FEATURED: Jason Bowen

This is a bit of a different feature for me, considering I normally write about jewellery & girly things, but I do have a passion for art, and I'm a huge fan of his work :)

Enchanted forest with water falling over.

Jason Bowen is a young, multi-talented artist based in Lincoln. He gains his style inspiration from the American artist, Bob Ross, whose style of painting focuses purely on the potential for enjoyment out of painting. Discarding any pompous disposition that can be found with oil painting (in my mind), the style is upbeat and fashionable, and you can pretty much create anything with the techniques.

Evening at sunset.

Jason's pieces illustrate tranquility in a number of forms, be it a mountain scene, or a seascape. His attention to the smallest of detail makes his work look so real, which makes it hard to look away. You want to be right there, experiencing the peace inside the painting.

Curling wave and a few rocks.

His colour palette is so rich and intense, his art would brighten any kind of day. He takes an idea, and freely paints it, without any pencils or guidelines required, creating a scene you could only imagine in a fairytale.

Blaze of Colour.

Jason is now offering painting classes, which is really exciting stuff for us art fans. They're based in Lincoln, and they begin from the 25th January. His classes are priced at £40, and by the end of a day's workshop, you get your very own painting to take home for yourself :)

His aim is to allow us to experience the joy of painting his way, regardless of skill, so even if you've never tried painting before, it's still ideal for you.

Jason's work can currently be viewed and purchased at the In Vitro gallery in Lincoln.

Drop him an email at jasonbpaint@gmail.com for more information on his classes or upcoming exhibitions :)

Love,
Fiona x

Giveaway Ends Soon!

Just a quick little post to say that the giveaway is ending at midnight :D
http://sparklerosedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/01/giveaway-time.html

Comment on there to enter :)

Love,
Fiona x

Shopping & Jewellery Find

I decided to get myself a bit of retail therapy yesterday. I would take pictures of my finds but I need some batteries :D

I got a lovely floral dress and burgundy wedge heels from New Look (both £5 each!), I got a couple of things in Accessorize 70% off, and I got myself some new underwear :D it was generally a successful trip.

I was very keen to browse the jewellery rails, as I usually am. It makes great research, to see what's popular, what's 'in' at the moment.

♥ I saw extra long pendant necklaces, with really small pendants. I'm not entirely sure I like this look.
♥ I noticed loads of xlarge rings, especially the ones with two rings in one.
♥ I saw plenty of charm necklaces, these still seem to be very much in fashion.
♥ I also noticed plenty of hippy-esque bracelets, which seems almost unusual to me given the time of year.

I did treat myself to two rings: one lilac rhinestone hat, and a coral rose. Apart from that, I was very good :D

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Anywho, the other thing I was keen to write about, my find from the other night :)

I came across an online shop called WendyHouse, "the home of lovely and unusual things". Of course this intrigued me, so I had a little shop around, and wow, very lovely :D

They sell a range of jewellery and hair accessories, focusing mostly on jewellery though. Here's some of my faves.

Joy Pendant - £9.00

This would look gorgeous adding some detail to a simple outfit.

Click to view.

One Flew Over Earrings - £7.00

These earrings are so cute & effective, and I love the blue & gold colouring.

Click to view.

Hey Sailor! Bracelet - £7.00

This cute charm bracelet appeals to my nautical side :)

Click to view.

Gothic Rose Earrings - £5.50

The red have currently sold out but the black are still available

They would look lovely with that little black dress

Click to view.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway! Deadline is 18th january, so there's a little while yet :)

Love,

Fiona x

FEATURED: Room Eleven

Room Eleven was created by Ellie just under a year ago, offering beautiful yet affordable sparkly jewellery pieces, fit for all occasions. Originally derived from a hospital stay, Ellie's skill and passion for jewellery making arose, and now she finds herself crafting a range of items.

Her inspiration comes from history and art, particularly the glitz and glamour of 1920s fashion. This is illustrated in her Purple Tone Metallic Rainbow Bracelet, shown below.

This is for sale on Folksy for £3.00, which is very reasonable. It would look great with any type of outfit.

