With fall in our midst and the leaves dancing all around us I thought it would be nice to bring a touch of color to my doorstep. In years past I’ve used burgundy mums and white pumpkins which have always looked nice against our limed stucco. This year however, I decided to really jump out of my comfort zone and choose a vibrant orange color scheme. I was up for the challenge!
There was more then just one challenge as well. With my husband halfway into building our garage, I was not willing to spend a lot of money. And so I went armed with twenty dollars to the produce stand determined to get something that would make me smile everytime I walked up the pathway to my front door. In all honesty, I was unprepared to find that twenty dollars does not get you many “neat” pumpkins these days. Do you know what I mean when I say neat pumpkins? The ones that are flatter and stack and come in lovely colors. Sometimes I wish I were a bit simpler of a girl, then I could have just brought five dollars along and bought five normal, round orange pumpkins. But alas, I am a bit more complicated.
My pride was also beginning to get in the way of me getting more roadside goodies. In case you don’t know what I mean check out my Autumn Cottage post. I have a weird compulsion to drive very slowly down hardly traveled back roads looking for things to quickly snip away at with my pruners. Unfortunately, I had wandered one too many times down the same road and was beginning to feel a bit uneasy about what the few neighbors that live on these roads are thinking. Typically a slow moving large van with a driver who is searching for things beyond the road is considered to be at the very least concerning. Such a shame too, because I saw so much that I could use! My humility led me to the trail beside our house to see if there were items to cut within walking distance. Thankfully there was.
The bittersweet that would enable me to make the free wreath of my dreams was growing just beyond the hill. This was indeed a very sweet find. I didn’t even have to waste gas or take a shot at my reputation to get it. Plus I already had another wreath form that I had gotten free at a sale. I guess you could say it was a win win situation. Bittersweet vine grows in the wild and starts off green as you see in the pictures above. It then bursts forth into orange and yellow and creates the most delightful fall decoration. I remember my mom going to great lengths to get it when I was a child. She would put it on top of her old cupboards and add lights. I remember it looking so beautiful. Isn’t it natural to want to replicate beautiful free things when you have the opportunity?
I added fairy lights to the wreath so that it shines at night. It is what you might call a bit rebellious as it is far from manicured. The bittersweet was simply wrapped around the twig form and then secured with wire. At first I thought it was too crazy but after hanging it on the door I determined it was actually quite perfect.
It only took two days for the bittersweet to reveal its true colors.
In an effort to make things a bit more interesting I gathered up the few white pumpkins I had bought previously and placed them into the birdbath. This is such a simple way to make a statement. I also added some dried astilbe as I wanted something that would appear to be flowing over the rim. A few lovely fall leaves finish the design.
With my free wreath and my twenty dollar pumpkins I have reached the goal I had set out to accomplish. I smile on the way to my front door. I am happy because beauty is not costly, it is often found in the simplest of forms, even a wild vine.
Until Next Time,
Melissa
Provincial Elegance 