Spring Admiration

I have to say French Pussy willow is one of my favorite materials to work with. It is very flexible to create the shapes and I love its color. It is amazing how their fine lines can add graceful but yet dynamic dimension to the arrangement.

The left side branches are "yoshino" cherry tree. I love their modest beauty.
I can't wait to see them bloom!
Today's arrangement expresses the admiration for the spring.

フレンチネコヤナギは大好きな花材の一つです。
よく曲がって形をつけやすいですし、色も大好きです。
こんなに細い線でも、可憐でかつダイナミックに奥行きを出せるのがすごいところです。

左側の枝物はソメイヨシノです。なんとも奥ゆかしいその美しさがすきです。
早く咲いてほしい！
春の訪れを心待ちにする気持ちを表現してみました。伝わりましたか？

Amarilis & Willow

I wish I have containers like my sensei does.

Choosing a right container is a big part of your Ikebana design.

I think it has a nice balance as a whole.

I made this arrangement as I was thinking of my high school friends father who recently past away.

Christmas Arrangement

This was the last arrangement I made at sensei's class in 2010.
Theme is... Christmas!! in Japanese style i suppose.

My life has been very busy with Layla since March, but with my husband and my family members big support, i managed to pursue my passion to make "flower arrangements" whenever i had a chance. I am very thankful for that.

As far as 2011 goes, I would like to improve my skills in flower arrangement in general but most importantly, continue to thrive to find "my flower," my very own way of expression through flowers. I hope i can show some interesting arrangements this year!

> Pumpas Grass

I enjoyed making arrangement in this antique wooden pail ( in Japanese it is called "oke"). Usually it looks good with a delicate style arrangement but i wanted to try creating a dynamic design using these pampas grass.

In order to give it a rhythm, i gave a partial "hair cut" in one of them.

> Flax leaves

Flax leaves are very useful for establishing height, width, and dramatic effect on a design. As the leaves are sculptural foliage, you can make them into almost any shapes. Sometimes we use a wire on a back side of the leaves to fortify them and and create shapes.

Here i made them into a variety forms; straight sharp line, big curvy line, unexpected shapes by shredding them and bending them.

It is fun to find out the spontaneous expressions through them.

> Will's b-day arrangement

一応ダイニングルームは気合いを入れてアレンジしたんですが、
天気も良かったせいかだれも家の中でリラックスしてくれるお客さんはいませんでした。。。（号泣）

夏っぽくさっぱりした感じにアレンジしました。
やっぱりプロのカメラマンさんに撮っていただくと美しく見えますね　(o^^o)

For my husband William's 40th birthday party, we invited over 40 guests from all over the place.
(Tokyo, Kansas, Long Island, Maryland etc.)

Although I made a big effort to decorate with flowers so that some of our guests can relax in our dinning room, nobody came inside and dine....

I hope some guests could notice my welcoming effort!

Photos by Takahiro Masuda

> layla ZZZZzzz

８月１４日、ウィリアムの４０歳の誕生会を盛大に行うにあたって、東京から親友のお友達家族が駆けつけてくれました。２週間うちに泊まって一緒にウィリアムママの所やワシントンDCなどにも行き、忙しく、でも楽しいひとときを過ごしました。

誕生会は深夜まで続き久しぶりに飲んで馬鹿やって騒いだのでさすがに私もウィリアムもぐったり。。。。でも次の日はレイラの洗礼式が朝１１時から教会であり、そのあと家族みんなをお食事に招待するなどして気が緩めませんでした。無事終了してお友達家族も日本へ旅立ち、ママ達も家に帰って私たちも平常に戻った静かな日々を過ごしてます。

レイラもたくさんの人にだっこしてもらって遊んでもらって、まだ少々お疲れ気味。
今日も遊びながら寝ちゃいました〜。