Tell us a little about who you are and where you come from.
I am Sue Clark Koenig and live in Lakewood, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. I retired in 2005 after many (too many) years in state government. I wasn't quite ready to "do nothing", so I opened a travel agency which has done well - far beyond my expectations, and it has allowed my husband and me to travel throughout most of the world.
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| The Night Out set |
On our last around the world cruise in 2013 I started buying beads on a whim. Now realize that I hadn't done any beading since I was a little kid at summer camp, so when I got home, I had a bit of a learning curve. Thank heavens for YouTube and many other websites that teach basic beading stitches. Luckily I'm a quick learner and I love to design and I started making some jewelry pieces which, of course, led me to having to buy additional supplies. Pretty soon it became a very fun hobby and, of course, I kept buying more pretty supplies. Soon I had a whole box full of necklaces, bracelets, whatever, so I decided maybe I should try one of the online shops and Dinglefritz was born. I still make the jewelry just as a fun hobby, but the sales help paying for my supplies. I don't take custom orders as I want to remain it a fun hobby rather than something stressful - I have enough of that in my travel business.
Your business name is very interesting, where does it come from and what does it mean?
I chose Dinglefritz as the name of the shop because it's just a funny word that I've used to describe frivolous "stuff" like decorations on fabric or jewelry. When I would be making something, I'd say "I think it needs some sort of Dinglefritz here and here." There's another definition of the dinglefritz that has it meaning "a weird person". That might also fit ... but I'll leave it open :-)
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| Lavender crystals necklace |
I think this is one of the most asked questions - where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration for all my jewelry comes from the beads. Sometimes if I don't have a particular design in mind, I'll just make a pile of beads in the colors I want to use and look at them until something jumps out at me.
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| White and mint green bead embroidered bracelet |
Tell us a fun thing about yourself.
I'd rather travel than bead, but since I can't do that, beading is a fun hobby.
Do you do other crafts, if yes, what?
My other hobby is quilting although it's taken a backseat to beading over the last year.
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| Brown LC Tiles Quilt |
Which one of your pieces is your absolute favorite? Which one was the hardest to make and why?
I don't really have a favorite piece, I pretty much like everything I make - some more than others. If I'm just not liking the way something is turning out, I tend to cut it apart and make something different. I find bead embroidered pieces the most difficult, but I love them, so I have made several. They are so time-consuming I tend to get bored and usually end up taking a break and making something else that is strung or bead woven.
Is there someone you admire and who inspires you?
Oh my, I'll weasel out of this question by saying that I've "met" so many wonderful beaders - mostly on Facebook.
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| Green lampwork earrings |
If you had free choice of just one supply you can use for your craft, what would you be dreaming of, no matter how expensive?
BEADS.
Do you sell online, if yes, where can we find you?
Dinglefritz on Zibbet and Dinglefritz on Facebook.
Famous last words ;-) Is there anything else you want to tell the world out there?
Life is terminal - do what you want to do now as you might not have another chance.
Thank you for this interview, Sue, and keep on beading!
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