Our Story

So you want to know more, do ya?

I'm Christy and I enjoy the color blue, the beach, and drinking blush wine out of pint glasses. I am based out of New Jersey and am a die hard Philadelphia Eagles fan (I hope that doesn't lose any Dallas or New York customers and followers).

“I’m a strong, badass chick with class and confidence.” -Kelly Clarkson

I wasn’t always, though. I spent most of my almost 15-year professional career nervous, scared, silently learning. When you are in the arts (photography and graphic design, in my case) there is a lot of scrutiny and even more opinions. It’s hard to not take some of it personally. Instead of using it to better myself, I let it beat me down. There came a point in my life, both personally and professionally, when I took a hard look at myself and knew I was stronger. I was better. And I needed to get there.

That is when I decided that in addition to my full-time job, I need something for me. A side hustle. On a whim, in December of 2016, I put a mug I had designed up on Etsy. It was a mermaid mug that said “I’m done adulting, let’s be mermaids.” Seemed appropriate. Within a week, I had sold 2. I was excited, optimistic. I took a chance, invested in myself, and purchased everything I needed to run a mug business out of my home office, from start to finish. It took me 4 months to break even. I keep designing and adding products. It made me happy. It was mine. I called the shots. I had created it, all of it.

I managed my business and my full-time design job for nearly 2 years. Growing them both. It was hard, and I knew that my long-term goal was to make my side hustle my main hustle. I was violently shoved into that decision on October 16, 2018 when I was VERY unexpectedly part of a company-wide, attempt to save money, lay off. It didn’t take me long to take this as a blessing in disguise and run full steam ahead with Dirty Pretty Things.

And here we are, a few years later and So. Much. Happier. Not only am I working from home with my own schedule, I see my kids more. My work-life balance is in my control. As is everything else. It’s liberating, terrifying, and exciting. I have expanded to glassware, shirts, bags and I designed and made my own Shopify site, as you see here. I like to make people smile, and if it's through a mug or funny shirt, I’ll take it. I love hearing people tell me how happy one of my products made someone when they gave it as a gift. It’s amazing what can happen when you believe in yourself and invest in yourself. I regret nothing and I am now that strong, badass chick I always knew I could be.