The Glitzy Crown

Glitz or Natural

2011-12-28T12:05:00.001-08:00

My daughter has been to several Natural Pageants over the years and just last year she tried Glitz. Well, a monster we created. She loves Glitz and we will be doing several this coming year.

I asked her which she preferred doing and she said Glitz. I asked her why did she like doing Glitz more than Natural pageants and the answer was obvious. She told me she liked Glitz better because they were more FUN!

I can see why. The music is better, louder and the stages are much more elaborately decorated. More lighting, and the feel of being a real "STAR" when your on the stage. Not to mention the Glitzy dresses and getting to have your hair and make-up professionally done, and all the special outfits you get to wear and be "sassy". And most of the time the pageants are a full weekend and not just a day...So what little girl wouldn't want to feel like a movie star for a whole weekend?

Even though it cost alot more and very stressful on us Mom's, I like it just as much as she does. So I'm getting my pageant calendar ready for the new year and trying to decide which ones we will be attending.

We still have a few Natural pageants we will be doing also. Those are very rewarding when you get to use your titles for something good and give back to community. We just attended and event where all the girls wore their sashes and crowns and brought toys in to be donated to Toys for Tots and local needy families for Christmas.

Bottom line is we do BOTH. How about you?

Why do the popular girls win?

2011-08-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Does it seem like ALL the popular girls win ALL the time? Why do the same girls seem to win the big titles all the time?

I am not sure if it is because they are THAT much greater than the others or just more popular. I notice that once you win a title, especially a big State or National level title, that your face is appearing on all the ad banners, voy boards,websites,Facebook, pageant paperwork, etc. I think their faces and names get branded in ALL of our heads and surely trickle into the heads of judges everywhere. I mean if you are in the pageant business in any capacity I am sure you have heard of at least some of these girls.

I think it would be nice to see some rookie come out of nowhere and blow everyone away! Put everyone back on the same playing field.

I don't think that it is any ONES fault. I don't think necessarily any ONE is to blame. I just think it is because we are used to seeing these winners and expect them to win. BUT it would be nice to see someone different sometime!

Pageant "Bumps"

2011-04-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

There will always be "bumps" in the perfect pageant world. We attended our first glitz pageant a couple of weeks ago and we had several.

First of all, I could not find a casual wear outfit so at the last minute I found someone to make my precious daughter one. She was going out of town and only had the weekend to create it so we did most of our chatting on the phone. Picked up outfit and it was very cute. I got home and laid it across the kitchen chair while I was trying to put together pageant photos, etc. in preparation for the upcoming pageant.

The next day I walked by the outfit and looked at my daughter and said "those pants look too big!" Well my daughter tried them on and guess what? They were way too big! I panicked. This was a Monday night and pageant weekend started Friday. I frantically called someone who I had a number for who did alterations. She said I could come by the next day. We went and tried on and had them taken in and the elastic in the top as well. I also had the alterations lady sew an extra ruffle and some beads on the swim suit I had, to dress it up more. Pick up outfits on Thursday and she tried on Casual Wear outfit and everything looked fine.

In the meantime, I was emailing the photographer who took the Glitz photos and she said she would be overnight them to me. Those arrived Wednesday. Thank goodness!

The evening dress we had, my daughter had worn once in a pageant about 7 months ago (did not realize ti had been THAT long). I knew it would be fine because it actually was a little too big when she wore it last. So didn't worry about that, why should I, right??

OK, arrived on Friday at hotel, got checked in and got all our pageant "stuff" into room and relaxed and waited to get spray tanned and some extensions put into her hair to make it a tad longer. Everything is going just fine......

Pageant day and competition is going on and we show up for our hair and make-up and that looked awesome! Tan looks great! We are having problems with extensions because my daughter has super thick hair and it is blunt cut and the extensions just didn't blend. Sooooo, grab some scissors and cut the extensions off! Problem solved.

Put evening dress on and put hoop skirt on and it seems a little long...what the heck!! Turns out that the hoop skirt I brought is not the same one we used the last time she wore the dress. It is a tad bit too long now and she is sort of tripping on it! THE SHOW MUST GO ON, so I just tell her to kick her feet out when she walks to keep from tripping over it. She almost had a melt-down over it just before she went on stage, but she stood tall and kicked and got through it beautifully!!!

