A Christmas Gift

 Perfect Little Christmas Gifts

Christmas is only a few days away and it has certainly been a hectic several weeks for all those who celebrate it. Everyone has been busy with Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, tree decorating, mailing that pile of Christmas cards, baking, stockings stuffing, and everything else that people do during this busy time of the year. As for me, I've been having lots of fun making and shipping out Christmas charms and napkin rings for all the orders that I've received since October. The best part about it is that you can find so many pretty things out there during this time of the year. For instance I was out shopping a couple of weeks ago and found these cute little tin boxes at a bazaar. I simply couldn't pass up on the opportunity of using them as gift boxes. Together with the napkin rings and charms, they make such perfect little gifts for this Christmas!! Merry Christmas everyone, may it be a joyous one for all of us!

Pink Hearts

Little Pink Hearts 

I recently had the pleasure of designing wedding napkin rings for a couple in the UK for their wedding in October. They are a romantic couple indeed, choosing the color pink as the wedding theme and opting to incorporate their initials in the design. The sweet white and pink hearts and the little hot pink beads complemented each other well and together they added spice and romance to an otherwise traditional wedding table. Pink is after all, synonymous with love and romance! 

It took me about a week to complete the order, from the delicate process of twisting each wire to carefully packing them individually. It is not a difficult design to make but it sure took a lot of time as some of the processes can be tedious and intricate. But overall, I had a lot of fun designing, purchasing the materials needed, and making those hearts. And I loved it even more when the bride-to-be told me how impressed she was by them and how stunning they looked when she received the package. Another satisfied customer! 

So here's a little poem for you. May your joys be as bright as the morning, your years of happiness as numerous as the stars in the heavens, your troubles but shadows that fade in the sunlight of love.

Your wedding day is just the start
Of a lifetime full of love and fun.
It just begins as you take your vows,
When the two of you are joined as one; We wish for you sweet happiness; Through the years, may your love grow,
To warm you both from day to day,
In your marriage’s satisfying glow. - Joanna Fuchs -  

Hope you liked my pink hearts as well. Until the next reading :).

Evil Eye Wine Glass Charms

Wine Glass Charms 

Get these colorful evil eye wine glass charms and add a little mystery and fun to your stemware. Comes in a set of 6 in an adorable little box, perfect as a gift.

Buy it on Etsy! Just click HERE


Visit my Etsy Shop: CharmingBeadz@Etsy

Love Charms

Love Wine Glass Charms 

You don't have to wait for Valentine's Day to show your loved ones how much you love them. This special set of glass charms consists of 6 assorted hearts, a Cupid and a "Love" charm, the perfect wedding gift for a friend, or for your partner this Christmas, or as a birthday gift. 

Or buy it on ETSY! Just click HERE 

Christmas Charms

Lovely Christmas Charms

Celebrate this Christmas with these beautiful wine glass charms...

It's never too early to start planning for your Christmas dinner. These charms are too cute to pass up on!

Buy it on Etsy! Just click HERE

Assorted Charms

Wine Glass Charms 

Dress up your stemware with these cute little charms or send them to your loved ones, they make the perfect gift for any occasion!

Out of stock.

Wine Glass Charms

Wine Glass Charms 

Wine glass charms are perfect gift for any occasion. Choose from the 3 designs below, square, flower or circle glass charms, each one handcrafted using quality millefiori and crystal beads.   

* Each piece is unique and handmade, so no two are alike and that the sets may vary from the one in the picture.

Buy these wine glass charms on Etsy! Just click HERE

Other wine glass charms designs :

Evil Eye Wine Glass Charms - colorful evil eye wine glass charms 

Love Charms - perfect charms for Valentine's Day  
Christmas Charms - cute charms with Christmas theme

Letter Charms - Customize your own initials and have a cute wedding gift or make a nice surprise for your partner 

Napkin Folding

10 Ways to Fold a Napkin

I love cloth napkins almost as much as I love napkin rings! In fact I love them so much that when it comes to using them at a dinner or luncheon at home, I end up hiding them away and use paper napkins instead! However, there are some things that cloth napkins can do that its paper counterpart can't. And one of them is a well presented, beautiful fold at the center of your plate. Besides, on a formal dining, it is usually best to use cloth napkins than paper ones.

Cloth napkins, just like paper napkins, come in various sizes. And they come in all sorts of colors, prints, and some are even monogrammed. 

