DECO Clay Craft Academy - Blog

Sapporo Event in full swing!

The Sapporo show has been running since the 24th and has been lots of fun!  We would like to thank all the instructors in Sapporo who have helped in making this event so successful. Everyone has made such nice display pieces; showcasing their own individual style and creativity. There are many pieces, which represent some of the famous places here in Sapporo. You may notice a few…



Thank you to the management and staff of the Mitsukoshi department store for creating a great location to display these pieces for everyone to come and enjoy.

It is our pleasure having the chance to work with the production team from Hokkaido TV and will be filming today for a show that will air at 3:45pm. They would like to give an inside look into the DECO community. Should be fun… I hope we will be able to send a link to this. 



See you soon!

What an amazing trip we had to the East Coast!

We are so thankful for this amazing opportunity.  I would like to thank everyone who made this possible.  It was so amazing to work with all these wonderful people. This was one of my most memorable life experiences!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!

(THE MARTHA STEWART SHOW airs weekdays on Hallmark Channel at 10 AM ET/9 AM C – same day encore airing, 2 PM ET/next day airing,1 PM ET)

Even though there were only 5 days to prepare everything for the show, we managed to complete the projects and samples.  Working together with the Martha craft team, we decided to show how to make a wreath with all the colors of spring.  This was done with the molds of the new Crafter’s Clay kits; using as many flowers as possible and accenting with butterflies and birds.  I think it came out very cute and something that would be very interesting to beginners and experts alike. The segment will be aired on the Hallmark channel on May 10th. Visit this link for more info:

It was such an honor to introduce the Martha Stewart Crafter's Clay line on the show.  As you might already know; it is possible to create so many neat things with this clay... I couldn't resist making some freeform pieces to share on the show.  We made this beautiful spring bouquet inspired by the cover of the Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine Spring 2012 issue.  I decided to make a gift for Martha and chose to make her beautiful Canaries.  With lots of help from Chenli, Kody and Yumi and 5 days of hard work all the pieces were finished.  I was very pleased with all the matching colors that went perfect with the set of the show. 

Martha and team loved everything we made!  She held some of these pieces and talked about them on camera. I was so thankful being able to show the possibilities of this clay to so many people!  They even wanted to use our peonies for part of the segment as well!  Kody & Yumi have been working on many Crafter's Clay class project pieces and included these to show. I am so proud of their work!  Great job!

We had an opportunity to speak with Martha before the show about how she really enjoys working with Crafter's Clay and how truly rewarding this clay is to work with.  If this were not enough, we were even invited to take a tour of her farm.  It was amazing to see what a beautiful place she has created.  Martha’s Sister Laura toured us around and told us the history of the farm.

Thank you Laura for making us feel so welcome! 
We found out that less than 10 years ago this property had been taken over by Martha and at that time it was in need of lots of TLC.  In such a short time she has transformed the property into an amazing oasis of flora and fauna.  She has such a refined style and incorporates the beauty of nature into so many aspects of her design.

We were amazed to see how hands on Martha is with all the work on this property and how simply beautiful everything is.  There are so many happy aminals here too.  The placement of all the gardens was so natural and well thought out.  It was a perfect season to see the power of springs affect... We enjoyed so much being able to play with her dogs GK, Francesca and Sharkey. 

The 2 bull terriers were not felling well… hope they are feeling better now… You can catch their “Daily Wag” blog here

The day after the shows taping, we drove to New Jersey to shoot some educational videos for the Martha Stewart Crafter's Clay line.  We worked with a great team at GF Studio. 

This gave us a great chance to work with Carla from EK Success. With all the great teamwork and support, we managed to finish 4 segments in one day!  I can't wait to see how these turn out… These will be available on Michaels Craft store web site and others very soon.

What an amazing time we had in New York!  This is one of my favorite cities with all the art, great food and hip lifestyles.  What an inspiration!  I have gained so much from the people we have been able to work with.  I truly believe that life transpires to help you if you put your best foot forward.  I am so humbled and thankful to have these lifetime experiences.

I would like to say to my mother how thankful I am for offering me this opportunity and for coming all the way from Japan to support me!  We all believe this has all been possible because of her. Happy Mother’s Day!


Thank you to Lenore Welby, Senior Producer, such a sweet heart, super fun to be around and very talented!  Thank you to all the crafting masters in the “Craft Room” all of you have been amazing to work with!  Thank you Noel for assisting with so many countless things!

On our way out to the airport on the morning of our departure, we really wanted to say “Hello” to Alex Perruzzi of MSLO.  He is a great asset to Martha’s team!  You may notice him from Martha’s HSN showings.

Thank you to Chenli, Kody, Marlo and Yumi!  Without your support this would not be possible!

Last, but certainly not least, I give my thanks to my best friend and great partner Tim. I am so lucky to have you in my life!  

