“I’m having a bad hair day” at one time or another, and if you never have uttered those words, lucky you!
Well, for those who need a cute fix for your “BHD” the masters of bling at Sparkle Plenty Designs understand, and has just the ticket! In fact, they say, face it head on (pun intended) by sporting a sparkly Bad Hair Day crystal cap and tell the world you will win this battle with your tresses — tomorrow.
Sparkle Plenty’s Bad Hair Day caps are stars in their own right, as they were recently featured in a fun music video by Shannon Perry – you can check it out below – we think you’ll enjoy it!
To browse the array of sparkly crystal and rhinestone shirts, tanks, tees and caps, please visit Sparkle Plenty’s website. Accessories, crystal body tattoos, caps and much more can be found here.
Spotlight On: Sparkle Plenty Designs Name: Lee Romano Sequeira Business name: Sparkle Plenty Designs Company website: www.sparkle-plenty.com Description of your business mission:
Our specialty at Sparkle Plenty Designs is creating custom logowear for promotions, special events, spas & salons, fundraisers, staff wear, retail sales, etc. We take our customer’s idea, event or logo and bring “bling” it to life in sparkling crystal or rhinestones.
I love to say we make people “sparkle” when they wear our shirts, and when you feel good on the inside, you always look good on the outside.
Sparkle Plenty’s first priority is to provide premium quality crystal and rhinestone embellished products to all our customers. Our choice of high-quality garments have a flattering fit, and a unique look that’s appealing, while standing the test of time and wear.
How long has Sparkle Plenty been in business?
10 years
How did you start/fund your company initially?
I actually was buying crystal tees and apparel from Sparkle Plenty Accents for my online gift, bath & body accessories boutique, GoodtoBeYou.com. I first saw them in 2004 at a beauty tradeshow in New York City.
When the owners mentioned they were parting ways and wanted to sell the business, my husband and I decided to take the plunge and acquire the company, which we renamed Sparkle Plenty Designs. Business loans helped us with our plan.
Do you have any employees or do you use freelance help? If so, can you tell us where you found your help?
Besides me and my husband Andrew (whom we affectionately call “Captain Crystal” who handles custom design work) we have the following on our team: Michelle handles online promotions, Jonelle assists with art and heat pressing the garments, Lorry helps us with customer contact and we have our Swarovski artists available to help us with our ideas for new products. This is a nice benefit of being a Crystallized branding partner with Swarovski crystal.
I used word of mouth and advertised on Craigslist for a couple of the positions. We also have a few independent sales reps across the U.S.
What’s the one online marketing activity you feel has worked the best for your business?
Our sites are key. People love our websites, they are beautiful to look at, and I must give credit to our web designer Liz Ross of Webweavers (Liz is so talented!) She and I worked out the initial concepts for both sites GoodtoBeYou.com & Sparkle Pleny Designs and Liz made all of my ideas come to life – and really sparkle!
As for gaining our new custom clients, we really talk to our customers and are happy to offer ideas for their design. We even like to offer promotional tips for their business.
Are you active on any social networking websites such as Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin?
Yes, very. I love staying social with Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter, and also try to stay active in a few specialty b-to-b networking sites — I just wish there were more hours in the day (like most of us women entrepreneurs do).
If so, how do you manage your activity on these sites? For instance, do you interact randomly, when you feel like it or do you have a strategic plan?
I log in almost daily and keep business and personal mixed. Since we “are” business and interact closely with our customers, I like to keep a casual, upbeat and friendly vibe…we are talking about fun sparkly apparel after all.
How do you manage to balance family life, personal time and business?
Sometimes it’s all a blur, and I slip into my “workaholic” mode, but I really like what I do, so that’s a plus.
I do get to the gym a few times a week, and I’ll take a break during the day with Andrew to take our two terriers out for a walk, and enjoy some fresh air. We also have a weekly night out with a close circle of friends — perfect to decompress, and getting out does the trick of getting me away from the laptop.
Do you have any advice for other women wanting to start their own businesses?
Do something you love, take it slowly, but act — action is key.
Always be sure to give back. Whether it’s advice, time or donations, the more you give, the more you’ll get. Keep a positive attitude and realize every day is not going to go as always planned, so you just have to roll with the ups and downs. Also, take time for yourself – do things you enjoy: read, meditate, play with the dogs/kids and be sure to take time out to exercise a few times a week.
Anything else to share?
Let’s connect!
Please add us at Sparkle Plenty to your network:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sparkleplentydesigns
Twitter: @sparkleplenty1
“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.
