Free Style - Using Left Over Materials

These materials were raffle prizes that I got yesterday. I used some of them for my arrangement today. There is one calla lily, three stems of lily and some greenery. Coincidentally, when I placed the arrangement under the opera poster, they matched so well together. (9/27/2013)

Ikebana International (I.I.) Philadelphia Chapter 71 Meeting

I.I. Annual meeting held on 9/26/2013. The program included Brunch and Demonstration. Ichiyo Master Anna Nakada demonstrated both bold architectural arrangement and small classic arrangement. At the end all the materials were raffled out, almost everybody got some to bring home.
Ichiyo school emphasized Ikebana arrangement without using kenzan. Here are some demo. arrangement pictures. (9/26/2013)

Table center piece

Japanese Tokonoma (Alcove) arrangement

This is my small Ikebana arrangement. I placed it at the Tokonama of my Japanese room. It is a very quiet place for meditation and a good place to display my Ikebana too.

BCOS Meeting and Pottng Party

BCOS meeting resumed tonight (9/19). We had a potting party; I brought three very young orchid plants home (buy two get one free). They need patience and tender loving care. Hopefully, in three years they will mature and start to bloom.
Below are my orchids for a show table in September:

Onc. Mendenhall " Hildos"
After skipped a year. I am so thrilled to see it's blooming again. Big and beautiful!

C. Compact plant , small flowers. Fragrant in the morning

Pot. Mysteve  Natsumi
The bugs had been eating one of the flower, before I brought
it inside the house.

Oyia. Benice Foster. Richard Mueller x B. Cordata
"Lady of the night". Fragrant at night
I gave away two of divisions to my friends.

Free Style

When I found the branch on the ground, a person told me it just broke down from the dead tree minutes ago. I picked it up, all smiles and happy! Thinking that I can use this branch with my new big vase (14"x 12.5") and the huge Cockscomb flower, which I got from my friend's garden, I put them together to create a simple and elegant arrangement.

The naturally lined rock looks cute beside the vase  

Arrangement with Plants on a Wall - Winter Forest

These two pictures are my Wall Arrangements (Book 4-17). Sensei likes us to try a "Modern Style" instead of traditional arrangement, since Ikebana is a living art form.  I had a painting in my mind so I used my imagination to create two scenes, Winter forest day and night. (My first Wall Arrangement was posted on 7/30/2009)
Using recycled paper and board, the fresh materials are Dahlia and green leaves (in water tube). The dried materials are painted twigs and hosta leaves.

Autumn Harvest Exhibition - Ikebana

Grace Taiwanese Presbyterian Church Annual Fall Harvest Exhibition was held from 8/31 to 9/1/2013. Again, some of our classmates presented four or five pieces of Ikebana arrangements.  That's enough to form a mini exhibition!  Besides these Ikebana, there were church members' home grown vegetables, home made sweets and other products for sale to raise money (fund raising for church). I am so grateful to my friends, Chih and Doris, who offered me this opportunity to participate and show my flower arrangements.
I created a couple of new arrangements and adopted some of my old ideas to make fresh looks. Below are my five Ikebana for the exhibition.

Material: Rose, Cockscomb, pine and two pieces of driftwood lock toghter.
Container: Japanese ceramic vase

Previous structure, Tree mushroom and Pine were still
 good, new fresh Sunflower and wild green weed
 were added.

Material: Maple, Cockscomb and Baby's breath
 Moon shaped Bamboo container

Material: Big and small Allium (sprayed with silver paint)
 plus Prairie gentian
Container: U shaped ceramic vase

Horizontal design. Mass and Line
Material: Toad lily seed pod, Dahlia, Mum and Willow

Home grown flowers in each glass container

Orchids Bloom in August

In my orchids collection, there are not many orchids blooming in this month. Here are a few:

Two Paph. Pinocchio (Lady Sleeper) are still blooming one after another.

Oria Benice Forster.Richard Mueller x B Cordata. Easy to grow
Fragrant at night, so it is named "Lady of the night"

These are divisions from the above plant last May

Encyclia ."Green Hornet"

Dendrobium

Ikebana Exhibition at Shofuso Japanese House and Garden

The 2nd annual Summer Ikebana exhibition by members of Ikebana International (II) Philadelphia chapter #71 was held on 8/23 to 8/25 at Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in Philadelphia Fairmount Park. My sensei was able to obtain 3 spots for us to present our work of ikebana. In the class prior to the event we all tried out hard. Finally, we had three beautiful arrangements to display into the three assigned spots along with the other fourteen arrangements from different school to fill in the entire house.
This was my first exhibition in this historic Japanese House and I had the honor to present my arrangement, along with other Sogetsu and Ohara arrangements in the main Reception Room. I am very thankful to my senei's instruction and have this chance to display my work for public viewing, and my thanks to my classmate Doris's help.
Below are the photos of Japanese garden and Ikebana exhibition:

The first Japanese garden in North America was Installed here in 1876.
The garden has been gradually expanded and renovated since 1957.

Eighty main stones were shipped from the old temple in central Japan.
 Continuous improvement to the recent beautiful garden. 

Arranged by me, displayed at Reception Room. right side.

Close up view. I treated the big tree mushroom with diluted
Clorox and hair spray after sun dried.

    
.

Other II member from Sogetsu  school  displayed at the
 reception room left side

Ohara school  from II member displayed at the
center of the reception room.

My classmate Betty's arrangement in tea bridge shelf

My classmate Chih's two arrangements (see below) placed at
the kitchen, related and face each other.

Free Style - Horizontal Arrangement

These Arrangements have been done at home and in the class. They are the same but use different bases. Beside this assignment, we have to bring our agenda and idea to the class, or arrange a big (3.5'x 3.5' x 3.5') arrangement for the purpose of an upcoming Ikebana Exhibition in the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden (located in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia). Our Sensei got three spots for her students. I am so excited to be one of them.

 Material: Crepe Myrtle, Sweet pea and wood branch
Container: Plastic vase (8/13/2013)

Same materials and Phlox were added