line from the left corner of the collar to the right as shown in dotted lines below.

Step 9: Cut the squares. Then, draw another line from the bottom end of the collar to where the line in step #8 touches.

 Step 10: Cut the small triangle that is left on the right of the dotted line you draw in step #9.

Step 11: Embellish your card by adding a pocket, putting the button, name tag and the stethoscope.

Step 12: Fill the inside of the card with your warmest wishes and mail/give it to that special person...

I have used materials and papers I already had home. I even re-purposed a paint chip for the red pen and a thick brand tag from a jean for the gray paper for the stethoscope. The black paper is cut from a folder I also had at home.

Tip: You can use this tutorial to make a card for anyone that wears uniform at work: scientists, nurses, chefs,  or doctors.
I have already filled my card and will mail it on Monday. I cannot wait to have it delivered to my sister. Hope you enjoyed this DIY. Please let me know if you decide to make it or have any questions.  

Spring Jewelry Sale at A Cup of Sparkle!

It is spring time, and I wanted to give something back to fans and friends by having a 25% OFF on my shop: acupofsparkle.etsy.com! Browse a selection of jewelry and accessories with one-of-a-kind and colorful designs on annual spring sale by clicking here. The spring sale offers gemstone necklaces, earrings, beaded bracelets and unisex keychains.

The online sale event goes through July 15th by 5pm PST. Enjoy big savings from A Cup of Sparkle!

Strawberries and Homemade Jam Recipe

This last weekend, I made homemade strawberry jam, which I also call the sweetest thing one can make with just 3 ingredients. Doesn't that sound so simple and sweet?

With the summer approaching, strawberries are in season now! You can either buy some from a store (that's what I did) or pick them fresh from a strawebrry field or your garden if you are a gardener. Strawberry jam is so flavorful, delicious, and it's perfect for breakfast and weekend brunch parties!

You will need:

• A large pan
• 1:1 ratio of sugar:fresh strawberries (ex: 1lb sugar, 1lb stawberries)
• 1 lemon

Wash the strawebrries very well and remove the hulls with a knife. Tranfer the berries in a large deep pan. Add sugar on top of the berries. Then, wait bteween 2 hours to 1 day, depending on the ripeness of the fruit and/or simply depending on your patience levels... I could able to wait around 3 hours. With time, strawberries will suck the sugar, melt and release water. Once all the sugar is dissolved, turn on your stove to medium heat. Cook your jam until it reaches the desired consistency. If you like a marmalade, crush the strawberries with a blender. You will also need to spoon out the foams while the jam is cooking. Before you remove it from the stove, squeze in one lemon juice and cook it for 5 more minutes.

"Is it done?" Test: Here is a smart tip to test whether the jam is done: simply transfer a spoon of jam into a small plate. Wait unitl the jam cools down and bend the plate sideways. If the jam doesn't move sideways, it means it is done.  

Phases of Strawberry jam making

The photo above shows the phases of strawberry jam cooking from my kitchen, from start to finish. YUMM! How delicious would this homemade jam willl go with pancakes or on a crusty bread, don't you think?

Pastel Green Gemstone Jewelry



Pastel gemstone necklace by A Cup of Sparkle

Choosing a bright colored summer dress and accessorizing it with pops of soft pastel jewelry is a great way to go. No matter what color of outfit you choose, pastels will go well with it... This icy green pastel necklace is so perfect for summer with its luminous prehnite gemstones combined with shiny sterling silver. This pastel jewelry set is freshly listed in my shop and it is one-of-a kind. 

Geometric large irregular semiprecious stone centers the luminous green beads paired with a short sterling silver chain. The round beads are wire-wrapped and the necklace is finished with a lobster clasp. This set is one of my design faves from my shop - I hope you liked it as well!

To read more about this gemstone necklace and earrings, you can visit my shop by clicking here...