Gotta Love Ikebana

So I was putzing around on the computer (what else do you do on a Sunday night?!) looking for some inspiration for the upcoming bridal fair next month and found this! This is one of those few moments where I wish I was back in Southern California...just so I could visit this place!

Floral designer Krislyn Designs is based out of Los Angeles and has the most amazing designs. Most are ikebana based - very modern and has clean lines. These type of arrangements uses the negative space to make an impact along with the flowers. Powerful and yet so simple!

This is one of my favorites!

She has a lot more inspirational ideas on her website!

Ikebana

I'm taking a Ikebana class at San Francisco City college. Ikebana (pronounced icky-bana) is a Japanes form of floral design. It focuses on space, balance, proportions and color. My teacher Sakai Sensai says this form of design believes that " more is less, but don't be too skimpy". I am enjoying myself immensely!

These are demonstrations my teacher created.
She talks to the flowers and so much fun to watch!

This is called "Curvy Design."

Here are some student examples. These were designed by advanced students.

And finally - my creation! My teacher said I chose bold colors and she likes how it shows my personality. She told me, "Not too bad for first timer."

Before Shot:

After: She pulled out a bunch of my leaves and tweaked it a bit. Sometimes instead of adding you need to remove. I am learning so much from Sakia Sensai.