Making Our Own Sakura

Added on February 6, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

The temperatures in Halifax are still mostly below zero but we thought we'd hurry spring up a bit by making our own cherry blossom branch!

It's not a real cherry tree branch. Probably maple.

We made the flowers using Japanese watermark tissue. It's very light, just like sakura petals. Looks delicate but actually the tissue is quite strong.

Each petal was hand-cut. The flowers were formed by rolling and twisting the petals together.

Then, the blooms were glued onto the branch!

It's hanging on our shop window. Please come and see. Hope you like it!

We have a selection of Japanese watermark tissues available at the shop. Perhaps for your next project? :-)

Sayonara To The Penny

Added on February 4, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

As of today, Feb 4th, the Royal Canadian Mint will start phasing out the use of the penny. The coin will no longer be distributed. This means sooner or later, we are going to run out of pennies.

The penny is still legal tender and we will accept them indefinitely...so don't throw them away just yet! We still have a small stash of pennies left so we will be able to give exact change for cash transactions in the coming days. However, once we run out, we will not be able to get new supply from the bank and so we will adopt the rounding guidelines as recommended by the Government of Canada.

The total purchase amount, including HST, will be rounded up or down to the nearest 5-cent increment. This is applicable to cash payments only. Credit card and debit transactions will continue to be charged the exact amount as usual.

For more information: http://www.mint.ca/store/template/default/pennyinfo.html

Twist-And-Open Box Of Chocolate Truffles

Added on February 2, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

Searching for a little something for Valentine's Day?

Look what we came up with! We made boxes from card stock and covered them with various Japanese fabric.

The unique thing is how it opens.

Just twist!

This hand-made box uses Japanese fabric. Re-use the container after enjoying the chocolate!. The perfect Valentine gift! Contains 10 different flavours of Truffini Chocolate Truffles (Made in Canada.) Box hand-made in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Inside are ten different flavours of the yummy Truffini chocolate truffles! And when the chocolate is gone, you can re-use the box!

Box is hand-made in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Chocolate truffles are made in British Columbia, Canada.

$9.50 each (plus HST where applicable). Available at the shop or purchase online.

Mopping The Floor

Added on January 27, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

If you see us mopping the floor...
Don't even hesitate. Just set your foot inside our door.
We prefer your company and a dirty floor,
To a clean but empty store.

:-)

My Ikebana: Disassembling and Assembling Salal

Added on January 26, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

I found myself with a lot of salal branches this week so I thought I'd make an arrangement featuring salal.

However, the salal leaves were quite big and would completely overpower the snapdragons that I planned to use. So I thought of a way to show only the salal branches. Remove the leaves!

Sometimes, by disassembling the material into its smaller parts, we discover some new characteristics.

Here is the finished arrangement.

I put the salal leaves together with the snapdragons and green hypericum so that people would know what kind of branches were used!

I also removed the budding tips of the snapdragons because I did not want to introduce another "line" element into the arrangement.

By the way, the flower container was made by our friend, Nova Scotia pottery artist, Mindy Moore.

The holes at the top came in very handy for this arrangement!

Hope you like it.

Miyako

Hand-Cut Kiri-e Cards

Added on January 23, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

Kiri-e (切り絵) is the art of paper cutting to form an image. We made some cards using kiri-e style.

All are individually hand-cut using a sharp cutter knife and black cardstock.

We like cat themes! :-)

...and we try to be a bit playful!

Each one of course is one-of-a-kind. Hand-cut in-house right here in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The cards are blank inside and comes with an elegant liner and envelope.

Available for sale here at the shop. $5.00 CAD each (subject to HST where applicable.)

Here is a video we found that shows how to make kiri-e!

切り絵のつくり方の紹介ビデオです。

Little Fat Cups

Added on January 18, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

Nova Scotia pottery artist, Sally Ravindra calls them her "little fat cups".

These chubby cups measure only around 7~8 cm (about 3 inches) in height. Just right to fit in your espresso machine.

A hot cup of cappuccino or cocoa on these snowy days sounds very inviting. Enjoy your drink in the Little Fat Cups! :-)

Once you hold one in your hands, you won't want to put it down!

They are available for purchase at the shop or here. Hand-made in Nova Scotia, Canada.

My Ikebana: "Sculpting" With Straw

Added on January 11, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

Our backyard is entombed in snow and it was difficult to pick branches so I decided to use some dried susuki (Pampas grass) that a friend had given to me a while back. I had been saving them for a rainy day and I thought their time finally came. Not on a rainy day...but on a snowy one!

Because the stalks were very dry and brittle, many stems broke completely. It was a challenge to blend angled lines with the flower container.

I wanted to project this arrangement in 3-D. The lines were placed such that the viewer would be able to enjoy different expressions from many angles.

The alstroemeria, though more commonly used to create mass, were used to show movement this time.

The two colours--pink and orange--inserted on either side of the arrangement, helped to show depth.

I hope you like it.

Miyako

Welcome 2013 Year Of The Snake

Added on January 1, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

The nengajou is a New Year's postcard that is traditionally sent out in Japan on the first day of the year. It is the way Japanese express gratitude and maintain friendships.

Our Year-End Schedule 2012

Added on December 24, 2012 by the ikebana shop.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Our Year-End schedule is as follows:

Dec 24th 10AM - 5PM (shortened hours)
Dec 25th shop closed
Dec 26th shop closed
Dec 27th-29th open 10AM - 6PM
Dec 30th-Jan 2nd shop closed
Jan 3rd open 10AM - 6PM ....onwards, shop open per usual.