Along the Forest Floor – An Autumn Mantel Whimsy

Decorating the mantel for autumn with whimsical mushrooms, lush florals, bittersweet, Rose Medallion, and one playful elf! Don’t miss my tips for temple jar floral arrangements below.

I did not intend to do much on this mantel for autumn and then an unplanned stop in HomeGoods led me to these whimsical velvet mushrooms and one adorable little elf! It snowballed from there y’all! Next thing I knew I was cutting stems and styling big bountiful floral arrangements in my Rose Medallion temple jars. Then coils of bittersweet and fall leaves just swirled in.

Mushrooms are known to cause flights of fancy or maybe it was the elf…😉😂. Either way I am immensely glad this autumn mantel magically came into being, gracing my home for fall. The rich velvet textures, charming mushrooms, and gorgeous autumnal colors really spiced things up for the season. It’s like strolling along the forest floor and stumbling upon a fairy village.

Speaking of magic and fairies…did you know that mushrooms have long been apart of the mythology around fairies and folklore? I’ve noticed them popping up frequently in home decor, especially for the holidays, and was wondering if this mushroom romance was new. It seems the psychedelic varieties spurred supernatural imaginings and the Victorians cemented the mushroom’s association with fairies and elves. Of course we think of Alice in Wonderland, but the mystical connections go deeper. This was a really interesting article on the topic: “Fungi, Folklore, and Fairyland.”

The floral arrangements in my Rose Medallion temple jars (linked some similar options below) feature stems of cedar, magnolia, colorful berries, bittersweet, pampas grass, amaranthus, and fall leaves with a big velvet bow tucked in the side. It makes for a bountiful autumnal display that really didn’t cost very much and went together in about 20 minutes.

There are a few keys to arranging flowers in big vessels like these temple jars. Too often I see florals in similar size jars that are just way too small. They look disproportionate and well…sad! You’ve got to go big friends. Go big or go home as they say!

3 Tips to Arrange Flowers in Temple Jars:

No. 1 Start with a solid base.

Dry floral foam is your friend. You need to layer it inside your temple jar to bring up the height of your stems and keep everything secure.

No. 2 Double the height.

The rule of thumb for classic floral arrangements is to at least double the height of the vessel. These jars without the lids are 18″ high, so I made the arrangement close to 36″ tall total including the jar. All of the stems don’t need to be that tall just a few sprigs in the back, since I placed the jars against a wall on the mantel. If you have short stems, remember tip one and use the foam!

No. 3 Invest in a few classic green fillers.

I always start my arrangements with a few pieces of greenery. Here I used two sprays of cedar and three stems of magnolia leaves. These stems take up a lot of room in the arrangement, so you don’t need as many “star” florals and they provide a lush green backdrop. The best part…you can re-use these fillers over and over again for different looks and seasons in different arrangements.

——-

See the video tutorial for this arrangement on my Instagram profile!

I love to add a bit of ribbon to a florals like this. It adds a touch of fancy fun and brings the velvet texture up to the arrangement. This pink velvet was just such a pretty addition to the fall colors of the mushrooms.

The little elf and I leave you with this snippet from a poem by Madison Cawein:

The Toadstool

I.

Once when it had rained all night
And all day, the next day, why,
In our yard, a lot of white,
Dumpy toadstools grew close by
Our old peach tree: some were high,
Peak’d, like half-shut parasols;
Others round and low, like balls,
Little hollow balls; and I
Called my father to the tree:
And he said, “I tell you what:
Fairies have been here, you see.
This is just the kind of spot
Fairies love to live in. Those
Are their houses, I suppose.

II.

“Yes, those surely are their huts!
Built of moon and mist and rain,
Such dim stuff as Elfland puts
In her buildings. Come again,
And, like castles built in Spain,
They are nowhere. But to-night,
Sliding down the moon’s slim light,
Or snail-straddled, in a train
You may see the elves, perhaps,
Clad in gossamer garments, come;
Some in morning-glory caps,
And in tulip bonnets some.
If you watch, I have no doubt,
You will see them all come out.

Poem found via Gurglewords.