Craft Tambay workshops teach ‘sulit’ assortment of handmade crafts

They come together to discuss, teach, and create: hand lettering artist Ella Lama; Candidly Pretty events planning business owner Koni Esteban; calligrapher and Katha Magazine editor Geli Balcruz; and decorative painter Cathy Dimacali—four friends known collectively as Craft Tambay.

 

Craft Tambay holds workshops where other craft enthusiasts can learn more about paper flower making, brush calligraphy, hand lettering, decoupage and other crafts.

 

The group will hold its second round of craft workshops on Oct. 4 and 11 at Le Petit Cheri in Molito, Alabang and Commune Cafe in Salcedo Village, Makati, respectively. Each session will last from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

The group answered GMA News Online's questions through email.

 

Q: How long has Craft Tambay been going and how did it come about?

 

A: The Craft Tambay was launched earlier this year, the first session was held last May at Moonleaf Makati. The concept is to make the workshop atmosphere more casual and relaxed compared to other craft events. We also wanted to collaborate with friends and we thought sharing our crafts with others is a good way to go about it.

 

Q: Why have an assortment of crafts for the session instead of specializing per session?

 

A: We view Craft Tambay as a way to unleash the inner creative in everyone. We believe anyone has the potential to make something beautiful—it's just a matter of finding what that something is. We also want participants to know that no big investment is needed to start crafting. Unlike specialized workshops, we provide tools and starter kits for various crafts at the same (sometimes even lower) price level.

 

Q: Do you teach other crafts?

 

A: We usually give one another previews of our new projects for critiquing and ask one another for suggestions on how to improve. We also explore new crafts together from time to time.

 

Q: What prompted you to hold these workshops? What do you hope to accomplish with them?

 

A: There are already a lot of (more established) workshops in Manila, but we wanted to make ours "sulit" and more accessible to people who haven't really tried crafting but would like to unleash their creative side. We want Craft Tambay to be a venue for newbies to discover what craft they are good at and then make progress from there.

 

Q: Can seasoned crafters join in as well?

 

A: Yes, seasoned crafters can join as well! The Craft Tambay is open for all and since we offer different crafts per session, there is always something new to learn.

 

Q: How many participants will you be taking in this time around?

 

A: This time around we're accommodating around 15-20 participants.

 

Q: Will these workshops become more regular?

 

A: This is only the second run of Craft Tambay, but we plan to hold it regularly next year in different parts of Metro Manila.

 

Q: How was the reception of your previous workshop?

 

A: We limited our registration to 12 participants before, and this back-to-back session is our attempt to reach out to more craft newbies. We are still in touch with some of our students from the first run and it makes us proud to see that they are able to inject artistic aspects to their work and daily routine through the stuff they learned in Craft Tambay.

 

Q: Have you considered partnering with schools, perhaps?

 

A: Partnering with schools is also one of the possibilities we're considering, but our main priority right now is to get the word out on Craft Tambay and spread its advocacy one workshop at a time. — BM, GMA News

 

Craft Tambay's workshop fee is P1,900, and includes snacks, materials and starter kits to bring home. Sign up or email candidlypretty@yahoo.com.