DECO Clay Craft Academy - Blog

Hello Everyone!

Last week, we wrapped up a three week series of intensive classes that were offered for our international instructors. Everyone did such a wonderful job! Thank you so much for attending these classes and for all your hard work!!! Now that the training has begun there should be an instructor near you who can offer you these classes. We are very excited to share these new classes and spread the joy worldwide.


DECO Japan office will be holding an event from 7/17~7/22 at the Mitsukoshi department store in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.

There will be various crafters exhibiting and offering a nice selection of pieces for sale. During this event there will be opportunities for hands-on workshops in DECO clay. For more information please visit the following LINK

With all that has been going on around here non-stop for the past few weeks we decided to take a little break for the 4th of July weekend. Tim and I snuck away for a weekend in Maui.

It is always important to take this time and remind ourselves the importance of life and to recharge our energy for the next round. Maui is one of those places that has the power to do this and allows for life to just happen… no plans. We really enjoyed some fun in the sun, maybe a little too much.We are well rested and ready to take on the next challenge!

Aloha,
Yukiko

Hawaii Tour!

During this past week, we here at DECO Hawaii where honored to host 30 instructors from Japan, 1 from Georgia in the mainland US,  3 from Russia, 1 from Ukraine and 1 from Kazakhstan.

The plans for this tour began late last year and what a great time it was! Seeing all the smiling faces and spending this time together will be a cherished moment for many many years!


Thank you all for making the time to share in this special event with us. It would be our pleasure to have you back again next year, or sooner if you can. Our door is always open!

Instructors from Japan have returned home and now we are focusing our attention to the Creative and Tropical Curriculum. During the next 2 ½ weeks we will be intensively covering these course lessons and preparing for the opening of these classes in many international locations.


We will share more details as they become available. Please look to our Facebook page for regular updates and photos…

Aloha,
Yukiko

Don’t you just love this season?!

Hi Everyone!

How is your year going so far? This year has been flying by for us here…

I’m constantly trying to remind myself how important it is to remember to live in the moment and if I forget, Tim is there to remind me :-)  It sounds too cliché, but everything goes too fast these days and we get so so busy with our everyday lives trying to accomplish all these daily tasks and goals we set for ourselves. O’ My! This can be a little overwhelming and occasionally feels like a whirlwind... That is why I feel I must live in the now and take a moment to just breathe and be grateful for everything... Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!!

This year, I am focusing on a much healthier lifestyle and trying to learn a lot about the things I can do to be well. Simple things really; eat well, get better sleep and enjoy more exercise…. Tim has been my mentor for healthy cooking and an inspiration for a great whole food diet.

I am amazed, that by just eating simpler unprocessed foods, that I have already noticed many positive changes. I really believe that you are what you eat. We love to have a few servings of green juice everyday and use a wide variety of vegetables and plant based proteins.
 
Have you ever experienced the wonders of aromatherapy? This has been a very enjoyable study for me and compliments all the other positive changes in my daily life. Besides, it smells really good! For exercise, I have met wonderful pilates instructor who teaches me about proper body posture and the connection between the mind and body.

And walking with Chip everyday has been great for us; he can never have enough activity…

DECO is growing every year and we are very excited with all the new opportunities and our classes are going very well. I am also grateful having such a wonderful team who bring such a dynamic creative energy!!! Thank you to all involved in this art we love so much!

 
It is spring and I hope the power of nature is blooming all around you!!!

Soon to be my favorite time of the year... Peonys!!!

Aloha,

Yukiko

The first of the Tropical 2 classes start in Hawaii

Hope that you are all well and that Spring is in the air wherever you are! 

I am still in Japan for a few more days for class lessons in Osaka. Things are going great and we are enjoying creating beauty together. Wish you were here!

During my stay here Chenli has been taking good care of the classes in Hawaii. She has completed her studies in the Tropical 2 course and is now offering instruction. From what I hear, all is going very well. Thank you Chenli for taking the lead in things during my trip to Japan! I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone.

