DECO Clay Craft Academy - Blog

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Please visit this web address for a whole new DECO news experience!
http://www.decoclay.com/blog/

As summer approaches…

Just back from a three week trip in Japan were the DECO Japan head office instructors and I taught seasonal arrangements and Tropical II classes in Kyushu, Osaka and Tokyo. This was the first ever spring seasonal project from the DECO Clay Craft Academy!
The seasonal project covers new techniques of succulents, Anemone, English rose, Lily of the valley, berries, air plant, basil & oregano leaves.

In addition to all these flowers my mother taught a very cute Rabbit with flower bulb!


Last year, while working on the 2014 DECO calendar projects, I had a chance to create so many new flowers. This is when I came up with the idea of creating the new techniques encased in this spring project. In order to share these new projects as soon as possible we immediately began planning these classes making them available to all DECO instructors. The first classes began in Hawaii and California. Instructors in Japan have now had a chance and we will continue to teach this project in Atlanta, Moscow and Taipei by end of year.

I am so excited to see the smiles that come with these completed flowers! I really learn so much from everyone and find something new every time I share DECO techniques. Life is a circle of giving and receiving… In our ongoing Tropical II classes, many instructors completed very beautiful tropical flower bouquets! Great work everyone!!!A perfect season for these beautiful flowers! Here are a few instructor class participants. I’m sorry that we were not able to get a picture of each of you… as you know things just gets really busy and then the regret of not taking your photo…

This trip in Japan was nonstop with teaching during the week, but there was a chance to have a weekend in the countryside during Tim's part of the trip.


So what else would you do…? We went to plant rice… I guess we like to labor.  Tim, Masa (DECO Japan web site designer and great friend) and I went to Hakushu, Yamanashi where we could enjoy beautiful Mother nature wrapped in the Japan Alps.

These beautiful mountains feed pure water to the rivers which then are delivered by these amazing channels and finally into the rice fields waiting below.

Amazingly, none of us had ever planted rice. The first step into the squishy mud was one to remember… I was sure that I would tip over face first into the mud soup... would have been a moment.
Rice planting is by-no-means easy, but together we managed to complete the task! Having had this opportunity changed the way we see rice. I won’t be leaving even one grain on my plate from now on… A great big thank you to all the farmers, with the help of nature, provide this life giving grain on a yearly basis! Also huge thanks to Takahashi-san from Vege+Co and Make a Difference for inviting us to participate! We all had a great time with this new experience in this beautiful place. Can’t wait to eat the rice we planted! 5kg for each pair of hands…

As if this were not enough…
We are getting ready to launch our new website!

Tim has been working so hard together with a wonderful design team since last year… I can't wait to share this with everyone! Coming very soon…

Hawaii office is in good energy and busy with many things. Now the August Made in Hawaii event is a main focus. Chenli has bee filling up our soon to be flower shop with bunches of long stem flowers.
We do hope you will be able to come to the event which is held from the 15~17 at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.

I will close for now and look forward to seeing you all very soon… Enjoy the summer!

Yukiko

DECO Modeling Course classes have begun!

We are happy to announce that the DECO Modeling Course classes have begun! In this curriculum you will learn projects in decorative items such as realistic fruits and berries, architectural structures of homes and buildings, lively birds that rest on trees and branches, charming figurines and more!

Classes are available during any regularly scheduled classes at the Hawaii office. For other locations, please contact us for a list. As with all other DECO Curriculum there are 10 projects in each of the Modeling Courses. This course is offered for new students and those already enrolled in any of the other DECO Curriculum. No prior experience required!

Modeling Course Info

For class schedule, please visit the following link: HAWAII CLASS SCHEDULE
For instructors in your area, please visit the instructor listing page here: INSTRUCTOR LOCATIONS

We’re back from California!

