Mitsumata in Bloom

On my way to Prospect Park in Brooklyn the other day I stopped in my tracks when I saw this flowering shrub - Edgeworthia, aka Mitsumata. In addition to providing bark for paper, branches for decoration, it seems it also makes a rather nice ornamental shrub that blooms at the same time as the Forsythia.

Mitsumata Centerpieces

Florie Huppert of Florie Huppert Design (floriehuppertdesign@gmail.com) used our Project Grade Mitsumata Branches to create some gorgeous centerpieces for the 150th Rededication Gala celebrating the building of the Brotherhood Synagogue on Gramercy Park in New York.

The Mitsumata Branches were placed in 23 inch tall glass cylinders with clear and light blue glass marbles. Although real candles were used throughout the room and under the centerpieces, LED flameless candles were used in in the glass spheres hanging from the Mitsumata Branches. The photography was done by Courtney Karam Photography.

Decorative Branches as an Alternative to Fake Plants

Decorative branches are a fantastic alternative to fake plants in places where very low maintenance botanical elements are desired. (The only maintenance required is occasional dusting.) The folks at Floral Ecstacy in Miami, Florida (305 670 1230), sent us these pictures of how they used our Mitsumata, Sandblasted Manzanita and Natural Manzanita branches to create large-scale installations to be used in commercial settings. 

Dried Branches and Fresh Flowers

Dried branches don't like getting wet, but that doesn't mean you can't create centerpieces using both dried branches and fresh flowers. Here are some examples of branch centerpieces we've made incorporating fresh flowers. 

Mitsumata Branches with Dendrobium Orchids.

For this, we simply attached floral tubes to the branches with cable ties on the top and the bottom (using just one would allow it to tip over). We decided that the flower stem looked best held close to the branches, so we loosely attached the top of the stem to the Mitsumata branches with a cable tie. 

Mitsumata Branches, Fountain Grass and Dendrobium Orchids.  With the orchids and floral tubes securely attached to the Mitsumata Branches, it was easy making a slightly more complex arrangement. One bundle of Fountain Grass does a great job of adding texture and filling out the arrangement.

Here we made a Sandblasted Manzanita centerpiece with orchids using a branch that we had previously set in plaster. Once we buried the base in pea gravel, we set the floral tubes on top of the pea gravel, then attached the orchid stem to the Manzanita branch with a single white cable tie. The finishing touch was to fill the top of the vase with Reindeer Moss. 

Just a few orchids on a Sandblasted Manzanita centerpiece can have a huge impact. We attached the flowers with small cable ties. Note that no floral tubes are used here - Dendrobium orchid flowers hold up well for a few hours without water. 

Twisted Willow Branches and Lilies. For this display, we placed a smaller diameter vase holding the lilies and water inside a larger vase. We then added some crushed stone to hold the relative positions of the vases and added in the Twisted Willow Branches. 

Mitsumata Metamorphosis at Home Ec, Part 2

For the first post in the series, go to Mitsumata Metamorphosis at Home Ec, Part 1

It's always fun coming up with new ideas, but what good is an idea if it isn't executed? When Patty and Seryn first asked me to help out with their lights at Home Ec, I thought I'd provide some ideas and some branches, and someone else would do the tough work of getting it done - after all, I had absolutely no experience with big installations like this and considered myself completely unqualified for the project. Patty and Seryn disagreed and countered every protest of mine with abundant encouragement and flattery. After making it clear that they were putting a very prominent feature of their store in the hands of a novice, I got to work.

It turned out that the execution was time-consuming, but once I got the routine down, was rather simple and easy. The tricky part was keeping the form of the cocoons similar - I had to do the same thing four times, and while the cocoons didn't end up being identical, they were close enough in form so they didn't affront my critical eye.

Each light fixture was surrounded by a 9 foot long, 2.5 foot wide wire cage that provided the structure to which the Mitsumata Branches were attached. Around 100 Mitsumata Branches were used for each cocoon - these were the raw, "craft quality" Mitsumata Branches we get from our importers, not the finished branches we sell on the site. At least 400 translucent white cable ties were used in each cocoon to attach the branches to the wire and to each other. With just me working, each Mitsumata cocoon took about 6-8 hours to make, from the time the branches started soaking until we hung the cocoon.

The Mitsumata Branches soaking. Mitsumata soaks up water like a sponge, and after about an hour or so it is just about as pliable as it would become.

Me in production mode, attaching the cable ties that would secure the Mitsumata Branches to the wire cages (while the Mitsumata Branches were soaking). For this stage, it was a lot easier and faster to attach the cable ties beforehand so all I had to do was insert the branch and pull the cable tie tight. I'm not sure whether this was before or after I leaned over and dropped my phone in the water in which the Mitsumata was soaking, ultimately inspiring a little haiku (one of a few about the times I've dropped my phone in water).

A couple views of the Mitsumata Branches attached to the wire cage, before being bent in and secured to each other with cable ties. This process didn't take long, and although it looks like "it's almost there" the most time consuming step has yet to come.

By far the most time-consuming part was attaching the branches to each other. Every single branch had to be pulled in and secured to another one with a cable tie. Once all the main "ribs" were pulled together to create the cocoon form, I wove branches in between them to increase the density.

Here's a close-up showing the cable ties that made this all possible. While you could use something else to secure the branches, these were extremely easy to use and virtually invisible once the ends were cut off.

