WASTE NOT......

 

Hello all,

In ikebana we are encouraged to cut materials conservatively, to use as much of the cut materials as possible and to reuse whenever possible. In other words, waste not, want not.

I had kept the lower parts of the palm fronds that Lucy and I had used in our exhibit at MIFGS and tried to find a way to use them. Hence the arrangement, above. The hydrangeas were originally white but have changed to a rich, orangy red colour.

With another piece of the lower part of the palm frond I created the arrangement, below. I put a great deal of effort to bend the spine of the frond which is very strong indeed. Unfortunately, the curve is concealed by the hanging amaranthus. Three more hydrangeas completed the arrangement.

I created the arrangement below to showcase my haemanthus lilies. Unfortunately their short stems make them somewhat challenging to arrange. This is what I came up with.

Haemanthus lilies

The lilies are relatively short lived compared to the monstera deliciosa leaf. So, when they died I reused the leaf in a new arrangement using Japanese anemones and two fine sticks for line.

My Japanese anemones (Eriocapitella hupehensis) are looking particularly beautiful this year. The clump in the photo, below, is outside Sam's office window.

Yesterday was Orthodox Easter, so last week, in preparation for Sunday's celebrations the grandchildren and I dyed eggs in bright, shiny colours. It was a bit messy but fun was had by all particularly by the boy whose capacity for silliness is endless. 

I made the traditional Easter bread (Tsureki) without the 'help' of the grandkids. This can be quite a delicate operation requiring careful handling of the dough, which has to prove not once but twice. We all use our mother's recipe and we all had great success this year. The trouble is that they are so delicious that resistance is futile. Below are two of mine. 

I wanted to use my brightly coloured eggs in an Easter arrangement. This platter with holes in it is very convenient for holding the eggs. In the centre hole I placed a small vase to hold the flowers and fern. I chose Japanese anemones for the flowers in an Easter arrangement because, although they flower in autumn, they look like spring flowers and I tend to associate Easter with spring in northern hemisphere. When I finished the arrangement the large surface of the plate looked a little bare, so I introduced the gold coloured, wisteria vine.

Mary's theme was 'In a Suiban Without a Kenzan'. She used Siberian dogwood (Cornus Siberica Alba) and long stemmed dahlias in a ceramic suiban.

Mary, also, did an arrangement 'With Vines'. She used dried wisteria vines and lisianthus in a ceramic vase.

Bye for now, 
Emily