Hello Kitty, Totoro And Pikachu -- Origami Workshop

​Summer is here!  We are planning a little origami workshop on July 7th, Saturday, 10-11 a.m. at our studio on Quinpool.  

In this workshop, we will show you how to make origami of your favourite characters: Hello Kitty, Totoro and Pikachu!  We will also prepare one square towel for each participant and show you how to make an "origami" bear with it!  It'll be fun so please sign up.  Of course, it's not only for kids...there is no maximum age limit for origami! :-)

Cost is $7 (plus HST) per participant...and you bring home your work!

Hope to see you there!

A Doll Finds A Home

​Don't you just love it when things fall into place?

A few weeks ago, a lady came to the shop looking for a Japanese doll.  She said they had a beautiful one at their home when she was growing up but sadly it was no longer with her.  Unfortunately, we did not have Japanese dolls in our inventory.  They do tend to be very expensive and delicate...therefore, difficult to ship...which translates to very high shipping costs because of the extra special packing required to protect them.  The best we could tell her was that we'd look into it and see what we could come up with but we did give advanced warning not to be shocked at the price.  We do know there are some "imitation" ones out there but really, the craftsmanship would be very different...as would the price, of course; but we did not want to go down that route.

​As it happened, about a week later, another lady visited the shop bearing...guess what?  ...a Japanese doll in her hands.  She wanted to sell it and so came to ask us if we could find a buyer.  We could hardly believe the timing!  The doll was authentic.  It was not new, of course, and there were some parts that showed the passage of time....frayed edges in some parts, some errant hair. We also saw where a little repair had been made.  But still, the doll still looked grand and elegant with her drum.

We immediately called the first lady and she came by to take a look.  "It's even better than the one I had as a child!"  she exclaimed excitedly.  She didn't mind the flawed parts we pointed out and was very happy to give the doll a new home!

Now, we have two happy ladies! ...which makes us happy!

(All photos by the ikebana shop.  All rights reserved.)

Ikebana Workshop In Mahone Bay

We are bringing a taste of ikebana to the South Shore!  

Ikebana workshop at the Mahone Bay Centre on Jun 24th, Sunday, 2-4 p.m.  Well, come over at 1:30 and enjoy tea and snacks too!

We are preparing a short demonstration and then instruction on how to make a basic upright arrangement.  Participants will get to take home their work too!

Pre-registration is required (because we need to prepare the flowers for you!) so please call or email us to book.  We also ask participants to please bring a pair of floral clippers (what you use for your garden is OK) to the workshop.  Workshop fee is $35 (plus HST).  

The Mahone Bay Centre is located at 45 School St., Mahone Bay NS B0J 2E0  http://www.mahonebaycentre.com/

Thank you to Susan and Lynn, who consistently make their way from Mahone Bay to Halifax to join us for lessons, for helping make this possible!

We hope to see you there!

Special Offer Extended To I.I. Ottawa!

Dear Members of Ikebana International Ottawa,

Due to your very warm response, we are pleased to announce an extension of our free shipping offer until July 31st, 2012.  Pool your orders and save more!  We thank you for your patronage.

Special offer to members of Ikebana International Ottawa: 
1. Any mail order purchase by members of merchandise with total value (before HST) less than $200, we offer to cover 50% of shipping cost. 
2. Any mail order purchase by members of merchandise with total value (before HST) of $200 or more, we offer free shipping.

Other conditions: 
a. Shipping will be via Canada Post (shipping method will be at our discretion) 
b. Shipping destinations will be limited to Ontario and Quebec. 
c. Orders must mention membership of Ikebana International Ottawa before payment processing. 
d. Members are free to pool their orders to avail of free shipping as long as shipping destination is only to one location. 
e. This offer is not limited to ikebana supplies but includes all other merchandise at the shop. We do reserve the right to refuse sales of certain items which we deem too fragile to ship.

Offer ends on July 31, 2012.

Beyond July, 2012, all is not lost!  

We will cover 50% of shipping cost for any mail-order purchase with total value (before HST) of $200 or more.  (All other conditions apply.  Offer ends December 31, 2012.)  It's almost going to be like the cost of a taxi ride...almost!  But hey, you're shopping in Halifax! (^_^)

If you are an ikebana group in Canada or the United States and would like to avail of a similar arrangement, please let us know and we'll see what we can do.  No promises but we'll give it very serious consideration!

Flower Holders By Nancy Roberts

Nancy Roberts is a Nova Scotia potter who likes to make quirky, fun and interesting pieces.

Indeed, the collection of flower holders that she made for us all have different personalities!

Each glaze is different!

Each texture is different!

Each one comes with a small kenzan (frog).  Fill it with water, pick a bloom or two from your garden, stick it in and enjoy!

​Nancy is a member of the Nova Scotia Potters Guild.  

