Ikebana Demo At The Eastern Shore Garden Club

Added on August 15, 2012 by post@theikebanashop.com.

Last night we were guests of the Eastern Shore Garden Club. If you must attend one of their meetings, make it August...because that's the month when most everyone brings lovely blooms from their gardens. And so we were lucky to be treated with an array beautiful and fragrant flowers!

We thank the Eastern Shore Garden Club for giving us the opportunity to demonstrate what ikebana is all about.

It was the first time for Miyako to wear a headset microphone too! Looked more professional! (^_^)

We hope you enjoyed the arrangements.

We were very happy to see many people interested. Hopefully we were able to answer most of your questions!

Feedback:
*We are all so pleased with your presentation last evening. The response from all members is most positive.... The nine years I have been a member I don't recall this much enthusiasm. * ----Nora, Program Director.

*Well I hate to go on and on about the great presenter we had tonight because those of you who were not there might be injured by kicking yourself too hard for not being able to attend BUT they were very, very good!* ---Darlene, in an email to her fellow members

Thank you to everyone at the Eastern Shore Garden Club!

We Are Going On Holiday

Added on July 29, 2012 by the ikebana shop.

Important Announcement: The shop will be closed from Aug 4th (Sat) to Aug 12th (Sun). We will re-open on Aug 13th (Mon).

Yes, we are taking a long overdue holiday. No, we are not going to see the Olympics! (^_^) We are not yet sure if we will have access to the internet so there is no guarantee that we will be able to respond to email inquiries during this period.

Sorry for the inconvenience but we will come back refreshed!

Single Stem Flower Dish

Added on July 25, 2012 by the ikebana shop.

The flowers are blooming (and even the weeds in the wild are pretty!) Brighten up your surroundings with this single stem flower dishes!

Just snip a tiny bloom and put in the cylinder. Then fill the dish with water. There is a hole at the bottom of the cylinder to allow the water to reach the stem.

Available in two colours:

Vibrant green-blue (YAMA-1)...

...and the earthier rusty brown (YAMA-2).

Dimensions: L11.0 x W8.5 x H4.5 cm (4.3 x 3.3 x 1.8 in.)
Made in Japan.
$19.95 (CAD) each plus HST where applicable.

Available at the shop or by mail order.

Aburatori-gami Takes Away That Oily Shine!

Added on July 16, 2012 by the ikebana shop.

Is the summer heat getting to you? Well, summers in Kyoto are punishing as well...and here's one little accessory that kabuki actors and geishas use to keep their faces (with all that make-up and before the advent of air-conditioning!) clear of the oily sheen: the abura-tori-gami ("oil blotting paper").

This facial blotting paper has actually been around for about 1000 years now. The paper was originally used to protect gold leaf. The delicate gold was covered with this paper (then known as haku-uchi-gami...literally "foil beating paper") as a craftsman pounded it into a thin leaf. The gold leaf, wrapped in this paper, was brought to the imperial palace in Kyoto. Somewhere along the way, someone discovered the remarkable oil absorbing properties of this paper...and its use as a face blotter spread throughout Kyoto. It also started to be called "abura-tori-gami". Now it is an essential item in many Japanese women's make-up retouch arsenal!

Available at the shop or by mail order. $4.50 CAD (plus HST where applicable) per pack of 50 sheets. Made in Kyoto, Japan. Fragrance-free. Powder-free. Absorbs excess oil without disturbing make-up for petal fresh skin!

Omotenashi Marriott-Style!

Added on July 13, 2012 by the ikebana shop.

Disclaimer: We have no affiliation with the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel. This blogpost was written without any prompting, remuneration or coercion (just kidding...!) from the hotel. We simply think that others should know...

In our line of work, we get asked to put up ikebana arrangements in many different places. When we do jobs at hotels and other "posh" places, most of the time it's straightforward business. This is where you need to set up. You'll find what you need there. Get the job done in time. With courtesy. Pretty much par for the course and we expect nothing more really. Sometimes, we do get treated like the hired help...like when we receive "extra" instructions like "Don't mess up the carpet. That's expensive." We take it all in stride and move on...besides, come to think of it, we are the hired help anyway. No hard feelings.

So, what a delightful surprise it was to arrive at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront and to be treated like guests! Our buckets of flowers and boxes of equipment were brought in by a porter in a shiny hotel cart, right through the front lobby! (We had been half-expecting to be asked to go through the service entrance...and of course, to haul our stuff in by ourselves.) When we reached the venue, it turned out the ballroom doors were still locked. The bellhop (who probably had nothing to do with the event planning part of the hotel business) stayed with us and made hundreds of phone calls (so we exaggerate a bit...^_^ ) until the right person with the right key came. We were in good hands!

