Katrina Tollefsrud

Finding an outlet for my creativity has been the best thing I have ever done for myself. I am a jewelry maker, silversmith, and leather worker. I enjoy making beautiful small pieces of jewelry out of sterling silver that I would wear, nothing extravagant but still catches the eye. Making Sami-style bracelets makes me appreciate and feel connected to my native northern Scandinavian heritage. And doing leather work opens a whole other aspect of creativity from hand marbling stunningly colorful pieces to make wallets, purses and more from, to just the process of building a purse. I find it so fulfilling to plan out every piece of a bag before it is made and execute it with precision. Every step in leatherwork needs to be precise or it will show. I take pride in the skills of cutting, sewing by hand and finishing edges because customers notice those details, they can see the quality of craftsmanship. I love when people discover the quality of “made by hand” for the first time while looking at my work.

I am from Rochester. When I am not in the shop creating, I often hike at Quarry Hill, watch movies and cuddle with my adorable cat, or most likely, work with my other business: Katrina Mirinda Hypnosis.