Lisa Audit 10/29/21 Lisa Audit 10/29/21

Giving Thanks

For me, Thanksgiving is about spending time with the loved ones in your life and just being with them uninterrupted, listening, laughing, and enjoying each others company and we can not forget about the incredible dinners we get to share with friends and family. Of course, I love flowers and like to bring a harvest arrangement full of blooms like goldenrods, and sunflowers for the host.

Thanksgiving is a celebration of being thankful for what we have and for all the possibilities to come.

Creating your own Thanksgiving arrangement is easier than you may think. I’ve added some of my favorite simple and easy tips and inspiration for you below.

What Thanksgiving traditions do you have?

Here in Canada, we celebrated Thanksgiving in October but, with so many friends, customers and colleagues in the US, I always make a point of celebrating a second time. Can you blame me?

Like many of you, we toast to the past year gone by and the many things to be grateful and thankful for, even when it’s harder to see the good things. It’s important to gather and remember the many things, big and small, that make our lives beautiful. Often, after dinner, I convince my loved ones to come outside and go for a walk to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy those last moments of peace and quiet before the busy holiday season begins. And you all know how busy Christmas gets.

Create Your Own Thanksgiving or Harvest Arrangement

If you have never made your own Thanksgiving or harvest arrangement this year is the time to do it! I urge you to get creative and make your dining table pop with beautiful and colorful natural arrangements. It is more simple than you think!

Here are a few simple tips to create your harvest arrangement:

Have fun with the color, texture, and size of your base: it creates the foundation of your arrangement and can help make the style pop whether you are going for a more rustic or modern feel. You can be creative with it and use anything from a basket or a pail to a clay pot or even more of a platter or tray instead of a typical container.
Find seasonal gifts from Mother Nature: you can find fallen leaves, pine cones and twigs to add to your floral arrangement to create a more rustic and fall feel. Or, if available, pick some flowers or grass from a field to bring some nature inside, if not, use the colors and flowers you see on your walk as inspiration and pick up some flowers from a local florist, grocery store, or craft store. Stay local where you can.
Strive for balance not symmetry: most people strive to create symmetry in a floral arrangement, but balance can be just as pleasing to the eye and visually impactful. Create balance with equal distribution of weight (equal amount of large pieces and/or bundles of small elements) and color throughout the arrangement.
Use seasonal fruit and vegetables to create a fun and festive centrepiece! Apples, squashes, mini pumpkins, or even dried flowers instead of real flowers to incorporate your own style and uniqueness into your arrangement.

Do you love traditional centrepieces? Get inspired by a cornucopia; a hollow, horn-shaped wicker basket filled with various kinds of festive fruit and vegetables. Traditionally used by fruit pickers in antiquity times, it is now associated with Thanksgiving in North America and symbolizes prosperity, abundance, and nourishment. It is a gorgeous sight to behold. Whatever kind of Thanksgiving arrangement you make will be beautiful! I wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

Lisa

Team Technica 8/31/21 Team Technica 8/31/21

Hello Fall

This was a busy summer for me. Besides visiting with my family and spending time with my grandson, I moved my studio into a new space and finished so many new collections for 2022. And while I love summer, there is something so special about autumn and the changing seasons.

It’s hard to believe that summer is fading into fall in just a few weeks.

I often think about what it might be like to live someplace where there is summer all year long. I fell in love with Costa Rica before the pandemic and I have been missing travelling there for some much-needed beach and surf time. But, when I really think about it, if I lived there full time, I would miss being surrounded by changing seasons and all the beauty that each season brings.

For me, fall isn’t about things fading away, it’s about change, growth and possibilities.

I adore watching the leaves change from their light summery greens to shades of amber, vermillion and copper. As I take my walks out in the countryside, I am watching the grasses slowly turn more yellow day-by-day as the world seems to slow down, just a little.

Decorating for each season is important to me.

Changing out my decor with little touches of fall makes me happy and ready to take on these next cooler months. I especially love adding fresh fall flowers and branches throughout my studio. There is nothing like being surrounded by nature to inspire my creativity. These beautiful fall colours and textures always inspire me to paint new watercolour collections. I will never grow tired of creating fall-inspired art and patterns filled with pumpkins, leaves and fall blooms.

Take a walk in the woods

I adore my local florists but sometimes, gathering fall flowers, branches and grasses are just what I need. I recently started my fall decor planning with a walk in the country. I gathered the most incredible natural pieces and combined them with a bouquet and cuttings from my local favourite florist to create some early inspiration for fall decor.

Be creative when you are building your own fall arrangement.

I always suggest keeping it simple and a little wild.
Take your time. I always start with a vase or container I love and then layer cuttings and blooms until I am happy with the look. Don’t rush your creation. Try and take time to really be there in the moment. We are all so busy and I know it is hard, but being truly present when I arrange flowers brightens my day and gives me the space to appreciate all the good things to come.

In no time at all, Thanksgiving will be here in Canada and then later for all my friends in the US. Are you getting ready to celebrate?

I am already excited to start planning my family get-togethers. Food, family, friends and home will always be the most important things to me. I hope you find the time this fall to make some space in your home for everything wonderful about fall.

Lisa