Spotted Gecko Designs - Striving to bring innovative yet timeless and customizable designs; specializing in ultimate customer service
About the Company
Spotted Gecko Designs originated its logo from a wooden figure that needed sprucing up, and people of all ages have fallen in love with since. Spot the Gecko represents three primary influences of the company - all green in different senses. The engraved jewelry I produce is made of recycled aluminum (the ends of food tins/containers), so those items are green in the sense of recycling and reuse. Mother nature and animals are another major influence, as is visible in the many horse designs and animal oriented items. Lastly, I try my best to not gouge customers, instead keeping the green in their wallets. I value a good deal, and I would not want to own a company that does not represent that.
I have always been a creative and economically-minded person, and today I strive to combine these two concepts by bringing innovation, style, quality, and exceptional value together in the form of Spotted Gecko Designs.
About the Artist
I started making jewelry when I was six, but I have been horse-crazy since I was two years old. I have also always loved art and drawing. At age eight, after three years of raising and saving my money, I bought my first horse, Sparky, a palomino Tennessee Walker. I began going to local shows, and a year later, I traded Sparky for Thumbelina, my then “green” (untrained) Paint x Haflinger pony who has taught me to be the determined and patient rider/person that I am today.
For the first month I owned her, I rode ThumbeIina in a halter and bareback because we could not find a saddle wide enough to fit her. Also, Thumbelina did not know how to canter under saddle or pick up her hooves to be cleaned out. Teaching her these concepts in turn has taught me more life lessons than I can count. In addition, she and I learned to jump together, resulting in an element of trust that is difficult if not impossible to replicate. I have had “Thumb” for eight years now, taking her to everything from local shows to Pony Club Championships.
I believe in sharing the love and giving back to the community, so I loaned Thumb to the local equine therapy organization, Stride Ahead. I also spread the love by giving my friends personalized, hand-made gifts for their birthdays, as both I wanted to make a unique and special gift as a thoughtful gesture that would last more than a store-bought one, as well as I did not want my parents to have to pay for my friends’ birthday presents. I soon began making Christmas presents for my friends, such as personalized horse brushes. I also made them browbands and natural horsemanship lungelines to save them money and add a little pizzazz to their equine gear at the same time. Most of the time I think of an idea or see something cool, and I think, “I bet I can make that!”, or a friend will see a neat item and ask if I can make it for them; thus Spotted Gecko Designs eventually came to life.
As far as riding, Thumb’s and my passion is mounted games, an equestrian discipline where teams of four to five riders and ponies compete head to head in relay races. In 2014, I tried out for and made an International team that traveled overseas to Dorset, England to represent the U.S. at a two-day competition last August. It was my first time on an international team, and my first time out of the country. The experience was incredible, and the cultural exchange was both educational and exhilarating. To help fund the trip, I used the money raised from Spotted Gecko Designs sales.
All sales help to pay for Thumbelina's board and competition fees. : )
Links:
My Website: www.SpottedGeckoDesigns.weebly.com
My Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Spotted-Gecko-Designs-284989335180953
My Blog: https://www.spottedgeckodesigns.blogspot.com
USMGA (United States Mounted Games Association) - https://www.usmga.us
IMGA (International Mounted Games Association) - https://www.mounted-games.org
USPC (United States Pony Club) - https://www.ponyclub.org
SRPC (South Region Pony Club) - https://www.southponyclub.com
CHCP (Cohutta Highlanders Pony Club) - https://www.cohuttahighlanders.com
Stride Ahead - https://www.strideahead.org
