Adding Whimsy & Joy to Accessories
Growing up, Katie and her siblings spent a lot of time enjoying art, music, and the outdoors. Now, those memories are the inspiration for her business, Pretty Pebbles. Katie collects stones and rocks, painting designs onto the surfaces to create home decor. In some of her pieces, the stones and pebbles are arranged into scenes depicting families and pets. Her use of stones and pebbles inspired her fiancé Coady to help name her business, and that's how Pretty Pebbles got its name.
"I started Pretty Pebbles back in the spring of 2022, but the initial interest came in 2020 when I needed to come up with activities to occupy my eldest niece and nephew the day their sister was born," Katie says.
While she started with rock painting, she quickly became interested in resin.
"I've always been keen on earrings, so after having started with coasters and keychains, earrings were a natural next step for me. Earrings and mini pets also have the benefits of being small enough that I can use leftover resin from other projects for them, resulting in minimal waste," she explains.
Earlier this year, Katie launched one of her newest products, Summer Drink Earrings.
"Colourful, fun, cute, and joyful are definitely key aspects of my style. Growing up, I had this silly little rule for myself to always wear at least one thing that was colourful, even if it was just socks that wouldn't be seen, because it brought me joy. This is still the case now. If you ever see me in my uniform at work, I always have a fun scrunchie in my hair and a fun pair of earrings," she says.
Katie's jewelry and trinkets are popular with customers who enjoy a bit of fun and whimsy.
"Kids tend to love the mini pets. It is absolutely thrilling when someone recognizes one of my items, or when a young girl comes up to my booth at a market and pulls out her previously purchased collection of mini pets, wanting to add more to her collection," Katie says.
One of her favourite products she makes are flower-in-a-bottle earrings.
"I created these as an attempt to bottle my engagement to my fiancé Coady. We got engaged out in Erieau, so in addition to a little bit of lake coloured resin, every pair is made with sand and gravel from the exact spot where he proposed, and the first pair - which I kept for myself - were made with dark blue flowers to match my ring. They're unusual and not made in a mold, making them unique," she says.
Katie's fiancé has been a huge supporter of Pretty Pebbles since the beginning.
"He has been at every market, supported by dream every step of the way, and without whom, Pretty Pebbles would never have been more than a wish," she says.
We LUV the colour and whimsy Katie adds into all of her designs. Visit the Pretty Pebbles LUVLOCAL store here.