Now Swim Wear is next. No problem. We go to put swimsuit on and the "darn" thing would not go any further than her hips! WHAT??!! The alterations lady that added the ruffle and beads did not take into consideration that the band needs to stretch to pull up the swimsuit, so in a frantic state I run in to get her H/M touched up and we had to cut the ban in the back of the swimsuit and literally inch the swimsuit up. To late to try to sew and her hair just covered the spot in the back so again... THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

We are in the final stretch now, the Casual Wear competition. We put the outfit on and it look great, still a little large but looks really good. During competition and her modeling, the pants started getting a little longer because of still being a bit too large.

All in all, my daughter had a GREAT time. It was MUCH MORE stressful on me than her, but we got through it and believe it or not she wants to do another one!!!!

So don't ever let anything bring you down or get the best of you during your pageant experience because it will all work out in the end and all you can do is improvise those little "bumps" in the road and more than likely no one else will ever know! LOL

Dress Color...Does it really matter?????

2010-11-30T09:55:00.000-08:00

Ask someone what color dress does best and gets more wins at pageants, and you will get all kinds of answers. Lots of people seem to think that WHITE is best. Yes you will see tons of white dresses at pageants,however I think that with the sheer number of girls entered wearing white dresses ,that someone is bound to win wearing white!

Over the last couple of years, I have noticed that alot of girls seem to choose the Fluorescent Orange color. I love it on girls with dark skin and dark hair.

I was looking through my Facebook friends and came across a recent pageant,and one age division (7-9 years I believe) had 7 contestants and ALL of them had on BLUE dresses. All different styles and shades of blue...but blue!

I personally think that the color dress you wear should compliment the contestant...Meaning choosing the color that looks best with your hair and skin color. I have noticed that Redheads seem to choose blues, greens and lavenders most often, however I saw a redhead in a bright red dress with lots of crystals on it and looked awesome!

Blonde's usually choose whites, pinks, and some lighter blues. Brown Brunettes usually choose whites,corals,blacks and Dark Brown/Black Brunette's usually go with whites,reds and royal blues.

If you are not sure what color looks the best on you, go to a fabric store and drape the color fabric around your shoulders...if the color fabric is the only thing that stands out then that is NOT your color. If your face really POPS in a certain color then you know that is the color for you. I tried this with my daughter and it works great!!!

I think that the "person" inside the dress is what matters and how she acts on stage and off stage is really what shines through and ultimately is what wins no matter what color of dress she has on.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

2010-10-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

The Glitzy Crown is celebrating her Anniversary! Wow! Its hard to believe that another whole year has passed. We have grown, added new features and we are constantly restocking best sellers and coming up with new styles.

We at The Glitzy Crown, are so excited to begin our new year. We work very hard to provide excellent customer service, communication and quality products .Every customer is special to us and we always welcome your suggestions.

We want to say a special 'Thank You" to ALL of our past,present and future customers. YOU ARE THE BEST!

Please check us out at www.theglitzycrown.com

Thanks so much,

Faith

PAGEANT DIRECTORS...PAY UP!

2010-07-03T06:51:00.000-07:00

Why is it so hard for some Pageant Directors to pay?

I had a problem 2 months ago with some Pageant Directors who needed crowns for their pageants coming up THAT weekend and needed me to get them out right then. Well, being as trusting as I was (because they had ordered from me before), I went ahead and sent them their crowns before I recieved payment. BIG MISTAKE!!!!!!! One claimed that she would send me a money order in the mail (which she did last time) and the other that her paypal account had been comprimized and she would send as soon as she got it straightened out.

Needless to say, that the money never got there. Finally after a month and posting on Facebook the story...I finally got payment on the first one. The second one however, I still have NOT recieved payment because of a LONG list of personal problems. She has promised to get it out 2 weeks ago and I still HAVE NOT recieved it!

Never mind them for a moment....I have had numerous Pageant Directors that want crowns but they have to wait until enough people submit their entry fee into paypal before they can pay for the crowns. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS! Why not keep enough $$$ in your paypal account (from your last pageant) to cover nessesarry items upfront like crowns, sashes, trophies. These things you have to order ahead of time to meet your pageant. Use a credit card if you have to and order these items and then when the pageant is over and all fees are collected.......PAY IT OFF!

I have another Pageant Director right now that was sending me payments as her pageant fees came in. I went ahead and sent her crowns and she has a balance of $35 left that I have sent her several reminders OVER AND OVER again, but guess what? She HAS NOT paid it.

Pageants are a business and like any business you have to plan ahead and prepare and pay your bills on time. In my opinion, the quickest way to ruin your pageant name and your name as a Director, is to have a reputation of not paying for the crowns on the heads of the girls that attended your pageants.

