Launching New Bridal Collection

Lately, I've been working more and more on getting the shop ready for reopening on June 1st. The moments I get to "work" have been condensed to a couple hours during afternoon nap times. It will be a change going from maternity leave for 3 months back to fulfilling orders, answering emails in a timely manner and trying to keep up with social media and the monthly newsletter. So, please forgive me if I fail miserably at first trying to keep to a decent work schedule as a new mommy of two now.

As far as the reopening of the Love Sparkle Pretty Etsy shop goes, I will be adding several new bridal pieces including a new floral crown, some shoulder pieces and a couple veils. Here is a tiny peek of the new bridal collection photographed by Kristen Booth with dresses by Chariot Marie and Simply Bridal.

{Styled Shoot} Vintage Valentine featured on Style Me Pretty

Today is the last day of February and my goodness, it has gone by all too quickly! It may be the last day of the month and Valentine's Day may well be over but this month is still filled with love, romance and friendship.

This bride & bridesmaids inspired photo shoot was recently shot by Grace Hurtienne of Hurtienne Photography and featured on Style Me Pretty. It is overflowing with femininity with pretty vintage dresses by Adored Vintage, luscious florals and styling by Ponderosa & Thyme and featuring the juliet cap style veil from the shop! The shop may be on vacation right now but as soon as early June rolls around, this veil will be available once again!

I am so thankful to have been a part of this styled shoot among so many talented women. See the end of the post for all of the credits and enjoy a little peek of the shoot.

See more of this styled shoot here on Style Me Pretty.

 Photography: Hurtienne Photography
Dresses: Adored Vintage
Florals and Styling: Ponderosa & Thyme
Calligraphy and Styling: Peregrine Press
Veil: Love Sparkle Pretty
Model: Sam Rosen

{Ethereal Woodland Bride} New Mini Bridal Collection

I've been working on new bridal pieces for the shop for quite some time now, on and off. I've had some ideas that I really wanted to create and be inspired upon but it has seemed like a little roller coaster to actually finish these pieces among lots of trial, error and creative blockades. That's the thing about coming up with a completely new collection-inspiration, above all, is KEY!

So far, I've completed a few pieces which will serve more as a "mini collection" rather than a full collection. None the less, I'm excited to bring new pieces to Love Sparkle Pretty and I'm so thankful to Kristen Booth for capturing these new adornments!

Here's a little peek at what's to come.

Poetry, the newest bridal crown created with white and ivory blossoms amongst pretty greenery. I will also be adding soft english net veils to the shop that pair perfectly with floral crowns as well as by themselves. Each are attached to two small beaded combs that make it easy for adornment.

Lina, a shear, dainty capelet with hand stitched rhinestones, beads and pearls gracing the neck, shoulders and back.

Alia, a stunning shoulder piece carefully created with rhinestones to grace the clavicles and take place of the traditional necklace. Working on a few more of these designs as well.

All of these pieces and a few more will be added in the shop by February for Pre-Orders. I will be taking maternity leave from March-May to welcome our second little baby so these pieces will ship once the shop has reopened.

Photography credit: Kristen Booth
Bridal Adornments: Love Sparkle Pretty
Dress: Simply Bridal

New Veil Design, Bohemian Bridal Photo Shoot + Shop Vacay

A new veil deign is coming to the shop September 1st after a vacay in the month of August!
(See bottom of post for more of this vacation announcement)

This veil is created with several different laces and chiffon fabric all hand stitched together and adorned with a gold and clear rhinestone headpiece. It's a fingertip veil which will also be available in a few other lengths.

Kayla from Kayla V Photography styled a photo shoot with this piece as well as the Olivia Floral Crown on the gorgeous Megan Fay as she adorned a dress from Free People.

Whimsical and free.

See more of this photo shoot on Kayla V's blog here.
Model: Megan Fay
Veil: Love Sparkle Pretty (coming soon)
Olive and Eucalyptus Leaf Crown: "Olivia Floral Crown" by Love Sparkle Pretty

SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT

From August 1-31st, the shop will be on vacation so I can take a bit of a breather after a busy wedding season and celebrate mine and my husband's 4 year wedding anniversary as well as my 25th birthday! So excited for some family time!

During this time I will also be making some changes to the shop with a bit of re-branding, price changes and working on the new bridal line debuting late September.

If you have questions about orders or anything of the like, please send an email to lovesparklepretty[at]aol.com.

Loving Lately (A Fox Inspired Styled Shoot, Dream Catchers & A Heart Warming Cause)

What I am loving this beautiful Monday morning.

This fox-inspired bridal shoot by Tara Shiloh Photography.

Tara contacted me a few months ago asking if I'd create some unique pieces for this shoot that she had in mind in the snow fallen woods. So fascinated by her amazing concept, I created a headpiece made with black tulle as a blusher veil and fox ears. I also made some last minute wrist cuffs with left over tulle and pretty vintage-inspired buttons. These are pieces I will forever treasure from the styled shoots that I've been a part of!

I was SO excited to see this creative process come to life in the couple of 'sneak peeks' she just recently posted!! I want to see more!

Cooking.

I never thought I'd say it but I have really enjoyed being in the kitchen and making something delicious from our own home! My husband and I just bought a couples cookbook and have made a few yummy recipes so far (except for the one where a "pinch" of red pepper flakes turned into half of the container because the lid came off)! Ha! Spending this time together has been a lot of fun. Not to mention, the SCRUMPTIOUS food we get to eat that we made! 

