Reused Materials - Fan and Azalea

Washi paper folded as a fan and a trimmed azalea branch, which I like very much! Using the same container, I rearranged them for a different look.

Autumn Iris and Garden Mum Arrangement

It’s strange that my irises are blooming this time of year, in the middle of the October. I remembered that they didn’t bloom last May, when they usually would bloom. Garden mums and Irises are blooming at the same time this fall!  I did want to arrange them together, though.

MWGC Little Show: Scale Change - An All Foliage Arrangement

For October 10/21/2021 MWGC little show: An all foliage arrangement, a bouquet or design with emphasis on different sizes and structures of leaves. I created an Ikebana style design to enter this virtual little show.

Materials: Azalea, Solomon seal, gold dust aucuba, boxwood and Japanese maple / ceramic container 

October Ikebana Class- First Time in Person

It’s hard to believe, the last Mainline Sogetsu Study Group class lesson in person was 20 months ago. Now on 10/18/2021, which was the third Monday of the month, we met again, 20 classmates together with Hata Sensei for the first time of this year. We’re all so glad and grateful!

Lessons for October:  (1) Freestyle expressing the joy of reconnecting, (2) Finding the line in a branch, talk from Sensei about her process and artistic eye to see the shape, what to keep, what to cut, and then make an arrangement using that line,  (3) Book 4, lesson 10, Vegetables and/or fruits in an arrangement (not morimono). I didn’t do this one, because I had to leave the class early.

Lesson (1): “The joy of reconnecting” I reused the bittersweet
vine. Sensei agreed to add a washi paper fan in the arrangement. 

Lesson (2): I used my artistic eye to trim the dogwood branch.

This arrangement could be my lesson (3), I posted on 10/2

Marcia’s lesson 2 arrangement 

Sensei’s freestyle 

An Arrangement for The 6th Annual BuxMount Study Group Exhibition (1)

The 6th annual BuxMount Study Group exhibition was held on 10/16/2021. This is the first time we had this in-person since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. “The New Beginnings” was the theme. The title of my arrangement was “Transitioning …(to a New Normal”). It’s from old dried tangled branches and not-too-old bittersweet to all new fresh flowers, combined with a tall ceramic vase. It’s supposed to showcase how something can transition from old to new.

Materials: bittersweet, mum, dahlia, Philodendron and hydrangea, nandina in the back.  Note: the title name card is wrong, it should be “Transitioning…(除舊佈新)”

A Demonstration for The 6th Annual BuxMount Study Group Exhibition (2)

For this annual event, we had 7 certified teachers give 7 demonstrations of different subjects. I chose playing with paper for my demo arrangement, which I learned from Hata Sensei a couple years ago. It’s not easy to arrange from the back in front of audiences. I have practiced a couple times but at the end, the finished arrangement is always different! 

Materials: Azalea, Chrysanthemum and hydrangea 

Title: Joyfully Connected (Photo by different angels)

Practiced at home

 

Mid Autumn Festival

I trimmed one of the azalea branches to be a beautiful curved line. Then I found the way to fix the azalea branch into this particular container in place, which I seldom use. For the mid Autumn festival celebration mood, I added a fan with Autumn hues!

Materials: Azalea, glossy abelia, zinnia, goldenrod and philodendron, fan / ceramic container 

An Arrangement for Raffle

This small ceramic container was donated by the late member and friend of our BuxMount study group. I volunteered to make an arrangement for raffling out as one of the programs at the 6th annual exhibition ( 10/16 /2021). When I made this arrangement, zinnias were only available in my garden. 

10/6/2021

Orchids bloom from September to October

I spotted a bright red flower in my backyard orchids site through my Ikebana room window the other day. I went there to check it out, I was really surprised! It’s a Cattleya orchid, it might have been in full bloom for a couple of days! I also discovered a few other orchids are budding too! Please see below:

10/2/2021

9/22/2021

10/2/2021

9/25/2021

The Fall Theme

 Look! It’s Autumn!