DIY ~ Large, Free, Autumn Floral...

Did you say "Free"... 

 Why yes I did~!

Oh, you know how expensive making a large floral can be with brand new silks and fillers from a craft supply store. What is a girl to do, when she wants a large, standing floral in the entryway for the 'Autumn Season' and she's just too cheap to spend the mulla?

Well, she finds a way~!

What the heart wants, the heart wants, afterall...

First Step: You drag something in that's heavy, old & crusty...

In my case, I drug in an old, cast iron milk jug. I have a great collection of these. I didn't pause to inspect. I didn't look them over to find the best one. I just grabbed one on my way into the house and that's the one I used...

Second Step: Find some natural, Autumn filler in your neighborhood...

I was having a 'bad day' yesterday and I had to run some errands anyway, so I grabbed a pair of 'Rose Nippers,' a 'Pocket Knife," an old pair of 'Wire Cutters,' a 'Can of Hairspray' and I decided to take the back roads...

I knew right where to go in my area to find the 'filler' I needed... 

There's a stand of 'Johnson Grass' over on one of the canals - A pair of 'Rose Nippers' works great for cutting the canes. Wear gloves~~ the reeds can be sharp~!

When you get yourself a little arm full, lean it up against something and give the seed heads a little shot of 'Aqua Net Hairspray,' to keep them from seeding...

Then, I found a little grove of what we call "Indian Tobacco"....

It's actually a weed (a thistle) that the farmers around here battle all year. To me, it is the perfect colored, perfect textured, fall filler. This stuff just snaps right off in the fall. Special tools unnecessary. Just use your foot and step on it and then, just pick it up. Give it a good shake to get as many seeds off as possible. This stuff is "Messy," but worth the effort for FREE...

Then, it was over to a stand of "Cattails" growing in the sluice...

I am lucky because I'm rural - I can find weeds, seeds and lots of filler around every corner. Don't worry if the traveling public looks at you like you have '2 heads,' just get your goodies and 'smile & wave' as they drive by you slowly wondering what the hell you are doing gathering "Weeds"... (=

The cattails are easiest cut with a pocket knife. It's also easier to give them a spray with hairspray before you cut them. The hair spray will keep the tail pods from seeding out and exploding in the house *wink*...

Third Step: Arrange your 'Free Filler" in your old, crusty container~!

I didn't fill the milk can with water, I just put everything in so it will dry natural as the days tick by. My goal isn't to 'preserve' it, just make use of its beauty for a little while... I had a few sunflowers and mums laying around from a cannibalized floral I got at a yard sale for $0.50, so I stuffed a few in, to give it a pop of color...

End Result = 

FREE, Large, Beautiful, Autumn Floral for the Entryway~!

Free is my favorite word~!

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