Today we’re featuring a maker whose tiny, handpainted moccasins are colorful, fun, and comfy for your baby! We love the little hippie moccasins, painted with peace signs and VW vans, and the sunshine moccasins are sure to brighten up your day. She’s not just making items for baby, though. Her handpainted earrings in fun designs like seashells and leopard arches are the most fun accessories. We know you’ll love her products and can’t wait to share Christie of Prickly Pair Goods story with you!
Hi Christie! Thanks for sharing your story with us today! Can you please tell everyone a little about yourself?
I grew up in Dallas but have lived in San Antonio for 10 years. I taught elementary and middle school art before becoming a stay-at-home mom to 2 kiddos and starting Prickly Pair. My background is in Textiles and I’ve always wanted to have a small business and have had a few ventures (my first was sewing custom handbags when I was 15 and it truly set a fire inside me!).
Sounds like you’ve found a great way to meld your passions and goals through Prickly Pair! What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
The best advice I’ve been given was in Kate Wolf’s wax carving class a few years back and it really applies to anything art or design-related – you have to push past “amateur hour” for the magic to happen. Translation: no project is pretty when you’re first starting out but if you keep at it, you’ll get there!
That’s great advice– Perseverance is everything. Tell us about Prickly Pair Goods! What do you make and how long have you been doing it?
Prickly Pair started after a friend gifted a pair of hand-painted moccasins to my son. I started doing pet portraits and nursery-themed moccasins for baby gifts for friends and was immediately getting custom orders. I found a company to custom stamp my logo (I chose the name Prickly Pair for my son’s prickly pear wallpapered nursery) and got to work. It’s been the perfect artistic outlet for me that I needed after leaving my teaching job. My main products are moccasins and jewelry, but I love doing custom work like nursery art, invitations, and party decor. Prickly Pair has also recently branched out digitally and will be offering some new printed products soon.
We love all of your products and can’t wait to see what you have in store for the future! What is your favorite part of your job?
One of my favorite parts of this business is getting to show my kids how important making art is to me. I have a space set up for each of them in my studio and some of our favorite (albeit messiest) memories are made together in there.
Spending time together exploring the importance of art is a great lesson and legacy for your kiddos! If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Been daydreaming about this one daily like most people this past year! My husband and I are both dying to get back to South America, maybe Bolivia. I really loved Peru when we went. The colorful textiles and traditional artistry down there just can’t be beat. Not to mention the food!!
We hope you make it back to South America soon! If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?
Had to answer this too – Add hours into the day! And maybe night too to work out these circles under my eyes 🤪
That sounds like a pretty amazing superpower! We hope you acquire that one (and share the extra hours with us, too! Thanks so much for sharing your story with us today, Christie. We are so glad to have you as a maker at Mosaic Makers Collective!
Want to learn more about our makers or shop Prickly Pair Goods? Check out these additional resources:
- Visit our shop in the Bishop Arts District
- Shop Prickly Pair Goods online
- Meet more of our Mosaic Makers on the Blog