This delightful vase, small and round, fits in the palm of your hand. It was made by Halifax pottery artist, Mindy Moore. Keeping everything local, we worked with plants that naturally grow out here in Nova Scotia!
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. —Miyako
We are very grateful to the businesses/organizations who took us up on our offer for this little project! Some were close friends and some were completely new discoveries (very happy to get to know you!)
You may have seen some of them in our social media posts; but here are the arrangements all in one place for you to enjoy!
The Aninga Project is a Canadian Charity based in Halifax that works to educate and empower young women in East Africa. They currently have over 60 girls and young women in school in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya. All fundraising are done here in Canada to maintain volunteer teams in each country.
The arrangement is inspired by the smooth vertical orientation and colours of the logo. Having learned that Uganda and Kenya both are big producers of roses, we made it a point to use roses. Doesn’t the orange rose look like it is reading a book?
Chebucto Links is a non-profit community outreach association in Halifax NS. Their mission is to support senior citizens by promoting healthy, active living through social and recreational activities. They are also a valuable source of information and assistance for the senior community.
The inspiration for this arrangement is their logo with 3 persons together. 3 vases were used with peonies in different stages of bloom. We also used some native Nova Scotia Solomon Seals in the back. Solomon, the wise king, full of wisdom just like our elders!
「道楽」”Doraku” in Japanese could mean a hobby or a pleasurable activity. The folks at Doraku Restaurant certainly enjoy Japanese cooking! They are one of the pioneers of authentic Japanese cuisine in Halifax.
Does this arrangement remind you of a sumptuous Japanese meal? …with the maneki neko lucky cat looking on!
Run by blade sharpening master extraordinaire, Peter Nowlan. He has convenient knife dropoff/pickup points at Getaway Farms at the Hydrostone and at our shop! (Learn more about the service here.) Many professional chefs send their beloved knives to him for regular TLC. As well, he makes biweekly trips to the Annapolis Valley at Larchwood Wolfville to service folks out there too!
In this arrangement, apple blossoms and fruit! The huge stone behind the knife reminds us of a whetstone.
No Restrictions Apparel is a new company established in 2020. Yes, right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. It advocates for the promotion of mental health as something as important as physical health. With already a strong following in the powerlifting community, the company aims to bring its message of this “can-do” mindset to a broader audience. Set no limits. Set no restrictions. We all can be better!
A thick, corkscrewing branch was used to project the image of the ferocious snake, culminating in the defiant scream in the end. The strong sinews of the branch blends in harmony with the gentle peony blooms.
The ship’s mug is one of pottery artist, Sally Ravindra’s signature items. It is designed to not topple over as it sits on a ship that’s being rocked back and forth by rough seas. It is a perfect representation of the Maritimes!
So we put this arrangement on an incline just to show how steady the mug is. A cyclamen bloom, dracena leaves and a local lupin branch seem to fly out to show us the direction of the wave!
Minako Kay brought her expertise in Japanese acupuncture to Halifax from Sapporo, Japan. The focus of her practice is to bring health and wellness to her patients through natural healing, by helping enhance the flow of positive energy.
We specifically looked for vines that match the ivy crest logo and incorporated that into a soothing and relaxing arrangement.
Trinity is a 4th generation florist. Her great-grandfather started growing and selling flowers way back in 1922! Trinity’s Florals is based in North Sydney, Cape Breton, NS, specializing in arrangements for weddings, graduations, and other special events.
Most striking is the beautiful fern on the logo! It felt like Trinity’s Florals is the kind of florist that would love using local material for their creations; so we decided to use all local plants with this arrangement: fern (of course!), lupins and forsythia branches. And as a nod to the wedding business, we snuck in the lid of the container with a dove sitting on top!
Red and white—the colours of the flag of Canada. For this arrangement, gorgeous white peonies and bright red weigela!
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. —Miyako
With the pandemic restrictions in place, my husband could not go to the dojo (training hall) to practice karate and so he has been training at home. I got to see his “moves” which inspired me to apply the movement in an ikebana arrangement.
This is a depiction of a technique called “manji-uke”. Pine branches and rugged tree roots were used to show strength and indomitable spirit.
Here is the whole arrangement.
And for those who are not familiar with “manji-uke”, here is an image to help you!
I hope you like it. —Miyako
Normally, when we cut vine, we’d expect some delightfully curly lines that would make for interesting ikebana. However, when we pruned our wisteria, all we got were virtually straight vines!
Some dried knotty branches came to the rescue to make a more intriguing arrangement!
I hope you like it! —Miyako
It was the time of our 3rd wave Covid-19 lockdown and we couldn't go out to look for flowers. All we could find were leaves from our house plant and some leftover curly willow branches!
Such sparse material called for a more “sculptural” arrangement!
The image for this arrangement is a “rolling out” movement. Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. —Miyako
We were in the middle of a lockdown due to the pandemic’s 3rd wave. I could not go to the studio to look for a container for ikebana. I turned to the 50 Principles of Sogetsu for advice!
“Green bamboo tubes and simple rustic jars also make the best containers.”
It tells us that even every day things can become a great container. So I looked around the house and found this lid that went on top of a bamboo basket. And that’s what I used!
This arrangement makes us feel the coming of summer—warmer days, fresh greens, and lovely colours.
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. —Miyako
Our friends at the Concentus Study Group in Italy organized a wonderful Earth Day online ikebana exhibition. There were over 130 submissions!
Here is my contribution: intertwined pussy willow branches and golden monstera leaves, with dashes of calligraphy ink.
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. —Miyako
Click here to see the exhibition.
Shikibana (敷き花）is a style of arranging flowers by spreading them on a flat surface. It is a very short-lived one because it does not use any container or water.
This arrangement is Easter inspired. Notice the coloured eggs on the side!
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. Happy Easter! —Miyako
Ikebana practitioners are all branch collectors. When we stumble upon branches with very interesting lines and shapes, we get very thrilled and immediately start seeing the possibilities of a new arrangement. We’ll move heaven and earth (and most of the time our spouses! Ha Ha!) to get those branches. But let’s admit it, most of the time the branches we come across are really not-very-remarkable ones. But still, we keep them.
One way to breath new life into the “boring branches” is to paint them. And that’s what we did with these!
The very dull brown branches were painted a dirty white to help them bounce out of the shadows. Then, a couple of gerbera daisies to add some colour! Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. —Miyako
