Christmas Ikebana with Candles

Do you know how much I love Christmas?

So much that I put my Christmas tree up on November 23, I've been listening to Christmas music non-stop since then, and I've been doing Christmas ikebana with my students for the past week. I think you can never have too much Christmas!

All last week, my students were creating beautiful Christmas arrangements. I was practicing for my monthly ikebana test, so I wasn't able to do one myself. But this week, during my lesson, I finally got to do my Christmas arrangement.

I wanted to do a one-row form arrangement, and I also wanted to use silver in my arrangement this year, too. I had a bunch of silver candles, so I decided to use those as the main "stems" of the arrangement. I spaced them out creating an asymmetrical rhythm in the arrangement. I then added the green base using some cedar and Asparagus myriocladus. I had found some dark red spray carnations at the flower shop that I thought would go well with the silver candles. I also found some white branches at the flower shop that I thought I could use to give the form some height and balance out the length of the two containers. And last, to give it a bit more sparkle (and make it a little more festive), I added some silver ornaments throughout the work. I tried to use a variety of sizes and textures to make the ornaments more ikebana-ish.

A sophisticated silver Christmas ikebana arrangement.

 I think the silver candles and white branches give it a cold, wintry feel. With the addition of the red carnations, it warms up the feel of the arrangement and gives it a little playfulness, too.

with the candles lit

Christmas light -- Christmas hope

I am going back to the states next week to spend the holidays with my family. This once a year trip is something I look forward to each year. Being able to spend Christmas with family makes the holiday perfect for me.

What makes the holiday special for you? Do you have any special plans for the season?
Feel free to leave any comments in the comment section below.

Merry Christmas!

Fall Colors and Coffee Filters -- Fall Ikebana Exhibition

 The past two weeks have been full of ikebana fun.

From November 2nd to the 4th, the annual Hanamaki Arts Festival was held. I have been doing an ikebana work for the exhibition for the past 12 years. It is something I look forward to each year. But this year, I had even more to be excited about -- two of my students also did a work for the exhibition!

We spent a few weeks leading up to the exhibition trying out different styles and materials, trying to figure out what each one of them would like to do. One student decided to do nageire, an arrangement in a vase. We went to the flower shop together and chose the flowers that she wanted to use. It was a very dynamic yet chic arrangement. She did a wonderful job!

fasciated willow, Dracaena, carnation

My other student decided to do a Hanamai arrangement. I think she practiced three different ways using different containers. We also went to the flower shop and she chose her materials. Her arrangement was beautiful and elegant. She also did a wonderful job!

Trumpet lily, Aspidistra, baby's breath

I was so proud of the both of them. I think they each had a good time doing their arrangements and were pleased with what they had done. One of them is already looking forward to next year and decided what she would like to do!

I wanted to use some orange this year in my arrangement. To me, orange is a warm fall color that you don't see used that often. I went around to several different flower shops looking for something that would inspire me, but I couldn't find anything. The day before, I finally found something orange! I knew what I wanted to do to show off the color and the beautiful flowers.

philodendron aureum, pincushion, philodendron "black cardinal", kangaroo paw, Asparagus myriocladus

 I loved the contrast of the green and black philodendron leaves, and the bright orange in the middle helped to pull the arrangement together.

The art festival is held in an old gymnasium. As you can see from the pictures, the background is not the best. The pegboard is old and worn and is used year after year. I guess you could say that it has seen a lot of art over the course of it's life, but I think it is time for it to go! After the exhibition was finished, I took my work home and rearranged it to take a better picture.


A nice background and better lighting certainly makes for a better picture!



The next weekend, November 9th to the 12th, was the prefectural fall ikebana exhibition. The exhibit is four days, but it is divided into two halves so that more people can participate in the exhibition. I did something for the first two days.

This year, I wanted to do a zoukei work. I like to use common objects and use them in a new and unusual way. This time, I decided I wanted to use coffee filters to create something. Last year, I had searched the Internet looking for Christmas wreath ideas and had stumbled upon a coffee filter wreath. It was beautiful in its simplicity. I didn't make the wreath, but the image was stuck in my head. I thought I could use coffee filters to create a large shape that would be simple yet beautiful.

