Disassembing and Rearranging the Materials

In this lesson, disassembling or taking apart the plant materials into their elemental pieces, we make a new composition using these pieces. It is difficult at the beginning to understand. But arranging a composition, the materials are trimmed, disassembled, and combined with other materials and made into an arrangement. This process is part of every Ikebana without our knowing it. The bare Oriental Pear branch is placed at the base(Deer clean out all the leaves and fruit). The other branch with Pear is fixed. Two Oriental Lilies add to the overall mood. Then new composition is created. All the materials came from my own yard.(7-20-2010)

Variation No.8 Combined Styles (Nageire and Nageire)

To combine Nageire and Nageire, it would be a good idea to arrange the same materials partially between the two or use similar containers. In this arrangement, I use different heights of vases and arrange same materials to make two different units connected together. My teacher said branches of Burning bushes were trimmed nicely. The beautiful Zinnia flower seeds were given by Cindy (Ikebana classmate) last year. I sowed those seeds early in spring. This genus is an excellent source of cut flowers.(7-20-2010)

2010 Taiwanese American/East Coast Summer Conference

The 41st Taiwanese American /East Coast Summer Conference held at University of Delaware on July 2nd to July 5th. We had about 600 people attended this conference, and was a big event for East Coast Taiwanese American which included Washington DC area, great Philadelphia area, New Jersey, New York and Boston area. New Jersey chapter was in charge and organized all the programs for the Conference this year. Our Ikebana teacher Ms. Lin had flower arrangement workshop in the afternoon on July 3rd. There were about 20 students attended. Ms. Lin demonstrated so many pieces for the students, and told the stories of how she started to learn Ikebana. Many of the attendants were moved by her life story. This is the center piece at the meeting hall taken from different angles. It is very beautiful, indeed. To create such big elegant center piece, need a lot of mind and technique engineering work. Ms. Lin want us to learn and watch how it was processed. I saw two big branches joined to become one tree, with big azaleas branches surrounding it. Engineer Mr. Chen with drill and screw and with magic touch, completed and secured the art pieces. Lititia and Ms.Lin continued arranging and finished this grand piece in the lobby. It was amazing! I got a conclusion "Behind a successful show and display there always is a strong supporting group".(7-2-2010)

Her students Lynn, Betty and Chih

Free Style - for Exhibition

We have Taiwanese American /East Coast Summer Conference every year in the week of July 4th. This is our tradition. Ms. Lin is invited to have a seminar in the meeting and to display the technique of Ikebana. She is also in charge of decorating entire meeting hall. We are assigned to assist her to arrange the flowers. (6-15-2010)

Wedding Reception Table Arrangement

Today we had a very interesting assignment,which we had to arrange reception table for wedding. This is a happy occasion , you want to express cheer and symbolize purity and sincerity of love for the happy couple. Wild rose branch combined with delicate hydrangea showing pink, blue and white. My white shiny ribbon around the branch set forth different taste. Everybody in the class admired its beauty. (6-15-2010)

You in Ikebana

Our teacher wants us to express ourselves in Ikebana as today's assignment. Make an arrangement by looking at flowers and yourself, and ask yourself what Ikebana you want to arrange from there. You can put your life stories and your philosophy in it. I used black container and painted black branch with light purple clematis
around it . The branches try not only to survive and work so hard to extend higher and farther. Finally new leaves come and flowers open. That is story of my life. (6-01-2010)
This is my mail box with two clematis around, one is white and the other is light purple .The yellow flowers are Stella D'Oro daylily.

