Tulip and Golden Maple Branches

This winter seems very long and cold! But when I step into the supermarket these days, there are a tons of tulips, all kind of colors! I wonder if spring is coming or not far away?!

Only One Kind of Material - Nandina

We have class lessons once a month. In between, I usually would find something or use leftover flowers to make one or two arrangements for my own pleasure.  It’s been very cold, there is nothing in my garden accept nandina bushes, I have a lot of them!  So, here is my arrangement:

Winter Snow Scenes- Winterscape

It has been a cold winter! Even though we don’t have much snow in our area, but it is the coldest winter so far! When my children reported to us they had 5 inches snow in their area Rhinebeck, NY,  we had none! But our winter scenery looked like a work of art!  The trees and bushes covered with ice, clear and bright like crystal, so beautiful!  (1/9/2025)

 

Orchid Bloom for Lunar New Year

Cymbidium orchids often bloom in January. This is the only one blooming, which I have for so many years. It always bloom faithfully in around Lunar New year time (1/29/2025)!  It is a good thing that I have something to celebration! Besides, their flowers can last for several weeks.

1/28/2025

1/30/2025

1/22/2025

1/1/2025

1/26/2025

1/26/2025, Delaware river, the bridge between PA and NJ

Freestyle Using Philodendron

Three days after class was still very cold!  In the early morning my outdoor Thermometer indicated zero degree F. Wow! I thought I better staying home.  So, I cleaned up my ikebana room and created a new arrangement using Philodendron and leftover flowers.  (1/24/2025)

I created a new arrangement beside the assigned subjects

7:00AM in the morning 

It’s so cold 🥶 the earth stands still 

Playing Around the Leftover Materials

One small bouquet I bought for my class lessons on 1/21/2025. After that, I reused most of them and playing around to rearrange or created a new arrangement.  (1/23/2025)

2025 January Class Lesson (1) - Basic Slanting Style Nageire

We started our New Year January class lesson with basic Slanting style nageire (tall vase) arrangement. Even though, we did it many times, Sensei still had to correct some mistakes that we  made during  critique. Two days before class, we had a snow storm (4-6 inches), it’s freezing dangerous cold! But Sensei decided that class was a GO!  We had 15 enthusiastic and brave members showed up! (1/21/2025)

Because of the slim vase I chose, I would like the bare golden maple branches to combine with button chrysanthemum, the green is Aucuba.

In the class (1/21/2025)

At home (1/19/2025)

I like Sensei’s Demo very much!

 

Class Lesson (2) - Free Style

For lesson 2: “Freestyle expressing something you learned from NCARC and share what you learned or free of your choice if you didn’t attend the conference.”  (1/21/2025)

Sensei’s Demo for intertwining 

Power of line, I learned from Kawana Sensei’s worksh

Tried at home before class

Using Aucuba Evergreen Plant

I have not posted an arrangement since early this month! That’s because I don’t have ikebana class for a while. Today, we are expecting a snow storm! So, I rush to purchase a small bundle of bouquet and cut off few Aucuba branches from my garden for next Tuesday’s class lessons.  (1/19/2025)

Here’s the arrangement I made using Aucuba, mum and nandina 

Midwinter Blue

Welcome to 2025! We are still in the holiday mood.  My husband and I would like to take a walk around the park when weather permits.  When it’s cold and gray, I would find something to do, usually it’s Ikebana. 

No more fresh flowers but nandina 

No shadow in the day light 

It’s a nice branch, I picked up during my walk