The finished cocoon, ready to be put up. Once the cocoon was hanging, we put some rice paper in the bottom of the wire cage to diffuse the light, which really helped accentuate the branches.

Done! You can check out the lights and a lot of other cool things at Home Ec, 303 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (718 852 2889). In addition to the home accessories store, the space serves as a classroom for sewing classes and a design studio. If you are in NYC, it is definitely worth a visit! If you aren't, check out their site - http://www.flirt-brooklyn.com/

Mitsumata Metamorphosis at Home Ec, Part 1

Brooklyn clothing designers and store owners Patti Gilstrap and Seryn Potter (no relation) were in the process of turning what was once a raw industrial space into a charming home accessories boutique when they decided they had a glaring problem - the four, nine foot long flourescent lights looming overhead. 

They thought some branches might help and asked if I had any ideas - and could execute them. What I came up with were Mitsumata "cocoons" enveloping the lights. In a later post I'll describe how I used nearly 500 Mitsumata Branches and 1500 cable ties to create what you see here.



You can check out the lights and a lot of other cool things at Home Ec, 303 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (718 852 2889). In addition to the home accessories store, the space serves as a classroom for sewing classes and a design studio. If you are in NYC, it is definitely worth a visit! If you aren't, check out their site - http://www.flirt-brooklyn.com/

Mitsumata and Hanging Votives (Brought to Life)

One of the most satisfying things about keeping this blog is seeing ideas that I came up with and presented in various posts successfully and spectacularly scaled up and brought to life in the real world. After all, what worked well for me once and for a single display might not work for someone else or for multiple displays. One of my most popular posts was on using Mitsumata Branches with hanging votives, so I was thrilled when we received this from Mary of Mystic, CT, who got married September 19, 2008:

"Dear Nettleton Hollow,

I thought it appropriate to send some pictures of my wedding centerpieces to you, I used your Mitsumata branches and Proteas, and had the hanging votive candles. They looked so beautiful and really cast an amazing ambiance at the reception. I also used one protea in my bouquet. Thank you so much, your products are just wonderful! I look forward to seeing new additions and ideas from you as well!

With Kind Regards,
Mary"

Here's a close-up showing the various components of the centerpiece:

Spectacular! The Protea Repens adds a fantastic splash of color to the centerpieces. For vase filler, crushed white marble from Home Depot was used - it provides the necessary weight to keep the display stable, is as attractive as anything else, and is a fraction of the cost of something like the polished river stones that are often used. As for soaking the branches, Mary noted that luke warm water in the bathtub seemed to work the best.

A great attribute of centerpieces like this that Mary noted is that they can be put together in advance - a huge advantage for those who want to minimize things to worry about on the big day.

Related Posts:

Mitsumata and Hanging Votives 

DIY Hanging Votive Holders

Mitsumata and Hanging Votives

While Mitsumata is not as strong as that popular standby for hanging anything - Manzanita - it still is a fantastic choice for hanging votives and other relatively heavy objects. In addition to its unique form, the white branches really light up in the dim candlelight, producing a luminous and dramatic display. Adding to its appeal is the fact that at 3-4 feet it can still be shipped via UPS, allowing you to create centerpieces as impressive as those made with Manzanita of a similar size, at a much lower cost (once Manzanita hits 3 feet it has to be shipped via basic freight, which starts at $150 or so).

The centerpiece above was created with two bundles (6 branches) of 3-4' Mitsumata that had been soaked and shaped, and a bunch of hanging votive holders we made ourselves. Adding everything up, the total cost probably comes out a bit under $50.

Here's how to do it:

1. Buy or make your hanging votive holders. While you'll save yourself some time buying them, they are very easy and quick to make yourself if you use the tricks described in our previous post on the topic.

2. Soak the Mitsumata for a couple of hours. While the branches are quite thick, they suck up water like a sponge and become very pliable.

3. Pull the branches open, arrange them in your vase, then fill the vase with river stones or another heavy material - the votives will add quite a bit of weight and you don't want to have your pleasantly illuminated centerpiece to tip over and turn into a bonfire. Your event is bound to be exciting enough as it is.

4. Figure out where you'd like to hang the votives, and stick pins or thin nails through the branches from the top through the bottom (we actually used pieces of paperclips, but that was just because we didn't want to walk a few blocks to the hardware store). A pair of needle-nosed pliers is handy for this. Mitsumata isn't anywhere near as branchy as Manzanita, and so you'll need to do this to keep the hanging votive holders from sliding down the branches. This should done while the branches are still moist to keep them from splitting. We did this in more places than necessary for more options when we did our final arranging.

5. Start hanging your votives. This will pull the branches outward and downward a bit. If you'd like to increase the bend, start filling the holders with river stones. However, while most of the bending will be done as soon as you hang the votive holders, the branches will continue to bend a tiny bit until they are dry, so take this into account.

6. In about 12 hours or so, the branches will be thoroughly dry. Do your final arranging, light the candles and admire your work!

Magical Mitsumata

One of the cool things about Mitsumata is that after a few hours of soaking it becomes amazingly pliable. The branches have a density similar to that of balsa, and soak up water like a sponge. Here's a picture of a branch that spent a few hours soaking:

Once dry, the branches will keep the form of whatever you molded it into. Here's a gorgeous light created by Mark Figueredo of MF Custom Lighting Design and Fabrication in East Hampton, NY (631 329 5033):