In the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Propeller Beer opened its Quinpool location. Another great addition to our vibrant community!
Image is a screenshot from @propellerbeer Instagram post.
Here is our little welcome ikebana for Propeller Beer! A crystal container with light blue hydrangeas to evoke the pleasure of that first gulp of ice cold beer after a long day!
Apologies for the belated welcome. We are happy to have you in the Quinpool neighbourhood!
An arrangement using no kenzan, using 2 flower containers connecting as one unit.
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. —Miyako
Do you know shiki ita (敷板)?
It is a flat wooden (usually lacquered) base platform used by ikebana practitioners to create and extend space that otherwise could not be fully expressed by the flower container alone.
Normally it is a supporting actor to the usual main characters of flowers/branches and container. Sometimes, it can also provided necessary contrast against backgrounds that have similar hue with the flower container.
In this arrangement, we flip the usual roles and use the shiki ita as “main character”. There is no flower container in the usual sense to steal the show!
Notice also that instead of the shiki ita delineating the boundaries, the arrangement extends its space outside of it.
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. —Miyako
I was thinking of using things found in the house for an ikebana arrangement.
This colourful mug from Mexico caught my eye. It was a gift from our Mexican friends. Such bright and vivid colours are not normally seen in Japanese-style pottery. It was refreshing! To me, it spoke of the vibrance and gaiety of the Mexican culture.
The other piece of pottery is a shallow bowl made by Danielle Sawada of Thrown Together Pottery from Truro NS. It has been with us for over 10 years now! The Mexican mug, by the way, sits atop a candle.
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. —Miyako
We have Japanese fabric. We have a sewing machine. We have time.
So we made face masks!
These are cloth masks hand-made with cotton fabric from Japan. They are not N95 or surgical/medical-grade masks. Please use in tandem with continued physical distancing and frequent & proper hand-washing.
The Proper Way To Wear A Face Mask
The proper way to put on a mask is with the pleats facing down. If the pleats are facing up, they become like pockets and will collect stuff you don't like rather than letting them flow down. So remember, pleats must face down!
The Proper Way To Handle Face Masks
The area in front of your nose and mouth is potentially contaminated. Once the mask is on your face, you must assume it is contaminated already. Touching the mask and then touching other things (including your face) increases risk of transmission. If a used mask is placed on any surface, then that surface needs to be cleaned.
While wearing the mask… Do not touch the mask.
When removing the mask…Touch only the sides or the straps and take off while moving away from your face.
After removing the mask…Do not put on any surface. Put directly in washer and wash with detergent.
Are Cloth Masks Effective? (Added on Apr 6, 2020)
Cloth masks are not N95 or surgical masks. They do not provide adequate protection to the wearer against incoming virus. They are not meant to replace proper physical distancing and hand-washing. We have to be very clear about this.
There is a danger of the cloth mask giving the wearer a false sense of security, which could lead them to abandon/ignore physical distancing and good hygiene. This should not happen.
Cloth masks hardly protects the wearer but rather protects the people around the wearer. The mask provides a barrier to contain droplets (from speaking, coughing, sneezing) coming from the wearer and prevents potential transmission from wearer to others.
“A non-medical mask can reduce the chance of your respiratory droplets coming into contact with others or landing on surfaces….The science is not certain but we need to do everything that we can and it seems a sensible thing to do.”
From CBC News (posted Apr 6, 2020)
Canada’s top doctor says non-medical masks can help stop the spread of COVID-19
So in an ideal situation, everyone in the community wears a mask when they go out, thus protecting each other from transmission. The cloth mask is an extra layer of protection for the community. Physical distancing and frequent/proper hand-washing should be continued, mask or no mask.
“Let’s put on a mask!” Illustration by @hidekiccan (from Twitter)
Our masks are 5.00 CAD each. We are selling them basically at cost. It is our way of helping our community. They can be purchased from our online shop (while supply lasts!). Take care, stay safe. We are all in this together.
This arrangement uses an easel as a frame!
Things around the house could be made part of ikebana arrangements. Do you have any ideas?
Most of us are probably staying at home in self-isolation as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. We miss doing ikebana together and hope that we can enjoy making flower arrangements together again soon.
For those of us with some time in our hands, let’s try some ikebana at home!
Let’s try to use something that is normally found in our kitchens: aluminum foil! The challenge is to use aluminum foil to create your container. Here are some guidelines:
The lead “character” is the container. Any flowers you add should be there to help the lead character.
You may use a different container to hold water or to help you with forming the shape (if you need). This other container may be completely hidden or could be showing as part of the arrangement. It’s completely up to you!
You may use kenzan, if you need. Again, completely up to you!
There are no other rules. Have fun with it!!
Share your work with us! Tag us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!
And here is the first “further notice”….
With further escalation of the COVID-19 situation, our bricks-and-mortar shop will be closed effective Mar 19, 2020 until further notice.
We will continue to process online orders for as long as Canada Post is in operation. There may be some delay in our response time. Thank you for your understanding.
We look forward to getting back to our normal routines. In the meantime, stay safe. Be kind. We are all in this together.
Important Announcement:
Please be advised of our reduced shop hours as we battle COVID-19:
• Message ahead to let us know what you want to buy. We’ll have it ready so you just pick-up and pay.
• We can be contacted via email, FB Messenger, Instagram and Twitter DM. We’ll do our best to stay on top things. [Our handle is @theikebanashop]
• If you need ideas, let us help you find what you need via online messaging first. We can even send pictures!
Stay safe. Be Kind.
We are all in this together.
As the COVID-19 situation escalates and we see the whole province battling hard to contain it, we also want to be pro-active in our own little way. We have taken the hard decision to cancel ikebana lessons, effective immediately, until further notice.
We think that this is the prudent and socially responsible thing to do at this time. We are all in this together and we will win this together. We hope to make beautiful flower arrangements again with you some time in the future.
Please take care and stay safe. Thank you for your understanding.
