The Evolution of Sparkles and Shoes

While I was in Washington D.C. last month someone asked me the origin of the name of my blog, Sparkles and Shoes, and while I have posted many times why I started this blog I have never posted about how I came up with the name. I wish there was some great story, but honestly it was by chance.  The first name of this blog when it started in August 2012 was “These are a few of my favorite things kelly ann”.  Long enough?  Then it was shortened to My Favorite Things and the URL was myfavoritethingskellyann.blogspot.com, an address that still works and redirects to this site.   

While the blog did start as a way to share all of my favorite things I thought it needed a more original name then lyrics from the Sound of Music.  When I started blogging my favorite blog to read was Cupcakes and Cashmere – two of my favorite things and two of the author’s favorite things.  This inspired me to come up with a very long list of all of my favorite things and then pick two that began with the same letter and which sounded nice together.  I have searched long and hard for this original list but was unable to come up with it but I remember some of the other words were chocolate, chenille, asparagus, swimming, movies, shopping, makeup, texting, and social media among others.   At the beginning of October  in 2012 I decided Sparkles and Shoes was what I was sticking with and proceeded to purchase the domain.

One of the biggest mistakes I made was thinking I could design my own site – in no way was that I good idea but I tried!  I found that I loved the font Edwardian Script in Photoshop and changed my title.  I learned how to code photos with different parts like to different things and I was off.  I had my own rudimentary design from October 2012 through September 2013.

You are currently viewing Sparkles and Shoes’ 7th blog design in the nearly two years it has been around.  See the evolution below:

There are not too many differences between the sixth version, above, and the current version, as both were designed by Aubrey Kinch of Aubrey Kinch Designs and then Lisette of High Note Designs made a few tweaks when I switched over to WordPress last month.  (A whole blog post coming soon!)

It may have taken a few tries but I have found a design that I am in love with!