Variation No.4 Slanting Style Nageire

When choosing to omit any of the main stems, Soe is omitted first. This Basic Slanting Style (variation No.4) , is composed 45 degree of Shin and 75 degree of Hikae without Soe and doesn't lose its balance . In most cases, as long as the work has Hikae, it can be somehow viewed as Ikebana. The Hikae, Gaillardia (Daisy-like flowers), are easy to grow and make good cut flowers. This picture was taken at home, which I forgot to take in the class. (6-01-2010)

Iris Arrangement

It is the show time for Iris. At today's class, our assignment is using Iris as a main part in the arrangement. The basic style of arranging these flowers is to enclose a small numbers of flowers nicely with large numbers of leaves. And normally arranged in a shallow container in order to show the water, but you can also use a basket as a container to make it look more delicate . Ms. Lin demonstrated compositions of straight lines and arrangement of Iris today. I used horse tail to make it look taller with three Japanese Iris and a lot of leaves to complete my assignment. It looks soft and graceful.(5-18-2010)

With Branches only

Receiving Ms. Lin's e-mail, I was so glad I didn't throw away those branches last week. Making an arrangement only with branches using two or more kinds was today's assignment. Studying the different characteristics of branches such as their shape, and try to make the most of their unique features is important. Those handsome Heavenly blue's branches combining with flowering Azalea branches, created an artistic expression. I am so delighted for the arrangement. (5-4-2010)

Free Style - Using Hosta Leavess

Using at least five Hosta leaves with other materials, creates a contemporary style of arrangement. This was required for today's lesson. Hosta is a easy grown perennials, are valued for their decorative foliage. They all produce wide, handsome leaves. I love Hosta and have different varieties of them. I used some of them for today's class , along with three Allium from my backyard, and thus completed my creation. I am quite happy with it. ( 5-4-2010)

Variation No.3 Upright Style Moribana

Variation No.3 Upright Style Moribana means Soe is shifted to the front-right with 45 degree and Hikae is in the center keeping 75 degree inclination. The sunny yellow Double-flowered Daffodil(Narcissus 'Fortune') blossom in my garden.It is so pretty in spring, and Lilac just begin to spot new leaves. I combined those two spring materials to arrange my assignment. I like it very much because it shows the new life. (4-06-2010)

Free Style

Cherry blossoms in Yardley, Pa. Spring is the most beautiful season for flowers. I was surprised after two weeks vacation, climate has been changed. The container was made of PVC pipes which I made in early this year class (January 19). Be aware of the heavy materials on top. Some technique should be applied.(4-06-2010)

Variation No. 1 Slanting Style Nageire

This was my last lesson for book one Happy!. In the class Ms. Lin demonstrated again the basic technique to secure branches in the vase. Cross bar fixture , Vertical type fixture or Direct fixing always a challenge for us. The Calla Lily and Euonymus were preserved two weeks ago, so I enjoyed cost free this time.
This arrangement is the reversed positions of Shin and Soe from Basic Slanting Style. It gives different look, simple and nice, right? (3-16-2010)

Multiple miniature arrangement

In order to improve my photo skill, I purchased a new camera Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 and took pictures again. I think this picture had better shot.(4-07-2010)

This assignment had to use at least 5 objects or containers,and arrange in a tray or piece of paper or a map. The purpose of this lesson was to train us to have a ideal of Ikebana in a free style manner and geometrical sense.
It was very interesting and also difficult. I exercised it in my house couple of days before the class. This was after Ms. Lin's Magic touch. (3-16-2010)

Focusing on the Uses of Water

In this lesson, water is regarded more consciously as an element of the composition. There are various ways of using water, such as emphasizing the water surface, showing the water through a transparent vase. I used left over bamboo from New Year arrangement, and arranged upside down. With three white calla lily which created different composition and also expressed meanings of water. I am so delighted , since my teacher likes my arrangement. The top picture I took at home with white background. Does it look better? (3-2-2010)

Variation No 2 Upright Style Moribana

This was the first class, since last winter storm . We canceled one class on Feb. 16 due to limited parking spaces and concern about driving safety. Finally,we were so happy to have class on March 2nd. I took this assignment for my make up class, which was made by reversing the positions of basic upright style. (3-2-2010)

Winter Wonderland

This was a storm for the record books, and for the second time in less than a week. A powerful storm that began Tuesday night and continued throughout Wednesday and sent the seasonal snow total for the region over 65.5 Inches. The snow remover came to shovel and blow the snow for us at 3:30 am Thursday in the morning. It was so pretty out there those pictures I took on Wednesday when blizzard attacked our area.

