Long Overdue...

This is way overdue, but I made a promise with myself that I was going to do something artsy that one weekend...and I DID!!!! I did a watercolor of a rose that I had picked from my aunty's rose bush...here it is...

I got frustrated a little...I forgot how un-forgiving watercolor could be...but hey gotta start back up somewhere, right? I was going to enter it in the Black Book art competition at the Art Supple Warehouse in Huntington Beach, but could not due to a HECTIC schedule lately...

I recently found a new job back at home on Maui! I found out about 2 weeks ago that I got hired..therefore less than 2 weeks to move. STRESSSSS. But I am still SO excited and thankful for this opportunity. Will post more about this later, but I wanted to post my painting...so here it is....let me know what you think!

Tight budget till next paycheck = art project!

Sooo, I've been trying to save some $$$. The result? Super strict budgeting...and because of this, I cannot spend any more money until next week Thursday. This means...I've grounded myself and will not leave the house this weekend..and I'm forcing myself to eat what I already have at home instead of going out and picking something up. Hello samin! Hello tuna and rice!!! Hello frozen gyoza!! Hello plain pasta with EVOO (really?? am I using Rachel Ray terms?!), Salt, and Garlic Powder...How I've missed you so (kind of...sort of...not really...)... I feel like I'm reverting to my extremely poor college student diet. I don't think I would have survived if it weren't for those foods..

Me? Not leave the house? Stay in ALLL weekend? Is this possible? I make it sound like I'm in prison, but ever since I got my car, I don't think there is one day where I haven't had to leave the house...you know, gotta go to the bank, run some errands, go get groceries, put gas in the car, etc. I'm just wondering if I can force myself to just NOT go anywhere. Well, maybe the only place I'll allow myself to go is the Gym, since I am paying for it, and I have been slacking the last two weeks...but YOU know what I mean.

What's a girl to do? How will I keep my sanity?

Do I hear..."ART PROJECT"?!

HELLS YEAH! I need to keep up with my blogging commitment of staying crafty and documenting my every artsy-fartsy move. I'm scared to even say all of this because it means that I HAVE to put out....but what do I want to do?

I was thinking of doing a watercolor painting. I bought a set of watercolor tubes from the Aaron Brothers store when I first moved to Cali almost 2 years ago, and I think I've only used it less than a hand-full of times since then.

I remember in the 6th grade, my mom had me enter the Maui County Fair art show. She never forced me to. It was my own decision, always...and I always enjoyed doing it...ever since the 1st grade. I did a still life of some fruit in a wicker basket with a chiffon scarf and Japanese tea kettle...and I won best in show :) My mom taught me everything I know about art. She taught me how to watercolor paint....and I want to remember it all, and continue it. And, because I haven't touched paints as often as I should, or picked up some charcoal or colored pencils and started drawing my heart out..I feel kind of guilty. I also kind of forgot how to get inspired. When I even THINK about wanting to draw or paint...I kind of freak out and don't know where to start...and when I do start, I get frustrated if it doesn't look like how I want it to look.

I guess I'm a perfectionist when it comes to art..but maybe I'm being too hard on myself? Especially since I haven't kept up with it, I can't expect things to just pick up where they left off and have everything looking fine and dandy..I kind of have to just, well, go with the flow, and deal with the kinks along the way....

So my reader(s? lol), I am challenging myself to a watercolor painting. Let's see what I can pull off. Time to whip out the newspaper, paper towels, paints, and brushes!!!!

Aloha! はじめまして、どうぞよろしく！

I'm finally doing it! A blog! Something I've always wanted to do but just never got around to it. I was always the type of person who would start a journal or diary, write in it for the first 4 days, forget about it for months, and repeat the cycle again...hopefully it wont happen here! I've been posting my creations on my Facebook like crazy, but you're so limited with just a picture and a caption...then there are the notes...but to me it's a humbug and unorganized...I just want a place where I can dedicate and document all the creative and culinary creations that I come up with. Hell, maybe I'll even post some makeup blogs too. I've really gotten into tutorials on Youtube, and have been getting better at my makeup application, so it would be fun to post that stuff here as well!

So, for those of you who don't know.....Who am I? I'm Miss Aiko. Born and raised in Hawaii, currently residing in California. I'm Japanese, Hawaiian, & Korean fun. I love food..eating, cooking, trying new recipes. Growing up, we never really went out to eat unless it was a special occasion, like a birthday, etc...therefore, or family was ALWAYS in the kitchen. My family was always big on food. We never skimped and would always go ALL OUT when it came to family gatherings. Hawaiian food is what I grew up with. I use that term loosely...there IS real deal Hawaiian food: lau lau, poi, lomi salmon, kulolo, etc....but also a huge impact from other cultures as well going back to the Plantation days...mainly Japanese, then Korean, Portuguese, Filipino, etc. I am so fortunate to have grown up in such an environment, as it taught me to be open-minded about different cultures and their foods.

I love art. My mom was an art teacher and so, ever since I could remember, I was always drawing or doing arts and crafts. You name it, I've done it...beading/jewelery, sewing, crocheting, kniting, polymer clay, ceramics, origami..the whole shebang! It's a passion of mines. I love creating something different and unique..seeing something in the store, or something that someone is wearing and thinking to myself "I could make that!". Up until my days at the community college, I was really crafty...after that, you know, life happens, I got busy (or maybe just lazy LOL), and kind of lost touch with my creative side...hopefully by starting this blog, it will kind of force me to keep up with it and showing the world what I have to offer...one day, I would love to sell my creations on Etsy! My problem is that, I always come up with a whole bunch of ideas, get excited about it, start, and not finish. I really need to just take it one project at a time..this might be a good place to start and enforce that!

Well, that's good for now...lets see how this works out..I'm excited!!!