2021 was a challenging year for all of us. But we have much to be grateful for. David and I have stayed well. David continues to work from home and I am happy to have him close by. Soapy is blessedly still with us but has gone blind in both eyes. He is in good spirits and eats well…especially loves treats of fresh banana slices!
Decorating my home and working in my garden areas gives me a creative and physical outlet that I am so grateful to have. I’ve taken enough pictures throughout this year to put together a year-long gallery of images of both the in- and out-of-doors.
I am also including a few pictures of my Ikebana arrangements when I have used floral materials from my yard. I am studying the Sogetsu School of Ikebana with my teacher Ilse Beunen via Zoom from Belgium…I am in my second year now.
Hope you will enjoy looking back over this year with me…
February 2021 – Valentine tree and decor…I left up the white tree from our 2020 Christmas and re-purposed it for Valentine’s, St. Patrick’s and Easter!February 2021 – More Valentine decor…love filling up the three tiered trayFebruary 2021 – Our Valentine’s dining table set for a special Valentine’s supperFebruary 2021 – A close up of the place setting for our Valentine’s tableMarch 2021 – St. Patrick’s Day tree and decorMarch 2021 – Sweet shamrock themed smalls fill the three tiered trayMarch 2021 – Shamrock themed teapots and spring tulips decorate the dining room tableMarch 2021 – A trio of Dresden porcelain lace shamrock lassies on a pretty elevated trayApril 2021 – The first of the daffodils for the spring seasonApril 2021 – Ikebana moribana (low vase) arrangement using yellow daffodils and forsythia branchesApril 2021 – Easter egg tree and decorApril 2021 – The three tiered tray all decked out for EasterMay 2021 – Both David and I celebrate our birthdays in May…my sister Liz made these delicious Almond Pound Cakes for our celebrationsMay 2021 – Looking out to the back yard – 12 newly planted David Austen Roses in right foregroundMay 2021 – Ikebana moribana (low vase) arrangement using pink Azalea blossoms and Crabapple branch from my gardenJune 2021 – The Siberian Iris showing up beautifully with their purple flowerheadsJune 2021 – Looking at the purple Siberian Iris patch from an opposite viewJune 2021 – Ikebana moribana (low vase) arrangement using Siberian Iris and Hosta leaves from my gardenJune 2021 – Beautiful “Crystal Fountain” clematis growing up the side fence by the back patioJuly 2021 – The front yard with roses, daisies and daylilies bloomingJuly 2021 – Looking into the back yard from the entrance gateJuly 2021 – “Supertunia Bubblegum” Petunia voluminous blooms cascading over the fenceJuly 2021 – Looking out to the back yard from the patio area…the David Austen rose bushes along with pots of flowers filling inJuly 2021 – A close up view of the orange “ditch” lilies – a faithful returning perennialJuly 2021 – Ikebana nageire (tall vase) arrangement using Stella de Oro daylilies and Hosta leaves from my gardenJuly 2021 -” Jackmanii” Clematis reaching up the back fence creating a gorgeous showing of blooms and colorAugust 2021 – I love the transformation of this back yard patio area since taking out the three overgrown cedar trees…pots of elephant ear plants and impatiens peak from behind the peacock chairs August 2021 – Pretty pots of mixed pink impatiens decorate the bright pink tea table setAugust 2021 – The Limelight Hydrangeas tall and magnificent across the back fenceAugust 2021 – The first of my dahlias to bloom…love this one with its rich yellow-orange colorSeptember 2021 – Decorating with a sunflower theme as we transition into autumnSeptember 2021 – Sweet little Soapy enjoying a nap on this sunflower themed pillowSeptember 2021 – The sunflower theme continues onto the front porchSeptember 2021 – Love the buffalo check tablecloth and sunflower table accentsOctober 2021 – Looking out to the back yard…the autumn season is definitely upon usOctober 2021 – Ikebana nageire (tall vase) “horizontal” arrangement using Crabapple branch, Hosta leaves and Limelight Hydrangea blossoms…all from my autumn gardenOctober 2021 – David