09.02.09
Posted in Katelyn Joy, Katelyn Joy Derstine, Katelyn Joy Scholarship Fund, crystal tees, custom apparel, custom logo shirts, custom salon tees, custom spa shirts, fundraiser apparel, fundraising shirts, gifts for girls, gifts for moms, goodtobeyou, hotfix transfers, inspirational tees at 12:09 pm by Sparkle Plenty
“DESIGN DIVAS” Article in STITCHES Magazine – September 2009
Lee Romano Sequiera’s decorative approach is crystal clear – literally. “I’ve always liked original things,” says Sequiera, owner of Philadelphia-based Sparkle Plenty Designs, which has been a pioneer in the crystal T-shirt fashion movement. “Once you make something original, you want to share it with other people.”
Sequeira’s career didn’t begin in fashion, but her previous work allowed her to tap into her creativity. “My background is in publicity, promotions and book publishing,” she says.
After attending a beauty convention in New York City – and being inspired by a convention speech by Kyan Douglas, star of the fashion-oriented TV show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy – Sequiera decided to start GoodtoBeYou.com in 2004. Later that year, she won an award for “Most Beautiful Website” from celebrity makeup artist Elke Von Freudenberg.
“I fell in love with so many of the spa, bath and beauty products on display and decided to start my own site with fun, practical and unique products and informative articles for women,” Sequiera says. “After a year, I added handbags, accessories and created a dare-to-wear line of crystal and rhinestone shirts with cheeky sayings on them – even a line of shirts for people who had plastic surgery and wanted to have fun with the healing process.” (Some of those sayings include “I Love The New Me,” and “Under Construction.”)
Two years later, Sequiera and her husband, Andrew, moved from New Jersey to Philadelphia when they acquired Sparkle Plenty from its owners, who had founded the store six years earlier. Sparkle Plenty provides custom crystal apparel for a variety of markets, from restaurants and wineries to spas and salons. Sequiera’s T-shirts are embellished with Swarovski crystals. “We were one of the first companies to make crystal shirts,” she says. “They’re actually pro-set and heat-transferred on.” Her more creative designs include tees that feature a yin and yang, a lotus flower and a peace sign.
In addition to its numerous T-shirt designs, Sparkle Plenty offers Swarovski crystals for accessories such as hats, headbands, jewelry – and even body tattoos. “They’re crystals with a medical adhesive on the back,” Sequiera says. “You just press it on the skin wherever you want, you peel back the clear tape, and you have a crystal design that will stay on your skin for anywhere from five days to two weeks. They’re really popular for summer.” In the past four years, Sequiera has already had her share of top clients for her crystal T-shirts, including NASA, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and Mexico’s Next Top Model. For each of these companies, Sequiera turned their respective logos into a crystal embellishment across the middle of the tee.
But with all the prestige that comes with her nationally-known customers, Sequiera is the most passionate about her lower- profile work for fundraising events. “My husband and I are big believers in giving back,” she says. One of the collections closest to Sequiera’s heart is in memory of Katelyn Joy Derstine, a 20-year-old girl who was recently killed in a car accident. “She was a budding artist, involved in the community, an all-around great kid,” she says.
So, Sequiera and Derstine’s mother collaborated on the Fly High Tee collection. Sequiera took a piece of original artwork by Derstine and converted it into Swarovski crystal art. The artwork includes a butterfly with the words “Fly High” on each side of the design. The profits from each shirt go to the Katelyn Joy Derstine Scholarship Fund. “When and if we do T-shirts like that, I’d rather give some back to charity,” Sequiera says. The Sequieras also donate a portion of each custom order of 25 pieces or more to one of several charities, including Make-A-Wish Foundation and Defenders of Wildlife.
Sequiera says she loves what she does – not just because of her charity work or her high-profile clients, but because she’s a crystal tee client herself. “I’m a sparkly girl,” she says.
Permalink
08.03.09
Posted in Swarovksi Crystal Shirts, crystal tees, custom apparel, custom logo shirts, custom salon tees, custom spa shirts, fundraiser apparel, fundraising shirts, hotfix transfers, promotional apparel, rhinestone tees, salon logo wear, salon shirts, salon tees, spa logo wear, spa tees, sparkle plenty, sparkly rhinestone shirts, swarovski crystal shirts at 10:39 pm by Sparkle Plenty
Wearables Magazine’s featured article for August ‘09 focuses on the increasingly popular use of crystal and rhinestone embellishments for the promotional apparel industry, and came to none other than Sparkle Plenty Designs (the “bling” experts) to ask a few questions about these hot trends in rhinestone and crystal.
Whether you’re in promotions, fundraising, corporate branding, have an upcoming event/tradeshow – or – you run a business whose audience is primarily female (beauty, spa, salon, etc.), Sparkle Plenty Designs can create the customized crystal or rhinestone apparel of your dreams.
You can see samples of some of the Swarovski crystal and rhinestone logo designs here: Custom Logowear.
Below please enjoy the full Wearables/Sparkle Plenty article:
Shimmering like the summer sun, metallics and shiny apparel remain “in” no matter what the season. Sequins in particular have been huge last autumn and will carry into the holiday season.
