Category: Arts & Crafts

Sakura Days Japan Fair 2013

Post author By Info
Post date April 7, 2013
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Sakura Days Japan Fair took place at VanDusen Botanical Garden on April 6-7 2013. It’s a fun festival that celebrates Japanese culture and cherry blossoms. The weeping cherry tree were so beautiful and there were so many activities. Two days were definitely not enough.

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival table.

Vendors booths.

Ikebana workshop.

Paper art workshop.

Live calligraphy (featuring the character for sakura, cherry blossoms) by Essence of Shodo.

Tree talk and walk with Anne Eng.

Haiku Rock (in the cherry grove).

Anime Revolution.

Cherry blossom viewing.

Tags anime revolution, Cherry blossom viewing in Vancouver, cherry tree talks and walks, cherry trees, essence of shodo, hanami in Vancouver, ikebana, Sakura Days Japan Fair 2013, Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, VanDusen botanical gardent

Arts & Crafts Haiku Photos Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

Sakura Days Japan Fair – Haiku activities

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Post date April 6, 2013
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Many haiku activities took place in the glasshouse during Sakura Days Japan Fair.

At 12:00, Terry Ann Carter showed us how to make different kinds of books using collage, photo, text, and beautiful Japanese paper.

Her handmade books (accordion, flutter, origami fold) are absolutely gorgeous!

At 13:00, Michael Dylan Welch gave a haiku workshop.

Our haiku minstrels Vicki McCullough and James Mulling were reading haiku and playing flute to entertain visitors in the garden.

Visitors were able to test their haiku IQ here!

Stop by the glasshouse to learn about haiku this Sunday at the Van Dusen Botanical Garden.

Workshops and activities on Sunday April 7, 2013 include:

12.00 Haiku and small book demonstration

13.00 Learn haiku workshop

14.30 Haiku reading on the cherry stage

15.00 Haiku walk

Tags art books, bookbinding, haiku workshops, handmade books, James Mullin, Michael Dylan Welch, Sakura Days Japan Fair, Terry Ann Carter, Vicki McCullough

Arts & Crafts Photos

What’s up at Burrard Skytrain Station

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Post date March 8, 2013
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At the Burrard skytrain no cherry blossoms yet, but plenty of buds!

The only cherry blossom I found was this knitted blossom that someone had hung on a branch. (This reminded me of the yarn bombing of Joy Kogawa’s house in 2011!)

The good news though is that the Akebono cherry trees are full of buds which means that cherry blossoms are only a few weeks away.

The cherry buds give the trees a nice green glow.

In a few weeks, there will be so many cherry blossoms on these branches you will barely be able to see the sky!

Don’t forget to reserve your SakuraB bento box to picnic under the blossom at the Burrard skytrain station during our popular Cherry jam concert (April 4th).

Tags Akebono cherry buds, Burrard Skytrain Station, knitted cherry blossoms, Yarn Bombing

Arts & Crafts Haiku

Playful Wind

Annette Makino captured the playfulness of the wind in the cherry tree in this beautiful haiga painting.

A haiga is a brush and ink painting done to accompany a handwritten haiku. Start by writing your own haiku, or get inspired by reading the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Invitational 2012 winners, then illustrate it.

Share your cherry blossom haiga with us on the VCBF Facebook page!

Tags Annette Makino, cherry blossoms haiga, sumi-e painting

Arts & Crafts

Joy Kogawa’s House Yarn Bombing

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Post date November 26, 2012
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The yarn bombing of Joy Kogawa’s house in 2011 is what prompted me to try crochet.

When I visited the house at 1450 West 64th Avenue, I was amazed by all the knitted blossoms hung on the old cherry tree (courtesy of yarn bombers and authors Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain and a group of volunteers).

The old cherry tree (whose story is told in Joy Kogawa’s Naomi’s Tree) stopped blossoming so they invited people to knit or crochet pink cherry blossoms to help cover the historic tree.

The knitted blossoms looked so pretty on the tree: