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Whimsicals By Jen
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: Winter 2024
Jen Strall’s enchanting treasures are carefully constructed from cast-off bits and bobs.
There are artists who create just to please themselves. Then there are artists who choose to make the world a better place, through beauty, entertainment, clever inventions. And some go one step further – repurposing toss-aways for the sake of art.
Jen Strallis one of the latter. Nature inspires her. Her crafting materials are often reused items. Some of her best sellers are composed of parts from found objects, computer components, broken toys, machinery bits, and other cast-offs.
“I create upcycled, whimsical windchimes and jewelry,” Jen explains. “I like things that are fun to wear and that make people smile. I’ve been doing it for ten years.”
Her assemblages are strong sellers. Owl pendants are made of watch pieces and discarded jewelry. Attached to a chain, owls and other creatures transform into a necklace that makes a striking focal point against a simple blouse or garment.
Windchimes are also big sellers.
“I may use a sifter, a chandelier, or a candelabra as a base,” she says. “Forks, spoons, and metal strips that have a musical ring are perfect dangling chimes, Sometimes keys, beads, shells, belt buckles, nails, or customers’ personal trinket-remembrances are finishing touches.”
Jen participated in 15 craft shows this summer. Semi-retired, she is starting to feel like it’s full-time employment during the season.
She takes custom orders for specific themes, colors, objects like a teapot, or some heirloom items. People bring Jen interesting objects and ask expectantly, “What can you make with this?”
She also makes enamel jewelry on aluminum. She adds brilliant colors of alcohol inks. She turns some colorful beer labels into pendants, earrings, or bracelets.
When asked if anyone in her family inspired her artistically, she said, “My grandfather took up simple windchime-making as a hobby. Just for family. I still have the one he gave me.”You can see Jen and her work at all the annual local shows: Hard Candy Christmas, the Franklin art/craft shows and Pumpkin Show, Maggie Valley, Sapphire Valley, Highlands, and more.
Visit her on Facebook – Whimsicals by Jen. If you have some cool, smallish, artful-looking items to give away, let her know. And, along that line, if you have a broken earring or other jewelry, she can fix it for you. Just contact her through Facebook.
She says, “I can repair, create, and recreate just about any costume jewelry – or turn it into art.”
