Needle Felt Turtles

Added on March 29, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

Maybe you've already seen them in the shop..these cute little turtles!

Before they became turtles, they looked like this.

We took the woolen roving and stuck the needles into them gazillons of times to compact them together into turtle shapes. The tiny eyes were the trickiest part!

Do you like how they turned out?

We even put them in their habitat! Just to make them feel more at home. :-)

Available at the shop. $8.50 each (plus HST). Made in Nova Scotia, Canada.

My Ikebana: Natural Style

Added on March 24, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

This time I made an arrangement in a more orthodox and natural style.

Last week, a customer came to the shop bringing a big branch. She said she had found it on the sidewalk. She knew I loved getting branches! It was that branch that I used for this arrangement. Thank you very much!

I used red carnations, white pom pom mums and a sprinkling of pine.

See the buds? The branches were holding out the promise of spring!

Here is the complete arrangement. I imagined it would be appropriate at an entrance lobby of a restaurant or ryokan (Japanese style inn).

We put it in our shop instead! :-) Sorry but we don't have a lot of space these days so it had to be together with some other things!

I hope you like it. --Miyako

Cute Cat And Dog Chocolate

Added on March 20, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

We teamed up with local Nova Scotia chocolatier, Brigitte Linder of Out The Box Chocolates and came up with these cuties.

Hand-crafted Swiss style chocolates. (But of course...Brigitte is from Switzerland!) They are 53% dark chocolate...just the way we like it. Not too bitter but not too sweet either. Plus, little spots of white chocolate...just to make them more interesting.

Aren't they just adorable? ^_^

We have cats...

...and dogs.

All individually wrapped. Perfect as a small gift!

All made exclusively for us! Can't buy this anywhere else!

Available at the shop. $2.50 each (plus HST).

My Ikebana: Pine Needles

Added on March 16, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

The back of our house has a lot of pine trees. The previous night's rainstorm gave me a gift of a fallen pine branch.

Back at the studio, I stood for a long time in front of the flower container shelves but found it difficult to choose a container. In the end, I decided not to use a container...rather, I re-discovered this piece of driftwood that had been set aside many months ago!

I also abandoned the idea of using the big pine branch. The needles had caught my eye.

I rearranged them to form a mass. I thought it'd be interesting to set it on the driftwood to look as if moss had started growing on it. Then, I added the pine twigs (already stripped of their needles) on to the end to show movement, giving the mass of needles a lighter tone.

Here is the arrangement...

I hope you like it. --Miyako

My Ikebana: Swirling Eucalyptus

Added on March 12, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

The idea to twist eucalyptus branches round and round came from the shape of the container. I thought of using only the heart-shaped one.

When I finished, I felt the arrangement uncomfortably incomplete.

So I expanded the work using the second container.

I used the single aspidestra leaf embedded in the eucalyptus swirls to create a connection with the second container.

Also with the help of hydrangea blossoms, the arrangement with two containers was now a unity.

Hope you like it. --Miyako

Lavender In Apples

Added on March 8, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Our lavender apples will keep you smiling all day!

Hand-made apples stuffed with Nova Scotia lavender. Wouldn't those look and smell good on your desktop? :-)

Red Delicious...

Granny Smith...

Hand-made in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Available at the shop or online.

Catch The Wave Sale - Two Days Only

Added on March 7, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

Two-day window exclusively for our online customers.

We are trying to give our online shop a little boost with a short promo, exclusive to our mail order customers.

We'll take $10 off from total purchases with value over $50 (before shipping & applicable sales taxes). We must receive your order between Mar 8th & Mar 9th, 2013.

If this works, we'll dream up of other short-but-sweet deals for you! Please help us spread the word and share with your friends. Thanks!

Visit our online shop here.

Horizons - Ikebana Exhibit

Added on March 6, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

We are a proud sponsor of Horizons, the 2013 exhibit of the Ikebana International, Ottawa Centennial Chapter 120. Please visit if you are in the area!

Links:
Ikebana International Ottawa Centennial Chapter 120
Canadian Museum of Nature

Lovely Lavender Happi

Added on February 28, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

We got ourselves a bagful of lavender from the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market here in Nova Scotia.

...and we had some Japanese cotton fabric in our hands.

Put two and two together...we came up with these miniature happi coats.

Sewn around the tummy area is a "pouch" filled with lavender.

Put in your drawer, closet, car etc. The fragrance of lavender will freshen up your space.

There is a variety to choose from!

Fabric from Japan. Lavender from Nova Scotia. Hand-made in Nova Scotia, Canada. Available at the shop or by mail order. $3.50 CAD each plus HST where applicable.

On The Radio

Added on February 14, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

Miyako and one of her students, Jean, were featured on a short radio documentary that was broadcast last February 7th on CKDU 88.1 FM in Halifax NS.

Here is the clip, which we put together as a slideshow. It was too bad we were not able to take photographs during the actual interview. (In fact, during the interview, we were not even sure what kind of piece would come out!) So we just used some images from our archives to complement the presentation.

Many thanks to Emily Kitagawa, a student in the School of Journalism at University of King's College, Halifax NS. You did a splendid job!

This clip was broadcast as a short radio documentary on CKDU 88.1 FM in Halifax NS on February 7, 2013. Audio clip produced by Emily Kitagawa, a student of the School of Journalism at the University of King's College, Halifax NS. Featuring Miyako Ballesteros, ikebana teacher, and her student, Jean Henshall.

Erratum: The 80 variations that the narrator talks about actually refers to the 80 lessons of the basic curriculum of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana.