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

Pretty en Pointe: How Sugar Sidewalk’s Crystaled Pointe Shoes came to be.

In case you haven’t noticed, we're OBSESSED with blinging out pointe shoes. My social media feeds are filled with all things ballet. My studio has baskets and boxes full of pointe shoes and Swarovski crystals.

As you know, every obsession starts with a single step…

A couple years ago, I was watching a show about over the top weddings. 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. I found myself wanting to do something similar.

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 crystallize 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 crystallized SO MANY pointe shoes in all colors and sizes. I’ve spent 100's of 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 2020!! Use coupon code SURPRISE20 at checkout.