IKEBANA DREAMING

Lessons will be at my home near downtown Bend. To celebrate new beginnings, I’ll be teaching Ikebana lessons again, and I hope you’ll join me. I’ll be offering private and small group lessons  at my home in Bend—an inspiring setting to study, practice, and deepen your relationship with ikebana. About Sogetsu Ikebana Sogetsu ikebana is a modern school of Japanese flower arrangement founded in 1927 by Sofu Teshigahara. Rooted in tradition yet open to innovation, Sogetsu is know

Basic upright arrangement featuring gladioli, carnations and variegated pittosporum. In December, we gathered for two ikebana workshops— Hatsuike  and Holiday Centerpieces. Each offered a meaningful way to close the year and, in one case, thoughtfully begin anew. Hatsuike: Beginning Again This year marked the first time I introduced Hatsuike  not only as a concept to reflect upon, but as a hands-on ikebana practice. Hatsuike is the Japanese tradition of creating the first ike

Contemporary spin on a New Year arrangement with balloon plant, alstroemeria and pine. Bring in the New Year with Ikebana! Join us for an in-person Ikebana workshop just in time for the holidays. We'll be creating a centerpiece using the traditional Japanese materials and techniques found in a New Year ikebana flower arrangement. Date: December 21, 1-3 p.m. Where: Flourish, 64702 Cook Avenue, Tumalo, OR 97703 Price: $60 (floral materials included) Register: https://www.ikeban

Basic Sogetsu Ikebana arrangement with Gladioli and Peony. Ikebana Slow Down  Be Creative Embrace Nature Join us for an in-person Sogetsu Ikebana Workshop celebrating Hatsuike, the Japanese custom of welcoming the New Year by going back to basics. Date: December 7, 11a.m.-1 p.m. Where: Flourish, 64702 Cook Avenue, Tumalo, OR 97703 Price: $60 (floral materials included) Register: contact@flourishoftumalo.com or call (541) 797- 0124 Ikebana arrangement featuring Pussy Willow,

Pinecones wired together make a bold sculptural statement. After, participating in a Sogetsu ikebana workshop on structure building, I've...

Radishes and ginger, oh my! I never thought I'd be writing about fruits and vegetables here at Ikebana Dreaming, but I recently...

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. -- Henry David Thoreau Ikebana with wily cattail and sunflower. I strained my back applying a bucket of liquid fertilizer to my rhododendron, so all physical activity is on hold for the week. The hazards of gardening while aging! On the bright side, I now have some time to compose a few posts for my blogs. (You can visit my other site at Bendglutenfree ). Today, a topic close to my heart: dying -- plants that is. I lo

Fall ikebana with maple and winter berries. (Bamboo vase available at Ikebana Dreaming on Etsy.) Once again, ikebana classes are set to begin at COCC, here in Bend, OR. (For info, click here. ) Who would have thought that a casual floral arrangement set upon a Buddhist altar some 600 years ago would have inspired an international movement that has made its way even to our small parcel of earth in Central Oregon? It may seem counter-intuitive that my favorite ikebana seasons a

Perhaps you think Ikebana is only for the demur, gentle, artistic soul.  Perhaps you picture a beautiful, young woman with long fingers,...

The sun is shining. The temperature is climbing. The dogged remains of snow finally evaporate. It's spring! Here in Bend, it will take a...

Boundaries enhance creativity. Say wha'....? We begin today with a little cognitive dissonance, that state which occurs when an...

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring. -- George Santayana When I...

October is the fallen leaf, but also a wider horizon more clearly seen. It is the distant hills once more in sight, and the enduring...

Don't overthink it. -- Mark, my housepainter Even though Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this year, predicting six more weeks of winter,...

Check out these newly listed vases and our array of display stands at the IkebanaDreaming collection on Etsy. This Ohara-style vase is a...

Fail, fail again, fail better. -- Samuel Beckett Pardon the interlude these past couple months. With COVID's relentless march across the...

Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on. -- Joni Mitchell The Holiday Season is here…. Somehow, the exclamation point seems...

The holidays are fast approaching. Although they’re sure to be different this year, showing love to family and friends is more important...

...discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. -- Marcel Proust On my morning walk, the air is...

I live in Bend, Oregon, perhaps one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It sits at the base of towering Mt. Bachelor and the...