and I carved pumpkins for Halloween…this is David’s jack-o-lanternOctober 2021 – Getting ready for Halloween nightOctober 2021 – The Halloween lights and decor at nightOctober 2021 – Ikebana nageire (tall vase) Halloween arrangement using oak leaves, old branches, sunflowers and small pumpkinsNovember 2021 – I started decorating for Christmas on November 1November 2021 – This year’s Christmas tree using colored lights and white ornaments. I used my green tree this Christmas…the white one is decorated at the Turner-Dodge House for their “Holiday Open House”December 2021 – The Turner-Dodge House did not have their Annual Festive of Trees this year but instead opted to do a smaller “Holiday Open House. I decorated the Music Room using my white Christmas tree and a peacock theme.December 2021 – The dining room table decorated for Christmas and my Christmas teapots on displayDecember 2021 – The Christmas dining room table illuminated at nightDecember 2021 – The front of the house all festive with the Christmas lights…even a layer of snow!December 2021 – The front porch lit up with its Christmas lightsDecember 2021 – The “Winter Solstice” luminarias…a neighborhood traditionDecember 2021 – My last Ikebana arrangement for 2021…flowers not from my garden…lesson was on creating “curved” lines
Thank You for looking back through 2021 with me to the change of decor and flowers through the seasons! Happy New Year 2022 Wishes!
Continuing with my transition to fall decor and focusing on a sunflower theme…the front porch got a make-over too. Hopefully the heat and mosquitoes will simmer down so I can sit outside and enjoy this lovely space…something I haven’t been able to do all summer! The black buffalo check is something new for me to use…I like it…and it will be good through Halloween. I put together the front door autumn leaf wreath…love the soft fall color palette!
At the end of this post I include a couple pictures from Monday’s Ikebana zoom class. This arrangement represents “Sogetsu Variation #6 – Horizontal Style – Nageire (tallvase)”. This lesson involved learning the hidden mechanics to allow the branches and flowers to spread horizontally from a tall vase. This design is meant to be seen equally from all sides making it suitable for a table arrangement. I originally made my design in a shorter tall vase but my teacher, Ilse Beunen, recommended ahigher vase because of the draping nature of the tropical pink Mandevilla vine flowers…so I remade it using my tallest vase. Ilse said my design needed a higher vase so the flowers could be viewed better from underneath when sitting at a table. Both the pink Mandevilla vine flowers and the pink Hydrangea blossoms are from my back yard garden.
I am studying Sogetsu Ikebana with Ilse Beunen (Belgium) via Zoom. Besides the formal study lessons, Ilse offers “workshops” with a particular theme also via Zoom to participants from all around the world. I have joined several of these workshops even though I am still very much a “novice” Ikebana student. The skill and creativity of most of the workshop participants is amazing and I love seeing their work.
Here are my arrangements for Ilse’s Spring and Summer workshops that I was a part of.
“Inspired by Easter” – a workshop incorporating egg(s) as a part of our design
For my design I chose to use an ostrich egg as my vase which I purchased through a vendor on Amazon, the blue pottery stand I found at EtsyTo hold water I needed to seal the ostrich egg with a sealant spray since it was porous, the blue hydrangea blossoms were cut from an Easter hydrangea plant, then I added curly willow for interest and height
“Inspired by Nature” – a workshop incorporating nature in some way in our design
I created my own nature-themed vase using Campbell’s soup cans and bark piecesMy floral materials consisted of crabapple branches and grape hyacinth blossoms from my yardI cut openings into two soup cans, glued them together to create the “vase”I covered and glued the cans with pieces of barkI used a kenzan inside the bark covered soup cans to hold the fresh materials. The “vase” was not as watertight as I hoped but it worked well enough.
