Welcome to Floorboard Findings: Handmade Ice Dye, Graphic Tees & Crystal Jewelry from York, PA

If you had told me ten years ago that a love for color theory would turn into a full-scale boutique and wholesale operation, I probably would have laughed. But here we are. Welcome to Floorboard Findings Boutique, my handmade ice dye, graphic tee, and crystal jewelry brand based out of York, Pennsylvania.

I'm Maria, and I've been creating since before I knew it could be a career. I studied art at California University of Pennsylvania, where I fell hard for color theory — the way hues interact, the way warm and cool tones push and pull against each other on fabric and canvas. I also earned my Cosmetology and Massage Therapy License, which gave me hands-on skills that translate into working with textiles and dye more than you might expect. Understanding how pigment bonds to fiber isn't so different from understanding how color lifts and deposits in hair.

How Floorboard Findings Boutique Started

In 2015, I started making Swarovski crystal jewelry and selling it on Etsy. Small scale, kitchen table, late nights after my daughters went to bed. My husband Cory is a firefighter and paramedic, so our schedules were already unconventional. I'd work on pieces during his shifts and pack orders between school pickups.

By 2019, I had applied for my business license and launched my own Shopify store. The Etsy shop had taught me what customers responded to: bold color, quality materials, pieces that felt personal rather than mass-produced. But I wanted more control over the experience. I wanted a space that felt like mine.

In 2021, everything shifted. I started experimenting with ice dye techniques on apparel (crewnecks, hoodies, tees) and added custom graphic tees to the lineup. That was the moment the brand found its identity. Crystal jewelry, hand-dyed apparel, and custom printed tees all under one creative vision. Not sourced from a catalog. Not mass-produced. Made by hand, in small batches, with purpose behind every color choice.

What Makes Ice Dye Different from Tie Dye

When most people hear "tie dye," they picture spiral patterns and neon colors from a summer camp craft table. Ice dye is a completely different process, and the results show it.

Here's how it works. I start with premium garment-dyed blanks (Comfort Colors crewnecks, Bella Canvas tees, Gildan hoodies) and soak them in a soda ash solution that opens the cotton fibers to bond with the dye. Then I manipulate each piece by hand: crumpling, folding, twisting, or laying it flat depending on the look I'm going for. Ice goes on top, sometimes two or three layers deep. Then I sprinkle fiber-reactive Procion MX dye powder across the ice and let chemistry take over.

As the ice melts, slowly over a full 24 hours, it carries the dye down through the fabric in unpredictable paths. Colors split into their component pigments. A single dye called "Boysenberry" might fracture into deep plum, rose pink, and pale lavender. That pigment-splitting effect is what gives ice-dyed pieces their watercolor depth. It is impossible to replicate. Every single piece that comes out of my studio is one of a kind.

Unlike mass-produced tie dye apparel, my boutique focuses on careful color placement to create unique items that cannot be duplicated. That's the core of what I do, and it's what sets our ice dye collection apart from anything you'll find on a department store rack.

Three Pillars: Ice Dye, Graphic Tees, and Crystal Jewelry

Floorboard Findings isn't just one thing. The boutique runs on three product lines, each handmade or custom-created under the same roof.

Ice Dye Apparel is the heart of the brand. Hand-dyed sweatshirts, tees, hoodies, and tanks created in small batches. Each piece features unique color splits and organic patterns that happen once and never again. You can browse what's available right now in our ready-to-ship collection, or place a preorder if you want a specific colorway made for you.

Graphic Tees are printed using professional DTF transfers, sublimation, and screen printing for designs that hold up wash after wash. I create seasonal designs, custom pieces, and branded apparel, including wholesale work for partners like Pine Ridge Campground, where I've been a camper long before I was their apparel supplier.

Swarovski Crystal Jewelry is where it all began. Handmade studs, bracelets, and statement earrings crafted with authentic Swarovski elements on delicate cup chain. They're designed to layer, mix, and add sparkle to whatever you're wearing, including the ice dye.

What to Expect from This Blog

I'm building this blog as a resource for customers, fellow makers, and anyone curious about the craft behind the color. Here's what you'll find here going forward:

• Care guides: how to wash and maintain your ice-dyed pieces so the color stays vibrant for years
• Behind-the-scenes looks: the studio, the process, the messy beautiful reality of dyeing by hand
• Style tips: how to wear bold color with confidence, gift guides for the people in your life who aren't afraid of a statement piece
• Maker knowledge: the blanks I use and why, the difference between ice dye and traditional tie dye, and what goes into building a small creative business from the ground up

This isn't a corporate brand blog. It's a window into how I work, what I've learned, and what drives me to keep creating. Color with backbone. That's what this brand is about. Bold, deliberate, one of a kind.

Come Find Your Piece

Looking for a hand-dyed crewneck that nobody else will have? A pair of crystal studs that catch the light just right? Or maybe you just want to know how ice dye actually works. You're in the right place.

I'm glad you're here. Poke around, learn more about me, and if something catches your eye, grab it before it's gone. With one-of-a-kind pieces, once they're sold, they don't come back.