2020-04-06 00:14
First of all I'm doing just fine. I've moved well beyond the space of fear and am once again thriving and moving forward with my life.A brief update about the untestable, inoperable, bilater… Read More
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I Found The Place (formerly The Flirty Blog) Blog
stacietamaki.blogspot.com
The personal blog of origami artist Stacie Tamaki
2020-03-23 15:32
I love origami because it's art within reach of everyone. For anyone who's always been curious about learning to fold, and has the time, I'm making a series of beginner level videos of tradi… Read More
2019-05-09 19:13
After waiting 11 months for a second opinion consultation I saw a neurologist at University of Michigan's medical center last week. He was worth the 11 month wait. Not only did he give me a… Read More
2019-02-21 16:07
The carp (koi) is a symbol of perseverance in Japan. So it felt fitting to fold them while I waited for the oncologist to come in and go over my third, Valentine's Day (so romantic, MR… Read More
2019-01-11 03:56
Personally:The good news is I am working with a wonderful team of professionals (each of whom I mention in the video) who have helped me to let go of the fear of the discovery of the tumors… Read More
2018-12-28 12:16
A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Yuri Cataldo, host of the Advance Your Art Podcast. I first learned of Yuri's podcast when Ross Symons, one of my most favorite origami artists, was inte… Read More
2018-10-31 15:45
My third macrobiotic counseling session in August went well.My counselor Denny Waxman and I conduct the sessions over Facetime which always feels like the universe is pulling for me as my su… Read More
2018-08-24 21:52
My second opinion neuro-oncology appointment went well.The Doctor at UofM concurred with the first Doctor in Grand Rapids on all counts. I wasn’t expecting any significant conflicting… Read More
2018-08-16 13:20
For those who saw the update I posted on Instagram two days ago after the follow-up consult for my second MRI I'd like to thank you for your kind comments and private messages. I apprec… Read More
2018-08-10 22:51
My second MRI took place a few days ago and I'm waiting for the results. The post-procedure consultation with the neuro-oncologist in Grand Rapids is scheduled for early next week.SIZEI will… Read More
2018-08-02 15:43
Even though the macrobiotics have already done wonders putting an end to my trigeminal nerve damage (aka chronic facial pain of 7+ years), I decided to do more to help my body heal.Back when… Read More
2018-07-31 01:49
So today I got some news that could have felt bad but instead meant nothing (to me). My appointment at U of M Neurosurgery (for a second opinion) next week has been canceled and rescheduled… Read More
2018-07-14 03:51
I want to tell you about a movie that is empowering, inspiring, and helping me to find my way through my current situation. It's called "HEAL."Before some of you dismiss it at first glance I… Read More
2018-06-30 22:10
I was having problems getting the second MRI in August scheduled.First off I want to say this post is not about bashing the hospital. People make mistakes. But I decided to share what had be… Read More
2018-06-08 17:01
I can tell you from a personal perspective it has been jarring to read about the two celebrity suicides in the news this past week.It isn't that the death of a celebrity means more or less t… Read More
2018-06-03 11:31
It's been just over a week since I published the blog post about my medical issues. Here is what I can update at this time:SECOND OPINIONAs expected my health insurance company denied my req… Read More
2018-05-24 15:12
So the post title? Worst multiple choices I've ever been given. I'll tell you right now I'm really rooting for scar tissue.This is a long post. I tried to anticipate every question you may h… Read More
2018-05-18 00:31
Though I've rarely posted on this blog since moving to Michigan in 2014 I will be resuming posting here again in just a few days.The reason for this post is I've decide to change the url fro… Read More
2017-06-22 11:15
I lost a friend. She was crazy-smart, very kind, thoughtful, and generous. She was a caring person who I had the good fortune to meet while I was living in CA (before moving to MI). Even aft… Read More
2017-04-10 21:09
Last Saturday I spent the day on Division Ave. S in downtown Grand Rapids for the annual Art.Downtown event. It's kind of like a mini ArtPrize except there is no voting/contest aspect and it… Read More
2017-04-06 14:31
Coming to Grand Rapids, MI this Saturday? If you are maybe I'll see you. I'm participating in the Art.Downtown one day event hosted by Avenue for the Arts and will be at my venue (122 Divisi… Read More
2017-02-26 12:51
I've often said my creative-process is that I see pictures in my head. For instance when I think of something I'd like to create I can see the finished whatever in my head and can, for reaso… Read More
2017-02-26 03:38
I've often said my creative-process is that I see pictures in my head. For instance when I think of something I'd like to create I can see the finished whatever in my head and can, for reaso… Read More
2017-02-20 15:25
Keeping an open mind isn't always the easiest thing to do. We become comfortable when we are accustomed to doing something in a way that has always been successful.But somewhere along the wa… Read More