“Inspired by a Bird’s Nest” – a workshop creating a feeling of a bird’s nest but not simulating one exactly in our arrangement
Hosta leaves created my “bird’s nest”, the Siberian Iris represented baby birds flying from the nestMy Siberian Iris patch showing up this past Spring in all its glory along with the many Hosta plants
“Inspired by Abstract Art” – a workshop reflecting a vision of abstract art in our design
After looking at images of abstract art on the Internet, I was inspired by a “black and white” theme and the geometric shape of circlesWhite hydrangea blossoms with deep red roses are held in place with a kenzan. Black and white painted embroidery hoops are glued together to create their interlacing shape. A curly willow stick is painted to compliment the overall color scheme and bring height interest to the design.
“Inspired by the Color Green” – a workshop using only fresh green materials in our design
I used several types of ornamental grasses growing in my garden this summer to create this green-only Moribana upright design with kenzan Zebra Grass, Prince Tut plumes, Hakonechloa Macra and one more grass than I have forgotten its name
“Inspired by Weeds” – a workshop incorporating weeds in the design
I needed to use “weeds” somehow in my arrangement. The best I found were spent flower stalks of “ditch” lilies that I have in my garden. I used the flower stalks to create structure and a framework for the gorgeous yellow-orange dahlia blossoms that are starting to bloom in my garden.This is a side view to see the tall bud stem in the back. In Ikebana this is called the “depth” branch”. It is meant to take the eye to back of the arrangement. I used my shallow black vase with a black kenzan for this Moribana arrangement.
This wraps up the workshop offerings for Spring and Summer. In September Ilse will offer a new selection for Fall and Winter. Looking forward to joining in!
My online zoom Sogetsu Ikebana class resumed in January for our next 10 lessons. The past four weeks of lessons have focused on what is called “Variation #1”. Our teacher, Ilse Beunen, has given this style its own name to help us remember it better…the “lover’s”…because the main branches of Shin and Soe are suppose to be pointing towards each other…looking at each other. Here are my designs for the various Variation #1 lessons…
Variation #1 – Upright Style Moribana (shallow vase with kenzan) – I made three arrangements for this lesson. I went to Horrock’s on the west side of Lansing to buy flowers. I hadn’t been to Horrock’s since the COVID lockdown started last March. I was like a kid in a candy shop! So many pretty flowers to choose from…I couldn’t make up my mind…hence three arrangements! Look at the taller branches arching towards each other…”lover’s” looking at each other. 🙂
Yellow snapdragons as Shin and Soe lines, yellow-orange tulips as Hikae (right line) and subordinates
Bird of Paradise as Shin and Soe lines, Pinflowers as Hikae line and subordinates. This arrangement was very well received by the class and on social media!
Bells of Ireland as Shine and Soe lines, purple tulips as Hikae and subordinates, along with green dianthus to fill in
2. Variation #1 – Upright Style Nageire (tall vase) – This requires a different kind of support structure to hold the branch and flower materials within the vase instead of a kenzan. “Vertical fixation” is created by taking a branch piece the length of the vase, splitting it down about 3-4 inches. This is meant to hold the Shin (taller) branch which is also split and crosses the vertical fixation branch inside the vase. The Soe branch is also suppose to be split and cross the Shin branch but my Soe branch was not thick enough to split so I just laid it across. As a result my arrangement did not have the necessary support system to correctly hold everything in place when completed. Shin should not be touching the rim of the vase as it is here.
Crabapple tree branches as Shin and Soe lines, yellow lily as Hikae, subordinate materials of yellow snapdragons, hydrangea and lily blossoms
The following week I re-did the Variation #1- Upright Style Nageire with new floral materials and correctly created the “vertical fixation”. As a result the Shin branch is not touching the rim of the vase which is exactly what is suppose to happen when the “vertical fixation” is correctly done.
Re-used the crabapple branches for Shin and Soe, added new florals…pink snapdragons to mirror the Shin and Soe lines, pink lily bud for Hikae, and more pink lily blossoms to fill in.
Shin branch as you see it on the left is not touching the rim of the vase…this is correctly done now.
3. Variation #1 – Slanted Style Moribana (shallow vase) – In the “slanted” style the Shin line comes to the front and Soe moves to the back. See how the tips of the delphinium are pointing towards each other which is what is suppose to happen in this variation.