Well I have learned my lesson and if you want the crowns, you are going to have to figure a way to pay for ALL of them UP FRONT! SHAME ON YOU PAGEANT DIRECTORS!

THINK ! PLAN! PREPARE! PAY YOUR DEBTS!

BASHING

2010-03-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

What is up with all this bashing going on? I have heard from several different pageant directors AND pageant moms of terrible bashing. I have actually read a lot of it myself on different pageant forum boards, facebook...just to name a few.

Look people, just because your daughter has always won before and happens to lose to a newcomer, doesn't mean that it is OK to bash the innocent child because of it! Or the pageant system's director for that matter.

I just have a hard time with pageant moms who just cant accept losing. And what kind of example are you setting for your daughters? And for you to let your daughters bash their fellow contestants, is just horrible!

Pageants are a fun and exciting sport to be in. Please show "sportsmanship" as you should in any sport! And remember mom's.....it's GREAT to win,but the most important thing is to let your (children) have fun!!!!!!!!

My Picks for 2010

2010-01-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I know it has been a little while, but now that the holidays are over maybe I can get back on track!

I thought I would list a few of my favorite sites for you to visit. These are my personal favorites!

1. Pageant Photographer- I pick Kelley's Photography. Karen has taken many award winning photos and has been the official pageant photographer of Sunburst State Finals here in Atlanta many times. She is great to work with and will work with you to achieve that special photogenic photo, portfolio, or composite. www.kelleysphotos.com

2. Flipper- I pick Unity Smile Design. The whole process is so easy and you do not have to set foot in a dental office! You simply contact them, send your impressions through the mail and in a very short time you receive back in the mail a perfect flipper that fits perfectly and looks GREAT! www.unitysmiledesign.com

3. Pageant Resource-Great resource filled with pageants,vendors, and anyone who loves anything and everything about the pageant world, I pick Tiara Talk. It is a great pageant social network and is lots of fun! www.tiaratalk.net

4. Photo Retouch, I pick Pageant Perfect Photos. Sheri is a professional and will work with you until your photo is exactly the way you want it. If you are looking for someone who is affordable, professional and very patient, then this is the place for you! www.pageantperfectphotos.com

5. Pageants-If you are looking for pageants in the Georgia area, I pick Pageants of Georgia. Jan McNicholas is the director and runs a very professional pageant with a lot of class! She has many pageants a year and holds them in a variety of locations, and there is sure to be one close to you. www.pageantsofgeorgia.com

6. Make-Up- I pick QDazzle if you are looking for professional make-up tips. Jennifer is a professional make-up artist who has a wide variety of make-up products that are perfect for pageants,proms, and stage events! She is very helpful and will take the time explaining every process of make-up application to you. www.qdazzleprom.com

7. Rhinestone Jewelry- I pick The Glitzy Crown if you are looking for great pageant jewelry sets,crowns,tiaras and pageant pins. There are many varieties to choose from and at wholesale prices. Quick delivery and very professional. http://www.theglitzycrown.com/

8. Photo Pageants/Contests- I pick Miss Glitz & Miss Natural Glitz. The best pageant prizes for on line photo contests. The entry fee is low and the prizes are great! It's a fun site and they offer different types of pageants also. http://www.missglitzandmissnaturalglitz.com/

Hope you give them a try, I did!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

2009-10-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been one year ago today, that The Glitzy Crown went live on the Internet and was open for business!

I am proud to say we are celebrating our FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY. And as a "Thank You" we would like to offer our customers 10% OFF!

Even in these hard economic times, that can be a huge savings. We try to offer a unique selection of crowns,tiaras and pageant jewelry to satisfy every ones needs.

THANK YOU!

ON-LINE PHOTO PAGEANTS, PHOTO CONTESTS

2009-08-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

Almost one year ago I started Miss Glitz & Miss Natural Glitz National Photo Pageant. I decided to call it a Photo Pageant since it was more than just a Photo Contest! I wanted it to be just like a pageant with pageant prizes.

Well since then, there has been many, many photo pageants pop up. Even ones that have gone so far as to copy the SAME wording and use some of the same graphics.

They say "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". Well, I'M FLATTERED!

