about us
hello!
My name is Katie, and I want to thank you for visiting Fire Wife Fashion. I'm so glad you're here!
If we're being honest, I'm a little surprised I ended up here. I never dreamed I would have my own business making jewelry. My journey to Fire Wife Fashion has been a roundabout trip through a career in nursing, serving as a volunteer firefighter, and becoming a mom (just to name a few). Through each of these seasons of life, I've carried a desire to learn new things, take leaps of faith, work hard, and to serve my family in the midst of it all. It is my hope that these handcrafted earrings will bring you great joy, and last through the many seasons of your own life.
Your support of this business is a huge blessing to me and my family. Thank you!
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-Katie
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P.S. If you want to know more about my journey to FWF, and see pictures of my highland cows (you know you do) read on!
the journey Here
I am a nurse by trade, and love connecting with and helping other people as a part of that vocation. I’m also known as a busy-body, who never sits down and always has to be doing something. I realized after having my first child, that while I loved being busy, I also wanted to be present as much as possible. The first change I made was to leave my nursing career at a hospital and trade it in for a more flexible schedule doing Maternal & Child home visitation work.
Then more babies came and man, babies change everything! I wanted so badly to become a stay-at-home mom, but also to provide a significant amount of income for my family. In 2015 I found a big blessing in a direct sales company that allowed me to decrease my visitation hours further. It was several years later that a fellow fire wife asked if I would be interested in purchasing her business - Fire Wife Fashion.
I had loved and supported Fire Wife Fashion for years, but I had never made an earring in my life. After talking it over with my husband, he told me to go for it, and since that day this job has been a little like therapy. Creating and working with my hands brings a sense of calm to my anxious brain that I haven’t found in any other career pursuit. It has also blessed me with the gift of being present with my children. With my husband’s schedule at the fire station, my ability to be there for anything and everything for our family is invaluable.
It's a joy for me to create these handmade earrings, and I hope they each give you joy as well. It is also a privilege to create a life I love, so thank you for being a part of that.
Being a Fire Wife
When my husband and I started dating, he had already been serving on a volunteer fire department for a few years and loved it. His dream was to become a professional firefighter. He invited me to join the department, and I served alongside him for three more years until we moved out of the service area. I quickly found I was not a big fan of actual fires, but I loved the EMS side. It was a great bridge to the high-paced nursing career I missed, and I loved the camaraderie of the fire station. My husband was soon hired onto a professional fire department where he plans to retire someday.
Being the wife of a full time firefighter with three young children means you get very good at doing a lot of things on your own- farm chores, zoo trips, etc. It means sometimes Santa has to come a day early or late, because dad was at the station on Christmas. It means you gain a second family that you never knew you needed.
Sure, it comes with some worry when you haven’t been able to get a hold of your spouse for most of the day...but it also comes with a lot of pride. Once our kids are just a little bit older, I cannot wait to start volunteering again in our town and give back to the community we’ve grown to love.
A Family Business
Along with allowing me to be a stay-at-home-mom, this business has allowed me to continue trying new things. Sourdough baking and growing a large garden are two hobbies my family’s stomachs very much appreciate. We live on what we like to call a ‘funny farm’ where we raise thirty-something chickens and three Scottish Highland cows. When we're not doing chores or working on a never ending list of 'to-do's, we're frequently running to a practice or event. At these events you'll either find me coaching, or working on a box of earrings during practice.
My children see me working hard and working toward goals. They see me trying, failing, and then trying again. They're not content to just watch me either! My kids contribute creatively with new ideas for earrings, and then help me put them on cards. My husband works as my sounding board as well as my professional leather burner. My sister helped me get this business running, and tries her best to keep the earring studio (and my brain) organized! I couldn’t have come this far without them.
Having my family be such a big part of this business is something I don’t take for granted. I hope one day my kids will look back and realize that they too can create the life they want as long as they are willing to take a leap of faith, always be willing to learn, and put the work in.
making things
hand-crafted
Leather earrings are made from leather that is sourced from several U.S. small businesses. The earrings are cut and burned on the edges to ensure they don't fray, and then prepared for hardware with a leather punch. The metal hardware is then secured and I (or one of my kids) places the earrings on a card to be displayed or shipped!
Clay earrings are made by mixing multiple colors of clay to achieve a custom color to my liking. The clay is conditioned, cut, and goes through an initial baking process. The clay pieces are then sanded, drilled if needed, and rinsed .
The final step is to secure them to a stainless steel post with glue, and then wait 24 hours for the glue to cure. At this point liquid clay is applied, and the earrings are baked a final time to ensure a secure bond.