Time To Wind Down

To all who loved our masks, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

After over 3000 masks in more than 200 patterns, it is time to wind down the mask-making activity. Our masks will not completely disappear. They will still be available online and in our shop for a while. But we are slowing down the pace.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, masks were scarce and hard to find.  We believed that face masks could help. We were not scientific folk; our belief in the good of face masks was not from any rigorous, evidence-based study. But we came from Japan…and in Japan, when one caught a cold, it was normal to wear a mask in consideration of others. It wasn’t to protect oneself; it was to protect the community from oneself. So, we made masks with our little home sewing machine. We sold our masks “at cost”. It was our own little way of helping our community battle this pandemic. And the next two months turned out to be one of the busiest times for us just keeping up with demand we actually had not expected!

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But now, the big stores seem to have face masks available already….even the dollar store has them for sale. Time for us small players to step back and let the big boys fill the need. Besides, we are getting ready to re-open our shop really soon!

Things seem to be looking better for us here in Nova Scotia but please stay vigilant. Let’s keep washing our hands frequently! Stay safe. We are all in this together.

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Updated October 2nd, 2020
As of October 1st, 2020, we have officially ended our mask-making activity.
We thank you for loving our masks.

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Cloth Face Masks

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.

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“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.

Shop Closed Indefinitely

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.

Reduced Shop Hours

Important Announcement:

Please be advised of our reduced shop hours as we battle COVID-19:

Monday-Saturday 12 noon – 3 p.m. until further notice.

• 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.

Ikebana Lessons Cancelled Until Further Notice

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.

Welcome East Peak Climbing!

Congratulations to our new neighbour, East Peak Climbing, on their grand opening today, Feb 29th, 2020! East Peak has converted the inside of the old Oxford Theatre into a fabulous indoor climbing gym…and they’re right across the street from us!

Here is a welcome ikebana to our new neighbour. This arrangement was inspired by the rock climbing walls found inside the gym.

Hope you see the connection….

The photo of the climbing wall is from this CTV News article. Hope they don’t mind that we used it for inspiration. Please read the article as it gives us the inside story of how hard the folks there worked to get this gym up and running.

Happy climbing on Quinpool!

Happy New Year 2020!

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! 明けましておめでとうございます。 It’s the dawn of a new decade! We opened back in December, 2009 and so it is also a decade for our shop! We give thanks for your support through the years and look forward to another 10 years, at least!  Will it be another “Roaring 20’s” ? :-)

We wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2020.

"Sō" Magazine October 2019

Our ikebana arrangement on the set of Mr. D (a CBC TV comedy series) is featured in the October 2019 edition of "Sō" (「草」) magazine, the official publication of the Sogetsu Teachers' Association.

Read the original blog post.

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A Plea To Help Sally Ravindra

It has recently been brought to our attention that our beloved potter, Sally Ravindra, has been devastated by Hurricane Dorian. Her house and pottery studio on Purcell’s Cove have been severely damaged. The insurance company has categorically stated it will not cover any damage on the house foundation, seawall and septic system caused by Hurricane Dorian. There are no emergency funds available to her.

Sally has always been there for the community. In fact, part of the area that has been washed away by Dorian was regularly used for community events/gatherings. As well, the retaining seawall that used to protect her house also protected her neighbours’ properties. That is gone now and needs to be rebuilt. Now, Sally needs the help of her community—local and global. Let us help her and hope she will make beautiful pottery for us again one day.

Click on poster to go directly to the GoFundMe page for Sally.

Please listen to the CBC information Morning interview here.

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CBC News Information Morning (Sep 12, 2019)

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Please click on the GoFundMe icon to donate. Every bit will count!

Thank you very much for your help and compassion.