Hand-Made Arm Covers

Added on by the ikebana shop.

Bet we are not the only ones who find it annoying when our sleeves get stained or dirtied up while working with our hands. Introducing… arm covers!

Protect your sleeves from the ink, the paints….

…even from the cooking oil leaping out of the frying pan!

You may say “Well, I’ll just pull up my sleeves.” Well, how many times have you done that only to have your sleeve slide down at the most inopportune moment? The arm cover will catch it before it’s too late!

The arm covers are hand-made in Nova Scotia using Japanese cotton fabric. They are available at the shop while supply lasts. Fabric patterns may vary. If you want to have them shipped to you, please drop us an email.

Cute Mini Slices of Life

Added on by the ikebana shop.

With plenty of snow days this winter, we had lots of down time…and our hands have not been idle! The result: some cute dioramas of relaxing scenes! As you can tell from the depictions, we can’t wait to relax outdoors in warmer weather!

Surrounded by birdhouses, a frog sits on his Adirondack chair with a book. The chair is made from popsicle sticks.

A bunny fries an egg for breakfast and roasts some marshmallows on a campfire.

And here’s a dog and a cactus plant!

Each diorama was meticulously put together manually. Dried moss & branches, artificial leaves, felt and fabric were used to create the scenes. The animal figurines are from Japan. The glass bubble terrariums have loops on top so they can be hung to display as well. They are currently available for sale at the shop.

My Ikebana: Fallen Pine

Added on by the ikebana shop.

With the spate of winter storms that blew past Halifax, many fallen branches were there for the picking…like this big pine branch!

 

This branch was majestic enough as it was to be the backbone of an arrangement. But purposely, smaller branches were trimmed and entwined in order to give a more unique expression.

Here is the whole arrangement.

I hope you like it. —Miyako

Mamebon - Tiny As A Bean

Added on by the ikebana shop.

To those who like miniature things, we’d like to introduce our hand-made “mamebon” 豆本!

 

豆 - mame ==> "bean"
本 - hon (bon) ==> "book"

 

We made these notebooks. They are “as tiny as a bean”!

Write your snippets of thought in them. A mini journal perhaps? Have fun!

There are other Japanese words that use “mame” to mean something small.

“Mame chishiki” 豆知識. “Chishiki” means “knowledge”. So “mame chishiki” would usually refer to some trivia or fun fact.

And, “mame kenzan” 豆剣山 is a small kenzan!

 

Feb 2022 Ikebana Lessons Cancelled

Added on by the ikebana shop.

We hope you are all well and keeping safe. The omicron wave seems to have not abated yet. We have decided to stay on the safe side and cancel February ikebana lessons as well. We are really sorry for this but we feel that it is not yet the time to relax our guard.

Feb 2nd (Wed) lesson CANCELLED
Feb 23rd (Wed) lesson CANCELLED

We hope March will be better. In the meantime, please take care and maybe practice at home! We look forward to seeing you again when the time is right.

Thank you for your understanding.

My Ikebana: Carnation Soul

Added on by the ikebana shop.

Through the tangle and thicket of dried branches emerges a bowl of carnation petals. It’s as if we are offered a glimpse into the arrangement’s bright red soul!

Here is the whole arrangement.

I hope you like it. —Miyako

Jan 2022 Ikebana Lessons Cancelled

Added on by the ikebana shop.

In the midst of this Covid-19 omicron variant onslaught, we have decided that it is best to cancel ikebana lessons for January. Let's sacrifice being away for now so that we may be able to have lessons again when the time is right. Each of us have different comfort levels about mingling. Some may be more vulnerable than others and some may be in close contact with more vulnerable persons. We took all of these in consideration and thought it best not to have our group activity (even if Public Health may still allow it.)

Jan 19th (Wed) lesson CANCELLED
Jan 23rd (Sun) lessons CANCELLED

We will be monitoring developments and decide on the February lessons in a few weeks time.

We apologize for any inconvenience. Please take care, stay safe and we hope to see you all in more comfortable circumstances.

Happy New Year 2022!

Added on by the ikebana shop.

明けましておめでとうございます! Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Welcome Year of the Tiger!

Our challenges continued through 2021. We probably had more downs than ups but we soldier on! May the Tiger’s ferocity and strength help us power through 2022!