As the province extended the lockdown up to the second week of June, we are also cancelling the ikebana lessons scheduled for June, 2021.
We will then go into the summer break and hopefully re-start the lessons in September. We will make further announcements on our website and social media accounts later.
Thank you all for your patience and understanding. We hope for a quick and lasting recovery from this pandemic. Take care. We miss you all.
Our ikebana workshop with the young students at the Shambhala School in Halifax last January, 2020 is featured in the April 2021 edition of "Sō" (「草」) magazine, the official publication of the Sogetsu Teachers' Association.
This online exhibit is also hosted at the Quinpool Road website. Click here.
See the slideshow. Scroll down all the way to the end!
In collaboration with the Quinpool Road Mainstreet District Association and the many businesses on Quinpool Road, Halifax (which is our home too!), we are pleased to present this virtual ikebana exhibition. This exhibit had been originally planned to be held live at The Atlantica Hotel until the 3rd wave of the Covid-19 pandemic struck and the city went into lockdown.
The theme of this exhibit is to showcase local businesses on Quinpool using ikebana. The artists looked at each business and looked for inspiration. They found ideas from the business' logo designs, their dominant colours, the products they sell, the overall atmosphere of the establishments, etc. Please have a look at each arrangement and see if you can find the connection(s) with the intended business. Some are obvious; some are subtle. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did creating them!
We thank the QRMDA and the many businesses who agreed to participate and allowed us to use their logos/images.
This exhibit is presented by Sogetsu ikebana teacher, Miyako Ballesteros, and her students.
Welcome to our online exhibit! Had there not been a lockdown, we would’ve been at the Atlantica Hotel and this arrangement would have greeted everyone at the entrance to the Commons Room! The “A” of the hotel logo re-imagined with tree branches!
Red and white blooms to depict the colours of the hotel’s logo. An elegant, relaxed atmosphere…just like the hotel. Arrangement by Nina Dandurand.
This arrangement is filled with movement, reminiscent of trail running and downhill skiing. Are those white tulips like the snow you kick up as you slash through fresh powder? Arrangement by Midia Chalabi.
White flowers and a blue vase to honour the traditional colours of Greece. The slanted style is relaxed, reminiscent of reclining on the beaches of Santorini! Arrangement by Leo Artalejo.
The imagery is a bowl of bibimbap, and some fiery red flames shooting up to grill your kalbi and bulgogi! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
We love this dandy cat and his elegant top hat! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
A colourful place deserves a colourful arrangement! The mugs were made at the Clay Cafe, of course! Arrangement by Odessa Godbold.
The bright turquoise facade of Dilly Dally is now an unmistakable landmark. Good coffee, good vibes, a great place to relax! Arrangement by Brenda Diabo.
Margherita to Go! Take out boxes were de-constructed to create a whole new vase. Plant material served up as the toppings. See them spilling out as you open the pizza box! Arrangement by Susan Robertson.
Black and white, like the cow patches on the Déjà Moo beer can. Plus gypsophilia for the beer froth up top! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
The red-white-blue of the barber's pole comes alive and seems to go 'round & 'round in this arrangement. Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
The beautiful blues of the Wanderers' logo inspired this arrangement! Olé, olé, olé! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
The distinctive crown of the king, recreated with aspidestra leaves, bejeweled with tulips and roses! And, a wrapped donair on the side! Arrangement by Midia Chalabi.
When we think of Liberty Tax, it's always the deep red of the maple leaf that comes to mind first! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
The black-and-white arrangement uses anastasias with spindly petals reminiscent of the spokes of a bicycle wheel. And those curvy, slanting branches look like a map of your next bike trail adventure! Arrangement by Heather Neville.
Cinnamon-coloured rose clusters with spring blooming forsythia in a copper vase, paired with a sunflower mug in recognition of the floral wallpaper in the cafe. Lucky pennies are strewn to enhance the space around the vase . Arrangement by Linda Campbell.
The ruscus Italian leaves look just like the patterns on the pizza box! The use of tomatoes is no accident either...fresh tomato sauce make a delicious pizza! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
Red hot chili peppers for spicy curries! And do the big golden leaves remind you of naan bread? Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
Scuba diving is the name of the game! And, to anyone who's ever built plastic models, those runners on the structure should be quite familiar. Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
This mannequin is certainly well coiffed! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros
Cucumbers for your pickles...for your sandwiches wrapped in checkered black-and-white paper! The dog leash, of course, is for Bean, the dog--the original Bean! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
Books and flowers...not the usual combination but why not? Purposeful clutter! Arrangement by Robert Lee.