Great teamwork makes for a great life!!!

As many of you may know by now, this was the last live filming of the Martha Stewart Show on the Hallmark channel.  We will all miss being able to watch the show in this format.  Not to worry…there is another show in the works… please check the Martha Stewart web site for additional information.

(THE MARTHA STEWART SHOW airs weekdays on Hallmark Channel at 10 AM ET/9 AM C – same day encore airing, 2 PM ET/next day airing,1 PM ET)

Happy Spring!!!

Thank you Japan for the Cherry blossoms!
With a cold spring the blossoms arrived slowly, but it was really worth the wait.


I love this season! These are reminders of Easter projects past and present.


During the last 4 weeks, we held DECO Modeling Course classes in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyushu. Having the opportunity to share these new projects and seeing all the excitement is amazing!

Thank you so much to all the instructors who participated all the way from Russia, America and many cities around Japan!!! More classes to be announced very soon...

I have been invited to NY for an airing of the Martha Stewart Show. It gives me goose bumps just to think about this!

Happy Spring!
Yukiko

We have some exiting news to share!

Crafter’s Clay is now available!!! Ever since Martha made the Santa project on her show, she has really wanted to work more with CLAYCRAFT by DECO products. As we mentioned before, we have been working very closely with two great teams, EK Success and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. They have chosen CLAYCRAFT by DECO for their new line of products which will be released this spring.

It is called “Crafter’s Clay” and these kits include clay, molds and instructions for free-form flowers; including the rose and hydrangea just to name a few. I am truly humbled and amazed to have worked with such a talented group who were able to create such beautiful designs along with their cute samples! We also had an opportunity to create some rose and hydrangeas bouquets samples which will be used to promote the kits.

In hopes of showing everyone how fun it is to create with new line, we have decided to introduce new workshops. Kody, Yumi and Hasmin are working on new class samples and they have been having so much fun creating beautiful projects!
I think these classes are going to be a popular addition to our member classes. We are also carrying the Crafter’s Clay line from MARTH STEWART CRAFTS in our studio and on our DECO website. The workshops will start in the beginning of May at our Hawaii studio! More details and the schedule will be announced soon.

There will also be opportunities to purchase and learn these projects at Michaels Craft stores beginning next month. The creative team from EK Success’s Spotted Canary will be offering lessons at various locations. We are introducing the DECO instructors to their team and hope to have additional classes very soon…

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft stores are also picking up this new line!

Chenli and I are working on the new seasonal class of spring flowers. Chenli will be teaching this project to all member classes.
This is a great chance to learn some new spring flowers in class!

Soon, I will be going to Japan to teach intensive classes for the new Modeling Course. There will be instructors from the US and Russia joining these new classes. We are very excited to begin sharing this newly renewed course. The Modeling Course is DECO’s first original course that my mother began teaching in 1981.  Many of the techniques have updated and many new projects have been added. For those who love working with clay, you will love these new techniques! The new Modeling Course will be available at the Hawaii studio and everywhere else after May. We will announce more information soon.

We had a wonderful exhibit in Daimaru Osaka in March. There were so many visitors and it offered a great opportunity to work with the Osaka instructors. DECO Japan will have another show at the Mitsukoshi Sapporo in Hokkaido from 05/24-06/03. I have been working on new projects to display in this show. We have many different sizes and styles of frames to arrange new flowers. I have been having fun creating something new for this show! I will share the pictures once we complete the projects…

Busy, busy, busy but I always enjoy so much working with my wonderful team and working on all the new things! Hawaii has been giving me such great energy and I realized how much I appreciate coming home every time I was away.

Aloha,

Yukiko

 

Some new projects...

Hello All!

With all the excitement from DECO’s 30th anniversary there are so many opportunities to share this art through exhibitions this coming year! I am so excited to see everyone!!! With curriculum lessons and preparation for shows we are traveling in Sapporo, Osaka and Kyushu. Preparations for the exhibit in Osaka are coming along nicely... 03/7-03/12 Umeda Osaka Daimaru



Since we had a great carpenter on hand (Thank you Bruce!) I made some sketches on paper… now I have several different frames to display on. I love working on new projects like this!
 These will be for the May exhibit in Sapporo.


Having an opportunity to share and display this work allows me to develop my techniques and improve upon the craft. I am planning to incorporate many orchids and lots and lots of spring flowers!


So many flowers or blooming around the house…


:)

An early February day...

Hello Everyone!

I would like to wish everyone an early Happy Valentine’s Day! Is it too early to say this??? I get a bit too excited about this very special and romantic day! What else was I to do but make something that reflects the feeling of this day… Chenli has made the most perfect roses and I added some fun hearts and other details…



The DECO Modeling Course renewal is in full swing and from the reactions so far, we think this will be so rewarding and fun for everyone! The first edition of the Modeling Course came out many years ago and even though it was a very well designed course, we thought we could improve upon the techniques and designs.