Click to view.

Ellie also loves using pre-loved antique findings, that make her pieces unique.

But my favourite piece has got to be her Sparkly Amethyst and Silver Bracelet, which appeals to my sparkly side ;)

It's so pastel and cute, it would fit with most of my wardrobe. It's also elasticated and would suit all kinds of wrist sizes.

Click to view.

Besides offering her excellently handcrafted jewellery, she also accepts commissions, so if there is that special something you can't find yourself, she may be able to make it for you.

Peacock blue & turquoise earrings

Click to view.

You can find her on Folksy here, and her blog is here :)

Love,
Fiona x

Giveaway Time! CLOSED

I hope everyone's had a lovely start to the new year :)
So far I've been very busy with work and family time, but as the new year progresses I'm hoping to create my new lines. I had a quick peek around at supplies but haven't seen anything in particular for inspiration yet ;)

*CLOSED*
Anywho, as mentioned previously, I've been very eager to create a giveaway! So, without further ado..

Tadaa! :D

This giveaway is a bit mixed really, I wanted something predominently Sparklerose Designs jewellery with a dash of something else. Here we have some nice scented things, along with my handmade jewellery pieces. They include a pair of my navy blue ribbon rose studs with clear Swarovski crystals, a tri-ribbon rose ring that's adjustable and a black laced charm bracelet.

So, onto the rules :)

1. You must be a follower of this blog.

2. Just comment on this entry with your blog link and email address.

3. For extra entries, you can tweet about this giveaway, or advertise it on your blog, or be a follower/fan on Facebook :) just let me know which of these you've done so I can make a record of it :)

4. I'll collect up the names and put them through a randomiser to get the winner :)

I'll then email the winner for their address to send the goodies.

The deadline for this giveaway is on 18/01/11 at midnight and I'll be announcing it on here as well as emailing :)

Good luck!

*CLOSED*

Love,

Fiona x

Cherry & Coconut Cupcakes

I hope everyone had a wonderful christmas :D mine was very quiet & peaceful, which was perfect for me.
I also received funds from Milkwood Gallery from my sales, just intime for christmas! I sold two pairs of earrings and a charm bracelet, a total of £21.00, very exciting stuff :D

Anywho, in a previous entry, I mentioned that I was making some delightful cherry & coconut cupcakes.

This recipe is taken from the book "1001 Cupcakes, Cookies & Other Tempting Treats" by Suzanna Tee. I bought mine from Asda when it was £5 :O but you can get it from a seller on Amazon here.

INGREDIENTS
115g butter
115g caster sugar
2 tablespoons of milk
2 eggs
85g self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
85g desiccated coconut
115g glace cherries, quartered

TOPPING
225g butter
1 tablespoon of milk or cream
350g icing sugar
12 whole glace cherries for decorating

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ Gas Mark 4. Prepare bun tin with 12 paper cases.

Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light & fluffy.

Stir in the milk.
Gradually beat in the eggs.

Sift in the flour & baking powder.
Fold in the coconut.
Fold in most of the quartered cherries.

This looks a bit weird to me but still very tasty!

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases and scatter remaining quartered cherries on top (I missed this bit, silly me)
Bake in the preheated oven for 20/25 mins.
Leave to cool

For the topping, put the buttercream into a piping bag with a large star nozzle and pipe on top of the cupcake
Add a cherry to each one to finish.

Now for whatever reason they didn't turn out so great for me. The sponge was perfect, very sweet and moist, would make an amazing loaf-type cake. But the buttercream frosting didn't pipe at all and it ran off the cakes. I think I might've used a bit too much milk, eek.

But I'd definitely recommend them, the sponge was delicious :D

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In other news, we have 10 followers, which means it's time for a giveaway :D yay!
I'll be organising it within the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled for a post detailing more info about it! :)

Love,
Fiona x

Merry Christmas!

Just a very quick post to say....

Merry Christmas! :D

I've sadly been very busy and then very ill with some kind of flu bug, so I haven't been around for a while.

But I will return very soon :D

Love,
Fiona x