Monday, December 28, 2015

NEW Pantone Inspired Floral Combs

I am absolutely in LOVE with the new 2016 Pantone colors of the year! When they were announced, I knew I needed to create a couple new pieces inspired by this palette. So, I recently created some new floral combs to do just that.

These are not yet available in the shop but they will be at The Swoon Event next month and you can send me an email (lovesparklepretty@aol.com) until then to order!

Photo by Lauren Balingit

Rose Quartz Floral Comb

Serenity Floral Comb


Visit the shop to see more pretty pieces!

Friday, December 18, 2015

Self Worth, Value and Beauty-A Maternity Shoot to describe the DIFFERENCE

I have been asked what makes my crowns so different from the several that have since come out since opening my shop back in 2011. I can give several answers (and have) but a few that I'd like to share today can be expressed through these beautiful maternity photos of Nicole Davidge taken by Savannah Kate

Last year, I had the wonderful pleasure of creating a custom crown for Nicole for her Spring wedding as well as coordinating crowns for her bridesmaids. Before that, I also created crowns for her styled shoots for her photography business, Southern Shutter Photography. Now, Nicole just had her first little love-sweet baby Nixon. I am so honored to have been a part of Nicole's journey (even if it's just been a small part). I am so incredibly blessed to be able to work with the brides that I do. I don't just create floral crowns. I create keepsakes that can be treasured for years to come. My pieces are meant to be worn time and time again through engagements, weddings, maternity photos, family photos and even passed on to our daughters. These past few years, I have been trying to per-fect my designs to be loved and handled. I have gone through different blooms to use the highest of quality, added new techniques including hand stitching and now even adding sealant to the tips of many blossoms to keep from any possible fraying. 

The difference is in the details and the time I put into each piece. I want each woman to feel something when they wear one of my crowns or veils-a feeling of self worth, value and beauty.



Nicole is wearing the 'Leigh' Floral Crown from Love Sparkle Pretty.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

LSP is going to The Swoon Event in San Diego!

Love Sparkle Pretty will be at The Swoon Event this January in San Diego! This event "features non-traditional inspiration for locals who are planning a wedding or shindig." It is intended for brides who enjoy unique touches and "a fresh take on wedding planning with a curated mix of creatives in an entertaining + interactive setting." 

I am so excited to showcase our classic pieces as well as so many new pieces including the flower veils I've been working on, floral combs and lace veils at The Swoon Event! Follow along on Instagram to see more sneak peeks of the new collection!


Get your tickets here + the first 50 brides get free swag bags! 
There will also be giveaways, great food and word has it, some dancing thrown in there!


Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Ethereal Beach Bridal Shoot FEATURED on Magnolia Rouge

A few months back, I had the pleasure of collaborating with some beautifully talented women on this Ethereal Beach Bridal Shoot with Tenth & Grace and Jennifer Kulakowski behind the camera, soft florals by La Fleur du Jour, Makeup by 805 Makeup, featuring the new Laura veil, Poetry crown and Sadie crown from the shop as well as other creatives (see bottom of post for more wonderful artists).

I'm so excited to share a bit of this shoot and announce that it has been featured on Magnolia Rouge! I absolutely love the natural details and the glorious warm light throughout these photos! Thank you to all who brought this beautiful shoot together!


See more of this photo shoot featured on Magnolia Rouge.

Photographers: Jennifer Kulakowski and Tenth and Grace
Veils and Crowns: Love Sparkle Pretty
Dress from The Dress Theory by designer Sarah Seven
Makeup: 805 Makeup
Hair Styling: Laura Rocha
Florals: La Fleur du Jour
Wedding Cake: Crush Cakes
Calligraphy: Brown Fox Calligraphy
Model: Nicole Spahn
Ring Box: The Mrs. Box

Monday, November 30, 2015

35% OFF of PRETTIES!

Photo Credit: Kristen Booth

I have been away from the blog for quite some time to focus on other parts of LSP as well as spend more time with my family since we welcomed our little girl in March, making us a family of 4! Thank you to everyone for all of the love and support as Love Sparkle Pretty grows and for all of the encouragement I've received this past year!

I wanted to pop back in on the blog for a bit to share our Cyber Monday SALE (which is extended until tomorrow night)! Get 35% off your order of $30+ (excludes custom orders) with the code, "XTRAPRETTY35" at checkout! Visit the shop now!

Monday, June 1, 2015

I'm BAACCKK with a 20% off code!!


 It's been an exciting past few months as I took some time off from the shop to welcome our sweet baby girl, Lyla Rose. She was well worth the wait as she was 2 days over due but hey, I should get used to waiting on her. After all, she is a girl! With two little ones now, life has definitely changed but in a beautiful way.

  Although, I've enjoyed my time off, I'm ready to reopen the shop and get back to doing what I love! I'm so thankful for everyone's love and patience during this time and I can't wait to share the new pieces that I've created for the shop's reopening including new infant floral crowns and a bridal collection with veils, floral crowns and jewelry pieces!

