Local artist creates jewlery out of found objects

From typewriter keys to bifocal lenses, antique watch parts to skeleton keys, Lizz Godfroy’s affinity for found objects led her to start Lily in Flux, her own line of handmade recycled jewelry and accessories.
          
Focusing on found objects, Godfroy creates necklaces, earrings, belt buckles, and other accessories. “I’m a sucker for nostalgia,” says Godfroy, which is why her work focuses on recycled and rediscovered objects. To find such objects, she spends her time digging through thrift shops and antique stores.  Recently, she traveled to Bloomington, Ind., to purchase a few old typewriters she had her eye on. She typically finds the objects first, and then leaves them in her studio to “marinate down there,” she says.
           
Godfroy moved back to Cincinnati in 2003, after a 10-year stint in Bar Harbor, Maine. Upon her return back to her native home, people wanted her designs, and in 2008, she officially started Lily in Flux, naming her business after her first dog.

On the weekends, Godfroy participates in craft shows in the area. “A lot of it is word of mouth,” she says, in terms of which shows she attends and which she doesn’t. Locally, she has participated in the City Flea and Factory Flea.  She has no plans to open a storefront; she wants to focus on the quality of her pieces instead of maintaining a space.

Godfroy’s favorite work is the one-of-a-kind pieces she does. Her 1950s eyeglass collection started it all.  Using lenses of old bifocals from the ‘50s, she creates necklaces and belt buckles. “Coming up with new things is always exciting,” she says.
           
Based in Northside, Godfroy feels it is the best spot for Lily in Flux. “Northside has a really grassroots feel, and it’s really authentic,” she says.
           
Jewelry and paintings by Lily in Flux can be found locally at Fabricate, 4037 Hamilton Ave., in Northside. She will also be participating in the Crafty Supermarket at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, at 3711 Clifton Ave. Her work is also featured on her website and on Etsy.

By Gina Gaetano