I love late summer when there is just the barest hint of a cool breeze during early morning walks ~ not quite enough to say that fall is coming tomorrow or the next day but enough to wish it were here sooner. This coming week’s Pinterest Challenge will be featuring a late summer-early fall inspired post so I thought I’d share this lead-up post with you today…
I was inspired by the stuffed birds both Presidents Roosevelt collected when they were boys. President Theodore Roosevelt shot hundreds of birds in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and then performed taxidermy on them himself. He was quite the collector and naturalist, as evident by the hundreds of big game trophies he shot throughout his lifetime, while his cousin President Franklin D. Roosevelt shot a number of birds but had them stuffed by someone else. Both enjoyed bird watching and studying each species they collected, which was quite a hobby back in the Victorian era.
Now I don’t like the idea of killing innocent birds but I do enjoy studying birds and had two cockatiels in our house as my children were growing up. I have quite a few carved and ceramic birds plus many others which I’ve used in my decorating.
The program I have been watching on Netflix is called: The Roosevelts ~ An Intimate History. Ken Burns wrote and directed this series of films and it is very good! If you like biographies and history, do check this program out; I am confident you will enjoy watching it.
 |
| A small collection of two owl feathers and one large crow feather. The latter is suitable for cutting into a pen. |
Here’s how to create a natural tablescape of your own:
Collect found bird feathers each time you are out in local parks, on hiking trails or in your own backyard. Clean them carefully of any bird droppings, dirt or bugs and store in a dry spot until you are ready to use them in your decor.
For your table vignette, bring in those bird feathers and objects like a few gardening books, a flower press, anything wood like this candlestick and of course your bird sculptures.
Playing with the light meter, I wanted to capture the essence of an Old World table styling with nature in mind. Everything added to this scene looks like something you’d find in a naturalist’s hundred-year-old sketch book.
The painted wooden candlestick base, the flower press with it’s corrugated cardboard and wood top and bottom pieces, and the goldfinch’s wood base set a warm scene atop the French style oak tabletop. All the wood elements bring in an early fall feel and the bird and feathers bring in nature.
I’ve also added a pair of freshly washed gardening gloves to the vignette as they were still indoors when I was setting up this tablescape. The two-tiered table server with birds on its handle was already on the library table as was the cut-glass candy dish filled with dried rose buds, another nod to our nature scene.
Looking out to our backyard from this window, I am always watching the antics of house sparrows, mourning doves and cheery crimson cardinals eating from the bird feeder and from the spilled seeds on the ground below.
I hope this tablescape inspires you to create a late summer or early-fall vignette of your own!
Sharing with
Featured at
Happy decorating,
Beautiful late summer vignette Barb, love that precious bird figurine. the documentary sounds wonderful. I love birds and could spend hours watching them. We have a squirrel problem here that totally destroyed my bird feeder. So it's hard to attract the birds when the bullies are at the seed bowl.
Barb this is a beautiful summer look. Can't believe summer is towards the end. We get to enjoy many birds because the people behind us have evergreens and there are many beauties living inside.Cindy
What a lovely table, Barb! And some lovely photos too! Hope to see you at Tuesday Turn About, my friend!
I am always amazed that you can pick up such delicate and beautiful examples of interior decoration and I find many interesting ideas.