The Little Strings offers custom string art, hosts parties

By Sarah Allen

HIGHLAND COUNTY — It began with a birthday present; it became a business; but it has always been “strung together” by one thing: Family.

The Little Strings is a Facebook-based business set in Highland County that offers custom-made string art. The very first thing visitors to the business’ Facebook page will see is owner Bridgette Boyle Warner surrounded by her family. She writes: “I’m a happily married mom to three human children and four furry animal children.”

It is little wonder that The Little Strings began not as a business, but as a special family tradition.

“It happened by accident,” Warner said, explaining that she and her husband often make gifts for their kids’ birthdays. For one a few years ago, Warner came across string art online and thought it would be a perfect present. After making it, she posted a picture on Facebook.

Shortly afterward, she started receiving requests for more string art.

From there, “it snowballed,” Warner said.

In the three years since, she has had “hundreds and hundreds of orders,” Warner said, which have shipped all over the country and even as far as Hawaii.

And it is her family, Warner said, that continues to make the business what it is today.

Jared; their three kids, Bella, Adda, and Eleanore; and her grandparents, Tom and Jeanne Boyle, have been her cheerleaders and supporters.

She added that, in many ways, her love of crafting began with her grandparents. Warner described how her grandfather would make gifts in his wood shop and how she would often help him.

“I loved it,” she said. “I wanted to be like my grandpa. I wanted to be like my grandma.”

Nowadays, every time she finishes a project, she sends her grandparents a picture. Warner added that her grandfather especially likes to hear about how many nails she has used. “I’ve used hundreds of pounds of nails,” she added.

“It’s very much a family business,” Warner said, adding that her husband is the one who makes the wood for each project. “I couldn’t do it without him.”

Her kids, she said, often lend a helping hand, too.

Each project, Warner said, begins with a mock-up. A client will describe what they want, and she will make a design. For each order, the client chooses the stain of the wood and the color of the string.

“I’m kind of a perfectionist,” Warner said, adding that, in the end, “everyone’s usually pretty happy with it.”

Her attention to detail, her eye for craft, and the support of her family create a business—and finished products—that are one of a kind.

Warner described some of the quirkier orders she’s filled. For one family with fans of both the University of Kentucky and The Ohio State University, she created string art that blended UK and OSU.

She also commented on skyline pieces, wherein she utilizes negative space to create cityscapes.

One of her most popular pieces is a US map — with the states families have visited filled in. “It’s a neat conversation piece,” Warner said.

She also added that she has hosted a variety of parties with Little Strings, including birthdays, girls’ nights out, tea parties, and Girl Scout gatherings.

And while the pandemic saw a break in her parties, she continued to sell string art kits, which came with detailed instructions, a drilled board, string, nails, and a pattern to reference.

With COVID-19 seeming to wane, however, Warner said she is hoping to restart her string art parties in the fall.

And those connections — whether through a party or a string art order—have been priceless. As she said on her Facebook page: “I’m so thankful for all of my supporters and people that keep buying string art from me. It makes me happy I can be a small part of your world.”

The Little Strings can be found on Facebook.

Salt Magazine

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