Happy New Year 2021

Added on by the ikebana shop.

2020 started out business as usual…until COVID-19 upset the applecart!

 
perii, plaustrum perculi
(I am done for, I’ve upset my wagon!)
— Plautus from the play "Epidicus" (circa 200 BCE)
 

2020 turned out to be a year of reflection, recalibration, and resilience.

2020 was the year that told us: “Whoa! Take a step back!” It was painful. There were some dark moments when we had fleeting thoughts of “the end” as we cancelled everything and faced a lockdown with no certain outcome. And we weren’t just thinking of business… COVID-19 took its toll indiscriminately across our community.

2020 forced us to think about what’s important (toilet paper? Haha!) and what we can do without. We decided to roll with the punches and came up with new ways of going about our business (aka our lives) and, in many ways, found improvement and opportunity. Many little discoveries (or re-discoveries?) paved the way for a better way of doing things.

 
七転八起 [Nana korobi ya oki]
(Fall down 7 times; get up 8 times.)
— Japanese proverb
 

We fell down 7 times in 2020. Come 2021, we are rising up for the 8th time!

We’d like to thank our customers for all the support. We could not have seen this year through without you. Our community is the best. From the time we re-opened after lockdown, not once did we have a problem with anybody refusing to follow Public Safety rules. You were all very understanding, cooperative and caring and we love you for it!

A very special thank-you to the people in the front lines. You kept us safe and you kept us going. (Canada Post, we love you!)

With that, we give you our 2021 New Year greetings. 明けましておめでとうございます。Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu. May the Year of the Ox pull us forward, slowly but surely!

My Ikebana: Golden Monstera

Added on by the ikebana shop.

Here is a festive arrangement for the holiday season.

Leftover monstera leaves were allowed to dry and when they’ve become stiff and crumpled, gold paint was applied.

Here is the whole arrangement.

I hope you like it. —Miyako

Free Local Delivery (Limited Period)

Added on by the ikebana shop.

Good news Halifax, Dartmouth, Clayton Park and Bedford!

We are pleased to offer free delivery to our local customers!

 
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* The following conditions apply:

Free Delivery Campaign Period
This free service is applicable to online orders received & paid for on or before Jan 5th, 2021.

Free Delivery Service Areas
We wish we could serve all of HRM but lines must be drawn somewhere. Basically, the service is applicable to addresses in the Halifax Peninsula, Dartmouth, Clayton Park, and Bedford. Click here to see the delivery service areas.

Minimum Order Amount
A minimum order amount of 20.00 before tax is requested.

Other conditions:
1. Package weight is maximum 10kg.
2. Package width + height must not exceed 100cm.

Do you need to do anything extra to get the free delivery service?
No. Just order online as usual. We will reply to you via direct email and let you know if your order qualifies for the free delivery service or not. We will make all the arrangements with you after you have placed your order. If your order does not qualify, we can still ship to you via Canada Post (but shipping costs will apply), or you can opt to do an in-store/curbside pickup.

Deliveries will normally be made within 2 business days after payment is confirmed.

The service areas & conditions are subject to change without prior notice.

Please take advantage of this campaign while it lasts!


Updated 18-Dec-2020

Now it can be told! We have been waiting for the official press release and now it is finally out! (Read here.)

This free local delivery service is made possible through the generous support of the Halifax Innovation District— in collaboration with the Halifax Partnership, the Halifax Regional Municipality, and the Province of Nova Scotia, and the wonderful people at Haligone, an innovative start-up that uses an online platform to optimize schedules for a quick & efficient delivery system. Not only that, they are environmentally “green” and sustainable using electric vehicles (EV) as their mode of transport!

Thank you very much!


Updated Jan 6th, 2021

The Free Local Delivery offer has now ended. We hope you were able to avail of this service. Thank you to Haligone for the extraordinary service. Thank you Halifax Partnership for the sponsorship!

Kyo-Ame: Traditional Kyoto Candy

Added on by the ikebana shop.

