Tag: ikebana

Elegant Minimalism

, , , , , , , , 0

One beautiful vessel. One delicate blossom. Does it get more simple than that?

I feel like this is a very zen “arrangement”, if you can even call it that. It reminds me both of an enso, and the concept of mu. I actually spent far more time than I’d like to admit getting it to feel like a cohesive, balanced unit instead of just a stem stuck in a vase.

The vase itself is a stunning piece, hand-made by my friend Aine. Please be sure to check out her work here. I also have a beautiful sake tokkuri and cups she made and they’ll be showing up later this year in a fun little entry currently in the works. I knew I wanted a blossom that was sculptural and interesting on its own but that would allow the vase to shine. I looked around at the fresh flowers available locally and nothing really stood out to me until I found clusters of these allium-like stems in the Aldi parking lot, of all places. You really can find beauty in the most mundane of places if you open yourself to it.

Peony Ikebana feat. Forest Decor

, , , , , , , , , 0

When Forest Decor reached out to me about a collaboration, I admit I was a bit stumped (pun absolutely intended). Their products are lovely, but not exactly in my realm of expertise. I was about to thank them politely for the offer but refuse when I saw this raw edge three-candle holder and my brain reimagined it as a vessel for ikebana with the help of this set of three tiny kenzan!

My original intention was doing a much more structured arrangement with one flower in each hole, in an ascending diagonal, but then I found these gorgeous, blousy, riotous peonies and knew that order and rigidity were not the way to go. In the end the uneven natural chaos of the flowers is much more complimentary to the raw edge of the olive-wood used for the holder, and I’m very happy I “listened” to the flowers instead of fighting nature and forcing the whole ikebana into something it didn’t want to be.

The only issue (such as it is) with using this gorgeous piece as a vessel is that the holes are very tiny and don’t hold much water, so it’s a very ephemeral arrangement. But peonies are very ephemeral blooms, so it all worked out in the end.

 I received this item from the retailer or manufacturer for honest review purposes.This post contains affiliate link(s). If you choose to purchase, I receive a small rebate or commission which goes to the continued maintenance of this site.If you have a topically appropriate craft, product, or service you would like me to review, please contact me. 

A pop of sentiment

, , , , , , , 0

Isn’t it funny how cyclical life can be? The last kitsuke coordination I did before leaving Montreal last time involved poppies, and now the last ikebana I’ve done before leaving California involved poppies.

Last weekend, Keith and I were in Palm Springs (doing an escape room – unrelated but super fun!) and I figured while were there we’d check out one of the local florists. I was running under the assumption they’d have more variety than the supermarket near home and typically I’d be right but they’d done a big event that morning and were running low on stock. I found this bundle of pink and white poppies in various levels of bloom and decided I could do something neat with them once I let the buds open up a bit.

Unfortunately, the following day I learnt the very important lesson of Don’t Put Your Hand In The Blender While It’s Plugged In. Thankfully I only pulsed one finger for a fraction of a second, and while there’s a fair bit of gnarly tissue damage it could have been so much worse. But I couldn’t exactly use my hand, or even hold the scissors I needed to cut the stems. I was worried they’d wilt before I had the chance to feature them.

So imagine my surprise when a beautiful set of proper wide-handled ikebana shears showed up in the mail on Tuesday, courtesy of my lovely friend Andrea.

I decided to just let the flowers shine, featuring them at different heights and different levels of open. I love the contrast, and how sculptural the stems are. A bit of foliage to balance things out, and the arrangement essentially put itself together. I could not be happier with it!

Beautiful Belated Birthday Blooms

, , , , , , , 0

Last month on Sunday the 16th, I celebrated my 44th birthday. My husband and I go to pub trivia every Monday with some friends and the day after my birthday, our friends Kelsey and Emilie showed up with this beautiful bouquet of zinnias from their garden for me. I knew I wanted to make an arrangement with them as soon as I got home!

The colours they planted just happen to be the same ones in the lesbian sunset pride flag, (which we all had a good chuckle about) so I figured this rainbow-shaped vase would be the perfect vessel. It’s subtle but still quite thematic.

Rather than over-complicate and clutter the arrangement with separate flowers and foliage, I decided to focus entirely on the bright, blousy flowers themselves, arranging them into a gentle but somewhat architectural-feeling modern diagonal to contrast with the organic curve of the vase.

They lasted roughly a week and brought a smile to my face every time I saw them in our kitchen.

(Also if anyone is curious, our team is currently ranked first at our local venue and third overall in the regional standings. Go team Pet The Dogs!)

 

Desert Bounty Ikebana

, , , , , , 0

Would you believe me if I told you the shakuhachi-giri vessel I used here was actually part of a five-dollar bundle of bamboo kitchen tools we got at HomeGoods the other day? We needed a new wooden spatula and as soon as I saw this set I knew the container would be absolutely perfect for ikebana!

I cut some desert-willow (chitalpa) blooms from the tree in our front yard, and I absolutely love how they look together. They wilt incredibly quickly, but that only reminds me of how ephemeral ikebana truly is.

One of the great things about being in southern California is the abundance of interesting or unusual (to me) flora I have easy access to. Be prepared for lots more native plant ikebana in the near future.