But all photo pageants and photo contests are NOT the same. Some give away prizes such as $$$ which can be different than advertised depending on number of entries, some have jackpots which can be as little as a few dollars depending on number of entries, some give fees off to a larger on-site pageant, some offer discounts for purchases to other websites, some offer a small tiara, some offer free or discounted entries into same contest. Some even base their entry fee on what prizes you want to win...in other words, you pay for the prizes you want to win.

Well, Miss Glitz & Miss Natural Glitz offers a real pageant crown, a embroidered pageant sash, pageant medals with ribbons, pageant trophies, and even a savings bond. Everyone wins SOMETHING! I don't think you can get better prizes anywhere for such a low entry fee.

Just do your research before choosing one, and most of all have fun with it!

FLIPPERS, ANYONE?

2009-06-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

OK, I will be the first to admit that I thought flippers were for those "serious" pageant go-er's. Well, last year when my daughter Presley lost her 2 front teeth, we skipped State Finals hoping that by the next year her teeth would be all filled in. W-R-O-N-G!

This time State Finals came around and she was missing 2 more teeth in the front. So after checking with a few flipper people, I chose "Unity Smile Design". You know those little "flippers" make all the difference in the world, even to those "not so serious" pageant go-er's.

When checking out their web-site, I contacted Janel at "Unity Smile Design" by e-mail. A cute little box arrived in the mail and when opened, contained an impression kit wrapped in pink tissue paper, an instruction sheet on beautiful floral stationary and some Hello Kitty "prize goodies", along with a welcome letter.

After reading the directions carefully, we made the impressions, sent them back by mail and guess what? Presley received her gorgeous flipper and it fit perfectly! It came with a pink flipper storage box with her name on it as well as another goodie "prize".

The bottom line is , I recommend "Unity Smile Design" for everyone who needs a flipper. Their professional, they care about their customers and make every effort to give 110%. They take that extra step to make sure each child is treated extra special. Personally,to see Presley smile with those beautiful teeth is worth more than any pageant prize!

Thanks Unity Smile Design!

LOW COST-HIGH STYLE!

2009-03-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

OK, anyone who knows me, knows that I happen to believe in NOT spending a lot of money on a pageant dress. You just have to do your homework and be creative. Many pageants are won with dresses that are a lot less expensive than you would think! Mothers of children 8 years and younger seem to think that the only dress option is to have one custom made. Don't get me wrong...this is a great way to get an awesome dress. But for a lot of us, spending hundreds or thousands of $$$ for a dress that will be worn once (or twice if you are lucky) is not an option.

First of all, if you are looking for one of those custom made dresses, try a consignment shop or e-bay. The ones who spent those high $$$ on a dress are now wanting to sell them so they can put money down on another one.

There are many on-line stores that sell pageant dresses and special occasion dresses at great prices! There are many flower-girl dresses that work great at pageants also. You will be surprised at what you can find.

Hints:

*If you find a dress/bathing suit in the perfect color but not "fancy enough". Try adding some sequins or sequin appliques (you don't even have to sew,use fabric glue).

* Add a Large rhinestone brooch to a waistband or bust line of a dress to make it look elegant.

*Some great dresses can be found at your local department stores, especially at Easter & Christmas time. (I just found a great one at Burlington Coat Factory) go figure!

*Jewelry can dress up any outfit.

*If you find a spot or any beads/sequins loose, ask for a discount. (Most places will give you 10% off!) and who's gonna notice when your on stage, NO ONE!

*If you can't find the right color, spray paint your belts or headbands to match your clothing .

* Add Sequins or rhinestones to your shoes or the hem of your dress for that extra sparkle!

A NEW PAGEANT YEAR!

2009-01-28T13:21:00.000-08:00

Well, another pageant year is upon us. I know in these hard economic times it effects everyone, and pageants are no different! I have noticed that a lot of pageants are reducing entry fees. They are also competing with less contestants instead of cancelling them altogether.

I think that's great! It's much better to keep your pageant alive with fewer contestants than to cancel them. Keep prizes high and pageant locations down to a minimum cost. You can still have just as much fun and pull off a beautiful pageant with less $$$. You just have to think positive!

CONSIGNMENTS NOW OPEN!

2009-01-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

click here to visit

Well, our Consignments page is now open! Please feel free to check it out and let me know what you think. We welcome all levels of pageant clothing including flower girl dresses as well as formal evening wear. Please visit our Consignments page for all the details. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

CONSIGNMENT SHOPPE COMING SOON!

2009-01-01T15:21:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

We have some exciting things planned for 2009. We will be adding a consignment shoppe soon as well as a few other surprises.

