Pairings: Arizona Autumn + Fall Decor

I’ve paired nine shots of Arizona fall color with Etsy finds that match their autumn vibes! Each pair is a place to go along with fall-inspired decor and other fun stuff.

You can see more on Etsy’s Fall Decor Essentials guide or check out my personal picks.

Artificial stems with fall foliage in a glass jar vase — Six fall foliage stems from BoutiqueBarn in New Hampshire.

1. Fiery Orange Trees + Stems

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, Arizona

Every fall, this Chinese Pistache Tree at Boyce Thompson Arboretum turns brilliant shades of orange. You can see it from far away, as it stands out from the green leaves of trees surrounding it.

BTA is a great day trip from the Phoenix area! It’s just about 45 minutes from the East Valley via US 60.

Get it: Rustic Fall Branch

In similarly striking oranges and yellows, you could use these fall foliage stems as part of a flower arrangement or on their own, grouped together to make a standout seasonal centerpiece.

- At 24 inches tall, they could really add some height to your Thanksgiving tablescape!
- Sourced by BoutiqueBarn + shipping from New Hampshire.

shelves that look like mushrooms — Ceramic floating shelves made by LeilyCloud

2. Stump Mushrooms + Wall Mushrooms

Go: Summerhaven, Mount Lemmon near Tucson

I wasn’t planning on taking a photo of a tree stump while I was admiring the view from Mount Lemmon. Then I noticed teeny – almost cute – little mushrooms growing out of it, and those needed to be captured!

- From Tucson, drive up the Mt. Lemmon Highway for about an hour, and you’ll reach the little town of Summerhaven.
- See our 2-minute version of the drive.

Get it: Mushroom Shelves

I don’t think I’ve seen anything like these mushroom shelves! They are the result of a husband and wife collaboration. She makes the ceramic mushrooms, and he designed a metal mount that allows you to hang them on almost any type of interior wall. Their shop has a variety of mushroom hooks, floating shelves, and even a mushroom soap dish!

- Waterproof.
- Designed to hold up to 8 lbs.

plantable card with butterflies on the front — Handmade in the UK by URBANSPROUT Store.

3. Butterflies Pollinating Flowers + Planting Flowers

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum

We were at Boyce Thompson Arboretum and noticed a small row of plants with yellow flowers on them – and each had multiple butterflies on it slowly opening and closing their wings, and (I assume) feeding on nectar. They were so beautiful. And so focused on the task at hand that I could get a little closer than normal to snap some photos with my phone.

- BTA is right ouside Superior.
- If you’re heading east, you’ll pass the Arboretum before you get to Superior proper.

Get it:

Bee + Butterfly Plantable Seed Cards

It’s truly wild how closely one butterfly on the card happens to match one in my photo!

- Part of a pack of 6 cards featuring watercolor illustrations of butterflies and bees.
- Plantable cards: The cards are made from recycled paper with wildflower seeds embedded, so you can plant them!

botanicals — Natural dried canella berries, handpicked by BoutiqueBarn in New Hampshire.

4. Berries

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum

This cluster of bright orange berries was another BTA find, when I was on the hunt for fall colors in unusual places.

Back when Phillip and I lived in the Phoenix area, there were a couple years we got memberships to the Arboretum. It neat to see it in all different seasons!

Get it: Natural dried canella berries

You can get this type of berries in more vibrant colors, but there was something I preferred about the muted, neutral tones of this one.

Miniature papel picado flags — Cake-topping miniature papel picado, made by AyMujer in Indio, California.

5. Papel Picado

Go: Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson

Intricately cut paper flags are part of the celebration of Day of the Dead, which also happens this time of year. They’re a different kind of fall color!

We saw these hanging on one corner of TMA on a visit to Tucson, years before we lived here.

Get it: Papel Picado Garland Cake Topper

I love these miniature papel picado flags made into a cake topper!

- Sold in sets of two strands with bamboo flag stems included.
- Fits a 6-12 inch cake.

wreath — Handmade by Melshomedecorshop in Chicago, Illinois.

6. Wispy

Go: Willcox, Arizona

Phillip and I visited Apple Annie’s Farm in Willcox to go apple picking during a weekend trip. We left because the sun was setting, and then saw these fantastic clouds!

- Apple Annie’s has 3 locations around Willcox with different offerings.
- If you want to go apple picking, make sure you’re headed to their fruit orchards, which are about 15 minutes northwest of the center of town.

Get it: Pampas Grass Wreath

I like how understated this is compared to a lot of fall wreaths! The pampas grass reminds me of those wispy clouds. And I guess I’m into a kind of into neutral color palette this fall.

