I took my first trip to Vermont this weekend, a quick short non-sightseeing trip to celebrate a college friend’s gorgeous late summer sunset wedding atop a beautiful Vermont mountain. But it took this charming trip and a quaint Sunday drive before returning home, to appreciate just how much every shade of red is necessary and beautiful for the season of Autumn. I mean they are essential colors in the natural process of Autumnal color and seasonal changing process. And red hues are predominant for the Autumn season.
I guess it’s my selfishness that I should, but mostly likely won’t every truly, get over just because I don’t particularly like the color. It isn’t that I have a distaste for all red colors, I do enjoy a lovely shade of burgundy, merlot, Bordeaux or cranberry, yes all food related shades. But the weekend’s warm end of summer Vermont sun put a beautiful golden shade on all of Mother Nature’s colors that were beginning to reach their peak. Leaves in bright greens popped against the earthier, darker more subdued hues of forest, olive and sage greens, as well as more mellow golden yellow tones. It was quite magical. I put all the windows down, turned off the radio and allowed the beautiful warm crisp breeze in along with nature’s lovey melodies of the wind and chirping from birds and insects. It couldn’t have been a more lovely last Sunday of this summer!!
But goodness, what a mecca of flower arrangements I would create from all the beautiful foliage that was around the charming streets of Vermont. Leaves in mint perfect Autumn condition with their colors, pristine and almost perfect in finish since the rain has held off and they were dry and sturdy. Oh the things you could create with these gorgeous stems, the arrangements – fresh and dried – framed pieces, decoupage, drying, the list goes on and on….
Then it got me thinking back to two years ago when I put together a few simple autumn styling photo shoots highlighting the color red and burgundy after doing Katie and Daniel’s wedding. But then the holidays came whizzing in, then a busy Spring season of wedding and events, wonderful summer travels, then the hustle of autumn, the holidays, weddings/events and summer came in all over again like completing another round on the never ending wheel. Well, when I styled her minimalist Little Italy wedding her flower of choice was red roses, and since that happens to be the one color and flower I tend to steer away from, I found it such a beautiful compliment to the navy sheer cheesecloth linens we used as table runners. For a lusher use of the color red, I went with shades in richer moodier tones of red and varying textures of blooms like garden roses, larger spray roses, burgundy ranunculus and a ton of silver dollar and seeded eucalyptus. So red stuck with me for short, short bit of time that season, and out of it came this pretty and fun seasonal arrangement, using another DIY mix of store bought and garden flowers that I just had to share with you.
What do they say, “better late than never”? Well that is this post and autumn floral DIY. So thanks Vermont for getting me to share this 🙂
I do love this little arrangement and the more at I just keep staring at it, I see how much I just lucked out with a great bouquet from Trader Joe’s full of unique stems and fillers, including the rare dark Dahlias, little cabbages and pumpkins and the blooms and greens from my garden, like rose leaf stems, ferns and balloon plant milkweed seeds that all simply epitomized the feeling of Autumn.
Don’t you think?
If you know me by now, you know I gravitate more towards lighter neutral shades of white and creams as the base with styling, so I love to include nice full blooms like white Mums, Daisies or white Scabiosa that are readily found this time of year.
Those little balloon blooms, aren’t they so lovely?! I love the Balloon Plant so much but we haven’t had them in the garden since this year which was two years ago. It’s been so sad because an arrangement filled with them and their balloons, is stunning for this time of year, super simple, super chic. It’s been a shame they haven’t bloomed again but they have at least grown tall with many stems of pretty green leaves and white dangling flowers. So if you’re lucky and you spot a bouquet of these whimsical unique stems, pick them up immediately! Unless they’re going to cost you and arm and a leg, then no way.
And SAVE THOSE DRYING BLOOMS! Some flowers get even lovelier when they dry out, stems whose petals don’t fall off when they dry.
Every year I love to gather bundles of golden dried Hydrangea stems. My neighbor has beautiful purple and blue bushes which she never cuts down, so by the end of Autumn they’re completely dried it. And they drained in this beautiful golden orange color that is so stunning. Since she knows of my love, she often gathers a bundle for my enjoyment. These beauties work perfectly to dry when they’re untouched, since they are a delicate flower, especially to temperatures, once dried, their leaves almost become translucent but with the hue of the flower’s color.
A big Dried Bloom like this would work great as the focal point in a medium to small arrangement, you can do three in a larger piece or simply place 4 of these golden dried beauties in a modern or simple vase on a table top. It makes such a beautiful statement and will make others wonder whether they are real or are faux because just how pretty they are.
Whenever you pick up these fall bouquets and arrangements at a Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or local market remember choose blooms that look fresh, are sturdy and aren’t discoloring, but most importantly have fun whenever creating your very own unique floral Autumn centerpieces!!
I love you all, I really do, but I’m feeling a bit lazier and this is so much easier, trust me, it is. Find all past Dreamery Autumn inspiration here and here!
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