These are a few images of the new projects covered in the Tropical 2 course.


We hope you will enjoy them as much as we are!!!

Aloha,

Yukiko

Creative Course Classes begin...

The DECO Creative Course was established about 14 years ago as a part of the Instructor courses. Projects in this curriculum are very original and unique offering advanced instruction of Modeling & Flower Course techniques.


This year, DECO has revised many of these projects with fresh and new processes! My mother and I spent many months reworking many of these projects. The response has been great so far!

This month classes begin at the DECO head office in Tokyo. I just arrived in Tokyo to prepare for these classes. During this trip we are also going to offer the first classes of the new Tropical II Course. Once the classes are finished in Tokyo, we will be traveling Osaka and Kyusyu. I am very excited to meet everyone again and for the opportunity to share these fresh new projects.

We all can't wait to share these classes in many different countries during this year… Firstly, the Hawaii office will start the new tropical II Course at the end of April! More news on other locations announcing soon…

I can feel that spring is here in Tokyo and can't wait to see what spring flowers will appear. Hopefully I will have time to create some of them during this season!

Hope to see you soon!

Yukiko

Creative Mode

Hope all is well for you!
With the new Tropical and Creative Courses coming up, we decided it would be good to get a head-start on training. My mother, Naori and Naoko have come to Hawaii for about 10 days of clay time. It has been a great opportunity to have this team all together in such a creative mode! I'm so thankful they could come to make this happen!

We start early and before we know it the sun is setting… Although it is a lot of work, everyone is enjoying the new course offerings. A special thank you to Chenli for putting so much of your heart into these pieces and training!!!
Creative and Tropical Course Classes are scheduled to begin the middle of March in Tokyo and moving to Osaka and Kyushu shortly after. I’m very excited to see everyone and share what we have been enjoying working on…

Well, I must be getting back to class… see you soon…
Yukiko

The 2013 DECO Newsletter is available for download now

Thank you to everyone for making 2012 a great year! Here is our year in review...

The 2013 DECO Newsletter is available for download now. Visit this page to view. http://www.decoclay.com/DECO.2013.Newsletter.WEB.pdf
Please note that the file may take a couple minutes to complete.

Wishing the best of health and happiness this year!

I hope you all enjoyed the New Year’s celebrations and had time to relax. This was a very quiet New Year’s for us here and decided to make all the foods that I enjoyed while growing up in Japan. It has been a long time since I was in Japan during the New Year and I really miss it… I made some foods that my mother would usually prepare and attempted a few new ones of my own.  I really respect all the hard work that goes into preparing this type of food and give great big thanks to those who do! 

Everything came out pretty well and the great company made it even better.
We invited a few of our close friends over to share the day with.

I look to this year with great hope and will do my best to maintain a balance with all that life has in store…  My best to all of you!

Yukiko

Merry Christmas to ALL

I hope your all having a nice holiday season!

Are you ready for Christmas?
DECO Hawaii has been settling into our new studio and we really love this new space! Hope to see you there soon…

Since last week, my mother has been here working together preparing for next year's new class projects...
We are going to start classes in Tokyo in March for the revised DECO Creative Course and also the new Tropical II Course. All classes will be offering here in Hawaii and other locations shortly after. We put all our creativity and challenged ourselves to make fun and useful items everyone will enjoy and learn from. It is always hard in the beginning, but with persistence it all works out in the end. Once these projects are just right, we will be assembling the instructions and details into the new textbooks.

We have received the new 2013 DECO calendar!

This one is really cute with all our new creations made during this year. We are so glad to share these photos with everyone! You can visit our shop for more details. www.decoclay.com/shop
Or, if you are in the neighborhood you can come visit our new studio! This will make a great stocking stuffer!

My mother and I have made gingerbread houses out of CLAY!

I always wanted to create these and since they will last forever, I will bring them out each Christmas. I plan to make a whole scene by adding new ones every year.

Thank you again for a great year together and my best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year!