A couple more pieces for Renew & Beautify

Early this morning, I had to make a judgement call as to whether I would be able to participate at Renew & Beautify because my son came down with a cold. We had a sitter lined up, but because she takes care of her nieces, we didn't want to expose her to any germs. So I had called Susan Davis to tell her the bad news. She called me back and graciously offered to man my booth. But my dad came to the rescue and said he would come by at 9 a.m. so I could get to the show and still man my own booth. What a relief.
Here are a few more pieces I finished today and a display piece I plan to show I love the canvas art piece. This was another C3 workshop project we had to complete. This one was a little challenging because I had to puncture through foam core, canvas and styrofoam! Not an easy task. Looks pretty amazing and I am excited to make more of these pieces. Yukiko always comes up with some really creative mediums for us to work with and I'm forever grateful to what she shares with us so that we can make it our own.Look forward to seeing some of you if you can make it tomorrow!

Another Beautiful Piece....

Today I switched gears a little and did a special DIY project with a business friend of mine. It was a bit of a learning curve,but it was successful. Can't share now, but will when it's out..... I know... I'm a big tease when it comes to giving you an update but not really! LOL.After my big DIY project ended I vegged out for a bit since I needed to recharge that creative energy. I finally had a chance to work on a couple more arrangements for Renew & Beautify. This is that white and green in an aqua blue mason jar concept I was alluding to in a previous post. It came out pretty much like what I had envisioned in my head. I LOVE this one... I feel like the pieces that really speak to me and catch my eye are the ones I have a hard time giving up. They are my little babies so-to speak, my creations that come from my heart and soul and countless hours making flowers with my two little hands. I love the simplicity of the colors and fullness from the peonies and hydrangeas. I love the lines and playfulness from the vines made out of clay. These flowers were what I learned last week during my C3 instructor's workshop classes I told you about, and I'm happy that I practiced them and ended up with a beautiful arrangement. I love these antique aqua blue Ball mason jars! They were the perfect touch. Initially when I got them, I thought they were too big, but now I have found the perfect flowers to place in them. I have 3 more jars to create new arrangements with and I'm excited to see what the next one of a kind creation unfolds.
If you like this piece, please stop by Renew & Beautify this Saturday, 11/21 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at DACOR in South San Francisco!

More Items for Renew & Beautify and a Sneak Peek at the Raffle Prize!

Still cranking out the flowers for this Saturday's Renew & Beautify event at DACOR, from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Here are a couple more pieces that I finished and I also wanted to share what the raffle prize is.

This first piece I had made the wrong color roses for my other piece so I had extras and thought the combination of these garden roses worked well with the fuchsia pink plumeria and vibrant orange ranunculus.The next piece is all about plumerias. One of my favorites of all time. All delicately arranged with green grasses in a cobalt blue vase. Remind you of Hawaii?The last piece is the raffle donation. Last year I donated a large vase arrangement since I could not participate as a vendor due to my busy schedule. Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner (literally), I decided to make my fall arrangement again with some minor changes. Hmm... maybe I'll add some fruit. We'll see... Still have a lot to get done. By the way, all proceeds from the raffle will go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I hope to have 4-5 more pieces completed by tomorrow and then it's back to switching gears and focusing on my upcoming wedding orders.We hope you'll make the trip to South San Francisco this Saturday and see what wonderful gifts you might find for friends and family for the holidays.

What's in Store for Renew & Beautify Attendees...

I've been extremely busy trying to pump out the flowers the last couple of days preparing for Renew & Beautify at DACOR's showroom in South San Francisco. It's always hard to come up with something new and innovative each time I do a special event or show. Granted I don't do many of them because they require so much work on my part. But I have this one and then another Garden Ar t Party with zenatona on 12/12. More on that later...

The above piece is my spin on the Christmas colors green and red. Well, you probably think something completely different than burgundy peonies and green cymbidiums right? I think they go together perfectly. The deep dark merlot colored flowers contrasted by the vibrant green of the cymbidiums and the detail of the mouth & throat tie the deep colors from the peonies. Not to mention the grasses match perfectly

This piece includes green double center English roses and two colors of pinball mums. Talk about citrus-infused, clean and crisp. That's what I feel when I see this piece. Makes me smile when I see it.
This piece I call "Passionate about Purple". It's been done a couple of times in different forms and slightly different shades, but it's one of my favorites. I played around with the petals after I learned some new techniques last week from my head instructor, Yukiko. I think this will always be one of my favorites because of the contrast between the blush purple and the deep, dark purple in the anemones. :)This is my new favorite. Let's just say, "Tropical Delight". It's whimsical with the loops of green grasses, the playful nature of the monkey tail ferns and the vibrant colors of fuchsia pinks, coral oranges, yellows and greens. I really fell in love with this piece. It's so hard to give these pieces up, but hopefully those who attend Renew & Beautify will love them as much as I do and purchase one for their home or as a gift to give to a special someone in their life. :)