As a Thank You, here's a 20% off discount code to use toward your order in the shop!
ENJOY!


Tuesday, May 12, 2015

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.

Monday, May 11, 2015

{Personal} Living Life a Little More Slowly


Doing this the second time around, I'd like to think that I've learned a thing or two about motherhood. Although, I'm definitely re-learning and remembering things forgotten (i.e. diaper blowouts, creating a new sleeping schedule and cooking/cleaning/doing the laundry with one hand), one task that is teaching me a whole lot is leaving the house. With a newborn and a toddler in tow, time is usually not on my side. So, I've reminded myself of a couple things and figured I should write them down for refreshment and/or let some new mommies in on a few things.

1) Don't plan on being everywhere on time. I tend to stress out if I'm late to events and outings. Having a new baby though, I've re-learned to be patient and more lenient in this area. Usually, others will understand too and life isn't about rushing through it. You will get to your destination eventually. If though, I must absolutely be somewhere at a certain time, I tend to get everything ready(this includes myself and the kids) about 3 hours ahead of time.

2) Make sure everything is absolutely ready to walk out the door about an hour before you have to leave to give you time to relax and feed your baby. Since I'm breast feeding, I have to make sure our little girl is full and happy before I put her in the car seat. Otherwise, we will be making a stop or two on our destination to feed her which is definitely not uncommon.

A few places we've stopped so far? An Autozone parking lot, a gas station, a dirt lot next to a gas station, a dirt lot next to a stop sign where we imagined giving tickets to several cars making california rolling stops (I must laugh at this one), a grocery store parking lot and off a random dirt road as I counted 110 cars on a train going by...just to name a few "detours". My husband and our three year old son are complete troopers because they have sat patiently at just about every stop!

I remember just how quickly Levi went from being an itty bitty baby to being a rambunctious, independent toddler. I know our little girl won't be so little real soon so I'm enjoying Lyla's time as a wee one. The snuggles, the little giggles, the feedings, the random stops, the diaper changes, the tiniest outfits, the innocence, the coos, the cries, the soft skin, the spit up and all. I'm remembering to live life a little more slowly and enjoy it a day at a time.

Saturday, May 9, 2015

SHOP REOPENING!


The shop is officially reopening June 1st! 

I've been on maternity leave from the shop since the very end of February to welcome our sweet girl to the family. (I wrote about her birth story recently). 

Thank you for everyone's patience and support as I've been taking this time off to enjoy with the family. Excited to reopen with some new pretty pieces! So, let your friends know (brides-to-be, momma's, little loves, etc.)!

Friday, May 8, 2015

Life Lately

A little compilation of Life Lately. I'm a momma keeping up with two kiddos now. Trading sleep for coffee and baby snuggles, clean shirts for spit up stains, skinny jeans for yoga pants and quiet time for chore time. I've been taking a break from the shop to spend time with my family and I am so thankful that I've been able to do so.

Follow along on my personal IG page @kayla.lsp for more.

Morning coffee...seeing how I'm currently sleeping in 3 hour increments when it comes to bedtime

Family trips to the Farmer's Market

Morning Kisses and Baby Smiles

Afternoon chases, bug hunts and flower picking in the sunshine

 Afternoon snooze fests...because it takes a lot of energy to keep up with the babes

Morning, noon and night feedings.

 Movie dates on the couch

Bike races

We recently got some chickens and and they are finally laying eggs! Mornings have now included egg hunts.


Follow along @kayla.lsp for more of life.

Thursday, April 30, 2015

{Personal} Lyla's Birth Story

Now that our Lyla girl is 5 weeks old, I think it's about time I share her birth story. It took me quite a while because I didn't want to forget anything and the photos that I am sharing are snapshots from the video footage we captured (which is why they may be a bit grainy).  Enjoy

Pregnancy: I found out I was pregnant toward the end of July 2014. Brandin and I talked about having another little one for a couple months during this time but left it in God's hands. Sure enough, I took a positive test soon after. When I showed it to my husband, we both sat on the couch together with big smiles. We were really excited and I felt at peace with our newest adventure ahead- becoming parents of multiples.

Throughout the pregnancy, I would talk to our 3 year old son Levi about his little sister growing inside of mommy's tummy to help prepare him for this new transition. As my belly grew, so did his fascination with babies and I learned that he was up for the task of being "big brother."


Labor and Delivery: It was 3am on Wednesday morning of March 25th 2015, two days after my due date. I woke up thinking I was leaking amniotic fluid and ready to get this show on the road...but not in the middle of the night so I quickly went back to sleep thinking active labor would start soon enough.

Once I woke up around 6:30am, I called my midwife to see what I should do since I still thought I was leaking fluid. She told me to come into L&D and after relaying the information to my husband, we made the plans to go in. I started to get ready which included doing a bit of my makeup and making a few calls to the family. I got some laughs from my mother and grandmother when they heard I was doing my makeup rather than scrambling around trying to get out the door but I was determined to at least look half way decent this time around (my photos after having Levi were more than unflattering to say the least)! I figured I should stay as calm and relaxed as much as possible and this was a way to help. I then grabbed my bag which was already packed and headed out the door. See what I packed for the hospital in a recent post-here.