2017-02-19 16:23
One of the most disheartening things people who didn't mean to offend me have said (directly) to me has been post 9/11 when they express their belief that people of Middle Eastern descent, o… Read More
2017-02-18 23:59
Imagine my surprise when I was contacted to see if I'd want to participate as an origami artist at the inaugural "Grand Rapid's Asian Festival" on June 10th, 2017. My first thought was: Wow… Read More
2017-02-16 18:43
The other day I was talking to my friend Dana on the phone. He said something like "Remember when you used..." about how I used to go out and do more things when I lived in California and wo… Read More
2017-02-12 23:45
Well, I've done it. I've taken another step launching Tinygami as my full time career. I signed up to participate at the:Made In Michigan Pop-Up MarketSaturday May 27th and July 22nd, 2017Ea… Read More
2017-01-08 13:43
The new year always brings both hope and anxiety, oddly, for the same reason: What lies ahead? Sometimes that question is a good thing because it symbolizes possibilities. From the opposite… Read More
2016-11-27 15:46
My idea for the Tinygami Work Studio is to have the left half of the ceiling bright white as it will be the side I use as a mini photo studio. The walls and ceiling will be plain white and p… Read More
2016-10-31 04:00
Since Kitai passed away in 2014 I haven't had a reason to post a dog costume here on the blog... Until this year :)Meet Lenny! His owner contacted me to ask a question about how I made Kitai… Read More
2016-10-25 20:09
It was an ordinary day. I was about to make breakfast when I saw a tiny flash of grey go *hop, hop, hop* under the kitchen table. It was so fast I almost couldn't tell what it was but I knew… Read More
2016-10-21 02:24
On the third morning of ArtPrize I recorded a podcast interview with Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood from Craftsanity. This was following the blog post and video interview she recorded of me… Read More
2016-10-17 12:30
If you've been looking for a tutorial or instructions about how to DIY hand bead a wedding veil, you've found one!Years ago I spent a decade as a couture bridal accessory designer. It will p… Read More
2016-10-12 18:05
I think it would be fair to say that most artists and crafters dream of having their own work studio. A space separate from their living area whether it's a room, the basement, or even bette… Read More
2016-09-23 11:55
I have to say, even though I am completely uncomfortable having a photo taken or video shot (of me) I was really glad I was able to be interviewed by Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood of the CraftSa… Read More
2016-07-29 18:24
Hi! I hope you've been well and enjoying a good spring and summer.I just realized the last post I wrote was March 3, 2016. Even as my posting here on the blog slowed, I was more regularly po… Read More
2016-03-05 00:41
Are you familiar with Kintsugi? It's a Japanese technique used to mend broken pottery. The belief is that when mended with gold the broken object becomes more beautiful and valuable than it… Read More
2016-02-22 15:38
Here's what been happening over on Tinygami's Instagram Feed: Rabbits and Bunny Boxes! Read More
2016-02-14 13:17
It's an origami heart, inside an origami crane.A month ago I was looking at a piece of cellophane that had come wrapped around a Christmas gift. Before tossing it in the trash I cut a square… Read More
2016-02-10 13:24
This past week and weekend Fred and I attended the largest tiny trailer gathering east of The Rockies. The Crossroads of America (aka The CRA) gathering is held every other year in Spencer… Read More
2016-02-04 19:53
From the moment I first laid eyes on an old school rope and pole awning I knew I had to have one for The Glampette, once she was designed and built :)I looked at dozens of pictures online an… Read More
2016-01-28 01:52
I am now part of the 1%. No, not the ridiculously rich 1%, I am now part of the 1% of Americans who voluntarily choose to have a sedation-free colonoscopy procedure. Why would I? My main rea… Read More
2016-01-25 14:30
The day I attended the artist's reception for the ArtPrize: Second Glance gallery exhibit Fred (being the nice guy he is and because he wasn't going with me) offered to scrape all of the ice… Read More
2016-01-22 15:10
By now most of you know that I do my best to consume a balanced diet meaning I eat very healthy things. . . And some very unhealthy things :) It's definitely a balancing act. At most I try t… Read More
2016-01-20 13:54
Five biopsies in three months. That's how my 2014 ended and 2015 began.At first I wasn't sure I'd share any of this on my blog. One's health is a very personal thing. But then that part… Read More
2016-01-20 12:41
Something had been bothering me (for freaking years) but, like so many other things in life, I hadn't made the time to fix it a priority.If you've subscribed to this blog through FeedBurner… Read More
2016-01-19 14:25
For weeks I've been watching one of the three occupied birdhouses Fred built this spring and hung in the yard wondering what kind of birds are nesting in it. In house #1 (aka "The Tree… Read More
2016-01-18 16:17
You may have noticed the little mitten I added to the header of the blog last week. Some of you will know exactly why. Others are probably wondering what it's all about. To be honest I had n… Read More