Napkins can play a very important role in an elegantly set dining table. Roll them, fold them, slide in a cute ring or tie a ribbon around them. There are so many things that you can do, some like to impress their guests with a more elaborated display such as the peacock or swan folds, while others may opt for a more simple, traditional fold, or with nothing but a ring through a rolled-up napkin. I personally prefer simple elegance, nothing too flashy and yet pretty enough to make a statement, and to lighten up the dining table. Here I'll share with you some of my favorite ways of how to fold napkins.

1. Napkin Ring Roll
2. Knot
3. Cone
4. Pocket
5. Surprise Package
6. Ascot
7. Offset
8. Fan-dango
9. Fan
10. Butterfly

1. Ring Roll

Being someone who designs and create napkin rings as a hobby, this fold (or roll) is naturally my very favorite as it is the best way to show off my creations. 

(a) Fold a large square napkin into quarters.

(b) With the loose edges at the bottom, start rolling the napkin from bottom up (this way your rolled-up napkin will not show the loose edges)

(c) Secure your rolled-up napkin with a ring.

2. Knot

(a) Fold a large napkin into half diagonally.

(b) Start rolling the napkin starting from the folded corners.

(c) Tie a knot at the center of the rolled-up napkin.

3. Cone

(a) Fold a napkin into quarters.

(b) With the loose corners on top, bring down the first layer to almost half way down.

(c) Repeat with second layer leaving about 1 inch between the two points.

(d) Turn the napkin over. Fold in the sides.

(e) Turn in over once again. Slide in cutleries into the pocket if you wish or leave it as it is. You may also choose to leave a little 'something' on the napkin as deco. I like to leave a wine glass marker so that my guests can have a little bit of fun putting it on their own glasses). 

4. Pocket

(a) Fold a napkin into quarters. 

(b) With the loose corners on top, fold down the top layer so that it meets the point at the bottom.

(c) Turn it over. With the two tips from earlier positioned at the bottom-right corner, fold in the left side first then the right . You may choose to secure the right folded side into the tiny "triangle pocket" you see on the left. 

(d) Turn it over and slide in your cutleries. 

5. Surprise Package

(a) Fold a napkin into quarters.

(b) With the loose corners on top, fold the napkin from left to right (or right to left) into accordion pleats.  

(c) Slide a napkin ring to the center of the napkin and bunch it out at the top and bottom.

6. Ascot

(a) Fold a napkin into quarters. Make sure that the points of the loose corners are aligned well, iron if you have to.

(b) With the loose corners at the bottom, fold down the top corner.

(c) Turn the napkin over. Fold in the left and right corner at an angle, i.e. the top edge of left and right side must be lower than the center. 

(d) Turn it over. If you are happy with the way it turns out, press down to crease the edges. This is a the perfect fold to show off your monogrammed napkins. 

7. Simple Bouquet

(a) Fold a large napkin as shown in picture. Make sure that the 4 'triangles' you see at the top are equal in size.

(b) Pinch the 'middle point' of the napkin and slide in a ring to the center of the napkin. 

8. Fan-dango

(a) Fold a napkin into half.

(b) Make an accordion pleat along the narrow length of the napkin.

(c) Slide a napkin ring to the center of the napkin, or alternatively, you can tie a ribbon at the middle. Fan out the sides. 

9. Fan

(a) Fold a napkin into half.

(b) Make an accordion pleat along the narrow length of the napkin.

(c) Instead of sliding a napkin ring to the center (or tying a ribbon here), leave the ring (or ribbon) at the edge of one side. 

There are various ways to display the fan fold. Here are some ideas.

 

10. Butterfly

(a) Fold a large napkin into half, diagonally.

(b) With the folded side at the bottom, fold in the right and left sides so the meet in the center. Make sure all the tips/points are aligned together.

(c) Fold the bottom point up to within an 1 - 1.5 inch of the top point. 

(d) Then fold the tip down so that it touches the lower edge of the napkin.

(e) Turn it over. Fold in the left and right side of the napkin. Secure one corner into the little triangle pocket of the other. 

(f) Turn it over again. Open the bottom side of the napkin so that it can stand up-right. 

(g) Pull down the left and right 'wings'.

That is all for now. I hope you've enjoyed the tutorial on napkin folding and that it has given some ideas for this festive season!