Using Both Fresh and Unconventional Materials

These metal mesh wires are remnant pieces from my house during construction, which I kept, thinking I might use it for ikebana design some day. Now I have the chance to use it as the subject of Unconventional materials.
Here are two designs:
1) One piece mesh wire structured with smaller Statice flowers. The container put in the back I tilted to hold the flowers.

2) Two pieces of mesh wire structured as one sculpture arranged on top of a tall black triangular vase.
Material: Hydrangea, calla lily and mum

Basic Style Variation and Free Style

Here I'm practicing more with basic style variations in Hata Sensei's class requirement (2/20/20170).

February Orchid Bloom

This winter we've been lucky. It has been a very warm winter compared to the last one. In our area we only got two days of snow so far and accumulated 3 or 4 inches only, not like in the New England region, they had tons of snow causing a state of emergency. A couple days before our orchid society meeting (2/16/2017), we got a few inches of snow and felt the seasonal cold. I hesitated to bring my orchids to the show table and to attend the meeting. The speaker was absent due to the weather, so we members got more social time and admired each other's orchids.
My blog here is like my journal. Each one dates my activities accordingly. Besides my February orchid blooms I still have some blooming orchids from last month. Therefore, in my home there is always something in bloom and one Ikebana arrangement displayed in place for us to enjoy.

Cat. Purple Star bright

Onc. Winter wonderland "white Fairy"

Onc. Sherry Baby "Sweet Fragrant"

The back yard of our new home

That house is our neighbor

Using Both Fresh and Paper arrangement

1) The paper folded like a fan is part of the designed arrangement, combined with fresh plant materials in the ceramic vase. It is a traditional style using unconventional materials.
Fresh materials: Magnolia branch, Carnation, Hinoki and brownish tropical plant from Hawaii.
2) Horizontal style arrangement : The same glass container and Douglas fur that I used for a previous arrangement ( please check 12/25/2016 free style), but I added bittersweet and fresh flowers of rose and carnation. It becomes another different arrangement altogether.

Using Driftwood Arrangement and Free Style Arrangement

The driftwood I found in the park a few months ago. I used it as a main part of the arrangement. 

The Winter berry branches were left from a previous arrangement. I placed two stones in one side of the container to lift up the driftwood added moss to make the look more natural.

Red berry and yellow rose are color contrast / ceramic container

Material: Magnolia branch, Lily, snapdragon and Philodendron

"Winter - Inspiring Images and Ikebana"

"New Hope Art embraces the season and celebrates two forms of visual art in the themed exhibition from January 21-29. The exhibition, featuring paintings and photographs by invited member- artists, also showcases unique inspired Winter floral by the Sogetsu Bux- Mont Study Group- a regional non profit organization of teachers and students of Ikebana- Japanese flower arranging."

We had five arrangements in total along with artists' paintings and photographers' pictures exhibited in the New Hope Art Center. Each arrangement was displayed on its own grey platform and pedestal, except the one on the stage.
1) "Window's Pane and Beauty" by June Wu, Betty Tsai, Ying Chen. There were several individual arrangements put together as a whole on the stage by three of our study group members.
2) "A Midwinter Night's Dream" by Lynn J. Lee. A rather big arrangement by me. It should be viewed from all around. In my imagination or dream, the silvery alliums could be snow flakes, fairies or stars on a winter night.
Materials: bitter sweet, mum, carnation, Winter berry, Siberian dogwood, Statice, Hinoki, Nadina, dried allium and hydrangea.
3) "New Year, New Hope" The year of the rooster, by Chih Huang
4) "Three Friends of Winter" Pine, Bamboo and Plum 松竹梅 歲寒三友（Suihan Sanyou), by Doris C. Liu, Mary Swierczynski
5) "Stillness, Calm" by  Grazynka Shaarani

1) Stage Arrangement

2) front view

2) Silvery Allium as snow flake

2) Back view is beautiful too

4) "Three Friends of Winter"

3) "New Year, New Hope"

5) "Stillness, Calm"

Martha Washington Garden Club Gala

On January 26, MWGC held a fundraising gala for college scholarships. I got there too late to participate in the raffle, but I was so fortunate to win the drawing where they called out a gala ticket number. I was one of the first numbers they called and I could choose an arrangement to take home, all designed by Deborah Moyer, owner of a flower shop and instructor at Mercer County CC. I was hoping to use the many materials in my ikebana.

I brought home this big arrangement

January Orchid Bloom

I brought three orchid plants to the January meeting on 1/19/2017 and was lucky enough to win a raffle for a budded Cattleya orchid. January is the month of cymbidium blooms. I gave away the biggest among them to the orchid society to avoid dividing them myself and because they took up so much room. This year, out of the five I have left, only two are blooming.

Cym. "Moonstone". Three stems, easy to bloom and dependable.

Cym. 2nd stem is growing in the back.

This is my raffled compact Cat. (no I.D.)

Large Cat, fragrant

Cat," Hawaiian Lightening". Too bad! only one flower.

The 2nd stem in back

Pinocchio keep going...

3 Basic Style Variation

Again, we review and refresh the basic style in Hata Sensei's class this month.(1/16/2017)
1) Basic Slanting Style Moribana ( Shin45 degree,Soe15 degree, Hikae75 degree)
2) Basic Slanting  Style Nageire    (Same as above)
3) Variation No.1 Upright Style, Moribana or Nageire of your choice (Shin 15, Soe 45 Hikae 75)
I think I have been very good at all the fundamental arrangements. To make each basic style arrangement requires not only placing the 3 main stems (Shin, Soe and Hikae) right in all angles but also to make them pretty, balanced and harmonious.

Hata sensei's basic slanting style (1)

 My basic slanting style (1)

My basic slanting style (2)

Marcia's basic slanting (2)

My basic upright style (3)

Welcome the Year of 2017

The year of 2016 has faded away so as some of my December Cattleya orchids. But there will always be other new blooms!

 Wishing you all a happy, healthy and peaceful 2017! 

The two kinds of Cattleya, the flowers are 4" and 5.5" in size. (Fragrant)