Thanks to Suzanne for hosting Vintage Thingies Thursday over at Coloradolady blog. Check out her website and all of the interesting things others have posted. My vintage item this week is an Ikebana vase that belonged to my mother-in-law and is from the early 60's. My mother-in-law lived in Hawaii for several years while her husband was stationed at Wheeler Air Force Base. She loved the flowers of Hawaii and started taking Ikebana flower arranging classes. Ikebana means "living beauty" in Japanese. The vase is made of two pieces and below you can see the base.
The round disk like piece fits on top of the base. There is a hole in the middle for the flowers to go through.
The two pieces fit like so..........I think it is such an elegant vase. Several years ago when I was cleaning out her house so she could move to an assisted care facility, I found a cabinet full of vases and flower arranging materials. She told me that when she and her family were leaving Hawaii in 1962, they were aboard the ship and she heard her named called. She looked down and saw her "MammaSan" (a native Hawaiian) their cook/housekeeper. MammaSan ran aboard to give her this beautiful vase as a reminder of her days in Hawaii.
As a tribute to her, I made an arrangement using flowers I bought from Publix, some branches off of my corkscrew willow and a (plastic) anthurium. I remember she always had fresh flowers on her kitchen table. I think she would be glad to know I'm using her vase and I love the story behind it.
24 comments:
I used to have an Ikebana book and thought it was very interesting--but I never seem to get around to making arrangements.
How beautiful your arrangement is..and what a lovely story. I'm glad her beautiful things are being put to use..so many things are just set aside. Happy VTT..have a most lovely day.
Very neat! The flowers are gorgeous..you did a great job arranging them.
Happy VTT!!
Kristine
what a lovely story!..your floral arrangement is a beautiful tribute :)
Wow, what a neat vase. I have never seen one like that. Very unique. I am glad you shared it with us.
this turned out great! fabulous idea.
Your vase is so lovely. I always enjoyed watching the art of Ikebana in progress. I had a Japanese friend...over 80 yrs. old...who used to come in my flower shop sometimes and do beautiful arrangements in the Ikebana style. She was such a sweet lady.
I like the plain elegance of the vase.
fabulous post!
Very interesting! Love your arrangement. Just wondering...what is the vase made of...porcelain...resin..?
Sherrie
Sherrie-
The vase is made of porcelain with a matte finish.
Kathi
Great vase and what a wonderful arrangement you did in it as a memory.
What a sweet post and nice tribute to your mother-in-law.
Thanks for sharing!
Living it up at Lakewood,
Cindy
I've never seen anything like that!
The vase is beautiful alone, but with the flowers..breathtaking. I have never seen a vase like this, it is very lovely. Thanks for sharing it with us today. Have a great VTT.
Oh my gosh - what a gorgeous flower arrangement you have made and a wonderful story of the vase - I see why you treasure it!
Cheers!
I love your arrangement and the story behind it!
Your arrangement is beautiful and I'm sure she's appreciating it, right now.
I guess I don't get around much, I've never seen an Ikebana vase. I love the lines, it looks so modern but then again, not.
What a beautiful base from the 60's. And such a lovely arrangement you made as a tribute to your MIL!
Fabulous! The vase, the story, the flowers and preserving your family memories. Great post.
That is a fabulous vase! Love it, and the gorgeous arrangement.
The floral arrangement you created in your mother's vase is beautiful. I loved the story behind the vase as well. Thanks for stopping by my blog today.
That arrangement is just beautiful. Using dried and fresh flowers makes it so much more interesting. The vase is perfect for the arrangement. Please don't let it fall off of your deck railing.
Lovely story, lovely vase, lovely arrangement! Thanks for sharing!
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