- Approximately 20-21 inches from leaf tip to tip.
- Made with faux pampas grass, cream berries, blackberries, brown bunny tails, and laurel leaves, accented with a brown velvet bow, on a grapevine wreath.

candle with dried flowers — Candle made with soy wax by Monsoon Wildflowers in Maricopa, Arizona.

7. Fallen Flora

Go: Sedona, Arizona

While hiking in Sedona, I noticed how the fall leaves were collecting up against stones in the creek, and mixing with the plants that were growing in the shallow water.

- The West Fork of Oak Creek Trail is a beautiful place to hike and enjoy autumn leaves!
- The trailhead is between Sedona and Flagstaff, off of Route 89A.
- Phillip and I have done parts of that hike a number of times.

Get it: Dried Flower Soy Candle

I like the asymmetry of the offset florals and dried orange slices.

- This candle is made with soy wax and other natural ingredients.
- You can choose your own scent from a long list of options!

Headpiece decorated with flowers — Made by BloomDesign Studio in Quilcene, WA.

8. Flower Arch

Go: Día De Los Muertos Festival in Mesa

Tissue paper flower arches decorate Mesa’s annual Day of the Dead Celebration.

- The free festival is going on this weekend! It happens every October.
- It takes place outside the Mesa Arts Center, which is right by a light rail stop.

Get it: Day of the Dead Headpiece

Frida Kahlo-inspired flower crown for Día de Los Muertos. Fabric flowers are attached to a headband with eco felt underneath to keep it comfortable to wear!

Botanical print — Signed original print, handmade by KathyHuttonPrints in Bath, UK.

9. Last Leaves

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum

The last few leaves hanging out in the tree. They probably got around to falling eventually.

Get it:Chestnut Art Print

The shape comes from the artist’s sketches of chestnut tree leaves. She hand-carved a stamp, covered it in saffron yellow ink, and used that to create these prints. They were individually printed onto Washi paper from Japan, so each is unique.

Product photos are from the seller’s Etsy page.

I may receive compensation from Etsy for affiliate posts and links.

August 6, 2024July 24, 2024

Field Notes: Drawing (on) Your Experience

Naturalist, artist, and author Roseann Hanson is an explorer. But her definition of the word doesn’t require you to have traveled extensively on 5 continents the way she has.

To her, being an explorer is more about how carefully you study something – whether it’s the Sahara Desert or a grain of sand – than how far you go. (Incidentally, I agree!)

Explorer Roseann Hanson sitting on the hood of a 4-wheel drive vehicle, taking notes in her journal. — Roseann Hanson (photo via her site, exploringoverland.com).

She gave a talk at the Natural History Institute in Prescott called “The Art of Exploration: How Field Sketching and Journaling Bridge Science, Conservation, and Well-being.”

I watched the livestream and found it riveting!

journal page — Krkonoše Mountains drawing by archaeologist Jan Erazim Vocel, c. 1841. Photo via State Regional Archives in Prague + Wikimedia Commons.

Field Note History

In the days before you could just carry a camera with you, it was common practice for scientists and explorers to draw what they were observing out in the world.

Their field notes often included beautiful illustrations, along with handwritten descriptions.

Twyfelfontein rock art — Ancient rock art in Twyfelfontein. Photo by SqueakyMarmot / Mike, Vancouver, Canada – CC BY 2.0

Sketched in Stone

The impulse to make a visual record of what’s around us and what we’ve seen on our journeys goes all the way back to the Stone Age, to cave walls and sandstone boulders. Roseann Hanson sees these drawings as early field notes.

She shared photos of her visit to Twyfelfontein, Namibia, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its large array of well-preserved ancient rock art. Some of it depicts proportionally and anatomically correct animals with the kind of precision you can only achieve after spending time closely observing your subject.

nature illustrations in a notebook — Journal pages by Roseann Hanson from her article “Field notes, a historical perspective“

Paper Beats Rock

Once paper was an option, journals and sketchbooks became the preferred place to take field notes. Since those are significantly more portable than boulders, people could take notebooks with them to record what they were seeing in real time. Or sketch what was in front of them and add color after they got back home (or back to camp or the studio or wherever).

painting in nature — Photo by Roseann Hanson via Natural History Institute

Since Roseann Hanson does all her drawing in the field, her streamlined set up includes…

1 fountain pen
5 watercolor paints: cyan, magenta, yellow, burnt sienna, dark blue
1 brush
journal

Sometimes she collects mineral pigments from where she’s working and adds those to her palette, as well.

mushroom illustrations by Beatrix Potter — illustrations by Beatrix Potter via Victoria and Albert Museum

The Analog Antidote

Sketching out in the field has largely been replaced by photos and video.

However, Roseann Hanson argues that analog field notes still have a lot to offer. Spending time in nature, careful observation, and manual note taking are cures for our digital overload. Documenting what you observe in a way that’s shareable contributes to the body of human knowledge.

