winter favorites.. muted tones

we have been creating season blooms throughout the past several years.  today, i wanted to go through and pick a few of our favorite arrangements that demonstrate some dark and winter tones.

arrangements and photos by rinne allen

seedheads

photograph by rinne allen

fungi

photograph by rinne allen

fading

photograph by rinne allen

from the woods

{note, this post ran a few weeks ago, but it got lost in the shuffle when we switched over to our new site design, so we are re-running it today, so it stays in the mix!}

my family spent five days in the woods over the thanksgiving holiday. this bouquet was made from what i could find on a long walk...rose hips, grasses, hazel, galax, and these funny long sticks with bumps on them- know the name? i don't, but my boys had fun playing with them.

photographs & arrangement by rinne allen

bark

photograph by rinne allen

rose hips

photograph by rinne allen

peeking through

photograph by rinne allen

winter's palette

photograph by rinne allen

the ultimate inspiration

there are so many things that we consistently return to for inspiration around here. for me, one of these touchstones is the work of walter anderson, the late artist who spent most of his life living along the coast of mississippi. his work is so vivid and so evocative. words don't do it justice. but, his life story is even more amazing. rather than trying to sum it up here, i invite you to please visit the walter anderson museum's website to read more about him and see his work. in the meantime, take a moment to look through these images of his Little Room. they were taken way back in 2004 on a visit to ocean springs. the Little Room was a space where Anderson would retreat to paint. it was a private space, hidden from his family until after his death...they had never been inside until then. what a wonder it must have been to cross this threshold. if his work moves you, please consider donating to his museum or to Realizations, run by anderson's family, to support the preservation of his legacy.

words & photographs by rinne allen

chestnuts

photograph by rinne allen

hazel

photograph by rinne allen

fallen leaves

photograph by rinne allen

foraged flower collaboration with mandy

this week, mandy and i did another collaboration for terrain. i have worked with terrain since they began many years ago, and this is the second time mandy and i done an arrangement for them; in the spring we did an arrangement with spring flowers and this week we did one with flowers that mandy had harvested earlier in the fall and dried...once again, mandy created some serious beauty! enjoy!

migrations

photograph by rinne allen

thankful

this year we are thankful for our families. we hope all of you enjoy spending time with those you love this holiday season.

it's early morning

fog hovers on the river

and the river road

ah, woodland foliage

ever changing, day to day.

new joys to behold

brilliant red sumac

like fallen indian headdress

along autumn's road

haiku by rebecca's father, tolbert williams

photographs by rinne allen {outtakes from a project for kinfolk}

feather and hay

photograph by rinne allen

local cotton

mandy and steve at 3 porch farm planted a crop of organic cotton this year. they planted a few white varieties, but also a brown one. both were beautiful, in the field and out. mandy said it was a fairly easy crop to tend...they planted it and let it be. i have learned more about organic cotton than i ever thought i would (see here and here) and love seeing it growing so close to home.

words & photographs by rinne allen

fall field

photograph by rinne allen

fall browns

for the thanksgiving table, we often gather fallen leaves from the yard and let them be the focus...here, i added in some store-bought mums. once their flowerheads are pulled from the stem they can scatter across the tabletop. quiet beauty...

arrangement and photographs by rinne allen