{"id":60914,"date":"2025-07-13T00:31:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T00:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/60914\/"},"modified":"2025-07-13T00:31:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T00:31:13","slug":"made-in-tarrant-kings-whimsy-artwork-made-from-collected-items","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/60914\/","title":{"rendered":"Made in Tarrant: King\u2019s Whimsy artwork made from collected items"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Karla King has a creative outlet while she undergoes chemotherapy: She makes whimsical artwork and decor items out of random objects.<\/p>\n

Her King\u2019s Whimsy business started about 15 years ago after she spotted wall hangings made of utensils and other items sold at the Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat looks like fun,\u201d she told family members. \u201cI\u2019d like to make some things out of junk.\u201d<\/p>\n

The retro-looking, steampunk-inspired pieces attract buyers with their quirkiness while featuring ordinary household objects in a modern but nostalgic way, King said.<\/p>\n

King, a longtime Wedgwood-area resident, gathered up materials for art projects and started building with family members. Eventually, that led to sales at a creative collective business in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have a building or mechanical background,\u201d King said. \u201cMy background is merchandising or retail. But we started building and we continue to build.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prices range from $45 for a small robot-like figure to about $325 for larger pieces. The prices depend on the size and amount of time King spends creating a piece. The average price is from about $125 to $150, she said.<\/p>\n

King, 68, has sold many of her art and decor pieces at ArtsGoggle, an annual Near Southside event that will be held on Oct. 11, 2025. Family members who do wood carvings recently opened up a workshop and showroom to create and sell those art pieces.<\/p>\n

\"\"Robot-like creatures made from scrap wood, found objects and other gear line a shelf in King\u2019s Whimsy in Fort Worth on July 10, 2025. Parts include oven dials and cookie cutter designs. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

King, who has been dealing with metastatic breast cancer for the past five years, says the creative work motivates her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She has good days and bad days, but works on her art at least a few hours each day.<\/p>\n

Contact information<\/strong><\/p>\n

King\u2019s Whimsy<\/p>\n

Phone<\/strong>: 817-454-1254<\/p>\n

Facebook<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kingswhimsy<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram: <\/strong>https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kingswhimsy\/?hl=en<\/a><\/p>\n

The interview has been edited for length, grammar and clarity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eric Garcia:<\/strong> How do you decide on the theme of your objects?<\/p>\n

Karla King: <\/strong>It depends on the item I start with, really.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I have built so many things for so long. The dogs are very popular. I collect things I know would work: \u201cOh, this would be a good body\u201d or \u201cThis would work for a head\u201d or \u201cThese could be ears.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And then I just start gathering parts for when I start to build. Old hinges \u2026 coffee cans are great bodies for people. They get a coffee pot for a head, coffee can for a body, forks and spoons for arms and feet. And then any accessories I might have.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last year, I had these little miniature cameras. They were real cameras and they were vintage. They were probably about 2 inches big. I made little press reporters. They were little guys with a camera around their neck and on their hat it said \u201cPress.\u201d We just kinda go from there, whatever catches my eye.<\/p>\n

Garcia: <\/strong>Tell me about your background?<\/p>\n

King:<\/strong> I am now retired; have been for several years. The last job I was working at, I was a material manager for a parts supplier for General Motors. Before that, I was a distribution manager for women\u2019s clothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When I was going to go to the automotive industry, one of my previous bosses was there, and I said, \u201cI don\u2019t know anything about automobiles.\u201d He goes, \u201cA part number is a part number, whether it\u2019s a blouse or an engine. You don\u2019t need to know what the part is, you just have to know its numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was there for several years. Once I got my kids out of college, I thought that\u2019s it. I can retire now.<\/p>\n

Garcia:<\/strong> Where do you sell your pieces? Is it mostly online or at art shows?<\/p>\n

King: <\/strong>I do both. We have cut back on art shows because, unfortunately, five years ago I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. I\u2019ve been doing well five years in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ArtsGoggle is our biggest show every year. We used to travel and do different markets but that was getting too hard for me to do, so we cut those out. I didn\u2019t have the energy to do that at first. But now my energy is improving.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I also have my husband, Tim, and son to do it. Last year at ArtsGoggle, I had a bad spell and I was not doing well, so they did ArtsGoggle without me and they handled that well. This year I should be able to do that with no issues or no problems. I\u2019m getting stronger all the time.<\/p>\n

Garcia:<\/strong> Did you find that having a creative outlet while you were dealing with breast cancer was helpful?<\/p>\n

King:<\/strong> Yes, I do. I love to go in there and create whether I have the stamina or not. I can always get Tim to help me if there\u2019s something I can\u2019t handle or I can\u2019t finish. I do have some neuropathy in my fingers and my toes so it limits the time I can work on the pieces. I can work on them, but I have to rest my hands and my toes for a while. But I can go back to it.<\/p>\n

\"\"Wooden wall-mounted lamps illuminate reclaimed wood artwork made by Karla King\u2019s husband and son. The work is showcased in the King\u2019s Whimsy studio on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Garcia: <\/strong>What is the reaction people have when they see your work?<\/p>\n

King:<\/strong> They just really enjoy looking at them and trying to figure out what the pieces and parts that are in there are. We use a lot of kitchen items and garage items, so they\u2019ll say, \u201cMy grandmother had one of these\u201d or \u201cI know what these are.\u201d It\u2019s a little nostalgic walk. There\u2019s the uniqueness of it.<\/p>\n

Garcia: <\/strong>How do you get materials for your pieces?<\/p>\n

King:<\/strong> I\u2019m a little more limited now. We used to hit estate sales every weekend, go to the garage sales \u2014 and I would always go straight for the garage and the kitchen. I would look at the estate sale pictures and say, \u201cOh no, they\u2019ve got crystal and glass, that\u2019s too froufrou for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

I need grandpa\u2019s junky garage. We\u2019ll also buy baby food jars of nuts and bolts and screws. I will use vintage ones; I don\u2019t like using a new bolt or screw that you\u2019re going to see on the item. I usually want it to be a flathead screw and I want it to have an edge look to it.<\/p>\n

Your friends find out what you do and they\u2019re quick to bring you a bunch of stuff. Sometimes it\u2019s good. Sometimes it\u2019s cat food cans. I think I\u2019m going to recycle those. We\u2019re just repurposing and reusing whatever we can.<\/p>\n

Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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