It does not matter if it is a drive down a country road or a leisurely walk through the woods, I always have my eye out for Roadsidea. We can be enjoying a lovely, quiet drive, watching the countryside roll by, when I spot it. Mr. U has become resigned to my urgent call to “stop the car!” Matter of fact, he is now able to stop on a dime, knowing it will require backing up or turning around if we don’t stop quickly. It can be an unexpected, spur of the moment find, or a trip with the intent purpose of getting Roadsidea. It has become such a common activity for my wonderful sister and I that my niece, who has been an innocent witness to several of our stealth excursions, dubbed the term Roadsidea.
Roadsidea – The collection of free items from nature for the express purpose of decorating.
Décor-free Dictionary
The hunt for Roadsidea
While Roadsidea is a beautiful, free decorating style, I think the best part is the discovery of it…and sometimes the getting it home. I have been accused of taking it to extremes when I find something on a trip that I HAVE to bring home. The gathering of Roadsidea, has provided a lot of fun, humorous experiences…although I may have a warped idea of fun. For example, there was the time that my mom, wonderful sister, and I went on one of our many girl trips together.
We stayed at a beautiful Bed & Breakfast in Leavenworth, Washington. The B & B had a long, winding birch tree lined driveway leading to the gorgeous estate. My sister and I immediately spied the white birch bark and thought the same thing; it would be great to decorate with or use on our homemade cards. Great minds Roadsidea minds think alike. The next day, on our way back from shopping and eating, my sister pulled the car over in the B & B driveway and we gathered up the bark that had fallen off the trees. Amazing white bark with streaks of black and brown. My mom was appalled and worried we were going to get sent to jail for stealing. We felt like we were helping with roadside cleanup.
At least Leavenworth was close to home, unlike the cotton I found on a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona. Mr. U and I were in our rental car driving out to a trailhead for a hike when I spotted the fluffy white cotton growing on the edge of the road. I am embarrassed to admit it, but being from the chilly north, I had never seen cotton bushes still in the ground before. They were gorgeous and since they were left on the edge of the field after the harvest, I felt like they were free game. I gathered a large bouquet of them. Mr. U kindly asked how I was going to get them home on the plane. I tied them up and stuffed them into a large garbage bag as a carry on. We got a couple curious questions from TSA and more than a few strange looks from other passengers, but most of the branches made it home undamaged. I used the pods that fell off in transport to scatter below the vase of cotton. Loveleeee! (I just checked on Amazon and they charge $13.00 for 12 pods.)
Then there was the trip down the west coast where I found some tall, wispy sea grass on the side of the road. I could just see it in a vase decorating the mantel. We stopped so I could pick several to take home. Mr. U kindly asked how I planned to pack these fragile stems in a cramped, two-seater convertible with over 700 miles to travel. We made it work by carefully arranging them around the suitcases in the small trunk. We just had to gently rearrange the trunk every time we got our suitcases in or out. Mr. U really is a saint.
Last week my wonderful sister, dad and I headed out to gather pussy willows that grow along the road past my dad’s homestead. It was an uncharacteristic sunny March day that gave hope that spring is coming. The pussy willows hang over a creek, so one person has to pull the branches down with a long hook while the other person clips them off, without falling in. Good thing my wonderful sister is a willing accomplice. My dad enjoys being out in nature, so we brought a camp chair for him to sit in and observe while my sister and I reached, fell down, got our feet wet, and laughed as we cut the pussy willows. After this same excursion a few years ago, I made the mistake of leaving the pussy willows in the car overnight. My car smelled like a swamp for a week. Only made that mistake once. Did I mention that Mr. U is a saint? Now I leave them out in the garage for a few days to dry out.
Decorating with Roadsidea
Please tell me that my wonderful sister and I are not the only ones who find nature so beautiful and fascinating that we feel compelled to bring it indoors to decorate. The fact that it is a temporary decoration makes it even more precious. Bonus that it is free. And…it makes my heart smile when I look at it. Here are my top ten favorite ways to decorate with Roadsidea:
- Collect rocks from a stream to place in the base of a hurricane candle holder.
- Arrange cattails in a large floor vase.
- Place a vase of wispy sea grass on the table. Gather shells and sand from an ocean beach to scatter around it for a summer tablescape with a blue and tan color scheme.
- Gather colorful autumn leaves, acorns and water chestnuts to enhance a fall table.
- Break off branches of soft white cotton and place in a pottery vase with a few pods scattered around the base of it.
- Pick up pinecones to fill a big wooden basket by the fire. Spray them with a little fake snow at Christmas time, or dip in scented wax to use as fire starters.
- Cut long stems of pussy willows to fill a pitcher for a side table.
- Trim fir tree branches to grace a mantel or make Christmas wreaths.
- Pull up intricate, lacy green moss to lay in the bottom of a clear vase.
- Gather fluffy, golden stems of wheat to make a fall bouquet.
My mom worried that it was stealing. My sister and I call it roadside cleanup with the intent of thrifty decorating. You decide.
Definitely roadside cleanup. I use pussy willows for spring bouquets; spruce boughs & thick poplar branches for a winter porch pot; roadside wildflowers for summer bouquets; always on the hunt for heart shaped rocks – just because; branches w/ mountain ash berries for fall decor; deer & moose sheds (antlers) for flower garden decor; cow skulls & bones for the cactus garden. Oh, the bounty of nature.
Hi Mona –
You just gave me some more great ideas to use for Roadsidea! I have noticed that antlers (we call them sheds here as well) are becoming a popular decorating item. I need to give this one a try. I always look forward to picking the wildflowers on our property in the spring. Sadly, many of our wildflowers are diminishing because the abundance of deer are pulling them up by the roots when they eat them.
Yes, Roadsidea is the best, but it can be inconvenient to collect at times. I, too, was mesmerized by the wispy sea grass but I didn’t attempt to try to bring it home.
Roadsidea is so wonderful. You can take nature’s little treasures and creatively craft them into a decorative piece, that at a glance, can take you back to the special place you found it.
Once, I put a tablescape together by placing candles on top of rocks that were cascading down the center of the table. It was fun to do and I was pleased with the way it turned out.
Thank you for the reminder to be on the lookout for Roadsidea. You never know what you will find.
Hi Janie –
You bring up such a great point about how looking at the Roadsidea you decorate with will take you back to the “special place you found it.” That is probably one of the reasons I enjoy it so much. I remember the tablescape you did with the candles on top of the rocks that cascaded down to the table. It was sooooo cool! Hearing how others use Roadsidea gives me inspiration for new ideas to try.