Blue delphinium as Shin and Soe lines, purple iris as Hikae (right line) with more iris in the center, along with Blue Sea Holly (Eryngium)
My two completed designs for the week
4. Variation #1 – Slanting Style Nageire (tall vase) – Lesson here was about a different way to create structure within a tall vase called “cross fixation” by taking two branch pieces and crossing them one over one another. The branch and floral materials are placed within certain quadrants. No branch and floral materials are ever to touch the bottom of the vase…that is a BIG NO-NO in Ikebana…only the sides of the vase. So the necessary structure of either “vertical or cross” fixation needs to be created to hold the plant materials in their proper positions.
“Cross Fixation”
Dogwood branches arcing as Shin and Soe, pink alstroemeria for Hikae to the right and as filler over the tall vase, along with purple ginestra.
Nageire and Moribana designs in the Variation #1 Slanted Style
For those following my blog you know that I started the formal study of Ikebana – the Art of Japanese Floral Design – during the summer 2020. This past fall I successfully completed the first 10 weeks of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana under the tutelage of Sogetsu Teacher and Artist, Ilse Beunen. All our class meetings and instruction are handled through Zoom. Ilse is in Belgium and my five classmates live across the USA and around the world.
After the completion of our fall session, Ilse offered to our class a mini-workshop in December to create a couple Ikebana designs complimentary to the holiday season.
The first arrangement was to incorporate evergreen branches. I used arborvitae branches positioned in a low metallic colored container. Floral materials included red carnations, red roses, white hydrangea, white lily blossoms, and white chrysanthemums.
This particular arrangement is called a “Left Upright Moribana” style. Moribana refers to the low container. The arborvitae branches represent the two main lines of Shin and Soe. The red carnation to the right is the third line called Hikae.
The second arrangement of our holiday workshop was focused on creating our own container. It was to be shaped like a tube or round roll. I used four Campbell’s Tomato Soup cans taped together and covered in white quilt batting to simulate snow. I wanted this design to compliment my “White Christmas” theme.
I cut an opening in one of the cans to arrange my floral materials which included three silver painted branches (Shin, Soe and Hikae), three white painted pine cones, green arborvitae, red carnations, white lily, and red dried floral sprigs. I laid silver branches along both sides of the round container for balance to keep it upright.
I wish these pictures were clearer but I think you will get the idea of my design and it complimenting my “White Christmas” theme. We appreciate Ilse offering this December workshop. It was fun and stimulating, and kept us thinking about and working with Ikebana during the holidays!
My Ikebana journey actually started in early February of this year (2020) when I traveled to Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids MI for a morning introductory class on Ikebana. After the class I asked the instructor for more information about continuing to learn Ikebana. She emailed me contact info for the Lansing Ikebana Chapter #134 (Michigan), and to an international Ikebana teacher and artist, Ilse Beunen, who lives and teaches in Belgium.
I contacted the Lansing Ikebana Chapter and was invited to attend their winter meeting later in February. I attended that meeting and joined the Chapter as well.
I contacted Ilse Beunen and found she has a regular e-newsletter which I signed up to receive.
Then COVID hit us all in mid-March…no more in-person Lansing Ikebana Chapter meetings and Ilse Beunen couldn’t teach in-person in her Belgium studio anymore. As a result ZOOM was added to our vocabulary and lives. My Chapter meetings through next year are Ikebana videos from the International Office and seen by the members in the comfort of our own homes. Ilse has learned to use Zoom to reach out to the world to teach Ikebana.
Through Ilse’s e-newsletter I learned she was offering a four-week session this past summer via Zoom on learning different Ikebana techniques and it would only be open to six participants. I signed up and got in! After the four weeks, the six participants were eager to continue so Ilse organized a 10-week Beginner’s Course of Sogetsu Ikebana for us…via Zoom…which began in late August. Sogetsu Ikebana is one of the four main Japanese Schools of Ikebana and there are a total of 110 lessons to complete the full course of study.
