For those readers who may prefer a more natural interpretation of Halloween decorations as opposed to a cartoon, kid-friendly look, this third article in the five-part series will help. It will provide some ideas on creating an approach like Mother Nature has when crafting a bountiful Harvest Splendor Halloween Display. This thematic style utilizes lots of natural plant materials --- pumpkins, squashes, gourds, dried grasses, straw, mums and seasonal foliage --- coupled with some classic autumn crafts.
Concept
Imagine a walk in the country during the midst of the fall foliage. Now, add an occasional man-made craft item in the scenery --- a weathered scarecrow, a hand-woven basket, or some raffia-tied burlap bags --- and the Harvest Splendor concept will come to light. The colors will mimic those found in nature. Burnt orange, vivid red, golden yellow, natural wheat and russet brown are all colors that are at home in a harvest splendor design. There will be an absence of eerie purple or raven black, seen in traditional Halloween settings, as Mother Nature doesn’t produce these shades.
Materials
Gather lots of free plant material from your yard and surrounding natural areas. Select leaves at the peak of their color, and clip some thinner branches that are still laden with beautiful leaves. Make sure to collect foliage in all the colors, gathering your specimens from a variety of different trees and bushes. Supplement the leaves with some dried grasses – try maiden grass with its wispy wheat-colored plumes or purple fountain grass with its autumn russet plumes – and pick up several straw bales, and a variety of pumpkins, squash and gourds. You can satisfy your desire to add purple to your display by picking up some vivid chrysanthemums, or you can select shades of yellow, orange and red for the flowers. If you can’t find real mums that are just right, splurge and purchase some good silk mums in the color of your choice. These will last for years, and you’ll be guaranteed of the color lasting for the entire season. Finally, gather a variety of bushel baskets, terra cotta planters, and other natural-looking containers.
Implementation
Beginning with the straw bale, create your vignette. You can stack several bales, slightly off center, for a casual look. Add the bushel baskets and planters, creating a pleasant asymmetrical look. Place at least one bushel basket on its side, so that you can create the look of materials spilling from it. You will need to frequently step back to get an overall view of the vignette. Tuck pumpkins, gourds and squash on and surrounding the straw. Place some of the pumpkins on end, for a “just off the truck” look. Gather some of the smaller pumpkins or gourds in the bushel basket, and arrange them to appear as though they’re rolling out of the basket. At this point, bring in the mums, and tuck them into the existing vignette. You may wish to place the live mums in the planters; silk mums can be placed in the “spilling” bushel basket for a lovely effect. Add the beautiful leaves throughout the display. Scatter some loose leaves in the containers, lay the branches on the ground in front of the vignette, and stick others vertically into the backside of the straw bales so that the leaves spill across the top and front of the display. Stand back and thoroughly assess your creation. If it looks too symmetrical, adjust the offending piece. If it looks too messy, remove an item or two and tidy it just a bit. Finally, when you think it’s just perfect, treat yourself to a visit to the craft store and buy one (yes, ONE) clever craft item. A scarecrow, raffia and cornhusk witch or something similar would fit this display. This craft item should be placed off center – perhaps at the edge of the straw bale, for a natural, casual look. Enjoy!