Keeping in Mind the View from Below

Ikebana is not something to be placed only on a table or a desk, but you can be displayed on top of or on a cabinet shelf or on a pedestal. If the arrangement is placed above eye level, it is to be viewed from below. The composition must be made by taking this view into consideration. To practice this arrangement, you can bring a box as a pedestal to put on the table and then put your container on it . In this lesson, Ms. Lin said, we got the point to express well. We should always keep in mind, as Ms. Lin said "Less is more" and " group the flowers". Sometimes it slipped from my mind, but after teacher's magic touch it looked quite different in the top picture. (2-2-10)

Variation No.5 Slanting Style Moribana

This Variation No.5 Style means to place Shin, Soe of basic slanting style and their subordinate stems in one Kabu, and Hikae and its subordinate stems in another group. Be aware that this composition is made up of two Kabus, and two groups should not be loosely apart,but they are to be arranged to express the scale and extension.
Beautiful Azalea branches make the composition look elegant and delight. (2-2-10)

Self-made Container using PVC pipes

Those were self -made containers by Leticia Chen, former student, now the Ikebana teacher of Ms. Lin. Using different size and length of PVC pipes, she creates different shapes of containers. It is beautiful, but needs a lot of work. In the class, she demonstrates how to assemble pipes to form containers. She used the containers to arrange flowers to complete the compositions. (1-19-2010)

Using Both Fresh and Unconventional Materials

"Unconventional Material" means anything other than fresh plant materials, but dried, colored,and other materials which are made by processing originally fresh plants are not included. You can use paper, pebbles,steel,plastic, household commodities,or something seen in daily life. It is important that the combination of both material should be harmonized. As long as you keep in mind that the "Unconventional Materials" are also being"Arranged". In this composition, I used the plastic tube with a strong impact, spiraling on bamboo. (1-05-10)

Composition of Surfaces by Using Leaves

Finally, I got passed to this composition. It is hard to catch the meaning of this lesson last time. My teacher want me to make some additional works on them. In this lesson,either use a limited number of large leaves or gather a lot of small leaves as wished. The leaves do not have to be placed all facing forward,but can be put together or overlapped. Make a composition freely.(1-05-2010)

New year arrangement

We use special materials and arrangements for Festive Occasions. It often happens that placing just one Ikebana can totally change the environment which you are familiar with.

The traditional Ikebana materials for New Year arrangement are pine,bamboo and Japanese plum,flowers such as chrysanthemum, camellia,lily,narcissus etc... My friend Lynn gave me handsome bamboo from her backyard. It made this composition look different. I also got beautiful red-Berry from shopping mall and sprayed silver paint on pine branches and decorated with silver and gold paper strings on top of the bamboo. The Mizuhiki (paper strings)is a typical decorative material for Japanese New Year, which my teacher gave me a year before. BTW:the secret way to keep freshness of bamboo leaves is to put water inside the bamboo shaft (Ms. Lin said). 12-15-09

Free style - sketching and Arrangeing

This subject means, prior to actually making an arrangement with the materials, to sketch your ideas of the composition which you want to make with a pencil on a piece of paper. I would like to emphasize two pieces of bleached roots, which my friend gave me and I bleached it by myself a while ago. Top picture arranged in the class(turn 45 degree), and the bottom one was arranged a night before at home, with bright red Gerbera daisy, holly branch and spruce. I think I can use it for Holiday arrangement. (12-01-09)

Variation No.2 Upright Style Nageire

The key point of this style shows the beautiful line of Soe which extends toward the front-right. Choose a branch which looks beautiful when slanted or bent. In Winter, since there is no more flower in my backyard, so I got Gerbera daisy from market and with Bittersweet branches to complete this composition. (12-01-09)

Ikebana exhibition at Longwood Gardens

I went to Longwood gardens yesterday.There were some displays from many different Ikebana schools. Such as Ikenobo school, Ohara school,Sogetsu school and Ichiyo school. Every arrangements were so beautiful. Japanese flower arrangements are for pure delight and enjoyment and never judged.

Ikebana exhibition at Longwood Gardens