Welcome back to another Romancing the Home experience with My Shabby Shack!
It's the time of year where the sun starts to set a little earlier, the evening air call for a long sleeve and I begin to dread the cold of winter. It's not all bad! I'm being negative...there are so many positive thing about Autumn too! It's the time of year that animals
In Southern Africa, the open fields turn a pale gold and the skyline show off the most beautiful sunsets and we just know that it's Autumn. We don't have many trees to change color, but the sunsets are just WOW!
Between the grasses drying out and becoming various shades of neutral, hardy plants and flowers begin to stand out more vibrantly. Along the West Coast of South Africa there is a huge variety of fynbos, literal translation being fine-bush which was the name given to these types of shrubs with a very small leaf.
I chose to make a wreath with these flowers as they are local and relatively easy to come by for a good price at the market. The dry extremely well and well, I haven't been to the Cape in a while, so I figured I'd bring some of it to my doorstep. Literally.
Here's what you will need:
1. Flowers. Duh! Your choice, but I went with a little color. Something with texture and something with body and visual interest.
2. Wreath, I'm still using my dried Mulberry. I did dry some willow branches but thought it was a bit flimsy for the weight of the plants I chose this time around.
3. Scissors, pliers, side-cutter (florist wire) and ribbon of your choice. I went for something neutral, Autumn can be a little neutral in places.
Please do excuse the creased tablecloth. Really didn't have the time to haul out the ironing board when I decided that the outdoor table color just didn't work for my photo's!
Here's what I did:
Starting with my decorative vines, I secured them with wire in an asymmetrical arrangement. I then added the finer silver leaf heather.
Adding in the pink fynbos and the berry type plant, I arranged them almost as if I were making a big bow!
I decided against the satin ribbon, remembering that I had some crochet lace in my baking unit, after digging through the sewing machine cabinet for I don't know how long to fine the hessian and lace. (I don't throw ribbon away that I receive on gifts etc. and keep all my off cut scraps!)
Et voila! It's not the rich reds, oranges, yellows and golds that one would usually associate with Autumn, but it feels right to me. For where we live, what we see and experience of South Africa's indigenous flora, it brings me joy and the feeling of patriotism to my home.
Not everybody's cup of tea, but hey, it's okay, not everybody drinks tea!
I had to re arrange some of the sticks or else my door would have chopped them off!
I absolutely love the colors! The asymmetry is something quite new to me, I admit. I used to be very disturbed by things not being in place until I started playing with flower arrangements more recently.
Kindly pop on over to see the stunning wreath tutorial Ramona from Ruffles and Rust put together for your viewing pleasure.
Then there's Kylie of Our Unique Home who put together a variety of greens with absolute style, you have to be inspired!
Stacy of Sawdust and Highheels does something really different with apples!
“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.”