Tefi Designs is a one-woman cottage industry based in Dallas TX specializing in jewelry and accessories made with quality materials and craftsmanship. While I make all sorts of home and fashion accessories, my focus is handmade jewelry. My current jewelry lines include:
Pottery Shards: Handcrafted jewelry made with genuine Ming Dynasty shards of pottery.
Yo-Yo's: Hand-sewn fabric arranged into a unique sculpture, reinforced on the back, and finished off with chain.
Balls: Ethically-raised wool felted to create balls that I turn into beaded jewelry.
Peapods: Wire-wrapped sterling silver pendants made with genuine jade beads. Perfect for moms and moms-to-be!
Juicy Fruit: A Tefi Original! Made with luscious Czech glass beads that look good enough to eat.
Nuts: Jewelry handcrafted using rainforest nuts and seeds that my mom brought back from Colombia.
Along with designing, creating, and managing Tefi Designs, I founded and lead Etsy Dallas, the original Dallas craft collective since 2007. Each year I organize two of Dallas' premiere handmade shopping events: the Spring Bash in May and the Jingle Bash in November.
Professionally, I work as a grant writer for a non-profit serving homeless children and am committed to serving animals by donating 10% of net profits to animal rescue groups. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, I received my BA in English and Italian in 1998 and Bilingual Educator Certification in 2002. I am a published freelance writer.
I live and work in the tight-knit artsy Dallas community of Oak Cliff with hubs Jason, son Ian, and dog Oliver. I am an advisor for La Reunion, a local artist residency program in Oak Cliff and I sit on the Board of the Oak Cliff Artisans. I am an active member of the North Cliff Conservation District neighborhood association, volunteer for the Jefferson Median Beautification Project, and member of RECPTA, the state's oldest PTA. On January 17, 2009 I became a first-time mother to Ian Alejandro, my darling boy wonder.
Handmade crafts are a testament to the people and times of a culture. When you buy handmade, you support your local artist community and your local economy - when you buy handmade, you buy American. You can be sure that the piece you bought was made with love by someone just like you - not made in a factory, assembled by robots.
While many artists and artisans price their items fairly, remember that they are offering you a piece of their talent - made with their hands. So the next time you get ready to buy a gift, choose handmade. Choose a gift from the hands and the heart.
copyright 2009 . Tefi Designs LLC . all rights reserved