{IG Auction} A Winter-Inspired Children's Crown for a Good Cause

From November 4th-8th, Pamela from MacDonald's Playland will be hosting an auction on Instagram to help raise money for children and women affected by homelessness and domestic violence through their charity, Project Lead Kindly. You can follow along with the auction at @AuctionLeadKindly on IG here to place your bids. TODAY IS THE LAST DAY!!

To help raise money for PLK, I've created a one of a kind children's floral crown created with peach, ivory and sage green hues with a bit of gold detail. The crown is attached to 2 ivory shear ribbons for an adjustable fit for ages 3-10. This pretty piece is also lined with soft felt fabric for a comfortable wear paired with a little one's favorite outfit. The starting bid is just $10 so follow us on IG at @LoveSparklePretty and @AuctionLeadKindly to stay up to date on the auction. Place your bid on the crown HERE-Remember, today is the LAST DAY!

Speaking of charities, there is another that is dear to me, Operation Smile. While I was going to school to become a nurse, I remember learning about different congenital defects that can happen within developing fetuses-one of them being the cleft lip and cleft palate. There are several difficulties and infections that can occur with someone who is born with this, including difficulty eating and speaking, ear disease, dental problems and more. Since I was in school then, I was able to help out with this charity just by renting some of my textbooks from Campus Book Rentals (you know how expensive it is to buy textbooks these days). They donate to Operation Smile with each book rented!

For over 30 years, Operation Smile has been performing safe surgeries for those in developing countries suffering from cleft lip and cleft palate. What's even more amazing is that those performing the surgeries and providing healthcare for these underprivileged children are all volunteers! So beautiful! You can read more about this cause right here.

Below are just a couple of children that have been positively impacted and treated by Operation Smile.

Lucas, a sweet 5 year old boy from Brazil got a new start and was able to attend school once again after being bullied for his cleft lip. Read more about his story here.

Precious little Chisomo from Malawi, suffered from malnutrition due to his cleft lip and cleft palate but was finally able to get his surgery done after regaining health. Read more of Chisomo's story here.


What are some of your favorite charities and causes to support?

**A portion of this post his been sponsored but all of the opinions and statements are my own. I truly believe in both of these causes.**

{GIVEAWAY} As Darling Does handmade bow ties featured on our little man

A couple weeks ago, I received some ADORABLE happy mail from Kristen of As Darling Does. She sent me the cutest bow ties for our little man and since then, he has worn one at least 5 days of the week. I get so many questions on where they are from and today, I am so excited to announce that one lucky winner will have the chance to WIN $25 from this sweet handmade shop!! Not only does Kristen create bow ties for little dudes (finally, accessories for boys) but As Darling Does is also filled with really cool bibs, adorable hair bows for the little ladies and super soft blankets to cuddle!

I love putting bug in his bow ties and he doesn't seem to mind either! I followed him around a couple days as he wandered in the backyard (his favorite). He is such a nature baby. It's amazing to see the curiosity overflow from his tiny self. I wish I could see the world like he does-as innocent, facinating and new through his eyes. There's so much love and life that abounds through him. I want to hang onto and cherish these moments. The days are long but the years are short.

Checkered bow tie and feathered bow tie: As Darling Does

Little man's leather moccasins: Chubby Toes

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Didn't win? That's OK! Use the code "SPARKLE20" for 20% off your purchase at As Darling Does-a sweet handmade shop of accessories for your little ones! Click Here to see the cutest bow ties, headbands and baby blankets!

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.**

Thoughtful Thursday + A Discount Code!!!!

 Chiffon shirt + Skinny Jeans: Forever21 Yellow statement necklace: Lindis Delicate Edge Flats + Cross ring: Rue21

A few thoughts from today:

*How in the world do you dress for sum-fall? It's still way too hot out but I want so badly to dress for fall already and break out the richer colors, comfy cardis and ankle boots! Instead, I will go "simple style" today with a statement necklace (which I LOVE) from Lindis Delicate Edge. Love Sparkle Pretty readers get 20% off your order with the code LSPLOVES20!! Go see her pretty shop here!

*So excited for Disneyland in a couple weeks with other mommy friends. I'm totally not a part of the Disney obsessed but I love a reason to get dressed up and since we are dressing as Disney characters, I might as well have fun with it. Turning myself into Pocahontas for the night. It's time for a Pow Wow!

*It's back to square one with house hunting. A few nights ago, we backed out of escrow from the house we put an offer in. Honestly, I'm relieved after finding so many repairs that need to be done during the home inspection. I just don't want to sign a billion more papers!

*I need to take more power naps. Enough said.

*After breaking down at women's bible study today, I thought about the fruits of my labor being put into my sweet, ever growing son. I broke down because while there were several other women with kids playing in the house, my son seemed to be the only one getting on top of tables, banging on tin toys (loudly), eating other peoples food, hitting others with paint rollers and sticking toys in the toilet. After trying to discipline him over and over and still not getting anywhere with soothing his actions, I took him into the other room, closed the door and sobbed as he looked at me with his compassionate eyes. His strong will is overbearing most days and it certainly doesn't make motherhood easy.
As I think about these past (almost) 2 years of being a mom, it's been a struggle but I know that the fruits of my bearing, the results of my call to motherhood won't be all for nothing. I'm learning everyday and will appreciate every moment-even the hard ones. If you are a mother, remember this and cling to this. Raise your child(ren) in the way they should go and let God handle the rest.

What has been on your mind today?

Using a soft light studio kit for shop items {Photography}

I am so excited to know that I now have a solution to taking photos of my items for the shop at night time!

I work the majority of the time on orders and new pieces for the shop while my son and husband are sleeping but I always have to wait until the morning to take photos of them because of natural lighting. Although natural lighting is best, sometimes, I want photos sooner rather than later without the awful fluorescent lightening.

I was so happy to see a large box on my doorstep a couple days ago from YesCom USA because I knew it was my brand new soft light studio tent kit! This little set up would solve some of my lighting problems for sure! I opened it up and was pleasantly surprised how easy everything was to set up and the kit included everything I needed-including light bulbs for the 2 lamps. It also included 3 different colored back drops for the 24" portable pop up tent and a small camera tripod to take still photos.

In order to test out the kit, I decided to take some photos at 10pm to see what kind of lighting I could get for my new hand painted feather necklaces!

With both lamps on either side of the tent, the lighting turned out great! This is so much better than the ugly yellow tinting I would get in my photos if I tried taking them directly under ceiling lighting or using a desk lamp to shine light on product.

Afterwards, it's so easy to pack up the studio tent and zip it up into the convenient cover that is also provided with this set. I used my lens cap to show comparison of the size that the tent folds up into. This makes is great for small space storage!

I'm very happy with the product I received from Yescom USA. Not only do they have great photography equipment but they also have items for your outdoor needs, pet supplies, health and beauty products and so much more!

Do you use any photo kits for your shop/blog/product photography?

This is a sponsored post in which I did get reimbursed with product. The photos and content-including opinions are my own.