End-of-Summer Foraged Wreath

It's September! The days are slowly getting cooler, the nights a little crisper...We're all so excited for fall's arrival and it'll be here very soon. Apples, pumpkins, campfires and woolly blankets here we come!  Only fair then, to say a proper goodbye to sweet summer. 

These days the goldenrod burns bright yellow in fields and along the roads. The Queen Anne's Lace has curled into bobbing brown seed-heads and things are starting to turn from green to reds and oranges...slowly, slowly.  A walk outdoors brings armfuls of bittersweet vine, goldenrod and little dried seed pods, all of which make the perfect fixings for an "End-of-Summer" wreath.

Begin by twisting bare branches or grapevines together to form a large ring (shown above), or purchase a bare grapevine wreath at your local craft store.

First, add greenery (leafy vines, bittersweet strands etc.) and secure any loose sections with floral wire. Then, add bunches of florals: the goldenrod and/or other colorful dried blooms.  Weave in the finer sprigs, like seed pods, grasses and other wispy bits. Lastly, add your pops of color, any red or orange findings, like the small sprigs of dark red thornies I found for mine. Use cut pieces of wire to secure any loose pieces to the vine frame (skeleton).

Take a walk, see what you find... There are beautiful things everywhere, even when they've begun to fade and lose their summer glory. They show a new beauty now, an end-of-summer beauty, you just have to look!

Happy foraging.