But what do to without a wealth of shimmering options? How could you please your sparkle-inspired customers? Think decoration, and look no further than apparel with rhinestones. “Rhinestones are something that have been around for awhile and people have certainly taken a liking toward them,” says Lee Sequeira, owner of Sparkle Plenty Designs (asi/88444). “And it doesn’t have to be only apparel. I get clients who’d like their cell phone, belts and even water bottles complimented with rhinestones.”This summer, workout clothes have received the most attention to add logos or lettering in rhinestones. But the attraction toward particular garments changes with the seasons. “I wouldn’t say one item is more popular than others,” Sequeira says. “During the winter months, end-users are attracted to hoodies and jackets and during the warmer days they like yoga pants and tank tops.”
However, if you’d like to bring out the bling in your inventory, make sure to carry a heavy inventory with rhinestones represented in multiple places. Sequeira says customers may be attracted to the location more than the shirt itself. For example, if you’re carrying yoga pants, offer a pair with rhinestones on the back, on the sides and a pair on the lower left pant leg. Such a variety will attract the interest of more potential clients.
Call Sparkle Plenty Designs at 1.800.952.0446 and let them bling your message to life.
Permalink
04.07.09
Posted in Crystallized, Swarovksi Crystal Shirts, crystal tees, custom apparel, fundraiser apparel, fundraising shirts at 5:26 pm by Sparkle Plenty
We are always excited about the unveiling of Crystallized components at Sparkle Plenty Designs and are thrilled to begin production of hotfix crystal transfers, crystal shirts and custom crystal designs with the latest color innovations from Swarovski.
Swarovski crystal (AUSTRIA) just released two new sparkling colors for 2009, and they are specially designed to honor beauty, radiance, reflection and clarity, while rounding out the stunning palette of Hotfix crystal colors we currently offer.
The first color announced is Dark Indigo.
This very rich dark blue, the most elegant of all blue hues was actually banned from catwalks for a long time, and we celebreate its revival. It is currently being referred to as “the new black”.
Next, is our new favorite, Indian Pink.
Indian Pink has just a touch of orange and is the perfect complement for the CRYSTALLIZED Swarovski Elements color range adding a nice mix of strength and attitude.
Sparkle Plenty Designs specializes in creating stunning custom crystal shirts and apparel – we can bring your non-profit, fundraiser, event, idea or business logo to life in sparkling Swarovski crystal – the best crystal in the world.
Our goal is to provide high-quality shirts, caps and apparel for every budget. So, whether you are seeking crystal, rhinestone (or rhinestud) shirts, please contact us at 800-952-0446. We offer a complimentary price quote – we are even happy to provide promotional tips for our customers.
In the meantime, enjoy your countdown to summer!
As always,
Stay Sparkly!
~ Lee & Andrew
Sparkle Plenty Designs, Inc.
www.Sparkle-Plenty.com
“making the world sparkle, one tee at a time.”
Permalink
01.30.09
Posted in Crystallized, Fly High Butterfly Tee, Katelyn Joy, Katelyn Joy Derstine, Katelyn Joy Scholarship Fund, crystal tees, custom apparel, fundraiser apparel, fundraising shirts, inspirational tees, swarovski crystal shoes at 5:24 pm by Sparkle Plenty
At Sparkle Plenty Designs, bling is our business, and while we enjoy the enthusiastic responses from customers the first time they see their design sparkle, it’s even more gratifying when a special design comes along that can have an impact on people’s lives.
That’s the case with Fly High Butterfly, a wonderfully inspired original design by Katelyn Joy Derstine.
Katelyn created the design as an expression of her deep faith and love of butterflies. Bordering the design, she wrote, “Once while I was struggling to climb, I asked God to give me a sign. A sign that would tell me You were thinking about me and still loving me…to give me the strength to keep climbing. He did…He gave me a Butterfly.”
Katelyn’s life was tragically cut short in June 2006 when she was killed in a car accident. A junior studying Environmental Horticulture at the University of Florida, Katelyn possessed many talents and touched many lives, but it was her love of butterflies that inspired her mother to create The Katelyn Joy Derstine Scholarship Fund, Inc., “Fly High Award”.
The Fly High Award is a financial scholarship awarded annually to qualifying female high school seniors who demonstrate character traits exemplified by Katelyn through their academic excellence and solid promise of continuing, life-long dedication to selflessness.
We, at Sparkle Plenty, are proud to be a part of this very special scholarship fund. In honor of Katelyn, we’ve designed a Swarovski crystal Fly High Butterfly shirt, available to all for purchase. The design is a replica of Katelyn’s original art, created entirely out of Swarovski crystals.
You can purchase the shirt HERE. If you are a retailer and would like to get involved in selling the shirts to raise funds, please contact us at 800-952-0446. Proceeds from the sale of the shirts will go to the fund, helping to further the education of promising students – something that would have meant the world to Katelyn.
To learn more about Katelyn and The Fly High Scholarship Fund, please visit
Fly High KJD.
Permalink
