Sunday, February 22, 2015
Old West cowboy boots
These boots are definitely my favorite pair I have done to date ( besides the boots I have done for weddings) not just because of the colors, but for the boots themselves... These are a distressed leather boot by Old west from shepplers.com. They have a simple stitching pattern and an elegant snip toe... there's just something about a snip toe that makes them my favorite lol the pics don't even do these boots justice, they are so pretty in person.
Wedding back drop?
So I'm not exactly sure what category to put this under or what to name it... my aunt had asked me to paint a big sign for my cousins wedding for people to take pics in front of... I was so honored to see it front and center so that's why I'm calling it a back drop lol
I have always been good at hand writing all different types of fonts. The board was pre painted black for me so all I had to do was tape off a border, in order to keep my lettering straight, write out the lettering, and than paint it. This was a really fun project, I added a little bit of style to the lettering to represent the bride and groom...fancy elegant writing for her, which was a form of hand writing from their invitations, and a tattoo type lettering for him... It turned out way better than I thought it would and fit in so well with their decorations.... I hope to, in the near future, start
taking orders for other couples..
Pallet Table into a make up vanity
As I said in my first post, this is going to be more than just a blog for my boots...I also have a passion for wood working. Just recently this past year I started making things out of wood, all them DIY pinterest ideas started getting to me lol my first project was a pallet table that I wanted for my room so I could make my crafts....
it turned out really cute! I found the chair sitting in my neighbors trash.... one mans trash is another treasure haha... I sanded the chair and stained it the same color I had stained the table.
I kept the table as is for a few months, but as my make up collection grew... so did my ideas for a make up vanity.... So I had a brilliant idea to make my pallet table even longer by adding a cabinet.
I made a wood display for my naked pallets ( you HAVE to have them on display lol ) found a mirror that lights up at Target, and bought some mirrored drawers at target as well... and I couldn't be more happy with my set up ! Not bad for a " do-it-yourself " vanity !
it turned out really cute! I found the chair sitting in my neighbors trash.... one mans trash is another treasure haha... I sanded the chair and stained it the same color I had stained the table.
I kept the table as is for a few months, but as my make up collection grew... so did my ideas for a make up vanity.... So I had a brilliant idea to make my pallet table even longer by adding a cabinet.
it was pretty simple to make everything line up perfectly... I than added a few wood detailing, made it look like all one piece with wood filler, sanded and stained it...
Baby Boots!
These little boots were a gift to my cousin from me at her baby shower for her baby girl... I had picked up the smallest size cowboy boots at payless,(payless has a few small cowboy boots to choose from) since the baby wasn't born yet, I didn't worry about size. I thought it would be a cute gift for her to grow into and its an adorable gift for the mom to keep forever.. they turned out so simple and way too cute for words!
Pictures of past boots I have made
I offer a variety of colored crystals, and can rivet them in (almost) any design the customer would like.... Mostly I just follow the stitching pattern of the boot, however I have done a few different boots with either just one boot riveted and the other with a bandanna, or just the front of the boots riveted... prices vary on style...
The making of a pair of boots..
What I really want people to understand the amount of work and care that goes into creating these boots... for a full blinged out boot ( im talking full front and back of the boot with rhinestone) 
and I only make about a 35$ profit, it takes me about 4 hours to do a full blinged out pair of boots. So I make a little less than 10$ an hour, but I love what I do so I'm not complaining. Each stone is placed with care to follow the stitching pattern of the boot. Honestly, the pics don't do these boots justice, they are so pretty especially when lighting hits them.... I have tried a few different material rivets that were cheaper to possibly cut down the price I charge, including glass and acrylic, but they weren't even half as pretty as the Swarovski crystal. I have actually had a few older women go out of their way to write me about the pricing " almost 200$ just for a few stone's? NO THANKS!" .... the thought went through my mind to write something completely mean back, " your twice my age deliberately being a ......" but I kept to myself, if you don't have anything nice to say keep your yap shut..... any ways!!! also since these crystals are actually riveted and not glued, the stones are sure to last as long as the boots.
I do have to say though, the wedding/corset style boots are my favorite to make!
I charge 180$, pretty much for labor and the cost of the stones, which by the way,are real Swarovski crystal rivets and are 2 different sizes...
