We had the good fortune of connecting with Carrie Tahquechi and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Carrie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I love to create pieces of jewelry which make people smile and affirm their inner sparkle. This is my primary motivation for operating Carrie T. Designs (carriet.com), the online portfolio and store where I offer custom handmade beaded jewelry creations for any occasion. In 1996, my husband and I were blessed with twin boys. At that time, I was a registered veterinary technician, and had worked my way up the corporate ladder to IT director and finally landing the position of hospital administrator. After the boys were born, the time requirement to raise twins proved too much to even consider staying in my position as hospital administrator, so I made the decision to be a full-time mom and return to the workforce once the boys reached school age.
We fell into a routine and as the boys grew, I found myself with a few spare minutes here and there and picked up a forgotten passion – jewelry making. My husband’s family is Native American from the Comanche tribe located in Oklahoma. When we got married, the matriarch of the family came out early and taught me the traditional methods of bead weaving, leathercraft and more. I practiced the traditional skills for some time, but eventually lack of time and work/life balance caused me to set my love of beaded jewelry making aside. With newfound time on my hands, I picked up the beading needle again and decided to start a business where I could create and sell unique and custom handmade designs.
I worked diligently to hone my beadmaking skills and began taking classes and amassing skills in other jewelry design modalities including lamp work (the art of making glass beads), silversmithing and bead embroidery. With interest growing in my work, I returned to school and completed a degree in art and photography which paved the way to begin teaching jewelry design, and skills.
Today, customers can purchase my work at various holiday boutiques around Colorado, and of course directly on my website, inventory permitting. For those looking for something out of the ordinary, or one-of-a-kind, customers can always contact me directly to discuss ideas for custom bridal, and statement pieces.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have been designing and creating custom jewelry for more than 20 years. I am adept at a multitude of design techniques, but most of my designs today are created using seed beads, bead embroidery and bead weaving. I love to incorporate color schemes that range from traditional Native American to current fashion trends in my work. I find that one of the most challenging aspects of jewelry design is to stay relevant in an ever-changing market. Each year colors change, and the designs customers want tend to follow market trends. It is always a challenge to maintain creating a unique style of wearable art product that still calls back to the current trends in the market. One lesson I have learned is that markets trends change rapidly, and it is important to find a balance between chasing the latest trends and creating unique or traditional designs.
My philosophy when creating a new design, especially my larger statement pieces is to construct something that my customer will be proud to wear and affirm their inner sparkle, and a sparkly piece of wearable art is always the way to bring out a person’s beautiful inner shine.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When I have an out of town client or family member visiting, I always choose one of my two favorite itineraries. First, a day at the farmer’s market in Boulder never fails to bring a smile to my face. The multitude of colors and textures provides inspiration for my work. The many local offerings means everyone will find something to bring home to enjoy later. After the Farmer’s Market, it’s on to the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, which boasts a variety of amazing teas and unique food offerings. To finish our first day, noting beats an afternoon stroll at the foot of the Flatirons in Chautauqua. Depending on the time of year, they offer many cool cultural events to attend and if you want an option for Sunday brunch there’re is an amazing café on the grounds. A second itinerary option begins with Meow wolf, an eclectic art destination which is a true treat for the visual, tactile and auditory senses. Wandering around in the convergence station of Meow Wolf will certainly get you hungry for some amazing Cuban food from Cuba Cuba. This restaurant offers some amazing authentic traditional Cuban cuisine and killer mojitos.
I love live music and I often try to take out of town guests out to listen to local bands or musicians. A few favorite places are:
Nissi’s Entertainment venue in Lafayette for a dinner and show is always a good time.
In the Zone in Golden has a great patio where in the summer you can go have some great snacks and listen to a local band while the sun sets.
Hoffbrau in Westminster is a great venue with quality bands, food and a nice dance floor.
Olde Town Arvada is a fun place to explore and often during the summer there are musicians playing on the patio.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Every day I am thankful for the love and support of my husband Ted, and our sons Jarren and Jorden. They support every new creative thing I want to try to add to my skills, even the crazy ones that involve a torch! They are my testers, creative advisers, color selectors, and a sounding board when I need one. They encourage me every day to create and be happy. They packed up hundreds of pounds of beads and supplies when we moved, with very few complaints, knowing that my supplies are what give me the ability to create and grow. I have taken so many classes its impossible to list every instructor. I would not be the artist I am today without those that shared their skills and encouraged me to take them and make something all my own, Thank you! I also want to give as shoutout to the fantastic members of the Rocky Mountain Bead Society who encouraged me to teach and share my knowledge.
Website: https://www.carriet.com/
Instagram: @carrietahquechi