Wednesday, May 6, 2009



Like so many children, McFlashpants was conceived during the New York city blackout. Seriously.
When the power died, so did my artificial construct of reality: I had no food, no water, no money, no way to attain any, and no way to escape the situation. Let’s say it was a clarifying moment. I realized I had absolutely no idea how to take care of myself without my giant urban pacifier. So, I decided to make a change.

I moved to bucolic upstate New York, where I lose power almost daily, hardly ever see my friends, and am still afraid of the dark. But it’s better now. Now I get it. Now I’m tapped back into the cycle of life. And now, I can take care of myself without a deli across the street.

The learning curve was huge, but after five years upstate, I have begun to farm. I can grow and preserve my own food. I can raise chickens and tend goats. I can create the simplest of herbal remedies. I compost everything (even my son’s diapers). And I recycle to the point of obsessively ridiculous.

Which is where McFlashpants comes in. After all, I couldn’t give up every aspect of my lifestyle. And I wanted to keep making jewelry, just without the mining and the waste. So, McFlashpants is a collection of jewelry and small housewares made almost entirely from reused, renewed, repurposed, recycled, and reinvigorated materials.

The Eat With Your Hands series is devoted to breathing new life into unwanted silverware. The Living Jewelry line—composed of reused flatware and ginseng bottles—takes that idea one step further, by putting actual life into unwanted silverware.

I welcome all forms of feedback and revel in special orders. So please let loose.

1 comment:

ILDIKO said...

Jen...it was great meeting you at the Barryville Art's Fair yesterday....8/8/09...and I definitely want you to make some jewelry out of some old silverplated utensils for me. I found them, and will give you a call to see if we can make it work.

Mary Mester
Milford, PA