Something has spellboundly come over me this Autumn…..the colors and textures of this season have been catching my eye like never before, calling my inspiration and filling me with joy. I was never one for this time of year. A true Spring and Summer lover, just the sight of leaves falling, lush green turning into duller browns, I often become just as moody and dark like the season. And even more so knowing very well that winter is quickly approaching. Mother Nature is quietly disappearing and retreating itself until its return next year…..
This year, I wanted to handle the seasonal change in a much better way than I have in the past. I wanted to embrace the beauty to somehow prevent me from feeling those blues one easily develops this time of year. So I began to place my focus on the things, even if few, that brought me joy or were fueling my creativity. It worked! I’ve always been drawn to colors, picking up the hues and changes in tones in a single petal or leaf. Naturally the colors seen all around are just too pretty not to feel joy and inspired. I created this photography collection on Society6 to celebrate the beautiful seasonal sights and these lovely moodboards, uniquely inspired by the unique and bold colors of Autumn I love so much.
The thing is, some of my absolute favorite stylings, floral arrangements and colors are only found amongst nature during Autumn. The rich caramel gold leaves that captivate your eye, well during the warmer summer months, those are bright green. In no way would they give this floral arrangement the kind of beautiful color they possess now….only in Autumn.
Those fun, intricate and unique fuzzy balls — whimsical pretty Clematis. Yes, to think the same flower can produce two completely contrasting beauties. I find Nature to be a constant awe.
Honing in on Mother Nature’s details, as she slowly, yet quickly, fades from summer into autumn and finally winter, I was able to appreciate this change. For once, I was able to understand the evolution of these natural beauties. I mean I’ve always acknowledged it, but perhaps my bitterness towards these least favored seasons prevented me from truly appreciating the things I find most beautiful and wonderful about this season.
And so all I’ve been wanting to do is to celebrate all the endless beauty Mother Nature is gracing us this Autumn.
Natural and wild, dark and moody, bright and brittle….contrasting but blended together like a perfectly written melody.
I’m drawn towards the imperfectness of Autumn — the wilted leaves, bent branches; it’s all untouched and almost primitive. Straight out a beautiful old European garden, allowed to grow as it pleases.
That is exactly what I wanted to create with this floral arrangement which we used to decorate our Thanksgiving “Give Back” Brunch. It is a stunner on it’s own and quite simply doesn’t need anything else distracting from its gorgeousness!!
Forage. Forage. Forage. I am most definitely that gal picking perfectly shaped and colored leaves from the ground, sneakingly carrying her snipper on afternoon walks with pup, just waiting for the prettiest branch to catch my eye. I love using my surroundings and garden to create centerpieces and decor. I usually find the most beautiful pieces when foraging, blooms you can’t just find at the market. Yes, Autumn has stunning colored trees, but have you stopped to look at all the other stunning plants growing too!!!
I love using what is readily available right outside my door. If like myself, you unfortunately live in a suburban area, and can’t just take a walk into the forest, you’d be surprised what you can find outside your home and local parks. {PLEASE IN NO WAY GO SNIPPING THINGS THAT ARE ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. AND ALWAYS ASK YOUR NEIGHBORS BEFORE TRIMMING ANYTHING!!}
A urn pedestal vase is a nod to the past, an old world look reflecting the calmness that awaits us these cooler months. On a side note, I’ve been watching a lot Outlander before Sunday’s season four premiere, so I was quite inspired by the natural wildness seen on the show.
I wanted to veer from prim and proper, and let my natural bohemian creativity just go with the flow. I began with foraged berry branches, the stems that brought me the most joy. It’s rare to find berry branches around my parts, especially ones in such a beautiful burgundy color. As florists, we’ll leave the statement stems we want to feature front and center as the final touches to add onto any floral arrangement, but with this piece I started this centerpiece with the fruit branches, using their natural shape to guide final look!
From there continue adding and shaping the arrangement with greens and branches.
In this arrangement you’ll find an endless array of gems I found in my garden and throughout my neighborhood. And don’t think you have to stick to only a few varieties. Go Bold! Use as many different varieties of plants, branches, greens and flowers. Whatever catches your eye, make sure to snip a few stems! Use whatever you easily have access to, no need to spend money on overpriced blooms. Two or three roses from the garden will be more perfect. I mean, how gorgeous are these garden roses, it’s my favorite flower in the garden. First blooming white in the Spring well into Summer, then fading into fall with dark pink details and ending its season approaching winter with the prettiest peachy hues!
I let my imagination run wild with this arrangement, and you should do the same! When creating beautiful florals, you want them to evoke emotion and movement. I’m a sole believer that you should let flowers and greens do their own thing. Let them breathe and move where they please, and simply allow the stems and your intuition guide you.
Don’t overthink the details!! That’s the beauty of Autumn, nothing is pretty and fun, it has depth and is complex. That’s exactly what you should aim for when creating lovely, and simple, floral pieces for your holiday entertaining this year!
Lastly, but surely not least, don’t forget to make the backside your floral arrangement pretty to look at too!! This is a great opportunity to give the same arrangement a completely different facade still in flow with the front. I choose to focus on the single white garden rose, nestling in more orange Alstroemeria and burgundy Daisies than I had done on the other side.
I’ve made many floral arrangements that I’ve truly loved, but this stunner. This piece I quite in love with. It’s everything I love about nature, and Autumn.
Hope you’re all savoring every moment as we approach this magical holiday season….
Leave a Reply