We have just completed our first 10-week course of lessons and we each have received our Certificate of Completion for Part One from Ilse! We all will admit, including Ilse, it has been both an interesting and challenging journey. Without Zoom none of us would be having this incredible opportunity to learn Ikebana from a renown and respected teacher such as Ilse. Yet learning to work with and communicate through the technology, in addition to learning the skills needed to do Ikebana correctly, has had its ups and downs. But we have made it through this first set of 10 lessons and are looking forward to starting up again in January for our next 10 lessons.
Here are pictures of my designs from the past couple months representing different basic techniques that all students of Sogetsu Ikebana must master. When I could I used floral materials from my own garden and I am including pictures of that as well.
Lesson #1 – Basic Upright Moribana (shallow vase) with left side orientation – Apple tree branches and store-bought roses
Lesson #2 – Basic Upright Moribana (shallow vase) with right-side orientation – Limelight Hydrangea and Rudbeckia from my late summer garden
Limelight Hydrangeas turning to a rosy pink as summer turns to fall
Rudbeckia growing tall along the side fence in the back yard
Lesson #3 – Basic Upright Nagerie (tall vase) with right-side orientation – Japanese Maple and Pink Mandevilla
Japanese Maple Tree highlighted by the setting autumn sun
Pink Mandevilla and Hibiscus growing in pots along the front porch
Lesson #4 – Basic Upright Nagerie (tall vase) Free-Style with left-side orientation – Limelight Hydrangeas and large Hosta leaves
Limelight Hydrangeas growing along the back fence in the back yard – large leaf Hostas growing behind and under the Limelight Hydrangeas
Ornamental Pumpkin Totem – used bottom ornamental pumpkin for my Fall Free-Style Nagerie
Lesson #5 – Fall Free-Style Upright Nagerie (tall vase incorporated in a large ornamental pumpkin) – Crab apple branches, brown chrysanthemums, ornamental grass tassels, and mini-pumpkins with vines – all from my garden
Fall Free-Style Nagerie adjusted after teacher’s comments to create a stronger “line” closer to the ornamental pumpkin vase
Four baby Boo Pumpkins plants planted next to the compost pile in a structure of tomato cages
Boo Pumpkin plants getting some growth on them
Four Boo Pumpkin vines now growing over my compost pile – I started these plants from seed in early Spring
Lesson #8 – Basic Slanted Nagerie (tall vase) with left-side orientation – Zebra Ornamental Grass and Knock-Out Roses from the garden
Knock-Out Roses still blooming in mid-November along the side of the house
Final Assignment… Thanksgiving tablescape with assignment to make a paper vase for flowers and use water tubes to hold seasonal flowers
12″ x12″ gold glittered ribbed cardstock folded in half and tied with cranberry satin ribbon bows – two water tubes inside the fold hold autumn-colored store-bought chrysanthemums
Lesson #1 was creating the “Moribana” design using a shallow vase container with the kenzan positioned on the front left side. Lesson #2 is the reverse…placing the kenzan on the front right side and creating a mirror or opposite image.
Limelight Hydrangea blossoms from my back yard created the two main branch structures plus the depth branch. The Limelights have started to transition from pale green into their autumn shade of pale pink. I used Rudbeckia stems for the remaining third branch structure and filling flowers.
At the beginning of this year (pre-COVID), I traveled to Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids MI to take a morning class on the subject of Ikebana – the art and study of Japanese Flower Arrangement and Design. Learning to do Ikebana has been on my Bucket List for some time and this was my first opportunity to have a hand’s-on experience.
After the class I asked the instructor about the possibilities of further study. To study the formal coursework of Ikebana, one needs a certified Ikebana teacher. The closest one(s) actively teaching (according to the instructor) are in Chicago…a four-hour one-way drive for me.
Later in the evening the instructor emailed me a list of Ikebana book resources and other information. One was a link to Ilse Beunen, an international Ikebana teacher and artist who lives in Belgium. Ilse has an online e-newsletter (for free) so I signed up to receive it.