Introducing Kyo-ame (京飴) — traditional Kyoto candy. There is a variety of flavours available but of course, we got the Japanese green tea flavours…because we love green tea and because these candies are from Uji, Kyoto!

They are hand-made. Sugar is boiled and made into candy paste. Flavour is added while it cools. Then, it’s kneaded and rolled into a long, thin line and cut into bite-size pieces. All done by the craftsman’s hand.

No artificial flavours or colouring added into these candies.

Here are the 6 different flavours available:

Matcha - Enjoy all-around matcha deliciousness up to the last bit!

Matcha Milk - The delicious harmony of milk & matcha comes alive in this candy!

Matcha Explosion - Pure matcha goodness at the core. Get ready for a burst of matcha in the end!

Sencha - Let the delicate taste of fine sencha tickle your taste buds!

Houjicha - Delight in the unique, nutty flavours of pan-roasted green tea.

Genmaicha - Savour that signature aroma of roasted brown rice that only genmaicha brings!

As with any food from Kyoto, the flavours are subtle and delicate. Don’t expect over-the-top sweetness!

We opened some bags to sell by the piece so that you can try one of each and discover which ones are your favourites! They are really good candy, subtle and not overpoweringly sweet, which allows you to enjoy the natural green tea taste. Come and try!

December Ikebana Lessons Cancelled

Added on by the ikebana shop.

It saddens us very much but we have decided to cancel the ikebana lessons scheduled in December. 

Affected dates are:

  • Dec 2nd (Wed) 10-12 morning

  • Dec 13th (Sun) 10-12 morning & 1-3 afternoon

Lessons that are already paid for will remain valid and will be honoured with your next booking when we are able to re-start.

We are still hoping that we can start lessons again in January, 2021 so we will keep those bookings active until further notice.

If you have any questions, we are a phone call or email away.

We thank you for your understanding. Please keep safe and we hope we can enjoy flowers together again soon.

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Holiday Diorama In A Nutshell

Added on by the ikebana shop.

The holiday season is coming and we have dreamed up of a new hand-crafted ornament for you!

Take a guess! The first hint is walnuts…LOTS of walnuts!

Here are other randomly collected images of this year’s project in different stages of preparation. Most everything was painstakingly hand-made, or put together by hand with deft use of glues, tweezers, etc.

Here are the finished products! Four different holiday motifs all in a nutshell! Hang one…or two…or three…or four on your tree!

They are available at the shop at 4.95 (+HST) each or buy them online! Hand-crafted in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Second Wave Safety Measures

Added on by the ikebana shop.

Updated Nov 28, 2020:

Customer limit inside the shop will be 3 persons maximum at any time. Thank you.


Updated Nov 24, 2020:
Customer limit inside the shop will be 5 persons maximum at any time. Thank you.


Although we are very fortunate to be in a “safe” province like Nova Scotia, we cannot relax our guard. As the weather cools, the number of COVID-19 cases are beginning to rise again. We need to remain vigilant!

Starting Nov 16th, 2020, we are limiting the number of customers inside the shop to a maximum of 6 persons. If you’ve been to our shop, you know that our space is small and it is a challenge to maintain social distancing at all times. The NS Public Health guidelines allow a maximum of 10 persons without social distancing but we decided to make stricter rules for the safety and comfort of everyone.

 
Gathering limit for businesses and organizations that can’t maintain a physical distance of 2 metres (6 feet) because their physical space is too small - 10 customers or clients maximum without social distancing (keep as much social distancing as possible)
— https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/restrictions-and-guidance/#gatherings
 

 
 

So, if we are going to exceed the six-customer limit, we may ask you to wait outside for a while. There are Q spots on the sidewalk to guide you where to wait for your turn.

Please queue on the Q’s!

Everyone entering the shop is also requested to wear a face mask.

Thank you very much for your cooperation and understanding.

P.S. Online shopping and curbside/in-store pick-up are still on-going as well!