tamar & her stunning soft sculptures

To have Tamar Mogendorff among our outstanding teacher team at the Makerie Sewing retreat is quite an incredible honor, to say the least. It took me several years (for real!) to reach Tamar and was so excited to finally connect with her last summer when I had the wonderful chance to get to know her in person. I spent some time in her Brooklyn studio, surrounded by her magical bird cages, watchful owls, deer with bashful eyes and long eyelashes, each with a unique charm and European flair. It was fascinating to learn about how she approaches her projects and the wonderful ways she brings her creations to life, something Tamar's students will also learn in her Soft Sculpture workshops in April. Her work has been featured around the world and in gorgeous publications such as Sweet Paul Magazine, Selvedge, and The New York Times just to name a few.

We can't wait to have her in Boulder & wanted to give you the chance to learn a little more about Tamar too.

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What is your favorite food obsession right now?
not eating gluten, almonds, dry figs with my coffee in the morning, avocado & kotej cheese

What did you want to be when you grew up?
photographer

What's for breakfast?
dry figs, fruits, almonds, lots of coffee

A wish that came true.
living in NY, being creative everyday

What risk are you glad you took?
coming to NY with nothing; I jumped into deep water many times in my life

If you could learn a creative skill other than your profession, what would it be?
textile design or clay

A favorite gift you’ve received.
my cat tulu ~ got him from a friend the day I arrived to NY; and I received lots of art pieces from friends over the years & have a big collection ~ a good one!

A condiment you love.
black paper, cumin, zaatar

What book do you keep on your coffee table?
the 10 books I am in the middle of reading, a variety of literature, poetry & art

What you love most about what you do.
the places and people it has give me the chance to see/meet; being creative everyday; playing in my own playground

The most challenging or difficult part about what you do.
that it is a lot of work

_________ is at the top of my inspiration library.
Inspiration comes to me from everywhere. I don't have a particular book or movie or anything, as it can come while I'm walking around, dreaming or chatting.

Any tricks for finding life balance?
Growing up I guess. Surrounding myself with people I love, who love me & care for me.

Any trade secrets/words of wisdom you’d like to divulge?
ALWAYS BE YOURSELF, UNLESS YOU CAN BE A UNICORN. THEN ALWAYS BE A UNICORN

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Thank you Tamar!

a special sneak peek!

We can officially say we are kicking off registration on Monday, September 24 (yes ~ this coming Monday!) and thought a little sneak peek of what we've got in store would be a fun way to send you into the weekend. We are beyond elated to announce that we are doing two retreats this year ~ our original Makerie and a brand new event ~ the Makerie Sewing ~ April 18 - 21, 2013.

The original Makerie is just chock full of goodness and we'll wait until Monday to reveal the details. After all, we do love surprises and can't wait for you to see the wonderful workshop offerings! But in the meantime, we wanted to share a bit about this super exciting new event focused on sewing and textiles. To give you a little background, Liesl Gibson of Oliver + S, who taught for us last year, planted a seed at the 2012 Makerie when she asked if we had ever thought about doing a sewing-specific Makerie and well... here we are! Liesl and I have been working all summer to put together an amazing team of teachers and fabulous workshops, as well as an entirely new event design for this one-time very special sewing event. Not only will you get to choose four classes with four different teachers, but each class will be four hours long, giving you two full days (16 hours total) of incredible instruction. In case you want more time to play, we will also be offering studio time to work on whatever you'd like.

So without further ado... here is who will be teaching at the Makerie Sewing!

Amy Butler

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Cal Patch

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Heather Jones

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Jenny Hart

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Liesl Gibson

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Kaari Meng

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Tamar Mogendorff

This team of teachers is really beyond our wildest dreams (still pinching ourselves over here!) and we are incredibly honored to have them come to Boulder in April. The Makerie Sewing will be limited to an intimate group of participants and we have so much more in store that we can't wait to tell you. So mark your calendars for Monday when all will be revealed and registration will be open!

Here's to a fabulous weekend filled with sunshine, leaf peeping, and of course, lots of happy making. See you on Monday!

~xo

smitten with the city

tamar's beautiful bird houses

Well what an extraordinary few days I just had in New York City and I am filled with inspiration from head to toe! Not only did I get to meet and spend time with the most incredible people ~ Tamar Morgendorff, Sweet Paul, Liesl Gibson and new friends at Etsy ~ but I was able to zip around the city checking out the abundant creative establishments ~ like 3rd Ward ~ I've had my eye on from afar. It was a jam packed couple of days and worth every bit of running around, train riding and biking all over the city. I loved finding inspiration in the most unexpected places... a window display, a type treatment on a restaurant logo, the beautiful packaging, creative merchandising and the thoughtful way so many of the boutiques are built out. I'm in awe of New York City ~ it's true.

Spending the afternoon in Tamar's studio was really lovely. I loved getting to know her and hearing about life as an artist. Just sitting in her space surrounded by her creations was an experience all on its own, as I've been such an admirer of her work and it felt rather special to get a peek into her world. Sharing a dinner with Paul and Paul, creators of Sweet Paul Magazine (a longtime personal favorite publication!) was such an unexpected treat, filled with great conversations, idea sharing and of course, a delicious meal. They have some amazing projects up their sleeves and are one dynamic duo, let me tell you! Getting the chance to spend time with Liesl and meet her adorable daughter was wonderful. She took me to the best breakfast spot and then to a few of her favorite shops ~ including ABC Home (gasp!). I think if I could pick a person to wander the streets of New York with, it would be her. She's so stylish in her own right and has quite a knack for noticing the little details of everything that I love too.

Having lunch at the Etsy headquarters was a most special experience. Just visiting the office was a thrill really! You can imagine how creative their space is, but what I loved equally as much is how well they take care of their employees and the company culture they have created. Twice a week they invite local chefs to cook lunch for their employees (yes, the entire company!). They call it Eatsy (I love that!). There are plants growing in felt pouches on the walls, they have knitted wraps around their air ducts, playful telephone booths for phone calls, the CEO's office is in the middle of everything, they're building a tech-free work zone for those who want some quiet time, there are murals everywhere, and most importantly, you can just tell the people who work there are happy and love what they do. At the end of day, what's better than that? A huge thanks to Etsy for having me for lunch. It was awesome all around!

My last stop was a visit to 3rd Ward. Have you heard of it? Well if you haven't I'm here to tell you it's brilliant. It's a multi-disciplinary workspace and education center where you can experiment, practice and polish your craft and creativity. (Tugging at the 'ole heartstrings here!) You can take a gazillion classes in everything from surfboard making to furniture upholstery to perfume blending, all in beautifully designed, functional spaces. They offer an uber cool coworking space and even have a photography studio available for any business needs. The possibilities here are endless and I just might have found my kind of heaven. :)

It was just such a spectacular trip and as much I love living in Boulder and couldn't imagine living anywhere else, I sure do feel alive when I'm in New York City and I can't wait to come back!