Hello August.

Hello and happy August! It is my favorite month of the year - the sunniest and summeriest one. There is so much to love about August; fresh berries, red tomatoes, juicy watermelon, sunshine, singing birds, colorful flowers, lots of long days to go camping, to play on the beach and the water, outdoor theaters and concerts... The thought of all of these makes me super excited and happy. Hope you will have a wonderful month and enjoy every day of the month! Lots of love.

Personalized Handmade Bridal Bouquet Jewelry

I have recently shipped one of these bridal bouquet pin for a bride. It is a handmade pin shaped as a silver birds nest accented with ivory pearls. Bridal bouquet jewelry adds a unique glam to bridal bouquets, giving them a personal touch. This bridal bouquet pin is perfect for a nature themed wedding that will contrast beautifully with the bouquet flowers, all inspired by nature. 

Bridal Bouquet Pin by A Cup of Sparkle

You can also use this bird nest as a hair accessory or as a brooch pin.  It can be made to any size and any color. It can be personalized with different colors to match your outfit or wedding colors. Almost any color of pearls are available to choose from... The pearls/eggs can represent the number of children, family members or pets.

I always enjoy making personalized jewelry to A Cup of Sparkle customers. It is especially a great honor for me to design bridal jewelry and be a part of your special day with a small piece from my shop. You can click here to read more about this bridal birds nest jewelry pin.

Family Photo ( Husband, Wife and Canine Child)

I wanted to show off one of my favorite family photos with you today. Me, my hubby and my canine type child; Aslan in this photo.  It was much simpler to take this photo than some other family photos with pets as you can imagine... Our four-legged friend is definitely a big part of my family who always provides us unconditional love. It is not really possible not to include him in anything we do, including our family photos.  Is your pet included in the family photos?

Earthy Jewelry and Accessories

If you love nature themed jewelry, you may want to check out a large selection of handmade earthy jewelry from A Cup of Sparkle Etsy shop. All of the pieces are handmade with natural gemstones and finest materials.

Earthy jewelry necklace by A Cup of Sparkle

This rustic teardrop pendant necklace with a teardrop shaped Ryholidate natural gemstone features tones of warm earthy brown and green organic colors in antiqued brass.  I love the organic, textured look of this stone in a perfect nature color palette, it looks so natural in every way. Don't you agree?

Leaf shaped unisex keychains, modern necklaces, and warm brown colored earrings are some other selection of earthy handmade jewelry you can find in my shop. Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them.

PS. You can still take advantage of the 25% SPRING SALE on most of the necklaces, earrings and keychains.

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!