It was about 8am when we arrived to L&D as "GreyPa" and "Miss Lee" took our little Levi for the time being. My grandma also met us at the hospital once I checked into triage and my mother and mother-in law were getting ready to be on their way.

While in triage, they ran some tests on the "amniotic fluid" which turned out to be negative. (Also during this time, a woman came in and delivered in a split second in triage right across from me. Sudden screams and two pushes later, that baby was born!! It was amazing yet the last thing I wanted to hear as I laid there waiting for my midwife to come in). Once my midwife arrived and checked my progression, I was dissapointed to hear that I was still only dilated 2cm and 75% effaced (which I had been for a couple weeks now). The nurse told us we would be discharged and as my husband was getting us ready to head home, we were then told that they wanted to keep monitoring the baby's heart before we leave and get an ultrasound to make sure everything was OK. After getting the ultrasound and finding out that everything was OK there, we were told that our girl's heart activity wasn't doing so well and we needed to have her that day. My midwife told me that I needed to be induced and I broke down in tears. My heart sank. That was not part of "the plan" and I was terrified after hearing about Lyla's heart activity. I told my midwife that I did not want to be induced and she mentioned a few natural induction techniques rather than pitocin which I considered. Thankfully though, my body went into active labor all on its own and I was dilated to a 4 almost instantly (~11:30am). Thank you Jesus!

Now that I was in active labor, they admitted me and I was able to walk through my contractions but had to get monitored every half hour. Due to monitoring, this meant I had to go back to the room and lay in the bed for about a half hour-an hour as they watched over our little ones heart activity. It wasn't easy laying in bed during these times because all I wanted to do was move to soothe the pain. As each wave came and went, I would kick my feet and rotate my hips when I could as I breathed and prayed silently until I could get up and walk again.

It was about 4pm when the walking went from the outside gardens of the hospital to the immediate hallways of our delivery room. I held onto my husband's arm and buried my head in his shoulders as I breathed and prayed through my contractions which were becoming seemingly unbearable as I entered transition.

5:30pm my water broke as I was laying in bed being monitored once again. I was dilated to an 8.5 and quickly progressed.

5:57pm I was now dilated to 9.5cm and felt the urge to push. I've heard mothers say that pushing gives a sense of pain relief during the birthing of a child. I never understood that until now (with my son, it was a whole different experience). During this time though, I thought our little girl would never come out as I watched the clock after each strenuous push. She hadn't descended into the birth canal (she was at the -1 station) which meant a heck of a lot of pushing before we can notice any progress and I was exhausted! Since my husband and I decided to have our mothers in the delivery room this time around, I had my mother fanning me with a paper, my mother in law filming with two cameras at the head of the bed and my husband holding one of my legs up as they all gave words of encouragement. It felt like it took an army to get this baby out!

The clock kept ticking and I couldn't help but say and ask some peculiar things as I grew impatient and tired. Things like, "Can't you just pull her out?" "Do you have like a vacuum or something?" "Do you see anything yet?" and "This taking forever!" are just some words on the list with many exchanges too inappropriate for the blog. God's timing I had to remind myself.

About 45 minutes into pushing and with a whole lot of focus, I was able to finally reach "the point of no return" (the terms used by my midwife which meant she was crowning).

7:04pm it had been over an hour of pushing and our baby girl was born at 7lbs 6oz and 18inches long. She came into this world perfectly presented as one of the best gifts the Lord has given us. We cried and I let out sighs of relief as I kissed her on the head. I felt like I waited for her for years and I still can't believe she is finally here!

She is so incredibly loved by family and friends-especially her older brother who anticipates giving her kisses each morning as he wakes up and holding her hand many times before going to sleep.

I am so grateful to be your mommy Lyla Rose, my little honey girl.

Walking through early labor contractions in the hospital gardens.
I chowed down on Miguel's Jr. that my aunt brought me just hours before Lyla arrived. 
The grandmas about to be grandmas once again.
Daddy cried as he met his sweet little girl.
Levi meeting his little sister for the first time. He came in the room SO EXCITED! "Baby!" he shouted. 
He gave her a kiss and wanted to play with her tiny toes. He's still such a good brother.

Since this day, our lives will never be the same-once again. We are truly blessed to be mommy and daddy to our little ones and pray that they live purposeful lives filled with joy and adventure as they follow God's will.

Thank you for all the prayers and to all the friend's and family who came to visit at the hospital:
Mom, James, Momma Tiffany, Charlie, Grandma (Gma), "Grey Pa", "Miss Lee", Aunt Erin,  (Aunt) Kristin, (Uncle) Carltin, (Aunt) Chelsea, Aunt Tracy, Megan, Debra, Pastor Greg, Candace and Grandpa and Grandma Tate.