Ikebana practitioners love to work with curly willow branches. They show very interesting lines and curves that are a delight to use in arrangements. We’d normally take advantage of the long branches to express a strong profile or direction.
The challenge for this arrangement is to resist the temptation of using curly willow in its natural state. So we cut it up and re-assembled it!
Here is the whole arrangement.
While shopping for groceries, we found some packs of chili pepper. The bright red colour was mesmerizing. It would be wonderful to use them in ikebana!
Some winter greens were used to further emphasize the redness of the chili pepper. The vase is the work of local Nova Scotia pottery artist Sally Ravindra.
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope this arrangement brings a little warmth in the cold winter! —Miyako
2020 started out business as usual…until COVID-19 upset the applecart!
“perii, plaustrum perculi
(I am done for, I’ve upset my wagon!)”
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.)”
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!
Our ikebana presentation at the FASS (Faculty, Alumni, Student, Staff) exhibit at St. Mary's University Art Gallery last year is featured in the December, 2020 edition of "Sō" (「草」) magazine, the official publication of the Sogetsu Teachers' Association.
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
Good news Halifax, Dartmouth, Clayton Park and Bedford!
We are pleased to offer free delivery to our local customers!
* 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!
Two bamboo containers are used to create this arrangement that is meant to be seen from a higher angle.
I hope you like it. —Miyako
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!
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.