With the ability to create these pieces with our softer CLAYCRAFT by DECO clay line, these projects can be made a lot easier and in less time.

The lessons for this course begins in March in Japan and everywhere else in April… Many international students will be taking the classes in Tokyo and we are very excited to have them join!

In a previous post I had mentioned that the Mitsukoshi store in Nihonbashi was holding a DECO exhibition... We would like to thank everyone for their support and all those who came to see the show! Thank you, Thank you!

On a personal note: We decided to make a few color changes on the house and we found that by digging deeper, we needed to replace some wood and take care of water damage that had occurred over the years. Nothing too major, but a little extra stress… I am so looking forward to the paint being spread… Thank you to an amazing crew that is able to not only doing a great job, but able to have the patience answer all my silly questions…

Thank you Guys!

Spring will come...

Hello Everyone!

I just wanted to announce that the Japan DECO office will have an exhibition of featuring our Spring Collection in Tokyo.
It will be at the Mitsukoshi in Nihonbashi and will feature my mother's newest figurines and Spring flower arrangements I have been working on since late last year.
It is finally close to completion!  We will also have many DECO pieces on display, including Chenli's beautiful flowers! We will have many instructors’ finish products for sale at this event. The show will start from 2/1-2/7. If you are near, please stop by. My mother will be there doing demonstrations...

As most people, I love spring flowers! Chenli and I have been working on spring flowers in between other projects. We made so many varieties of flowers for this event!
We enjoyed so much trying out these new creations and we hope you enjoy them too!

My mother is here in Hawaii with me to work on the renewed DECO Modeling course projects. Classes will be offered at the end of March in Japan and everywhere shortly after... This is a great experience working with her, I learn so much each and every day. She really works magic with clay! We are so excited about the new Modeling Course and really feel this will be so much fun for everyone!

Aloha,
Yukiko

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!

We anticipate a really exciting year in the DECO clay world with lots of news to share very soon about some exciting new products and opportunities…

Last week we traveled to the East Coast for meetings and trainings.  And, while we were so close, we stayed a few nights in the Big Apple. I really love this city! There is so much diversity in culture and interests in each and every neighborhood.  We were fortunate to get tickets to the first live show for 2012 of the Martha Stewart Show!
The show was all about healthy living and offered some great advice on how to begin the New Year right. If you missed the show, you can still view it here.

The weather was really nice for this time of year with Saturday being almost 50 degrees! We walked all over the place until our feet were sore…

It seems that around every corner there is something interesting and makes you want to explore more. Most of the time we would just grab little bites from here and there as not to fill up and miss the chance to try something else. While walking in Central Park we came across the ice skating rink and with some persuasion, I talked Tim into going on the ice with me.

I think he actually ended up enjoying it very much… I know I did :)

The time in New York went so fast and now back to the studio to work on flowers.  I’m so filled with ideas and will share these soon!

Aloha, Yukiko

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Happy Holidays everyone! All of us at DECO CLAY CRAFT ACADEMY wish you and your loved ones a warm, happy, fun-filled holiday season.

Thank you for all your support! It's been an amazing year for DECO, and I thank you for all your support along the way. Hats and gloves fun time in NY!

We were so happy to see Aya, Troy and Amy drop by today!

She is getting so BIG!  Thank you for coming to see us!

Yukiko

Only a few more days... Santa is on his way...

Christmas is just around the corner… are you ready? 

As with most years, it has been pretty busy with getting ready for holidays season and teaching classes here at the studio.  The seasonal projects are coming out great with everyone making so many beautiful things!  I have also made Dragon which is the zodiac animal for 2012.  This has become a New Year’s tradition here and it all started with a little mouse 5 years ago… Couldn't find all of them, but here are a few...


We had a nice dinner the other night to kick off the Holiday Season… Thank you for the nice friendship and great food!


Also, the DECO Head office in Japan is now busy preparing for an exhibition of spring flowers at the Mitsukoshi in Tokyo this coming February.  I am working on some new spring flower arrangements to display.  I am so grateful for all being able to have so much help from Chenli. It has been wonderful working together on this and we have so much fun trying all kinds of new flowers.  We will share some photos of these soon…

This time of year, Tim and I edit and design the annual DECO newsletter; we normally send this out to over 15,000 members and instructors in Japan and abroad.


There are so many pictures this year and much exciting news to share…  We will be sending this out to instructors at the beginning of 2012.  If you would like to receive a copy, please let us know.

My Checklist for Christmas:
Decorate the house and trim the tree – check
Wrap the presents – check
Sending out Christmas cards – check
Snow on the ground – maybe not…

Wishing you a bright and delightful holiday season!

Yukiko