Meet Jenell Copeland of Pinehurst

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenell Copeland.

Hi Jenell, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m a Middle School science teacher. Teaching during and after COVID-19 was mentally exhausting, with the constant uncertainty leaving me empty and deflated. I explored new hobbies and activities to de-stress in my evening hours. I needed a way to turn off the chaos of daily life and create something tangible with a brighter purpose. I found that purpose through a serendipitous wrong-number text from a colleague asking if I wanted to purchase the bottles of glitter. We had not, in-fact, talked about glitter at all, but I was captivated by the iridescent sparkle so different from the red/green/gold glitter I was familiar with from the craft store. This gorgeous glitter had a sparkle that was mesmerizing; how could I say no to such beauty. I bought all three bottles without any clue how I could use suck high quality and rather pricey glitter. I thought my glitter days ended in college when we glitter-bombed our best guy friends’ walkway, but one day doom-scrolling, I stumbled across resin jewelry videos and I was hooked. I bought a generic mold, and made my first pair of earrings. Then my second and then my third. I purchased more glitter, watched every How-To video I could, and learned through trial and error. I started handing earrings out to friends, family, and coworkers just to brighten their day and received positive feedback. I was asked if I could create something using custom colors or a specific design. More molds were purchased, this time from artistic sellers rather than big box stores. Eventually, I started experimenting with dried flowers in earrings, rings, and pendants. I started pressing my own flowers and suddenly realized how many beautiful “weeds” were growing wild around Moore County. The sides of highways, ditches, and abandoned parking lots offer an abundant array of colors and shapes; ditch Daisies and Sneezeweed are some of my favorites. Selling to family and friends turned into weekend festivals and custom orders. The hobby serves precisely what I was craving: an outlet from the rigors of the classroom and adulting while also offering a way for people to express their own individuality and uniqueness. I hope my earrings offer brilliance on drab days, produce unsolicited compliments when least expected, or offer a story connecting people.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Learning how to use resin has been a learning process, from the quality and different chemical properties of different resins, to the exact temperature and humidity required for the curing process. Initially, I was wasting resin and time with pieces that were coming out with air bubbles, blurred colors, or just floppy, tacky messes. Practice, patience, and an ability to turn what wasn’t planned into something beautiful proved helpful.

The biggest hurdle was taking chances with festivals. We have attended festivals with high entry fees and made little or no profit. We have traveled far distances and lost money on gas and travel, attended festivals with too many vendors with similar merchandise, or had poor advertising and turnout. I had to learn where to find people who valued my products and how to recognize a real opportunity from a waste of time. Initially, I wanted to try as many festivals as possible for experience, exposure, etc. After a year, I’ve started figuring out who my ideal target audience is and how it could differ based on the products I am offering.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am most proud of my dried flower jewelry. This includes pendants, earrings, and rings. Learning to press and dry local Moore county flowers and plants collected on a walks sets me apart. I could easily buy flower bouquets at the market or dried flowers quite reasonably online. I like taking the time to pick and press my own. It has made me more aware of the beauty and the names of many local flora and fauna. I can tell people the names of many flowers and the story that often accompanies the earrings. I love knowing that each piece I make is truly one of a kind and I hope it serves as a conversation starter for anyone that wears my jewelry.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was an outdoor and animal-loving child. In grade school, I formed the “Save the Worm Club,” horrified at the large number of earthworms that drowned and baked on the sidewalk after heavy rains. I rode horses and spent as much of my free time as I could learning horse and farm care. I hiked mountains and attended sleepover camp for many summers in beautiful Nova Scotia. I helped form the Outdoors Club in high school. I collected shells, rocks and minerals, cool erasers, and Absolut Vodka Ads. I enjoyed school and adored all things learning. I was never a girlie-girl and now find it very ironic that I get such joy from creating sparkly earrings

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rozdeldesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rozdeldesigns?igsh=dDk0bGpjZzNpNmw0
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BLDKP8oXN/