A collector of “gizmos, whozits, whatzits & thingsmabobs“…a treasure trove of summer’s wonders. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been a collector of sorts. A child collecting seashells, tiny vintage trinkets, fairies and flowers, from fresh to dried petal. It’s all shaped who I am as a creative today. Summer is a time I think we can easily channel our inner child, whether we have children or not, the season naturally gifts us with a laidback approach to slow living. An ice cream cone for dinner, days at the beach, long nights outside stargazing and watching the fireflies. All the small, but impactful beauties of this season. Our inner child is such an important role as we age, and even more so as creatives allowing us to open our minds to different ways of creating and making art.
It’s been a summer of beach days, one of early morning walks along the crashing waves and collecting seashells. Standing with my toes in the sand, feeling the ocean wash over, waiting for the right gem to float on by…
These florals were inspired by the glimmers of summer’s last vibrant peak, those childhood memories sorting through seashells, hoping to hear the ocean waves in a shell. Of days in the garden watching the bees and butterflies flutter, hearing the birdsong and wind chimes while watching the sunsets paint the sky. Summer’s end brimming with all of its last harvests. The herbs still green, the flowers that have pushed through the hot sun soaked days with their colors now evolving along with the season.
Along a scattering of seashells and rocks, these florals were arranged in a vintage Royal Worcester white bone shell trinket dish which I styled atop a large clamshell. One may think a small vase cannot create grand beauty, nor can a handful of wild blooms, but that’s where an open mind and heart can create magic. Here I arranged Zinnias, Celosia, Garden Spray Roses, a single full bloomed Yellow Rose with Kiwi Vines, Spinach, and Hairy Alumroot.
In a true ode to summer, I also styled a large conch shell found ashore on one of my travels. Inside I nestled Curry Plant, Spinach, Pink Garden Spray Roses, Zinnia and Celosia. This floral piece may not last long, but its brief beauty is all the more worthwhile.
End of summer brings all kinds of textures from fruits, seedpods, grasses, and herbs. This seasonal transition is perfect for allowing your floral designs to reflect the change within nature, while also making them sustainable. Don’t be afraid to set aside the showy flowers, and focus on nature’s best offerings at this moment — the dainty spray roses, the colorful zinnias cut small, or the grasses and foliage that have begun to dry.
This is your permission to collect the seashells, pick the flowers…preserve the magic and joy they spark within you…
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