When COVID hit, everyone was impacted including Ilse. She lost the income from teaching Ikebana in her studio since everyone was in shut-down mode. And like so many, Zoom became a new tool for Ilse to use to connect with people and help with her income flow.
Through her e-newsletter, Ilse announced she would be offering in July a four-week introductory Ikebana course via Zoom open to only six participants. I immediately registered and got in! During these four weeks via Zoom Ilse demonstrated various Ikebana techniques and each participant worked to replicate her designs/techniques in their own homes.
At the end of this four week summer course, every class member expressed their desire to continue with Ilse in the formal study of Ikebana…via Zoom. Ilse was inspired by the success of the Zoom summer session and decided to teach the formal Ikebana course work to us six students starting on Monday, August 31, 2020.
One of the original six summer students decided she could not commit at this time to the formal study so another person has filled that opening. We are an international group, four here in the US, one in Turkey and the other in Belgium…plus Ilse in Belgium.
Each Monday class via Zoom is structured with Ilse demonstrating the lesson’s design. During the week, we are to do a practice piece of that design and send Ilse a picture so she has an idea of how well, or not, we are comprehending the lesson. At the next class each student then does that design in real time (in front of the computer) for Ilse to help us further with learning how to properly execute the design.
There are a total of 110 lessons to complete the full basic course work of Ikebana and it takes a minimum of two years. From there, once the basics are known, students of Ikebana are able to do more abstract and creative designs. As Ilse says to us, everyone serious about Ikebana must master the basics first.
Ilse has started us with a traditional Ikebana design called “Moribana”. This design focuses on lines created by a combination of branches and flowers. Using a flat, shallow vase container filled with water and a kenzan (a needle studded metal disk), the branches and flowers are placed in the kenzan at exact positions and angles.
Here are my two Moribana Lesson#1 designs…first one is the practice design using six of the dozen fresh roses I bought at Kroger and apple tree branches from my back yard. By the time of the “do-it-live” Zoom session, the remaining roses opened up so much I did not need as many to complete the design properly. I personally like my practice design the best of the two. Ilse liked it too…gave me a “WOW” in her comments to me!
Earlier this year I took a morning class at Meijer Gardens on Ikebana – the art, study and philosophy of Japanese Flower Design. I have wanted for some time to learn about Ikebana and this was my first opportunity. After the class I asked our instructor for more information on how and where to study Ikebana. She emailed me a list of several books about Ikebana plus some contact resources. One contact, Ilse Beunen, offered an online e-newsletter so I signed up to receive it.
Ilse Beunen, who lives in Belgium, is a world renown Ikebana designer and teacher. During the month of July, she offered to teach a four week Introductory Ikebana class via ZOOM to only six students. I GOT IN! Each Monday at Noon Eastern Time (6:00pm Belgium time) the six students from around the world gathered in front of our respective computers to see Ilse demonstrate a design which we then “replicated” at our end. We were given advance instructions of what floral materials and vase(s) to have ready to use. Ilse was able to see our work and offer constructive comments during our sessions via ZOOM. We each also emailed pictures of our designs to Ilse so she could share them with all of us. Here are my four designs…each represent a different technique that Ilse wanted us experience.
Week One: Design using flat floral materials floating over a shallow vase of water to create a sense of calm and reflection – Shasta Daisy and Hosta Leaves from my garden.
Week Two: Arrangement using multiple vases and kitchen forks to link together the leaves and vases into an unified design. Plant materials include pink Dahlia, pink Alstroemeria, yellow and lime-green Button Mums and Daylily leaves.
Week Three: Traditional tall vase design focusing on interior structure using a criss-cross of sturdy stems below the inside rim of the vase. Plant materials include Limelight Hydrangea branches and assorted Daylilies from my garden..
Week Four: Our final project was to incorporate “paper” into the design. I used silver foil Christmas wrapping paper torn into pieces to emulate leaves. A long white branch was used as support and white pipe cleaners tied the paper to the branch. Floral material include a deep pink Dahlia blossom, pink Astilbe, Limelight Hydrangea blossoms and Hosta leaves – all from my garden.