The following day, when we came back to clean up after the event, the same hospitality met us. The service was above and beyond, despite the fact that we were not there to be served! The bellhop who escorted us helped clean up the flowers and discard the leftover water from the containers. We told him that we knew this was no longer part of his job(and to the cynics out there...no, no supervisors hovering around! ^_^ )and so it was OK to leave us; but he simply replied that he wanted to help as much as he could!

The spirit of omotenashi (hospitality and then some...)* is alive and and well at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront. We salute management and staff for creating such a wonderful environment. With this one short experience, the Marriott has endeared itself to us. Guess which hotel we'll be recommending the next time we have guests from Japan?

*Japanese omotenashi is explained quite well in this article: http://www.wattention.com/archives/omotenashi-the-heart-of-japanese-hospitality/

See the finished arrangement here.

New From Tokyo Milk: Entomology Soaps

Added on July 11, 2012 by the ikebana shop.

New from Tokyo Milk: the entomology soap series. Wrapped in bright yellow linen paper with the usual Tokyo Milk style of charming illustrations...this time of insects, this set has a refreshing citrus fragrance. It is a limited release product so try to get some while we have them!

Tokyo Milk soaps are French triple milled from a pure vegetable base, enriched with Shea Butter to moisturize skin during cleansing.

Ballroom Arrangement

Added on July 7, 2012 by post@theikebanashop.com.

Some weeks ago, we had the honour of putting up an arrangement for a speaking engagement. It was at the Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, Halifax Ballroom...the best ballroom of the hotel!

The client gave us a free hand and only asked that the flowers should be equal in stature as the speaker on the podium. We hope we did not disappoint.

Have a closer look.... Lilies, sunflower, carnation and weigela.

Postcards By Iwasaki Chihiro

Added on July 2, 2012 by the ikebana shop.

Iwasaki Chihiro (1918~1974) was a popular children’s book illustrator, famous for her warm and gentle portraits of children. The driving force behind Iwasaki's tender depiction of kids was her strong desire to see a world of peace and happiness in which all children would be safe.

We have an extensive collection of her postcards available at the shop or by mail order. $3.00 (CAD) each plus HST where applicable. You can purchase here.

Mahone Bay Workshop

Added on June 25, 2012 by the ikebana shop.

What an enjoyable afternoon we had at Mahone Bay last Sunday! Thank you to everyone who participated in the ikebana workshop. We hope you enjoyed as much as we did. Special thanks to Susan and Lynn who made this workshop possible.

Before the workshop, Susan and Lynn brought us to a great spot. They braved the mosquitoes to gather branches. Miyako was able to give them a few pointers on how to choose branches for ikebana...something we cannot teach in the studio!

We held our workshop at the Mahone Bay Centre--a grand, old schoolhouse building. We loved the way the wooden floorboards creaked at every step!

FIrst, Miyako gave a demonstration.

Then, participants get to try it themselves. Ladies, pick your branches!

Learning to distinguish the main branches...

"Maybe this flower should be a little lower..."

Our youngest participant...she knew more about plants than anybody else!

Relaxing after they were done.

Lynn concentrating on her nageire.

Susan and her finished work.

See you next time!

With A Little Help From Our Friends

Added on June 23, 2012 by the ikebana shop.

Any entrepreneur will tell you that setting up a new business is never easy. Back in 2008, as newcomers, we found it doubly hard to set up. Apart from not really knowing the rules of the game, we lacked that built-in network of family and friends. You know how it goes...you need to find out about something or need to get something done, you ask your elders, your cousins and your friends. Sooner or later, somebody somewhere will turn up and say, "Hey, I know this guy who can help you...." and thus, you move one more step forward towards your objective.

Thankfully, for newcomers to Canada, there are the immigrant services organizations. In Nova Scotia, they are ISIS - Immigrant Settlement and Integration Services.

The people there were literally our first friends in town. To any immigrant who is serious about settling and setting up shop in Nova Scotia, ISIS is a gift from heaven and we cannot thank them enough for helping us on our way. Now we have our little shop and things just keep getting better!

For sure, you have to have the ideas and you have to do all of the legwork. They won't spoonfeed you but they do have a vast network to help answer your queries, introduce you to knowledgeable people and provide guidance along the way. So if you are a new immigrant to Nova Scotia, get in touch with them now. You won't regret it. Promise. (http://www.isisns.ca/)

In the video, make sure you watch from 4:47. You'll get a glimpse of the inside of our shop! (^_^)

The video was originally posted here: http://www.newcomersuccess.ca/index.php/videos/ciip-settlement-series-atlantic-provinces?lang=en-GB#