Anyone who would be interested in adding your pageant wear to our consignment shoppe, please e-mail us at faith@theglitzycrown.com for more details. All items will be listed here on our resource page as well as a link on our main web-site. We will advertise periodically on many pageant boards as well as linking to as many pageant related sites as possible. We will charge a $3 fee to post your item to help with the cost of advertising. All sales will be between you and the buyer only.

All details will be posted soon, so stay tuned!

I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING...

2008-11-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

OK, I know what you're thinking. Most of you who have not been involved in pageants think that they are some kind of "ego trip" or something. I know that there are "bad" involved in pageants, but there is also a lot of "good". Not every contestant is a spoiled little brat, and not every mom is a "pageant mom". I personally have not, do not, and never will call myself a pageant mom, just because of the negativity that goes along with that stereotypical name. I do have a daughter that has been a contestant in several pageants, but I am a "mom" and only a mom.

Pageants are a great way for little girls to get to play dress-up and wear a Cinderella crown. They also help girls to overcome stage freight. You may not think that is important, but I remember in grammar school being petrified to stand up in front of my own classmates to give a book report or even read a paragraph out of our text book.

In my opinion, it helps overcome shyness, makes you a more confident individual in public and helps with public speaking. It boosts self confidence. It prepares you for victory, and it prepares you for defeat. It improves your posture and poise. It lets you earn rewards, like cash prizes, savings bonds, scholarships, trips and many more to help with college tuition. It gets you involved in community events and fundraisers. It can prepare or open doors to future career opportunities such as public speaking, modeling, broadcast journalism, dance, singing, movie, entertainment industry,etc. The list goes on and on.

You can participate in pageants without having to have "pageant dresses" or "pageant hair" or "pageant make-up". More and more pageants are going or a more natural look. The only things portrayed on television about little girl pageants are always the worst extreme case possible. There will always be some "bad" where ever your go, but don't overlook the "good". It can be a lot of FUN!

WHO SAID....

2008-10-31T05:45:00.000-07:00

Who said the tallest crown is the best crown? For a few years now, the 12" crown (or larger) seems to be everywhere! The top prize in many pageants is a custom 12" crown (or larger) with logos,pageant names,cartoon characters, etc. all on the crown. The problem I have with these crowns is:

#1 The taller the crown, the larger the base of the crown has to be. In most cases, this makes the base of the crown so large, that the girls winning these crowns can't even wear them because they are too BIG!

#2 Where are you going to display this crown after bringing it home? A lot of bookshelves are not spaced out far enough for them to be displayed on. I doubt if they would fit into a curio cabinet either.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE CROWNS. I LOVE BIG CROWNS. But I think they should stay a bit smaller so they can actually stay on you head for photos and so you can display them proudly in your room on a bookshelf or in your curio cabinet without having to have a display piece custom made.

But that's just my opinion!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF GLITZ!

2008-10-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well, finally after a lot of hard work, a lot of research, and a lot of very late nights, I have finally opened my new site for business. Let me explain...I have tried to keep this a secret as long as possible until I was finished, because I wanted everyone to see the finished product and not a work "in progress".

I have started a business selling rhinestone crowns, tiaras, and pageant jewelry. Most of you know me from my Faith's Vintage Vanity blog page. Well, keeping in line with the rhinestone jewelry, I have just moved from vintage to new.

My daughter Presley entered her first pageant when she was three. She loved being on stage and loved getting to play "dress-up". Ever since then she has done one, maybe two pageants a year.

I became very interested in the whole process and realized that after all, I love those Glitzy Crowns! So I have decided to market myself towards the pageant world and can supply crowns to pageant directors, as well as brides to be, for special school functions, or anyone else for that matter who would just love to have one. (What girl wouldn't wont a crown?) And best of all, at wholesale prices!

I will also be offering pageant jewelry suitable for pageant wear, for the bride to be, or anyone looking for jewelry for that special occasion.

If you know of anyone who would be interested in a crown or tiara for their own personal collection, or that special birthday gift, or any pageant related function, or community event, please e-mail here at theglitzycrown@yahoo.com or visit my website at http://www.theglitzycrown.com/ to see my collection. I will be glad to answer any questions you might have.

Gradually, I will be adding links to upcoming pageants and community events. If you have any you would like to share, please e-mail me. I also hope to share some tips/secrets, back stage gossip, do's and dont's, and all sorts of stuff. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Come along for the GLITZY ride with me. This is going to be so much FUN!

Faith