Glittered fish bowls take us to the luminescent purple sky as we sip Galaxy beer! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
Looking at this arrangement, can you almost feel the wind through your hair as you skate down Quinpool Road? Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
Do you see the colourful balls and cue sticks in this one? Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
The high heel fix! Can you see the stylish shoe? Pussy willows, poppy stems and pods were painted in the red & black of the shop's signage. And don't miss the "shoelaces" on this stylish shoe! Arrangement by Susan Robertson.
The huge Pikachu in their show window certainly leaves an indelible impression! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
Lovely reds on black, a place for sweet hearts! Arrangement by Michelle Ciach.
Wooden boards, place mats, doilies and the like can be used in ikebana to create space around an arrangement. A yoga mat can do the job too! The dracaena leaves portrays the sun rays in the TAYS logo. Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
The great outdoors represented in this arrangement with a mini kayaker. And did you notice that the succulent aloe vera leaves resemble the rays on the logo? Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
Triangles in triangles...just like the diamonds! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
Make sure you check the vase...it's a ramen bowl! Don't the gnarly, curly dried wood remind you of noodles? Ready to eat with chopsticks and soup spoon! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
This arrangement looks spidery and has spidery things in them...just like the logo! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
Cool sunglasses in a bright shade of blue! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
The bright yellow and maroon come alive in the form of sunflowers and a brightly polished vase. Entwined pussy willow branches represent the moving dragon. And of course, a Chinese restaurant must have chopsticks and plates! Arrangement by Miyako Ballesteros.
We hope you enjoyed our exhibit! We’d like to thank all our students who put a lot of time and effort to this project. It certainly turned out to be a different kind of experience! Hopefully, we can do something live again in 2022!
This slideshow was put together by Sandra Conrad of the QRMDA. Thank you, Sandra!
Seeing the COVID-19 case numbers in Halifax are not abating, we have decided to temporarily close the bricks-and-mortar shop from Apr 26th, 2021 until further notice.
Our online shop remains open.
Curbside pick-up (including knife pick-up/drop-off for sharpening) is available.
Local delivery, powered by Haligone, is also available (for a small fee). See here if your address is eligible. If your address is not within the service area, we can still use Canada Post to ship.
If you find yourself outside the shop and you know what you’d like to purchase, please give us a call (902-407-0487) and we can bring the items to you. We encourage payment by e-transfer as much as possible.
All ikebana lessons for May, 2021 are also cancelled. We hope the situation gets better soon.
Stay home. Stay safe. Be kind.
Our friends at the Concentus Study Group in Italy organized a wonderful Earth Day online ikebana exhibition. There were over 130 submissions!
Here is my contribution: intertwined pussy willow branches and golden monstera leaves, with dashes of calligraphy ink.
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. —Miyako
Click here to see the exhibition.
The pandemic is certainly not good for the mail! We just received our copy of the Oct 2020 edition of "Sō" (「草」) magazine, the official publication of the Sogetsu Teachers' Association. It’s about 6 months late but better late than never!
Our ikebana workshop at St. Mary's University back in November, 2019 is featured in this issue.
Shikibana (敷き花）is a style of arranging flowers by spreading them on a flat surface. It is a very short-lived one because it does not use any container or water.
This arrangement is Easter inspired. Notice the coloured eggs on the side!
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. Happy Easter! —Miyako
Ikebana practitioners are all branch collectors. When we stumble upon branches with very interesting lines and shapes, we get very thrilled and immediately start seeing the possibilities of a new arrangement. We’ll move heaven and earth (and most of the time our spouses! Ha Ha!) to get those branches. But let’s admit it, most of the time the branches we come across are really not-very-remarkable ones. But still, we keep them.
One way to breath new life into the “boring branches” is to paint them. And that’s what we did with these!
The very dull brown branches were painted a dirty white to help them bounce out of the shadows. Then, a couple of gerbera daisies to add some colour! Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. —Miyako
Mizuhiki are cords made from washi paper. They are usually used for celebrations. Valentine is a celebration too! So we decided to use some mizuhiki for this arrangement.
Here is the whole arrangement.
Happy Valentine’s Day! —Miyako
This is a very “rough” recipe to make matcha squares. Good luck!
Ingredients:
butter 1/2 cup
3 eggs
white sugar 1 cup
brown sugar 1/4 cup
vanilla extract 1 tsp
all-purpose flour 1 cup
matcha 2 tbsp
salt 1/2 tsp
8” x 8” oven pan, parchment paper
Procedure:
Melt and stir the butter.
Mix eggs, sugar (both) and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Beat with whisk until it’s thick.
Add in the butter.
Sift and mix in the flour, matcha, and salt.
Stir with spatula. Keep stirring until it becomes very smooth.
Put in an 8” x 8” pan. (Put parchment paper underneath to prevent sticking.)
Bake in oven at 350℉ (about 180℃) for about 30-40 min.
Use toothpick to check if it’s done!
Enjoy your matcha squares!