After a couple of weeks of working on it on and off, and using 600 filters in the process . . .

coffee filters, chicken wire

Many people were enamored with it, trying to figure out what it was made from. Some people thought that it was made from carnations, but when you looked at it up close, you could see that it was made from paper. I was very happy with the result. I think that this is something that can be expanded upon, creating a series of zoukei pieces in the future.

Here are a few more pictures of the piece that I took at home.

the dark shadow down the middle, created from being able to see into each crumpled filter,
followed you as you moved around the piece, giving it a sense of movement

light from one side

a close-up of the tower

a very close-up of the coffee filters

It was a busy two weeks, but it was a fun two weeks. Beautiful arrangements were made by some of my students and a crazy tower of coffee filters was created by me.

How can you not love the world of ikebana?

Freestyle Ikebana with Bare Branches

Unryu weeping willow, monstera, Dendrobium phalaenopsis

Freestyle arrangements are one of my favorite to do (it seems like I say that about everything I post!). There are no rules as to where the materials should be placed, how long the branches should be, what types of materials should be used -- everything is free.

For this arrangement, I wanted to show off the unusual curves of the weeping willow. The branches are not contained within the container, but stretch out, around, and under creating a sense of movement. I used two monstera leaves to add some weight and mass to the work, creating an unbalance with the lines moving around the container. One leaf is inside the vessel, and the other is outside. This also creates a sense of movement and wonder, drawing the viewer into the work, trying to figure out how the materials are placed within the arrangement. Finally, to add a little color, I used three single blossoms of Dendrobium. Two were placed between the leaves to add a mass of color, and one was placed near the back to help draw the eye to the movement of the weeping willow.

a view slightly from the right side



 This view from the top shows more of the movement of the lines. Notice that the front has strong, bold lines that flow to the back of the container, which has thinner lines that are jumbled up. These opposites are important in ikebana. This unbalance creates a sense of balance -- the magic of ikebana.

"By observing the beauty and quietude of nature; the play of opposites, of yin and yang (in and yo in Japanese); and the asymmetrical balance of line, mass, and empty space, the ikebana practitioner strives to incorporate peace, harmony, reverence, and a feeling of centeredness into his or her arrangement and into daily life."  Joan D. Stamm

As always, feel free to leave a comment bellow.

Me -- In the News!

I had the pleasure to be featured on the front page of a prefecture informational newspaper, Ma cherie. It goes out to over 150,000 different households throughout Iwate.

A couple of weeks ago, the reporter and a photographer came to my apartment to do the story on ikebana. I did a couple of fall inspired arrangements. One was a basic arrangement that a beginner would learn to do, and the other was a free style arrangement that expressed the feeling of "otsukimi" -- a special day in September where people enjoy looking at the full moon on a clear fall evening.

We spent the afternoon doing the arrangements and then taking the pictures. Trying to get the best angle and lighting for each picture was a lot more difficult than I had expected; but, it was a lot of fun! I think both the reporter and the photographer learned a bit about ikebana and how it is more than just cutting and arranging flowers -- it is an art. There is a reason each flower is cut to that specific length and where and how it is placed in the arrangement. We all had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs!

the page without the advertisements

Here's the link to the full newspaper.


Thanks, Ma cherie!

Fall Ikebana in a Vase Using Quince

Quince is one of the most frequently arranged flowering branches used in ikebana. It can be used throughout the entire year -- when it flowers in the spring and when it bears fruit in the fall. Quince branches spread out wildly in all directions and often crisscross.  It's important to show off these characteristics when arranging it.

I was lucky enough to get a few branches of fruit-bearing quince from my teacher's garden this week. It had a large, green fruit near the bass of the branch, perfect for use in a vase. I arranged the main branch extending out to the right of the vase. I added another branch that extended out to the front, crossing some of the smaller branches of the main branch. Finally, I added a branch that bent down, extending the movement of the quince into the space below the mouth of the vase. I trimmed off almost all of the leaves of the branches, leaving only a few to help direct the eye to the different lines of the quince. I didn't want to detract from the beauty of the quince, so I added a single stem of cockscomb to complete the arrangement.

Fruit-bearing Quince, Cockscomb

I love the vivid red of the cockscomb. The perfect color for a fall arrangement. And the red near the green fruit is a nice contrast.

As always, feel free to leave a comment!