Custom Number Sting Art Tutorial

I try to learn new, different techniques once in a while and this is my recent project that I am so excited to share with you. If you search "sting art" on Pinterest (Click here) you will be amazed what people have created using this simple technique. It is impressive what one can do with nails and string.

I made this fun string art for my hubby for the Valentine's Day. It is the number 6. The number six is related to the research he does in his laboratory at University of Washington. So, it has a lot of meaning for him.  It will be a great addition to his office. You can also try to use number string art to make house numbers. It will certainly get lots of attention. Have fun and make sure to watch your fingers while putting those nails in!

Gold Birthstone Necklace

I have made this gold birthstone necklace for a customer in Canada and shipped it today. It is going to be a birthday gift for a special mother. The customized birthstones are sapphire blue, garnet red, and ruby red. I had to go to couple bead stores to find the perfect size and colored pearls but, I finally succeeded...The multicolored freshwater pearls sits beautifully inside the gold birds nest. It is a unique combination of colors I have not put together before so, I thought I would share this handmade beauty with you. Doesn't it look so elegant?

Gold birthstone necklace

To inquire about or set up a custom order please email acupofsparkle@gmail.com.

Handmade Race Bib and Medal Holder Tutorial

One of my new year resolutions is to exercise and get back to my running this year. In order to motivate myself and to get a bit organized, I made a handmade race bib and medal holder for myself. Today I would like to share with you how to make this simple holder.

Materials: A wooden plaque, acrylic paint color of your choice (I used violet and gold glitter), foam brush, sharpie, c-shaped hooks, pencil

Step 1: Paint the wood plaque (I got mine from Joann's) with your choice of paint. I repeated this step 3 times.

Step 2: Decide on what you would like to write on your plaque and print the words on a paper using the font you like. My plaque says "My Races". Some other sayings I thought about doing was Melike's Races, Run like a Girl, Finisher, Ready-Set-Go or just Races. Use your imagination!!!

Step 3: To transfer the printed words onto the board, I used the old pencil method. Just shade the back of the printed letters with a pencil, place the word down on the wood and trace around/inside the imprinted letters with my pencil. Then, fill in the word using a sharpie as shown below. I also painted the letters with the sparkle paint to make it shiny.

Step 4: Now it is time to place your c-shaped hooks. The bibs come in two different sizes usually so, I used 4 hooks to hang both the narrow and wide sized bibs. I simply placed the bibs on the wood board and screw them in following the holes instead of measuring it with a tape.
























Step 5: For the medals, I have used the same sized hooks. Although you can put the hooks directly to the wood, I used stars to make it more shiny and special. First I got some star shaped buttons from the store and painted them with the sparkle paint. Once the buttons are dried, I screwed in the hooks from one hole of the button to the wood. I didn't need to glue the stars onto the wood since the hooks kept them stable. I hided the second hole of the button by filling it in with the sparkle paint.

Step 6: Using a sharpie, paint a border around the wood board. This is optional. I did this step to put an extra dimension.

Step 7: VOILA!! Now, you can hand your race bibs and race bling. I have 11 bibs and 5 medals including my medal from the Vancouver Marathon hanging right now and cannot wait to add more to my collection in 2014...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of you, my dear A Cup of Sparkle readers. I wish you a wonderful, a better year with lots of love and happiness....

Handmade Snowman New Year Cards Tutorial

I have a fabulous tutorial for you today! This year I was ambitious enough that I handmade new years cards for the family. I decided to go with a snowman winter scene card design and used multicolor backgrounds for the base of the snowman.

This interactive snowman card rolls out into a 3 section snowman once you pull the hat upwards. Then, the family photos appear on the two sections of the snowman.. Woila!! There is also a new years note if you turn the back of the cards. It is super adorable, don't you agree?

It took some time to make these cards but, it was totally worth it! If you are thinking about making this handmade snowman cards, here is a step-by-step photo instructions. I bought all my supplies from the Joann's store close to my house. I used a circle cutting tool for the three circles. For the photo of my dog, I used a punch. I cut the family photo by hand as well as the hands of the snowman, the carrot nose and the hat.  The largest circle is attached to the base with foamy adhesives to create an extra dimension. I also used a punch for the snowflakes which I borrowed from a friend.

Hope you enjoyed today's tutorial and having a memorable, fun holiday!!!

Mother of 3 Daughters Jewelry Set

Happy Holidays! I am very excited about the upcoming holidays and the new year. I have completed and shipped all of the A Cup of Sparkle orders couple days ago and hoping that they will there on time for the Christmas time. This is one of the personalized jewelry sets I made for a customer. It is from the husband to his wife and they have three daughters. So, I personalized the mamma nests with three pink freshwater pearls. Isn't this beautiful?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and stay tuned for an exciting new tutorial I will be sharing with you soon... Lots of love!

Simple Transformation of iPhone/iPad Chargers

Apple Charger Duck Tape Transformation

It is a beautiful Sunday in Seattle and today is the day that I have ended the iPhone and iPad charger craziness at home. My hubby will no longer be able to claim my chargers as his, or neither will I... Does that happen at your house, too? If so, there is a super easy solution to this problem. Buy a piece of duck tape (mine is from Joann's Fabric store) or a washi tape, and cover all parts of the chargers.
I picked the color hot pink for two reasons; 1- I love pink! It matches to my devices well as you can see and 2- My husband doesn't like pink so, he is less likely want to take my chargers. All the great reasons to go with pink!! Don't you agree?