Happy New Year - Two Arrangements

Traditional materials for Japanese New Year arrangements are pine, bamboo and plum. Any red berry (nandina,Winter berry), bleached white branches and mizuhiki (Japanese paper strings, for good luck) are other suggested materials along with flowers such as chrysanthemum, camellia, lily, freesia and rose.
 Here are the Traditional Style and Free Style.

Winter berry, mum, nandina, carnation and pine.
Ceramic tall vase. (12/15/2014 Hata Sensei class)

Same materials, but changed carnation to lily.

December Orchids Bloom

For December's meeting, the Bucks County Orchid Society (BCOS) member Andy Baum was our speaker. He presented many pictures about the orchid plants he grew and why. He is very interested in species plants and explores the habitats of orchids, and how they interact with nature.
Orchids are usually blooming in the Winter months more than any other time. Mine do too.

Brassia. Spider orchid. Turned yellow to orange color as time goes by.

Cattleya. Strong fragrant in the morning

dendrobium.  Less flowers and leaves than before, need fertilizer

Pot. Little Toshie "H & R"

Cymbidium

Holiday Arrangements - Merry Christmas

Here are two holiday arrangements. Using a traditional Christmas color and materials, it is "Western Holiday Arrangement" but Ikebana style. Since it's a Western holiday I placed Oasis in the big Champagne glass with the idea that it would be easier to stick the Holy tree branches to arrange this horizontal style (see # 2 photo). But Hata Sensei said it is a NO NO, that you are not allowed to use Oasis in Ikebana. You can use a loosely twisted wire in the container instead.
I did another arrangement using connected ceramic vase.  

Miniature Arramgement

A few small variant  containers filled each one with a different materials, arranged on a tray as a whole. It created an unbalanced balance and harmony. (12/16/2014 Ms.Lin class)

View from Above - Using Christmas Materials

The red, green and white are main colors for Christmas Season's decoration. The assignment for this time is for the table arrangement, so, it should be viewed from above and all around. ( Ms.Lin's class)

Holy, Carnation and baby breath with a X' mas ball in a low square ceramic container.

Winter Theme

Dead Hinoki branches and tiny berries sprayed with white color paint. I added red Calla lily as a red cardinal bird in the snow covered branches. (12/2/2014 Ms.Lin's class)

The First Snow

This season's first snow was falling on the day before Thanksgiving, that made my grandchildren so happy! The snow on the deck was enough for them to make a small snowman.  (11/27/2014)

 

Happy Thanksgiving - Free Style

Happy Thanksgiving! Many many thanks to all of you!
I am so grateful for all of your support and help.
This arrangement was done in class. It will be my Thanksgiving dinner table centerpiece.

Holly, Nandina, dried root, twig and rose
Gold rimmed ceramic vase

Using Dried Branches

Maple branches, baby breath and a rose in the ceramic vase.
(11/25/2014 done in Ms. Lin's class)

MWGC - November Little Show

1) I was asked to arrange the centerpiece for the food table (finger food and sweet dessert) that was raffled away after the meeting.

2) "Thanksgiving welcome" Exhibition Table Type 1. Must use a floral design. Done by Jeremy.
 I am not familiar with this type of arrangement. I should learn more about it.

Hata Sensei's Class - Three Lessons in book 2 and book 4

Since September, I have joined Hata Sensei's "Main Line Sogetsu Study Group". It was my 2nd time in the class yesterday (11/17/2014). We had three lessons:
1) Slanting Style Variation #3 Moribana or Nageire ( book 2-3 or 4)

2) Morimono or Using fruits or vegetables (book 2-16 or 4-10)

3) Disassembling and Rearranging the materials (book 4-9)
Here are my arrangements, Hata Sensei's demo and few other classmates' work. 

Hata Sensei's demo arrangement for #2

Arranged at home the day before class

Arranged in the class 

A branch of Nandina, cut the berries and leaves and rearrangement

Basic slanting style (#1)

Classmate's arrangement (#3)

Classmate's arrangement for #3

Classmate's arrangement for #3

  

November Orchid Blooms

My indoor orchid garden.  All the blooming orchids are placed together here.

A frog has made his home here.

Oncedium "Xenia"

Oncedium "Xenia"

Spider Orchid.

Cat. This one was divided.

Cat. The 2nd bud bloomed.

Cat. I divided this one too.

An Arrangement in the Display

As I mentioned before, Hata Sensei is a Sogetsu teacher of the highest ranking "Riji". She is 88 years old (but looks very young), and has been coming down to the Philadelphia area from New York City once a month to teach for many years. I have the great opportunity to take lessons from her. Besides Ms. Meei-Huey Lin, my first teacher and mentor, I now have two teachers.

In October's lesson, I did a free style arrangement in the class and had Hata Sensei's approval to be displayed in the library of Haverford College, PA (10/24 to 10/26 for a homecoming party).

These two pictures below were the Hata Sensei's demonstrations for miniature arrangement. (10/13/2014  class)

Mrs. Judith Hata - Autumn Song (2)

All the arrangements below are so beautiful and truly inspire me. Mrs. Hata used bamboo, wire, sculpture and lumber not only to secure or stabilize the arrangements, but also to add beauty and character.  

The ceramic vase is hanging on the handmade iron board

 The handmade wood container is not expensive to make.

The center arrangement used a piece of iron sculpture

Mrs. Judith Hata - Autumn Song (1)

Our first Ikebana International (I.I.) demonstration of the year was held on October 23, by Mrs. Judith Setsuko Hata, a senior teacher of Sogetsu Ikebana, Riji Rank, the highest teacher's degree in Sogetsu. Mrs. Hata has received the Eiyoosho Award from Sogetsu School honoring her long tenure as a most outstanding teacher. Mrs. Hata teaches, exhibits and demonstrates extensively. She is in great demand both nationally and internationally, and we are honored to have the opportunity to experience both her demonstrations and workshop.
She displayed these arrangements and said they are "Autumn Song." Indeed!