Today we are talking with Stefanie Teufel.
So, Stefanie, tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Stefanie, I’m 42 years old and live in Cologne, Germany. And to add a random fact about me – actually my last name is Teufel, which means devil in English, so you can imagine I had a fun time in school.
In my day job I’m responsible for the marketing at a local newspaper. But I love to create and express myself. So for me it’s really relaxing to work with all those beautiful beads and fiber after returning home from work. And all the vibrant colors I tend to work with lighten up my mood.
My first love was writing. Actually I wrote some books about the computer system “Linux” – kind of funny for a jewelry artist, isn’t it?, but then I felt the need to do something with my hands, create pieces and see the hopefully beautiful results right in front of me. Making jewelry was a natural consequence because I collected costume jewelry for a long time.
All in all I've been born with a magpie gen - so when I come across beads or fabric I feel the urgent need to collect them. Unfortunately I have to work till six o’clock, sometimes later and I have a fiancé who wants to spent time with me (and vice versa :-)) so there isn’t too much time left for making jewelry. I try to get things done on the weekend. I love to sit down with my stash and come up with a new bracelet or necklace. A sunny Saturday or Sunday and a bunch of beads and fiber - what could be better?
What's your favorite type of cording or fiber to work with in jewelry?
I'm absolutely in love with sari-ribbon. The vibrant colors and the different textures are so inspiring. And I like the idea that this ribbon helps women to make their living. Isn't that great - to have beautiful stuff to work with and to help using it:-)
Why do you like working with cords and fibers in your designs? What quality draws you to these materials?
In my opinion you can add character to a design. Sometimes a plain and simple design gets sophisticated just by adding a scrap of fiber. I love that. And I also love the colors you can bring into your design with sari silk and the like. So most of the time I can't help myself. Somewhere in the designing process, a little bit of fiber steals its way into it:-)
Stefanie, I love your use of color and that Sari silk. YUM! Thank you for talking with us!
You can find more of Stefanie at her blog: Stefanie's Sammelsurium
And
more of her jewelry at her Etsy Shop: Stefanie's Etsy Shop
OR
her Dwanda Shop: Stefanie's Dwanda Shop