I do have to say though, the wedding/corset style boots are my favorite to make!
For this style of boot I charge 95$, again for the labor and stones... these boots have one size stone on the front and rhinestone eyelets on the back which the ribbon is laced through.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Lucky Haylo's rhinestone cowboy boots
So I'm going to start this off by saying that this is.....
And this isn't my first attempt at a blog or starting my own side business...below is a link to my first blog.
https://sites.google.com/site/customrhinestonecowboyboots
also I like to add that I am apologizing now for any grammar or punctuation that might be wrong, at times I may not make sense, but I'm typing exactly the thoughts that are coming into my head, almost like I'm talking to my computer.....
A little about me
My name is Hayley and I am 24 years old. I am a part time metal fabricator, and when I say part time I mean 12 hour days, however, I am a FULL time creater/ dreamer... working so many hours though, I don't get as much time to create all the things that come to mind... time and balance always have been a struggle for me. Ever since I was little, I loved to draw, paint, sew, and make all my creative thoughts come to life...... I come from a beautiful, solid family, who has always supported me and encouraged me, but like I said I have an issue with balance, and it seems like every time I would get involved with a guy, I would lose myself, interest and stop spending time on creating things in order to make the relationship work. I had given up on my business one too many times because of this.....
How I got Started
I started my Lucky Haylo's boot business back in 2011, I was 21 years old. It all started when i was watching American Idol, the season with Lauren Aliana. She always had on the cutest cowboy boots! one episode she came out on stage in the most sparkliest ( i dont care if its not a real word) blinged out pair of rhinestone cowboy boots, it was love at first sight and i HAD to have a pair.My google search for a pair of similar boots began, only bringing me to ridicuously over priced boots that had rhinestones glued on, that simply just wouldn't do..... who wants to spend that kind of dough on something that most likely will fall apart, I wanted the rhinestones to last just as long as the boots themselves. So I got this brillant idea to make my own, with riveted stones. First I needed a leather punch, that would punch out the holes in the leather before I added the rhinestone rivets, I went to Michaels and found a punch with different size punches for a reasonable price.... But how could I get it to punch holes all the way at the bottom of the shaft of the boot? Now heres where my job fit in real nicely.....My dad is a very smart man, I work with my dad in a metal shop, anyways hes pretty much a genius.... you show him an idea on paper or tell him something you'd like to make and he can hand craft it into a reality out of metal. I told him my idea and literally not even hours later, he had made a hand press that could hold the leather punch I got at Michaels in place, and than can have the leather punch swap out for a rivet smashing tool.... hopefully that all makes sense because its a little hard to describe haha. I have had a few people write me asking to see the tool or if they can purchase the tool to make their own boots.... Im not trying to be a brat ( nicer word) but one, I want to be one of a kind, I made up this idea, had my dad help me with it, and now im trying to create beautiful boots for people in hopes of this business turning into something greater one day and thats not gonna happen if i give away my idea.... And two, with the amount of work that went into making the tooling, i would have to sell it for way to much, not worth it lol. I than ordered some rhinestone rivets from a few different websites, and ended up sticking with a site called Dreamtime Creations, because of the quality. I made my first pair , of course for myself, and wore them out... not trying to brag but every time I would wear them out, I would get compliments, people asking me where I got them, so that sparked an idea to start selling them. I started an Etsy shop, and sold 3 pairs within about 2 months.... I than wanted to create a new pair with a different design, they were a bit more fancy and I had a lady purchase them for her wedding! It was such an awesome feeling, but the best was yet to come....
