I made this (Autumn swag)
Current temp: 46° F @ 10:19am PST | High/Low: 49°/43° – steady rain and grey (we’re facing down 30s in a few days, so the hoses have been pulled from the spigots)
When I still Insta’d, one of my favorite follows was Jen Garner, especially for her “Pretend Cooking Show.” When I make seasonal arrangements, wreaths, and swag, I feel a bit like “Pretend Floristry Goddess.” And I’m working with that. Putting down some of the pretend and just embracing the creative acts and experiences working with plants, vessels, wire, and space.
Here are some snaps to record the Autumn swag I tied together one weekend in late September. I’d been walking around the neighborhood all month noticing leaves and seedheads and watching plant material start on its journey toward undeniable decay. My (bonkers back to school and freelance) calendar and the weather were clear enough one afternoon, and I finally took some time to forage for those bits in the neighborhood and in my own garden.
Here’s a decent full-frontal shot showing it across the front door’s threshold.
Remember: the installation is now 4 weeks old. And it’s holding up/breaking down beautifully.
And a few close-ups showing the layers and texture:
Bits and bundles from my garden: Northern sea oats, Yarrow seed heads, Flowers from the succulents, Goldenrod, Maidenhair grass, Sunflower heads, Rudbeckia heads, Hydrangea flowers, dried statice from old market arrangements, Japanese forest grass, probably a few other bits I’m forgetting
Foraged treasures from local fields and green space: fallen Big Leaf Maple leaves, Dock, Queen Anne’s lace, white Snowberry branches, English ivy (the PNW’s kudzu)
I used jute twine as my swag line and green paddle wire to tie material on. The swag is roughly 14’-16’ long. A trick to remember: sort your different plant elements into unique piles so it’s easy to manage inventory and variety/rhythm while you craft them together.
