Happy August, friends! With school starting back and the anticipation of fall’s official arrival in just a little over a month, I have started transitioning our home from late summer to fall with subtle touches. I really like to savor all that each season has to offer, (so no pumpkins around here yet) but sunny sunflowers and autumnal tones are giving some of those cozy in-between-season vibes that I actually enjoy. Today I am sharing how I started making seasonal changes in our foyer with my late summer/early fall flower arrangement inspired by our recent summer trip to Scotland.

Three of my talented blogging friends have joined me today as part of my new “Seasonal Saturdays” series. You will find links to each of their beautiful blogs at the end of this post.

Summer to Fall Sunflowers, Dahlias, and Thistle Flower Arrangement

While we were in Scotland I took so many walks along magical, scenic roads and trails flanked by thistle and wildflower patches, and I knew that when I got back home I would just have to create an arrangement for summer into fall using thistle. I played around with some flowers I had on hand, and I ended up loving the combination of sunflowers, orange dahlias and purple thistle stems.

I had originally planned to buy some kind of tartan blanket as a keepsake on our trip, but I fell in love with this beautiful handmade Harris Tweed thistle pillow at one of the vendor booths at the highland games. It looks perfect in so many places around our home, but I especially love it displayed on the piano along with my Scottish lass painting and antique Scottish songbook.

We were in Scotland in late June and early July so sunflowers and dahlias weren’t abundantly in bloom at that time, but they are blooming now through September, similarly to the US.

I really love how everything came together on the foyer table mostly using items I already had. I have always collected Scottish things so it was easy to pull together vignettes inspired by Scotland.

The sunflowers and dahlias were purchased at Michaels and the thistle came from Hobby Lobby. I considered using real thistle but it has been way too hot and buggy to go traipsing along the road side in the weeds looking for thistle. This arrangement was so easy to put together, and I didn’t worry too much about perfect symmetry, as real flowers are never symmetrical anyway.

The little footed dish holds some of the stones we collected in Scotland. The antlers and and velvet mushrooms are also nods to Scotland and work for the transition from summer to fall.

I plan to keep this arrangement as it is through early October. I might add some fall leaves or berries at that point to give it more of a fall look so it will work through November too.

Creating a vibe of simple, early autumn elegance seems most fitting in our foyer. I have moved away from using a lot of seasonal decorative store bought items, instead opting for creating more meaningful seasonal vignettes with beloved treasures and everyday items that reference the time of year through color, texture or theme.

Sunflowers are always a classic choice for late summer through fall. I love walking through the front door and seeing this cheerful and bright arrangement, as well as the little reminders of Scotland, which is now the dearest place on earth to me!

I hope this post has inspired you to create a sunny sunflower arrangement too! If purple thistle isn’t your thing, try faux cat tail stems or some other kind of dried seed pod for texture and interest.

Next up my friend Laura of Decor to Adore is sharing an early touch of fall in her kitchen.  You can also check out the other two beautiful blogs with summer to fall seasonal decorating ideas via the link up below.

Are you already in full fall decor mode, or do you like to savor each season slowly? I love hearing from you!

Thanks for visiting!

Amber