It's A Pleasure To Meet You . . .

. . . Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ella Salomea, the creative vision and dexterous hands behind The Pebble Collection. I have debated whether to start this page at the beginning of this business or at my own beginning. I think that in order to understand what I design, you should understand who I am and where I came from. That's part of the lure of handmade goods, knowing that there is a specific person and story behind the creations. I'll do my best to blend current news and ideas with personal vignettes.
Perhaps this all started on that very day at the beach when a very intense, often scowling, 15 month old gravitated towards a polished ocean stone or a colorful shell. As the only child of two artisan parents, creative opportunities abounded. I remember very few toys I had as a child but have many found memories of a metal lunchbox full of crayons and colored pencils. I distinctly remember sitting at my father's drawing table making tiny food out of clay with him. I was only three.
I grew up in the beautiful Northwest corner of Connecticut, nestled between New York and Massachusetts in the foothills of the Berkshires. I had my faithful dog and 60 acres to explore. I often picked and dried flowers or painted rocks I found in the stream. I remember collecting the most perfect fall leaves and pressing them in books and later laminating them for Christmas decorations. I later joined my mother at tag sales and flea markets where I collected vintage toys and miniature sculptures. By the time I was a teenager, I had carefully arranged these hundreds of childhood treasures on a floor to ceiling bookshelf. This very display was the inspiration for The Pebble Collection.