I think I will make some fruity pancakes this morning with eggs and greens...

Being Productive.

Ok, so maybe getting ready for taxes isn't something that I'm "loving" but I can say that I love the feeling of getting things done and marking things off a list. Lately, I've been waking up around 5:30 am to start my day. It certainly has not been easy (especially because of my hypothyroid) but after doing it for a few weeks, I feel SO much better throughout the day and I feel more energetic to be productive. It's been really nice to wake up before baby love, drink my coffee, do my devotion and head to the craft room or start house chores and breakfast before the sun comes up.

If you aren't a morning person (like so many of us) and feel like you have less energy than your daily tasks require, I strongly suggest getting up earlier than your normal wake up time. After doing this for about a week (even a day), you will notice a major difference and it will become a healthy habit!

Dream Catchers.

There's just something so whimsical and inspiring about these beauties!

I have been creating dream catchers made with laces, feathers, beads and now sweet little inspirational quotes hand sewn to them. I have been debating whether or not I should add them to the shop because I'm not sure if they are cohesive with my pieces already available. Until I make up my mind, I've been taking custom orders (lovesparklepretty@aol.com)! See more of my designs on Instagram.

Speaking of dreams...

Heart Warming Causes-especially those that help sweet baby loves.

Operation Smile has been such a beautiful cause since 1982. They have performed over 200,000 free cleft surgeries world wide that have saved countless lives of children. What a wonderful gift those medical professionals are sharing!

A few years ago when I was getting ready for Nursing School, I came across Campus Book Rentals who actually give back to this charity with every rented book. Not only do you get your college books at a discounted price (40%-90% cheaper than bookstore prices) with FREE shipping both ways, but you also help save children's lives by giving to Operation Smile. 

Campus Book Rentals also has a new program called Rent Back where instead of selling your books, you can rent them to other students and make more money! It's the better alternative than reselling your books at the end of the semester/quarter.

What are you loving today??


**A portion of this post his been sponsored with compensation but all of the opinions and statements are my own.**

A bridal photo shoot featuring Love Sparkle Pretty lace bridal caps

I recently had the opportunity to collaborate with the very talented Marilyn of Marilyn Duvall Photography out in Texas. I sent her a couple of my bridal caps including a brand new one that will be available in the shop come December!

She worked with another photographer, Catherine who modeled beautifully as a bride. Although it ended up raining after Marilyn started shooting, the photos still came out really pretty. That's the thing about photo shoots, you never know what weather you're going to get once you step outside and start snapping away (like that time I found myself in a photo shoot in the middle of a storm)! It's part of the adventures of shoots though.

Here are some of the photos captured by Marilyn featuring Love Sparkle Pretty bridal pieces.

This delicate point de esprit lace bridal cap will be available in the shop come December (after shop vacation).

This intricate lace bridal cap is available in the shop here.

See more of this photo shoot on Marilyn's blog.
Photography Credit: Marilyn Duvall Photography
Bridal Cap: Love Sparkle Pretty

Recent pretties {A bridal shoot, new necklaces + boutonnieres}

Taking a little break from the blogging world allows me to get a bit more shop orders done, shipped out and have more family time. I will be back in the "swing of things" sometime soon but for now, I'm enjoying the time I get to step back and not have to get so much done.

Today, I'm sharing a few recent pretties that have made new homes and a sneak peek of one of a few new photo shoots featuring pieces from Love Sparkle Pretty.

I am so happy to have collaborated with Marilyn Duvall Photography for this bridal shoot featuring a handmade lace cap from the shop. She's such a talented photographer based in Texas. I can't wait to see the rest of the photos from this shoot!

P.S. I will also be adding another NEW bridal cap very soon!!

The new hand painted feather necklaces are now available here in the shop. This burnt orange one is on its way to its home in Australia.

The fabric rosette necklaces (will be available again soon) made their way to a sweet returning customer in Germany. Thank you Melanie!!

The gold boho-inspired headpiece is going to South Carolina. This piece has been quite popular in the shop. I am loving the boho style right now and I can see that many others are too. I have a few more of these to create and send off this week.

With the cooler seasons approaching, I have been creating more fall/winter pieces for weddings such as this custom woodland-inspired order of boutonnieres. These adorable bouts are for a December wedding in New York and I'm so excited to see all of the details come together for this event!

Right now, these are only available by custom order. 

 Speaking of boutonnieres, I stumbled upon these wedding photos from a wonderful Canadian bride I worked with a few months ago. She contacted me to create her boutonnieres, corsage pins as well as a couple hair clips (including the bride's) for her big day (see the past post about it here).

She was so sweet and the greatest part was, I was her very first Etsy order! It always makes me happy to know that I am someone's "first order". Being a part of a great handmade site, there are so many other talented shops to choose from but to place your trust in my shop as your first experience, means a lot. I still remember my first Etsy order too!

As a gift, I sent her a bracelet I created just for her. I used pearls on a silver chain and a locket to match the key boutonnieres. I was so happy to find out that she even wore the bracelet on her big day! This makes my heart happy.

Thank you so much Jennifer for your kindness and support of my shop. I truly appreciate you!

Photo Credit: This Sweet Love Photography

Photo Credit: This Sweet Love Photography

Photo Credit: This Sweet Love Photography

 The locket bracelet among the GORGEOUS wedding rings.

Photo Credit: This Sweet Love Photography

Have a beautiful week my friends! 

If you've recently created some pretties, I'd love to see them. Send your posts my way. :)