Ikebana is Rad

(...to see the photos bigger go here - sorry some are a little blurry, and the black and white photo is not of an arrangement but a moblie made with natural objects: twigs, flowers, berries, plant pods...)

I think Ikebana is so cool - especially these examples above done in the 60ies - with the old fashioned flowers and colours. I also really love the crazy vases! They are so beautiful and nubble-y. I found this little book, (literally - it is a just smaller than a postcard), in a thrift shop years ago and I just rediscovered it after our latest move.

Here is a paragraph from the book (the translation is very awkward but perfect...)

"The inspiring element is the very one which our predecessors feverently sought after in Ikebana. Tenshin's saying, 'restores to us our waning confidence in the universe', does not aim at prettiness of flower, but at the vitality and the movement of mind resonant with life. There we feel a joy in arranging flowers, and then we find the clue which leads us to Ikeru, or to arrange, from Sasu, or to stick. The most important significance of Ikebana is in the blending into daily life and in EXISTING JUST NOW."

A bit cryptic, but great I think - and I didn't cap lock that last part - that is exactly how it is written!

It really makes me want to get back into some floral arranging but more low key - maybe finding some old vases from Salvation Army and just picking things that grow wild here. I always see tons of Queen Anne's Lace growing in the unused lots around my neighbourhood and I am always tempted to just grab a handful.

I really love the philosophy of the florist Constance Spry, who believed that with only a little money and a lot of imagination you could beautify your home with materials found around you. Below are two of her arrangements...