As we head into the final countdown to Christmas, I love to see all of the unique greenery used for front porches, mantels, and tablescapes. One type I have always loved is the magnolia leaf! As the state flower of both Louisiana and Mississippi, the magnolia is certainly iconic in the south in terms of decorating and design. It is associated with nobility, perseverance, beauty, sweetness, dignity, and a love of nature. With its large-scale, interesting two-toned leaves of lush glossy green on one side and matte gold/brown on the other, it provides great texture, volume, and impact either on its own or when added to other greens. I have found that it is hard to find good-looking faux magnolia, as sometimes the leaves are TOO dark.
I was recently visiting my parents in St. Louis over Thanksgiving, and my Mom, the ever-talented floral/greenery designer, had some magnolia sprigs in a small outdoor wall planter, that I loved! I was surprised to learn they were faux magnolia from Michael's craft store. I wanted to add some to my front porch, and in a crazy serendipitous moment, (the very same day, after I finished this blog post), I was surprised to open a box full of magnolia leaves from my Mom! I am still trying to figure out how to arrange them, so stay tuned ; )
Meanwhile, I gathered some inspiration photos below...
 |
| My Mom's magnolia sprigs from Michael's craft store... |
 |
| Between Naps on the Porch Blog - love the mix of pine with magnolia! |
 |
| Susan Harper from AtHomeArkansas.com - how fabulous is this lush garland around her front door! Amazing! |
 |
| At Home In Love Blog - love these magnolias surrounding the lanterns, so pretty! |
 |
| At Home In Love Blog - what a fun idea for place cards! |
 |
| At Home In Love Blog - simple yet so festive gathered in a silver bowl! |
 |
| EmilyAClark.com - I particularly love the magnolia mixed with citrus or fall fruits! |
 |
| via House & Home - another example mixed with fall fruits... |
 |
via The Happier Homemaker Blog - She made these garland from magnolia trees around her yard
LOVE the beautiful simplicity of this! |
 |
| SmallStuffCounts.com - another great DIY magnolia wreath tutorial |
 |
| via Snippet & Ink - how graceful is this garland cascading off the edge of a wood dining table! |
 |
| StyleMePretty via AtHomeInLove Blog...so graceful and elegant and simple! |
 |
| TheBridesCafe.com - another example of citrus fruits mixed in, so pretty! |
 |
| via ThistlewoodFarms.com - you just CANNOT mimic the organic structure, body, and color of real magnolia!! Love this! |
 |
| Williams-Sonoma - you can now purchase live magnolia sprigs for approx $15/bundle, not too bad a price I must say! |
 |
| This has nothing to do with magnolia, but I loved this image regardless! So festive and pretty! |
Hope you are all enjoying the holidays!!
xoxo Claire
No comments:
Post a Comment