Chyrsanthemums, carnations, and pom-pom mums to create mass....
...and a big block of driftwood!
There is a sense of flow coming from the driftwood. The mass of blooms extend this flow.
I hope you like it. --Miyako
Graceful As Maiko
Our friend from Chile, Ana Luisa, shared with us her ikebana inspired by a recent trip to Kyoto where she met maiko. Thank you, Ana Luisa!
Two Japanese artistic expressions: Ikebana and Maiko.
Elegance, finesse and serenity...
Beauty in both.
Ikebana: Dutch lilium, aspidistra leaves, & dried Canelo* branch.
The container looks to us like a celadon incense burner. Ana Luisa purchased
it at a flea market in Kyoto. What a wonderful treasure to find!
＊ The Canelo is a tree native to Chile and is considered sacred by the ethnic Mapuche people.
It has very curly branches.
* All photos courtesy of Ana Luisa Quiñones.
The Twist Box
Guess what this giant cupcake-like thing is? :-)
Gently lift the top and twist open....
...and take a peek inside. We've filled it with 10 assorted chocolate truffles!
Lovingly hand-made in-house, right here in Nova Scotia! The fabric is from Japan. The chocolate truffles are from Truffini (made in BC). Of course, once the chocolates are gone, you can still use the box!
Available for a limited time at the shop. Get one for this year's Valentine's gift!
My Ikebana: Wrapping Paper & Daisy Mums
Sometimes, it is interesting to create ikebana with unconventional materials. Such material could draw out the charm of flowers in a different manner compared to those using only plant material. It is precisely because the material is unconventional that we are able to come up with a unique expression.
I set my sights on the wrapping paper that we use at the shop. This paper is used to protect fragile, ceramic items like teacups, bowls, etc.
The paper, when stretched, produces a lattice-like pattern with a rough but soft texture.
I used the paper together with daisy mums and some dried branches.
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. --Miyako
Origami-In-Motion Workshop
UPDATED 20-Jan-2016:
We are postponing this workshop to Jan 31st, Sunday, same time 2:00-3:00 p.m.
The weather forecast for Jan 24th, Sunday, doesn't look very good. It looks like a considerable amount of snowfall is expected!
Apologies for the inconvenience.
We are planning our first for 2016 origami workshop on Jan 24th, Sunday. In this workshop, we will make origami that go in motion. One is a pinwheel that will spin when you blow on it and the other is a spinning top!
See a quick demo of the spinning top here!
Date: Jan 24th, Sunday
Time: 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Venue: our studio (right above the shop)
Cost: $8 plus HST per person. All materials are included.
Max 10 persons. Advanced registration is required. First come, first served!
Please call or email to book your spot.
Tel (902) 407-0487
email: shop@theikebanashop.com
Hope to see you there!
Revised Blade Sharpening Price Schedule
No, it's not really a price increase! We've just streamlined the blade sharpening pricing schedule to simplify things.
The following pricing schedule will be applied from 2016:
Cost / knife
$8.00
$10.00
$15.00
$15.00
$15.00
$15.00
$10.00
$12.00
no extra cost
$5.00 extra
Regular & Serrated Kitchen Knives
up to 4" blade
more than 4", up to 9" blade
more than 9" blade
Japanese traditional knife
Cleaver
Non-kitchen knife (hunting, folding)
Ikebana clippers
Scissors
Minor chip repair* ( <2mm)
Chip & tip repair*
*Chip repair must be incorporated with sharpening order.
Note: If your knives or clippers need extra special attention, we will let you know the expected cost and obtain your agreement before starting any work on it.
Prices are subject to HST.
Happy New Year 2016!
Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!
Ikebana At Toyota Lexus Halifax
If you are out shopping for a car, visit the Toyota Lexus showroom in Halifax!
We put up an ikebana installation there. Way up there above the showcase shelving! See it?
Toyota and Lexus being Japanese brands, we hope to show a little bit more of the Japanese aesthetic in the showroom. We express through flowers elements of the automobile design: elegance, boldness, power.
Sometimes, it is good to work outside the studio and create something BIG...a very different experience from the usual table-top arrangement. The project is a collaborative effort by Miyako and her advanced students : Val S., Susan R., Jean H. and Patti V.
Toyota Lexus had asked for something that could stay in place through the Christmas season. So, dried materials were used. Apart from the bleached palm, all other plant materials were those that can be found in Nova Scotia.
Bleached palm leaves.
Gold maple leaves and Canada holly (ilex) among others.
We also used Japanese obi.
We searched far and wide to get the right material! :-)
Planning, designing, creating the mock-up took an effort. But we enjoyed doing it! With everyone working together, there was an excellent exchange of ideas.
(L-R) Miyako, Jean and Patti.
Val.
Since the arrangement was to be placed atop a 2-metre high shelf, we had to imagine it being viewed from the below.
Susan and Miyako.
The other challenge, of course, was bringing the work to the showroom...and the actual installation. Many thanks to Val's engineering & carpentry skills for coming up with a great "scaffold"!
Here are more views of the installation.
The installation will be there throughout December, 2015. Please visit when you have the chance!
We are very grateful to Toyota Lexus Halifax for generously allowing us to use their showroom. It is never easy to find big spaces for big arrangements!
Thank you to Val, Susan, Jean and Val! We hope you enjoyed the project. We are proud of your work. As well, thanks to Susan and Patti for sharing your photos with us!
My Ikebana: Fresh & Dried Contrast
Fresh sunflowers and dried hydrangeas...a contrast of old and new.
For this arrangement, I combined use of hanadome wire and flower container.
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. --Miyako
Thank you Hal-Con 2015
We had a great time at Hal-Con 2015. We would like to thank everyone who visited our booth, including many fabulous cosplayers! You kept us busy. We couldn't even take a break...and we love you for it! :-)
Our special thank-you to the organizers and volunteers. You did one heck of a job. Everything was smooth. 100% successful event!
We hope to see you all again next year!
Sincerely,
the ikebana shop
