Ikebana
Ikebana is the art of Japanese flower arranging. With just a few inexpensive floral stems you can create a very attractive arrangement. The arrangements seem to last much longer too. All you need is a dish or shallow bowl and a floral frog. I purchased this hand-thrown Ikebana bowl at Breyerfest last year. When the container you choose is more like a shallow bowl, it is nice to place a few decorative rocks around the floral stems. The stems are usually placed in odd numbers, 1, 3 or 5 (minimalism is key). It is nice to use different textures with some greenery and some flowers. Varying the height of your stems and even placing some at a 75 degree angle also adds dimension. To learn more, go to http://www.ikebanabyjunko.co.uk/. I am sure you will see arrangements much more beautiful than mine, but I am truly a beginner. I hope to explore Ikebana more in the future as time permits.
Ikebana
Shrug
I recently finished this shrug for my 14 month old. It looks so cute on her! The only addition needed is some type of fastener at the top that she can’t work off and swallow. Next, I would like to make one for my three year old princess and then one for me. The pattern is from “One Skein Wonders” with some slight modifications from a beautiful blog http://milotis.wordpress.com/ .
Wallaby
Another item I recently finished is the Wallaby for my three-year old. I took a class at my lys when Emey was just a baby, but was side-tracked repeatedly. I also lack confidence when I knit sometimes so that side-tracked me too. Needless to say, I had another child (Lilly) and finished the sweater when Emey turned three (instead of one or two). I was able to make the sweater a little larger as I fell behind which helped. I made a few mistakes on the hood, but it works just fine. I really fell in love with the kitchener stitch too. Now my 11-year old wants one . . . we’ll see.
I'm Three Today!
Brenda's Family Life 
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