I wanted to share a few of the pieces I've made for the Renew & Beautify event. I love how all of these pieces came out. I'm excited about another one that I'm currently working on which will be all white and green flowers in an aqua blue vintage mason jar. Hopefully it looks as good as it looks in my head. :)

So for details on Renew & Beautify, please visit: http://www.renewbeautify.com and we hope to see you at this wonderful FREE to attend event!

Ranunculus Hydrangea Arrangement Finds its Way on Etsy Storque!

I got a google alert this morning that there was a mention about my work. I clicked on the link and it was a feature on Home Decor (Etsy's take on HGTV's expert advice) ideas via Etsy Storque yesterday. Obviously my work is mostly seen to my clients as wedding related and although that's a big portion of my business, I also hope to get more into the interior design side of the industry. So seeing this article and the fact that this particular Etsy writer thought my Ranunculus & Hydrangea flower arrangement was worthy of the article and their Etsy Finds for home decor is very wonderful and continues to motivate me to work harder towards having more of a presence in the interior design community!

Renew & Beautify - Please Join Us Saturday, 11/21 at DACOR!

I'm catching up on my blog posts. I've been meaning to do a blog post on an upcoming event I'm participating in this Saturday at DACOR showroom in South San Francisco. So if you want to get a jump start on the holiday shopping before the mad rush of after Thanksgiving shopping commences, join us! Best of all, it's FREE to attend.

Renew & Beautify was created by Susan Davis of Spectrum Fine Homes. She herself once made handmade dolls and sculptures and felt a need for an event for small business owners, artists and crafters to be able to sell their items at an affordable price. Many of us cannot afford to pay for booth space at a fair or show as they are quite costly. We are fortunate this time around to have it at the DACOR showroom in South San Francisco. I'm so excited to be part of this event as last April/May I couldn't participate due to my busy wedding season.

There are some great artists and designers participating and some food demonstrations as well. There will be a raffle of some great prizes and all proceeds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. This one was requested by me when Susan asked me last time to pick a foundation to donate towards. Because many of us are affected by breast cancer I felt most passionately about this one. I still have to decide what my donation piece will be. Better get back to the flower making so I have lots to show and sell on Saturday.

Hope to see you there!
Renew & Beautify
Saturday, November 21, 2009
11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
DACOR Showroom
871 Dubuque Ave.
South San Francisco, CA 94080

Kazuko and Yukiko Miyai Teach at DK Designs Studio!

Last Wednesday, I was very fortunate to have Kazuko and Yukiko Miyai at my DK Designs Studio to teach my students who are not yet instructors. I had 10 students come to take the special workshop class. Yukiko and Kazuko were very exhausted, jet lagged from their traveling from Japan and long days of teaching. To take class from these two amazing women is a REAL treat so it was one class I didn't want my students to miss.

They have not been back in the Bay Area for probably 6-7 years (around the time when I first started teaching in the Bay Area). It was very special for me that they see my studio done and to see how much the DECO Clay Craft Academy family has grown and continues to grow.
The class was made up of C1, C2 students and a couple of my instructors. The class focused on making tigers out of the CLAYCRAFT by DECO soft clay and the Elite clay. It was amazing how quickly Kazuko created this amazing tiger. I think in less than 10 minutes start to finish she had one done. TRULY AMAZING!!! My students were in awe, but they all got their chance to make 2 tigers. As you know 2010 is the year of the tiger and we always do Christmas and New Year's related projects around this time of year. Kazuko said she was VERY impressed at how well everyone did given their skill level. After we finished the tigers, they quickly demonstrated how to make a pinball mum. I love this new technique and flower and it looks so real!
I wanted to share some photos of the class. I hope that Yukiko and Kazuko will visit again next year and share their talents and knowledge with my students. We had some desserts and refreshments and I think everyone enjoyed the fellowship and some of my students commented that they would like to get together with more of the other students again. So maybe a Christmas party is in order (maybe not this year, but who knows)... It was a nice time. Myrna and I were exhausted because we did homework until 2:30 that night after that class.Thank you again to Kazuko and Yukiko and we look forward to having you teach again at the DK Designs studio in the not so distant future!