Foraged Clippings for Simple Autumn Decor
Foraged clippings for simple autumn decor are budget friendly and so very beautiful!
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I like to keep my autumn decor pretty simple, and foraged clippings are the perfect way to ease into the season without pulling out the pumpkins just yet.
I recently ran into JoAnn Fabrics this past weekend to see what they had for fall decor this year, and I saw so many beautiful options. I was very tempted to bring a lot of it home with me, but even at 50% off I just didn’t want to spend a lot of money on fall this year.
On the way home from the craft store I couldn’t help but notice all the beautiful colors in the ditch on the side of the road. We are blessed to live in the middle of the country surrounded by farmland, and the wildflowers and dried stems filled the shoulder with yellows, purples, blues, and browns.
That’s when then idea struck me. Maybe I could forage some stems from nearby, for free!
I grabbed a basket, some clippers and my iPhone and Ethan (my seven year old) and I set out for an adventure – finding some fall stems. I filmed our exploits if you’d like to watch, the YouTube video is linked above haha!
Tips for Foraged Clippings
Color
When looking for fall stems to clip, I like to search for the colors of the season without being too constrained by “typical” autumnal colors. I love to be inspired by nature, so if blue wildflowers are growing in September, bring them home and incorporate them into your early fall decor! Use what you love and don’t be afraid to step out of the box.
Most of what Ethan and I found was green and brown, but I would love to use some different shades of purple or blue in my home for fall this year. We’ll see! 🙂
Bugs
When clipping stems from outside, one thing you’ll want to get rid of are bugs. I stripped the leaves off of the bottom of my stems in my kitchen sink, and immediately I saw tiny green mites and small spiders.
I did some research and found a few tips online. Some people said to dip your stems in water and swirl them around to get rid of anything living inside your foliage. Another site said to simply leave your clippings outside overnight and the bugs would disappear on their own, so that’s what I did!
So far I haven’t noticed anything crawling around my foraged clippings!
Shedding
When foraging fall stems, shake them a bit when you’re outside to see how bad they “shed”. If they lose an excess every time you tap them, they might not be the best to bring inside. Especially if you have allergies!
It was so much fun collecting foraged clippings with my son. We had a blast and it was so nice to get ousted and do something together, just the two of us! I think this could be such a fun activity with your kids or grandkids, just be sure you have permission wherever you decide to clip, and don’t forget to watch out for poison Ivy! 🙂
Have you ever foraged clippings for your simple fall decor? I’d love to know in the comments below! 🙂
PIN IT FOR LATER
I’ve been collecting from nature for years! I air dry a lot of the gifts from nature by hanging them on my beam and then in the fall I use their beautiful color and texture to enhance my baskets and vases. But what I love to do now is use the free app SEEK to identify them. This would be such fun for your boys because it ids bugs, and many other species of nature. Just the retired teacher in me! Check it out!
Oh my goodness, thank you! That sounds so fun, I will for sure look into this!
Yes, this time of year is a great time to gather stems to decorate with,but many are shedding, seeds etc for the next spring and often folks are allergic to many of these lovely natural stems. I learned a lesson one year on picking up acorns from our yard to decorate my kitchen farm table. I collected a bunch as we live in the woods with trees all aorund.I put them in a pretty bowl, they looked so good! The next morning, I kept finding little white things on my table during the day! I traced them to the acorns!!!! They were worms coming out of them and getting on the table! I was so glad I noticed it before compay came over! How gross to eat at a table that had worms on it! LOL Yuck! 🙂
Oh my goodness that is gross haha! I am sure it happens more often than we want to admit though! Too funny though, thanks for sharing!
What a great way to spend quality time with your son. He will grow up to appreciate nature and will pass it on to his children. That tree he spotted was awesome.
Love the simplicity and colors that you blend together.
Thank you so much! I truly enjoy the time with him, he is so much like me and it is so special!