Da A'vere opportunity
After I sold a few pairs, I had 2 sample boots I made in order to keep them nice, I had an opportunity to have them on display in a small store named, Da A'vere, located down town Glendora. How this opportunity came about was actually all because of my dad... you see, my dad has always bought my moms jewelry for special occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, and pretty much every holiday from the Village goldsmith also located in downtown Glendora. The gals by now recognize my dad, and the owner of the village gold smith is also the owner of Da A'vere (at the time Da A'vere wasn't officially open yet)... Any ways, my dad had took my sample boots to the ladies at the Village gold smiths to see maybe if they could advertise them in the store... now im not exactly sure how the convo went but they wanted to have my boots on display in Da A'vere, and wanted me there opening day. I was so excited, thrilled , and nervous as hell..... I had cute business cards mad out, bought a cute outfit to wear with my blinged out personal boots, and took my sample boots down to the store. When I got there, I had a nice set up waiting for me. I placed my boots on the set up and stood by that display all day as customers came in and out... and let me tell you, this was probably the best feeling in the world. I had people telling me what a great idea my boots were, one older lady told me to never give up and there needs to be more girls like me.. words cant even describe how good I felt . As much as a great feeling it was, I didn't keep up with it... you see I was more interested in "love" and I wanted to spend more time with a guy I had only been talking to for about a week , who I met online ( I know how embarrassing) than keep up with MY boots which were on display in a high class store....WTH was wrong with me ??? So, Da A'vere didn't hear from me, and I didn't hear from them..... A few months later I went into Da A'ver to collect my sample boots and take them home... And as for the guy, we were in a so called "relationship" for about 5 months, turns out he was "seeing" a few other girls... totally worth throwing away that opportunity!
You think I would have learned....
After the break up, I struggled to find myself again, I hung out with people im no longer friends with, I tried going to an extremely large church , I tried anything to make me feel like I had a purpose and to be happy. I than started up my business for a second time....I sold a few pairs and made a few boots for weddings. At this time in my life, I had found the perfect balance between work, exercise, friends and family, and my business.....I had so much energy and everytime I had an idea, I would write it down or draw it on paper, and I was pretty happy, for the most part.... Than of September 2013, I started talking to old friend from school on facebook. HE had asked me to hang out, and we hit it off really well. The first few ,months of our relationship, I "sort of " kept that balance I have been mentioning, the balance between work, keeping myself happy, keeping up with my business and creating things, and spending time with him and keeping him happy. But again.... I eventually lost that balance, and lost myself in the relationship, giving up on myself and my business for the second time... We dated for a little over a year , and ONE of the reasons we didn't last was because I wasn't happy with myself or did the things I loved to do....
They say third times a charm
I honestly believe ONE of the things I was meant to learn, is how to balance myself in a relationship with a guy, and not give up or change me....... Which brings me to the present and this new blog..... I have the saying many times before, " third times a charm" and I made a promise to MYSELF to keep up with my websites, boots, creating and building things, because this is truly what makes me happy, and makes me, ME!
https://sites.google.com/site/customrhinestonecowboyboots
also I like to add that I am apologizing now for any grammar or punctuation that might be wrong, at times I may not make sense, but I'm typing exactly the thoughts that are coming into my head, almost like I'm talking to my computer.....
A little about me
My name is Hayley and I am 24 years old. I am a part time metal fabricator, and when I say part time I mean 12 hour days, however, I am a FULL time creater/ dreamer... working so many hours though, I don't get as much time to create all the things that come to mind... time and balance always have been a struggle for me. Ever since I was little, I loved to draw, paint, sew, and make all my creative thoughts come to life...... I come from a beautiful, solid family, who has always supported me and encouraged me, but like I said I have an issue with balance, and it seems like every time I would get involved with a guy, I would lose myself, interest and stop spending time on creating things in order to make the relationship work. I had given up on my business one too many times because of this.....
