Santa Claus can be all things to various people.
But to Greta Jones, he’s made of all things.
She creates intricate and beautiful Santa dolls from tidbits she finds.
For example, she turned a handheld butane lighter into a rifle for a hunting Santa. A Greek Orthodox reverent Santa wears a cloak lined with real mink fur; his staff is made from a curtain rod.
“This is a good example of what you can do with odds and ends,” said Jones, of Carmel, Ind.
Jones, a former interior designer and medical technologist, has been making the Santas for about 14 years. It often takes her years to complete a figure — since they require so many homemade parts.
“It’s very hard to tell when they’re complete because I never know when they’re done.”
Sometimes it takes a while to find the right look. Santa’s face is all but worn out as he holds his “naughty and nice” book in a piece titled “The Night Before the Night Before Christmas,” A day-after-Christmas Santa shows a jollier fellow relaxing in a hammock made from a curved banana holder.
Few of the improvised devices are noticeable until one takes a closer look. That’s part of the enjoyment Jones gets from making the pieces.
“I love the creative element, finding the details and stuff, rummaging for strange things in odd places, in the bottom of drawers and antique shops,” she said. “And saying how can I imagine something.”
They sell for about $100 each and she can be contacted through greta.jns@gmail.com.
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Details for this story were provided by TheHerald Bulletin in Anderson, Ind.
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Greta Jones with some of her whimsical Santas that she fashions from items found around the house. (Photo by John P. Cleary/The Anderson, Ind., Herald Bulletin)
A lot of parts make up Santa dolls
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