2016-01-17 21:00
Living out in the countryside I would like to have chickens to eat bugs in the yard but don't want the responsibility of caring for them as I plan to travel around a bit this summer with The… Read More
2016-01-17 20:56
It was a long wait through a cold Midwest winter but in the end I was rewarded. The tulip bulbs I planted last October weren't eaten by voles (underground) or deer (above ground). They didn'… Read More
2016-01-17 12:09
No, it's not Adele, and I guess it's barely been a year since I last posted here. . . But this morning I had an idea to begin posting in this blog again.Even though I started my new bl… Read More
2016-01-17 12:08
I had just been home to visit my parents in December when 9 days after I left my dad had an unexpected stroke and passed away several days later. At 84 years old he wasn't on any p… Read More
2016-01-17 12:08
My friend Brenda shared this meme, a quote by author Iain S. Thomas, on The Modern Pioneer Facebook Page. It sums up how I've been feeling not only the past few years but pretty much my… Read More
2016-01-17 12:08
A lot of people don't like to bake because best results come from your ability to follow a recipe in exact detail. The right kitchen tools, ingredients, and techniques are essential. A lot o… Read More
2016-01-17 12:08
I love my tiny canned ham, rv, travel trailer to bits! I named her "The Glampette," a petite spin on the whole glamorous camping trend. Because teardrop and canned ham trailers became popula… Read More
2016-01-17 12:07
I can't say the thought of packaged camp food (you know, the kind in a pouch) has ever been appealing to me. I've seen it at outdoor and sporting goods shops when I lived in California… Read More
2016-01-17 12:07
When I lived in California I was posting food pictures constantly. It was easy to do with so many restaurants to enjoy. It's been ages since I've done a food post partly because there aren't… Read More
2016-01-17 12:07
This morning I woke up at 5:00 AM, not to see the Blood Moon, simply because I'm still not a good sleeper and seem to wake up at 5:00 whether there's a reason to or not.I went out into the l… Read More
2016-01-16 21:07
It's been three weeks since the death &demise removal of my mole. Just as my doctor predicted it healed up fine with virtually no visible scar on the right side of my nose. Amazing! Whil… Read More
2016-01-16 20:58
Sometimes at night I dream about you. It happens quite often. Usually I'm looking for you because you're lost and I can't find you. I wake in a panic because I'm desperately worrie… Read More
2016-01-16 20:58
So, the other day I was on a quest zipping along in Grand Rapids in my now 21 year old Acura Integra. In the over two decades that I've owned it I can only think of two times it had bro… Read More
2016-01-16 19:08
When I decided to move to Michigan there were things I didn't know I needed to know. Among them:Your car doors can freeze shut. All four of them. To be clear I'm not talking a… Read More
2016-01-16 16:14
In an effort to stay sane I've made myself look maybe just a wee bit crazy for the past few months. A lot of stress had been piling up on me for, oh, about a year or so. My doctor sugge… Read More
2016-01-16 01:55
I needed to come up with a Birthday present for my neighbor. Something not too personal but thoughtful. Not too expensive, but not cheap. I hate giving someone something they don't need… Read More
2015-01-06 22:09
Change is good. That's what I keep telling myself.With the New Year I felt it was time to create change. At the top of the list I decided to launch a new blog! While The Flirty Blog (re… Read More
2014-11-26 03:22
For 21 days my "Tiny Cranes" miniature origami entry was displayed in the front window of the Grand Central Market and Deli on Monroe Center NW.When I showed up the first two days to answer… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
The truth is since I've been living from The Glampette the past few months it's made some things easier and some things more challenging. Being able to reach everything in my "home" while si… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
It was a small thing, Kitai went to jump in the car yesterday and almost didn't make it onto the front passenger seat. "Maybe he just didn't have his feet under him" I thought to myself.To l… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
Here it is, my second Throwback Thursday contribution.When I was in preschool we had a circus where all the kids dressed up and put on a show for our parents. I was a lion tamer. I still rem… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
This picture kind of sums up how Kitai has been feeling lately since his Lymphoma diagnosis. Not as bright eyed as he used to be, sleeping more, and sometimes a little out of sorts. He stumb… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
The strangest thing happened to me earlier this year. Not once but twice I was involved in hit and run car accidents, two Fridays in a row. Because of that I've created the hashtag #HARF tho… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
There are two words you don't often see together.The other day I posted on Facebook:"It's freaking snowing here and guess who got a mosquito bite? One guess. Did you guess me? Arghhhhhhhhhhh… Read More
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