How I got Started
I started my Lucky Haylo's boot business back in 2011, I was 21 years old. It all started when i was watching American Idol, the season with Lauren Aliana. She always had on the cutest cowboy boots! one episode she came out on stage in the most sparkliest ( i dont care if its not a real word) blinged out pair of rhinestone cowboy boots, it was love at first sight and i HAD to have a pair.My google search for a pair of similar boots began, only bringing me to ridicuously over priced boots that had rhinestones glued on, that simply just wouldn't do..... who wants to spend that kind of dough on something that most likely will fall apart, I wanted the rhinestones to last just as long as the boots themselves. So I got this brillant idea to make my own, with riveted stones. First I needed a leather punch, that would punch out the holes in the leather before I added the rhinestone rivets, I went to Michaels and found a punch with different size punches for a reasonable price.... But how could I get it to punch holes all the way at the bottom of the shaft of the boot? Now heres where my job fit in real nicely.....My dad is a very smart man, I work with my dad in a metal shop, anyways hes pretty much a genius.... you show him an idea on paper or tell him something you'd like to make and he can hand craft it into a reality out of metal. I told him my idea and literally not even hours later, he had made a hand press that could hold the leather punch I got at Michaels in place, and than can have the leather punch swap out for a rivet smashing tool.... hopefully that all makes sense because its a little hard to describe haha. I have had a few people write me asking to see the tool or if they can purchase the tool to make their own boots.... Im not trying to be a brat ( nicer word) but one, I want to be one of a kind, I made up this idea, had my dad help me with it, and now im trying to create beautiful boots for people in hopes of this business turning into something greater one day and thats not gonna happen if i give away my idea.... And two, with the amount of work that went into making the tooling, i would have to sell it for way to much, not worth it lol. I than ordered some rhinestone rivets from a few different websites, and ended up sticking with a site called Dreamtime Creations, because of the quality. I made my first pair , of course for myself, and wore them out... not trying to brag but every time I would wear them out, I would get compliments, people asking me where I got them, so that sparked an idea to start selling them. I started an Etsy shop, and sold 3 pairs within about 2 months.... I than wanted to create a new pair with a different design, they were a bit more fancy and I had a lady purchase them for her wedding! It was such an awesome feeling, but the best was yet to come....
Da A'vere opportunity
After I sold a few pairs, I had 2 sample boots I made in order to keep them nice, I had an opportunity to have them on display in a small store named, Da A'vere, located down town Glendora. How this opportunity came about was actually all because of my dad... you see, my dad has always bought my moms jewelry for special occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, and pretty much every holiday from the Village goldsmith also located in downtown Glendora. The gals by now recognize my dad, and the owner of the village gold smith is also the owner of Da A'vere (at the time Da A'vere wasn't officially open yet)... Any ways, my dad had took my sample boots to the ladies at the Village gold smiths to see maybe if they could advertise them in the store... now im not exactly sure how the convo went but they wanted to have my boots on display in Da A'vere, and wanted me there opening day. I was so excited, thrilled , and nervous as hell..... I had cute business cards mad out, bought a cute outfit to wear with my blinged out personal boots, and took my sample boots down to the store. When I got there, I had a nice set up waiting for me. I placed my boots on the set up and stood by that display all day as customers came in and out... and let me tell you, this was probably the best feeling in the world. I had people telling me what a great idea my boots were, one older lady told me to never give up and there needs to be more girls like me.. words cant even describe how good I felt . As much as a great feeling it was, I didn't keep up with it... you see I was more interested in "love" and I wanted to spend more time with a guy I had only been talking to for about a week , who I met online ( I know how embarrassing) than keep up with MY boots which were on display in a high class store....WTH was wrong with me ??? So, Da A'vere didn't hear from me, and I didn't hear from them..... A few months later I went into Da A'ver to collect my sample boots and take them home... And as for the guy, we were in a so called "relationship" for about 5 months, turns out he was "seeing" a few other girls... totally worth throwing away that opportunity!
You think I would have learned....
After the break up, I struggled to find myself again, I hung out with people im no longer friends with, I tried going to an extremely large church , I tried anything to make me feel like I had a purpose and to be happy. I than started up my business for a second time....I sold a few pairs and made a few boots for weddings. At this time in my life, I had found the perfect balance between work, exercise, friends and family, and my business.....I had so much energy and everytime I had an idea, I would write it down or draw it on paper, and I was pretty happy, for the most part.... Than of September 2013, I started talking to old friend from school on facebook. HE had asked me to hang out, and we hit it off really well. The first few ,months of our relationship, I "sort of " kept that balance I have been mentioning, the balance between work, keeping myself happy, keeping up with my business and creating things, and spending time with him and keeping him happy. But again.... I eventually lost that balance, and lost myself in the relationship, giving up on myself and my business for the second time... We dated for a little over a year , and ONE of the reasons we didn't last was because I wasn't happy with myself or did the things I loved to do....
They say third times a charm
I honestly believe ONE of the things I was meant to learn, is how to balance myself in a relationship with a guy, and not give up or change me....... Which brings me to the present and this new blog..... I have the saying many times before, " third times a charm" and I made a promise to MYSELF to keep up with my websites, boots, creating and building things, because this is truly what makes me happy, and makes me, ME!
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