Journal archive
September 15, 2011
Autumn blew in this evening dropping the temperature to more seasonal levels, and so I wanted to do an arrangement that echoed that change. I selected some burr oak branches that had been spotted during an walk earlier in the week. They have a great acorn with a fuzzy cap and I removed of the […]
Read story →September 14, 2011
Ikebana with flowers only is today’s arrangement. It’s Lesson 1 in book 4 of the Sogetsu Textbook, and of course is only flowers. There should be at least 2 or more types of flowers, and you should also vary the color and shape of the different flowers. Here I have used rust colred mokara orchid […]
Read story →September 13, 2011
This arrangement was inspired by one of the lessons from the Sogetsu textbook, it’s a newer lesson added when the textbooks were updated a few years ago. “Intertwining Plant Materials” is the lesson, and a bit of a challenge. It’s just not easy to get a bunch of vines to look “right”. My arrangement took […]
Read story →September 12, 2011
Some days I don’t have an abundance of floral materials, and today was one of those days. I got home very late and that wasn’t expected. Too late to forage in the garden for something to use for today, so I chose to use some unconventional materials. I grabbed some copper angel hair and a […]
Read story →September 11, 2011
Tonight my arrangement was done late in the day, a challenge since I was very tired. Trying to be complex or unique gave way to simplicity. A cluster of catalpa pods and a single “Free Spirit” rose provides a glimpse of the arriving autumn season, my favorite time of year.
Read story →September 10, 2011
My idea for today’s arrangement was using only items I could find on a neighborhood walk, and I thought it would be easy. Living in the city I often find discarded items that could be used for some interesing ikebana and I was on the hunt. So Frederick and I went for our walk and […]
Read story →September 8, 2011
Photography was a bit of a struggle today, it’s really gray, rainy and overcast so there is very little natural light. I used an overhead light that casts a shadow downward and helps the general effect of the design. This half moon vase is really fun and I wanted to be able to show it […]
Read story →September 7, 2011
Taking photographs is a learning process, and I was asked by a reader to share information about how I do it. It’s taken a while to get a system that works for me. First you need a background, some people use fabric but I find it hard to keep from wrinkling, I use seamless background […]
Read story →September 7, 2011
My quick ikebana arrangement for a rain soaked day, pine with an orange zinnia. The pine is the main focus with the zinnia as the secondary point meant to draw the eye into the design. Something peaceful for a stormy, wet day.
Read story →September 6, 2011
It’s the day after Labor Day and that generally means fall has arrived, and this year was no exception. Only 65 degrees for a high here in DC today and lots of rain. The rain will be lasting the rest of the week and it does make it a little harder to use flowers and […]
Read story →