Before I tell you all about the last leg of our California visit, I wanted to express a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of the businesses who were kind enough to have us, their staff, and all of the wonderful people who came and took our workshops! :-)

As a craft business, there’s that initial question, “How are we going to get people to know about us and our product?” It took my Mother many years to get to where she is now with DECO, and even now, there’s still that challenge to be known. I know that there are still “many stones unturned,” so I am fortunate to have such opportunities, to be able to introduce our craft to a variety of markets, but most importantly, in having a circle of amazing people who help me, to do just that! I THANK YOU ALL, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! :-)

After our PIECEMAKERS and STAMPINGTON & CO. stops, we travelled next to the city of Torrance, to visit STYLES OF HAWAII. They specialize in everything Hawaiian. So we felt right at home! ;-) They carry clothing, jewelry, music, and numerous Hawaiian products, so it was befitting that we had a workshop there too. Thank you Linda (Uyeda, owner) for having us!

Next, we drove to Los Angeles (near LAX), to do a workshop at STAMPIN’ FROM THE HEART. We have been working with Karen (Hutchinson, owner) for a few years, so it was nice to finally meet her in person! Her store offers numerous products and classes, in rubber stamping and all paper crafts. We had a great time, Thanks Karen!
Our last stop was in Huntington Beach, at the MONKEY HOUSE CAFÉ. It’s a place where you can eat and shop! They offer ONO (delicious) food, from soups, salads, sandwiches, to blended drinks and desserts. Everyone was so nice! Thank you Angeli (Poon, owner) and Pam for inviting us to do a demo and workshop! Also, thank you to Erin And Lauren Madden for coming by to help. 

In between the store workshops, we also took the time to teach Sumi (a certified instructor) new techniques with the clay. She lives and actively teaches in and around the city of Irvine. Thank you Sumi, for helping us with the workshops at PIECEMAKERS!

This trip took us to different parts of Southern California, and we drove the many congested streets and highways, that it’s known for. Luckily for us, we didn’t have any major mishaps. We are surely looking forward to the next visit!

Yukiko

Classes in California

It’s that time once again, (our 6th year) that my Mother and I head off to sunny Southern California, to teach classes at Piecemakers Country Store.  Piecemakers is located in Costa Mesa, California, and is a unique store in that it houses a potpourri of everything!  It’s a gift, home décor, and craft store, all in one.  The store has a great staff, as well as talented instructors who teach a variety of crafts.  I’m looking forward to seeing the beautiful fall decorations and vignettes that they have all around the store.  This is also the time that my Mother and I get a chance to meet so many wonderful people. :-)

We will be offering classes at Piecemakers from October 10th-12th.  If you’re in the vicinity and wish to join us, please click here for more information.  We will also be teaching workshops in and around the Los Angeles area in the upcoming days ahead.  We’ll keep you posted!

In Hawaii, we don’t get a chance to see a change in seasons, other than feeling a little cooler at night and maybe more mauka (mountain) showers.  So, to welcome the fall season, the studio got a little fall makeover.  I love fall!

TROPICAL FLOWERS in Japan

Since June of this year, every month, I have been traveling to Japan. This is due to, teaching instructors there, the new TROPICAL FLOWERS curriculum, which originated here, in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Tokyo was the first city to have the special classes. We've taught 10 classes of 20-25 people, all of the flowers (in the curriculum), in one day (an all day class) and then a second all day class to complete the projects.  WHEW!

Other cities which I have had the opportunity to teach classes in, and will again soon, include Sendai, Sapporo, Osaka, and Kyusyu. Apparently, tropical flowers are very popular everywhere in Japan!  Everyone was eager to learn the Pikake, Pakalana, and Pua Kenikeni, flowers which they have never seen.

I'm very excited that my trips to Japan will be over soon (for now), but only because I know that the instructors (in Japan) have gained knowledge of Hawaiian flowers, and are able to teach the TROPICAL FLOWERS curriculum, too!

The TROPICAL FLOWERS curriculum is going very well here in Hawaii, too. People everywhere can't seem to get enough of these beautiful tropical flowers. Seems like this is going to be a very popular course for all our instructors. If you have a chance, please come take a look at the projects.

See you soon,
Yukiko