Japanese Flower Arranging In Japanese Decorating

The ancient roots of Japanese flower arranging. Various kinds of japanese flower arranging. Elements in flower arranging.

Japanese flower arranging or ikebana, is rapidly becoming more and more popular all over the world. Flower arranging is an art form, and doesn't just take the arrangement of flowers into account, but the entire structure, such as vase, placement and form. In the west, we merely place the flowers in a vase, and strive for a balanced look, but Japanese flower arranging is structured along lines that represent the important elements of life: heaven, earth, humans.

These three representational symbols are found in many expressions of Eastern culture and Japanese flower arranging is one of the prettiest forms. Each of the components, such as the stem, the leaf or the flower is viewed as representing a symbol of this holistic view, and the vase also becomes an important component.
Ikebana is an ancient art that probably began in Buddhist temples in Japan in the sixth century as a form of offering. The flowers and branches of a plant would be placed in such a way as to point to the heavens, illustrating the faith of the person making the offering.

Original ikebana flower arrangements were simple and almost crude in their design, but through the centuries the art was improved upon and became more sophisticated. A new form of the art of flower arranging, called rikka, emerged in the fifteenth century and become the precursor of the stylized flower arranging practiced in Japan still today.
Rikka seeks to capture the wonders of nature in a single flower arrangement. Flowers are placed in such a way that they represent a mythical mountain called Mount Sumeru that is a symbol of our universe, and each piece in a rikka arrangement is a part of that universe. For example, white chrysanthemums represent water and pine branches represent stone. Although these exact representations are no longer respected, in prior times rikka was used extensively in ceremonial decorating.

In the late nineteenth century, another form of ikebana became popular in Japan and carried over to Western cultures. This is called moribana and in it the garden artist seeks to create a garden world in miniature. Terrariums and bonsai were popular outgrowths of this art form in the west.

Though Japanese flower arranging is very popular in modern society, it has ancient roots that it are important to remember. You may see beautiful Japanese style flower arrangements in both formal decorating schemes as well as casual arrangements in a stylish home.




By: Mr.Andrew Caxton

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How to Make a Dried Flower Bouquet

Making a dried flower bouquet is a fun project. You can use your own ideas and imagination to make a dried flower bouquet for any room in your house. Dried flower bouquets can take some planning or you can do at the spur of the moment when you see some pretty weeds that you like.

To plan on making your own dried flower bouquet you have to start by planting a flower garden with a variety of flowers that look nice dried. You should pick out the type of flowers that dry well. Some varieties of flowers that dry well are statice, straw flowers, and baby's breath. You can find out what types of flowers dry well at a garden center. You can also see pictures of the flowers to see what kinds of flowers you like. Then you can take the flowers you like and make a flower garden with them. You can enjoy the live flowers that you have growing and then when the flowers are ready you can pick them to dry for later.

To dry live flowers you need to pick them with a stem attached. After you have the flowers picked you need to hang the flowers upside down to dry. When you hang the flowers up side down to dry that makes the stems and flowers stronger and straighter; It also helps the dried flowers to last longer. If you dry the flowers right side up they are weaker and they tend to bend over and not look as nice.

After your flowers are dried you can make dried flower arrangements with them and set them in a vase. Or you can make crafts with your dried flowers.

Sometimes you find weeds along roadsides that are pretty and would look nice in a dried flower arrangement. You would be surprised how nice a bouquet of dried weeds can look. When you pick wild weeds make sure you pick ones that are growing in an undesirable place like on the sides of a country road. If you pick flowers that are growing along the roadside they will not be missed since they are probably not wanted there. You can find some beautiful fascinating flowers to dry along the roadsides but be careful when you do it. Make sure you don't get hit by a car and park in a safe place. Never pick a wild weed or flower that is in a natural setting or wild area. Wild flowers are valuable and should not be disturbed so they can live to produce more flowers in the future.

By Donna Daniels

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Fake Flower Arrangements to Liven Up Your House

Floral arrangements are a great way to spruce up any occasion. As a centerpiece to a dining room table or to entrance-way of a house flowers can speak volumes. The look of the floral arrangement is one that is memorable. The problem is when you use live flowers they eventually wilt. The trick then is to create a fake flower arrangement that looks real, but will last a lifetime. This can be accomplished in many ways. They range from simple table arrangements to wreaths to cute decorations.

Simple table decorations are easy. First you want to select some fairly live looking flowers from your local craft store. Look for the flowers that look and feel more realistic; try to stay away from the flowers that have the very obvious fake stems with wires sticking out. When you have gotten a mixture of flowers that you like, you are ready to leave. Once you get home, look in your backyard or local beach for some nice smooth round stones. They should not be too big or too small, as you will be placing them in a vase. If you do not live somewhere where you can find rocks or stones in your backyard or are near a beach you can also purchase these stones at the craft store. Place the stones at the bottom of a vase and place the flowers in the vase, this will assure a nice, realistic looking centerpiece.

For a wreath, it is nearly as simple as a floral arrangement. In the local craft store, find a simple wreath made out of sticks. Now look for flowers, leaves or berries. Once you get home, cut the stems of the flowers, leaves or berries. Place them in between the gaps in the sticks. Use your creativity on your wreath.

To create a simple home decoration, go to the craft store and find a straw hat. Then get a small length of ribbon, long enough to go around the part of the hat where you place your head and a little extra to make a bow if you choose. Now go and find some flowers. When you get home, warm up your glue gun, making sure you have several glue sticks ready. Glue the ribbon around the part of the hat that you place your head. Cut the flowers off of the stem, so it is just the flower left. Glue the flowers around the ribbon. Make a bow out of the remaining ribbon and a tail for the bow. When you are satisfied with your work you are done.

Making floral arrangements doesn't have to be hard and they don't have to cost a fortune, you can make them yourself.

By Frances Dottino

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