We UNICORNED the crap outta some pointe shoes....

Pretty en Pointe: How Sugar Sidewalk’s Crystallizing so many things began.

In case you haven’t noticed, a few years ago I become a teeny bit OBSESSED with blinging out pointe shoes. My social media feeds were filled with all things ballet. My studio began to fill up with pointe shoes and Swarovski crystals and it wasn't long before ballet shoes and accessories weren't safe from a drive-by blinging!!

As you know, every obsession starts with a single step…or in this case..Reality TV.

Once upon a time, I was watching a Reality TV show about over the top wedding dress makers. People were hand-gluing crystals onto gowns, blinging out these amazing wedding dresses. As a huge fan of sparkle, I was in awe of the dresses and the process. My first idea was to convince someone I know to get married and then also let me bling their wedding dress. 

Not every idea is a winner and also none of my friends would cough up a fake wedding that required a real wedding dress that I could bling. #typical 

Never one to accept defeat I was sitting in my studio, sulking. I happened to look up (probably in despair) and my old pointe shoes were hanging in the corner and DING DING DING!!!

BLING THE POINTE SHOES!! I can bling pointe shoes. 

I am going to have to learn how to bling things. 

I bought the crystals and adhesive not knowing exactly what I was going to do with them. I blinged out small boxes, part of my phone case, and even attempted to crystal-fy my Seahawks flag. Nothing felt right though.

 Finally, I looked up. Hanging on the wall in my studio were a couple pairs of my "dead" pointe shoes from many years ago. I started applying the crystals and… It was love at first sparkle.

My best friend’s daughter, a lovely ballerina, had plenty of pairs of pointe shoes she’d grown out of and was willing to donate to my crystal cause. I did a pink ombre design for her shoes, a little experiment with one of the best colors of all time. When she got the shoes she flipped—in a good way!

I’ve now crystaled many pointe shoes in all colors and sizes. I’ve spent hours gluing teeny tiny Swarovski crystals in neat patterns. And I LOVE it. The pointe shoes I get, worn and torn by labor and love, are symbols of the time, hard work, and passion of the dancers who wore them. I’m honored to be trusted to put my own focus and dedication into these shoes and I love creating sparkly mementos for these amazing ballerinas.

It’s also pretty fun to make the adorable mini versions too. Unfortunately they don't come with a real Unicorn face on them but I've found that if you squint your eyes when looking at them, you do see a glimpse of Unicorn Magic.  

AND.... for those of you that made it through this whole article... here's a sweet treat surprise for you! 20% off every purchase through March 16th. Use coupon code SURPRISE20 at checkout.