Meet the Team
Erica
Hello everyone, my name is Erica and I am a custom bling artist. In the past 20 years I’ve blinged hundreds of items from dance costumes to gowns, from tumblers to wreaths.
But in this last year, I decided to fully focus on Varsity letterman jackets. I am not new to the cheer and dance world, however. In the past, I have coached varsity dance at Bishop Alemany High School (2005-2012), was a song/pom instructor for the United Spirit Association (USA) (2010-2011), and for almost ten years I owned a successful dance studio called Royalty Dance Academy.
Unfortunately, the pandemic happened, and I went from 300 students to 30. It was during this heartbreaking time, that I found out I would soon be a mom to my beautiful son. I decided it was best to close the studio and fully focus on what was the “silver-lining” in this sad time, my first-born child.
Shortly after that, a friend asked if I could embellish her niece’s letterman jacket. I was a little nervous at first, because I did not want to ruin it. But in the end, my first full bling jacket ended up coming out soooo beautiful. And as they say, “the rest is history!”
After that first letterman jacket, things started off very slow, but then I ended up getting very busy summer 2024 blinging jackets from all around the nation. At the same time, my Instagram page blew up and I even had the opportunity to bling two jackets for Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz! After that amazing experience, I was approved to partner with Swarovski® which has truly been a DIYer’s dream.
I now have two bling artists, Tara and Jesse, who help with the jackets, and Danielle who answers all your emails and questions. I am looking forward to blinging for more of you this year and even have plans to make tutorials. I’m glad I can continue to create and make people sparkle, on and off the field, with my bling work!
-Erica Hernandez
Owner of Erica’s Sparkly Designs
Tara
From a young age, Tara knew she wanted to do something with art. In 2003 she went to FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) in LA for Visual Design, and to MUD (Makeup Designory) in 2008 for hair styling and beauty makeup — plus cosmetology school, a bit of graphic design classes, and sign painting classes. Tara also worked on the Visual team for Macy’s and spent 15 years at Trader Joe’s as a Sign Artist, where she got the most exposure to all types of art.
Tara loves doing so many different things, and that’s exactly why she’s gone completely freelance since May 2023. She loves learning new things, making mistakes, and then learning from them — getting better and faster each time. Tara wants to expand her palette and challenge herself beyond expectations.
Jesse
Born and raised in Southern California, Jesse has loved art from a young age and has always enjoyed crafting any chance he gets. He did cosplay for years — sewing his own costumes and making props — and worked at a bakery as a cake decorator (though cupcakes are still his favorite thing to do).
He studied art and now loves to draw on his pad any chance he gets, even creating his own custom stickers or taking commissions for drawings and paintings.
Jesse’s favorite things include sunbathing on the beach, going to the theater to watch horror movies, and hiking. He is a single father to his cat, Olive.