I have had a lot of new followers lately and wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. I'm Leslie, I am 35 years old and have the 3 best fur babies in the world, and expecting my first baby in March 2024! I moved to Fort Worth, TX in the fall of 2022 to pursue my career with my boot brand, and I am so glad I did! I love it here! 

Growing up in competitive All Star Cheerleading, and also cheering in college, I have always been obsessed with anything sparkles. And I guess that passion never left me. But I never would have imagined my journey would lead me down the horrific nightmare that awaited me. 

At 19 years old I was diagnosed with 2 thyroid diseases, Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's Disease. I went from being a young healthy vibrant college athlete, to sleeping 22 hours a day and barely enough energy to brush my teeth and hair everyday.

Something far worse was happening to me internally that no one saw coming. Within 6 months I had 9 tumors removed from my neck and had a complete Thyroidectory and Para-thyroidectomy. I was forced to drop out of college for almost a year and within that short time I gained over 100lbs! 

5 years post surgery I weighted 246lbs and no matter what I did, I couldn't loose any weight. I tried many unsuccessful weightloss and workout programs (and I tried them all, trust me) but, thyroid issues just make things 100x harder. With much research and the confidence of referrals to a specific Bariatric surgeon, I decided to have a Bariatic Sleeve procedure in 2014.

This was the beginning to an even worse nightmare than I had already gone through. Now at 26, I was laying my life in the hands of what was suppose to be a capable and well sought after doctor, an expert in his field. 

Once upon a time, I trusted a doctor to "do no harm" and perform a routine surgery (for their speciality) that was suppose to change my life for the better. In fact the exact opposite happened, and I would end up spending the next 2 years confined to a bed, unable to physically eat or drink anything without a surgical feeding tube. I was put on home health assistance . 26 years old.

Over the next 2 years, I lost 158lbs, taking me down to a whopping 88lbs. I was only able to leave my house when I was taken to the hospital, resulting in over 10 admitted stays over the next 2 years, and over 5 surgeries and countless procedures.....still no no one knew what was wrong with me. Some doctors even thought I was making the whole thing up.

So what's a girl to do to distract herself from the suffering and copious amounts of spare time? Well... I started blinging everything in my house. Cups, the dog's collar, even the tv remote. I was desperate for a hobby that would occupy my mind without interfering with my bed confinement or any surgeries and treatments I was undergoing. 

Soon enough I had a vision of creating a beautiful pair of crystal embellished cowboy boots. I was confident in my skill level after practicing on anything and everything the previous year, so I bought a cheap pair of boots off Ebay and went to work perfecting my craft.

After a while people started to ask me to bling their boots and a very small income started to come from it. Which after being unemployed for 2 years because of medical conditions, it was nice to feel some kind of accomplishment for myself again!

With a lot of grit, grinding, sweat, tears, self doubt, determination and passion for what I do, I have now built a growing company out of my hobby and hardships. I took a time of suffering and turmoil and decided to create something beautiful out if, literally...beautiful crystal cowgirl boots!

I now offer 4 different brands of boots in every size and continue to add more brands and styles every season. I saw a need for high end luxury western boots that had a little personality, flare and class, so I filled the void. I have never seen anything like what I create and I am so happy to be the forefront innovator in handmade luxury crystal cowgirl boots! I strive to be the Christian Louboutin of the cowboy boot world.

Every pair is branded and registered to the original purchaser to guarantee authenticity and can be registered for a warranty repair program as well. 

Getting to see the reactions of customer's unboxing, and the pure joy and excitement that lights up their face, knowing they have something truly unique and special, luxurious and quality made, that no one else will be able to copy, makes every hour of blinging completely worth it!

In the near future, I hope to involve Ruby Sparkles in some philanthropy projects as well as speak out about patient advocacy awareness when choosing the right doctors and surgeons for you.

Thank you so much for being here! And if you were kind enough to read through my whole story, here's a $50 coupon code (Welcome50) off your first pair of Ruby Sparkles' boots to say thank you!