Learn more about her here: http://novascotiapottersguild.com/members/detail/nancy-roberts

Flower holders are available at the shop or by mail order.  $30 (CAD) each plus HST where applicable.  All hand-made in Nova Scotia, Canada.

(All photos by the ikebana shop, except photo of Nancy, which is courtesy of Nancy Roberts.  All rights reserved.)

Karako -- Little Children On Japanese Pottery

Many of us have probably seen them at one time or another...  drawings of cute little children, dressed in Chinese style, on bowls or dishes.  

The children are normally depicted as playing under a pine tree, with butterflies and peonies around.

These children are called "karako" (唐子), which literally translate to "Chinese children".   "Kara" (唐) is actually the character for the Tang dynasty (618-907) of China, considered by many as the golden age of Chinese culture and power.  The little children design on pottery symbolizes health for sons & daughters and longevity/continuity.

The number of children on the design also have significance.  You will probably see three, five or seven children.  (Always odd, never even number!)  The more children on the pottery, the higher is its grade.

This matcha tea bowl has 5 children...and the pine tree is found on the inside of the bowl!

All pottery pictured in this article are available for sale at the shop or by mail order.

(All photos by the ikebana shop.  All rights reserved.)

Fat Quarters ... So That's What They're Called!

Seeing our selection of Japanese fabric, a customer, who turned out to be an avid quilter, exclaimed, "Oh, fat quarters!"  

...which raised about 3 question marks on the top of my head.  Fat quarters???

I asked and she kindly explained.  "In the quilting world, these are called fat quarters," she declared, pointing at the fabric "end-cuts".  For lack of a better term, we had coined the word "end-cut", which had simply been a direct translation of the Japanese hagire (端切れ), to refer to these strips of fabric.  (We had previously introduced them in this blog post.)

A standard roll of fabric is 44" wide.  Fabric is normally purchased by the yard (36").  So a yard gives you a piece of cloth that's 44" x 36" big.  If you want a regular quarter, then you'll get a cut that's 44" wide and only 9" long.  Now, a "fat quarter" is when you cut the width in half and a yard-length in half as well...which gives you 22" x 18"...which is still a quarter of the basic yard, only "fatter".  Apparently, quilters prefer fat quarters because they are able to cut bigger chunks of fabric for their purposes.

Now, our Japanese fat quarters are a little chubbier, measuring around 22" x 20" ...which makes sense because 20" is about 50cm.  And because Japan uses the metric system, these cuts are probably quarter meter (as opposed to yard)!

Later on....  Feeling like a child with a new toy, I put this fresh knowledge to the test.  Another customer came to buy a Japanese quilting book.  Said it was a present for his mother who loves quilting.  So I mentioned casually, "Oh, we have fat quarters too."  He knew exactly what I was talking about and said he would bring his mom to the shop next time!  Joy!  I almost felt like an "Insider"...but reality is I am still just a "name-dropper"!  (^_^)

Many patterns available at the shop.  

(All photos and illustrations by the ikebana shop.  All rights reserved.)

"En: Connections" Exhibit Photos

It was a great turn out!  Thank you to all who visited us.  In case you missed the exhibit, please have a look at the photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_ikebana_shop/sets/72157629744389244/

Chirimen Eyeglasses Case

Those of us who carry around a pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses in our bags know how important it is to protect them from getting scratched or bent.  Here is something functional yet pretty!

Hard-shell case with felt lining.  Outside, it's wrapped in chirimen rayon fabric in colourful patterns.

Which design do you like?

$9.95 each (CAD) plus HST where applicable. Available at the shop or by mail order.

(Photos by the ikebana shop.  All rights reserved.)

Exhibit Preparations

Finally, the day of the exhibit is almost upon us.  It's this coming Saturday, May 12th.

For the past few months, pottery artist Mindy Moore has been working hard to produce new pieces.

​Photo courtesy of Marvin Moore. (http://marvinmoore.com/)

Has she perhaps been sleeping between the potter's wheel and the kiln?  (^_^)

​The past two weeks, Miyako has been feverishly designing ikebana arrangements.  The garage has been taken over...

...and the studio is lined with mock-ups.  She will dismantle all of these and re-create them at the gallery.

Please join us and see how Mindy's pottery and Miyako's ikebana breathe life into each other.  See the connection!

Exhibit Title: En: Connections
Opening reception: May 12th, Saturday, 2-4 p.m.
Venue: Argyle Fine Art, 1559 Barrington St., Halifax NS
http://argylefineart.blogspot.ca/
Everyone welcome.  No entrance fee.

Exhibit days: 
May 13th, Sunday, 12-5 p.m.
May 14th, Monday, gallery closed
May 15th, Tuesday, 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
May 16th, Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

(Photos by the ikebana shop except when noted otherwise.  All rights reserved.)