Our Story

Kristin Hinkle Trainor is the owner of Diesel and Lulu's Connecticut and 10-Ton Goldfish Designs.

Since 2012, the pink & white striped logo of Diesel & Lulu’s has been a familiar site to anyone who has driven through E. Sandwich on Cape Cod.

Friends since their art school days in New York, founder and owner, Peri Olson collaborated with Trainor a West Hartford native, to bring Diesel & Lulu’s unique offerings to the Nutmeg State! 

Launched in 2022 as a brick-and-mortar location in Avon, CT, Trainor closed that location in 2026 and moved all operations to an e-commerce model for the time being. Olsen's Cape Cod store remains open at its original location.

The store is named for Olsen's beloved pups Diesel and Lulu who have since crossed the rainbow bridge after many happy years!

Kristin is also the artist behind 10-ton goldfish designs, a bespoke jewelry and wearable art studio in Newington, CT. Classically trained under renowned artist Leonard Urso at the prestigious School for American Craftsmen at RIT, and Pierre Schlevogt at the Fachhochschule fur Gestaltung in Schwaebisch Gmuend, Germany,  Kristin creates “fun & funky jewelry for EVERY body”.

From simple explorations in line and form out of Sterling Silver and 14k gf, to playful explosions of color and contrast with non-traditional materials like recycled glass, anodized aluminum and hard enameled wire, there truly is something for everyone in her many collections. Her work can currently be found in boutiques, galleries, and shops around New England and the front range in Colorado.

“When I was a small child I saw a picture of women from the Kayan Lahwi tribe who are known for wearing brass coil rings around their necks to lengthen them.

From that moment on, I was intrigued by all the ways humans adorn themselves. Jewelry has been a part of human history for as long back as we can record. Jewelry can symbolize a rite of passage, provide protection as a talisman, depict social or relationship status or religion, be a form of expression, heritage, or even provide a functional element. I love the feeling of knowing something I made is being worn and enjoyed by someone.” - Kristin