A Former Kindergarten Teacher’s Artsy Enterprise

Entrepreneur Katie Angell, founder of Katie Ink, creates items that celebrate the joys of childhood.

katie ink

Courtesy of Fine Life Photography

What began as a series of doodles started a whole new career for Katie Angell. In 2017, the former kindergarten teacher turned her passion for creating and crafting into an online business that sells whimsical art prints and children’s T-shirts. The business, Katie Ink, celebrates everything good about being a kid.

“The idea for Katie Ink was born from a doodle of a goose with the word ‘silly inside. I loved the word play and the simplicity of the design, so I ran with it,” says Angell, a Mendham Township resident and mother of three children—now 11, 13 and 16.

In addition to Silly Goose and other colorful graphics, Katie Ink features a series of brightly colored trucks. Angell, a self-taught artist, also launched Bigs and Littles, a collection that includes art prints for big kids. 

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“After years of lesson planning in my classroom, throwing birthday parties, and raising three of my own kiddos, I learned that life doesn’t have to be fancy or fussed with,” says Angell. “It’s the little things that matter most: belly laughs, time together or a long squeeze. That’s the good stuff.” 

For each Silly Goose T-shirt sold, Katie Ink makes a gift to Autism New Jersey, a nonprofit that provides information and resources to parents and caregivers of children with autism. 

Follow our style editor on Instagram (@susanbrierlybush).

 

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