An Autumn Tray with Leaves, Acorns and Pumpkins

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons! The others are winter, spring and summer! I consider myself lucky to live where I can experience all four seasons, though fall and winter aren't as long or as crisp/snowy as I'd like. Each season has its charms and autumn has many — among them are gloriously colored leaves as they prepare to fall, ripening acorns and pumpkins everywhere!

 

To celebrate them all, I gathered them together on a beautifully detailed silver tray which I'm sharing as part of an autumn blog tour organized by Katherine of Katherine's Corner. Here's a preview of what you'll find when you click on the links at the end of this post.

 

A tray is perfect for capturing a seasonal vignette that has the added advantage of being able to be moved throughout the house. The first decision to be made is what type of tray you'll use. I've chosen an actual tray that's usually used underneath a tea service or a selection of foods for a party or a prelude to dinner. But there's a variety of other things you can use that are tray-like, requirements being only that they are relatively flat and portable.

The second decision to consider is vantage point — where will your tray be viewed from? Mine is set on the buffet in the dining room, so it will readily be seen only from the front and both sides. Therefore I chose taller items to be positioned in the back and on the left side. Cotton boll stems and faux rudbeckia and berries (or possibly rose hips) are contained within a silver coffee pot c. 1920's.

A garland of oak leaves and acorns encircles the 'vase' and pillar candle. Leaves surround the base.

In the center sits a ceramic pheasant among velvet pumpkins and papier-mâché acorns.

  

   

On the right is another sprig of berries, more leaves and acorns, and a rattan pumpkin.

I like the effect of brambles that the oak garland gives, and the profusion of rich colors and textures in the fall items.

  

I have several of these ceramic birds that are lidded boxes made by Fitz and Floyd. This is one of a pair of pheasants; I also have a pair of mallard ducks and a pair of quail. Not only do I use them extensively on autumn tables, but they are displayed year-round in one of the glass-fronted hutches in my recently renovated kitchen.

I had planned to use a selection of colorful leaves from my garden for this autumn tray. Unfortunately the incessant rains this summer has resulted in a garden full of still vibrant green leaves with nary a "fall leaf" in sight and fall-blooming flowers munched to the ground by the five or so deer that find my garden irresistible. (While ignoring the surrounding gardens on my street).

   

What I am beginning to have is thousands of acorns and hickory nuts dropping from the large oak and hickory trees around my house. But I leave them in place as food for the deer; they visit every night for a snack then snooze for a bit on top of my Siberian irises.

  

 

Back to the tray. I like the array of shapes, colors and textures against the blue of the wall and the rich brown of the buffet. (Re the blue wall: it was very cloudy when I took these pictures and my camera decided they needed to be brighter. So the blue ended up more intense than in reality.)

 

By happenstance the copper candle is a near match for the velvet pumpkin. I left the patina on both the tray and the coffee pot because it seemed more appropriate for the season than a bright polish would have been.

   

On the handle of the coffee pot you can just see a narrow slice of ivory. Real ivory, it prevents the heat from the pot reaching the handle. There is another at the bottom of the handle.

 

Thank you for joining me on this tour of Autumn Trays whether you're a regular reader or you've come from My Hubbard Home. There's more inspiration waiting for you! Next on the tour is Shelley's Calypso in the Country. Enjoy!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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For more of my seasonal decor see Fall Decor Here and There or Autumn Tones.