“You can draw and it’s good for you and good for the world!”

—Roseann Hanson

She believes everyone can and should draw. If you feel you’re not good at it, the solution is to practice. Make a habit of drawing every day, and you’ll see your sketching skills improve over time.

field sketching notebook — Photo by Roseann Hanson via Natural History Institute

To me, the most important thing is slowing down and noticing what’s going on in the natural world around you — whether or not you do that through drawing.

watercolor painting at BTA — A little watercolor painting I did at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

June 14, 2024June 13, 2024

A Short Walk in Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff is a great place to take a walk. For one thing, the summer weather is gorgeous! Plus, there’s the Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS), a network of over 56 miles of walking and biking paths throughout town.

Wheeler Park

When we were in Flagstaff recently, I wanted to take Quijote on a short walk before we went to meet up with family. I found a nice little quarter-mile route downtown from Wheeler Park to Heritage Square.

Wheeler Park has a central location with free parking nearby. I recognized the park name from Happenings List events that take place there, like Flagstaff Art in the Park.

I had done a quick search, and it didn’t seem like anything like that was scheduled for that day.

chaotic mural — “Sound of Flight” mural on the side of the Orpheum Theater by Sky Black and Mural Mice.

Unexpected Hullabaloo

But there was. The sidewalks got more crowded the closer we got. The street we planned to turn on to get to the park was completely closed. As we circled around the block, we realized the entire park was fenced off. And so was the parking lot.

The cause of all the hullabaloo was, in fact, Hullabaloo.

The “fun and funky” festival that had taken over the park was Hullabaloo Flagstaff, an annual community celebration that also raises money for local non-profits. It somehow had completely eluded my search results.

Orpheum in flagstaff — The Orpheum Theater in Flagstaff.

An Even Shorter Walk

When we finally did start our walk, Quijote had been sitting in the sun and was already approaching being overheated. (These days he gets too hot or too cold pretty quickly.)

So we went as far as the Orpheum Theater, and then turned back towards the car to get Quijote cooled off.

If we hadn’t been running so far behind already, we may have found a lunch spot with a shaded patio and let him cool off there. (Diablo Burger was temptingly close by!)

But it was time to leave downtown Flagstaff for the day and move on.

Getting Around Downtown Flagstaff (+ Beyond)

Even the center of a smaller city can have a lot going on that makes it tricky for visitors to navigate. Here are a few tips I’ve learned…

detail of Flagstaff urban trail map — Part of the FUTS map via City of Flagstaff.

1. Get on Your FUTS

Get a physical Flagstaff Urban Trails System map at City of Flagstaff offices or find the PDF version on their site. The FUTS map will also show you which paths are paved, which ones are specifically for bikes, where you’re likely to see wildlife, where to find water fountains, and where there are bus stops along the trail. It’s especially helpful since these trails don’t necessarily show up on Google Maps.

Flagstaff Hullabaloo banners hanging on the temporary fencing around Wheeler Park.

2. See what’s going on

I had kind of forgotten about Flagstaff365.com, but they have a pretty comprehensive event listing that you can filter by date, venue, etc. I bet if I had checked there first, I would have known about Hullabaloo Flagstaff.

little free library — Little Free Library near the Orpheum.

3. Maybe skip the parking…

…and take public transit instead.

Mountain Line Day Passes are just $2.50. Bring exact change to pay on the bus.

2 bus lines stop near Wheeler Park:

Route 2 – Blue, stop #28
Route 5 – Orange, stops #2 and #30

4. But if you must drive…

Watch for Downtown Flagstaff parking signage that lets you know if you can park in a certain space and if it has a time limit.

City and County lots are free after 5pm on weekdays and all day on weekends. (Employees only during the workday.)
Pay-by-plate system: Instead of parking meters, pay at centralized kiosks by entering your license plate number and using a credit/debit card or (at certain kiosks) cash.
The Flowbird app allows you to pay for parking and extend your time. It has a $0.23 per transaction fee.
Pay-to-Park spots are $1/hour starting at 9am daily. These lots (and curbside parking spaces) are free after 5pm Sunday—Thursday and after 8pm Friday—Saturday.

April 4, 2024April 4, 2024

Watch This: Still Standing in Small Town Canada

3 people laughing in a barn loft with dried plants hanging above them — Rogersville, New Brunswick.

“When you grow up in a small town in Newfoundland, you see that people have a sense of humor about hard times. I turned that into a career and hit the road.”

That bit of narration begins, and perfectly encapsulates, the premise of the CBC TV series Still Standing. It’s kind of a mix of travel show, stand-up comedy special, and small town documentary.

Think Corner Gas meets Rick Steves, and you’ll be on the right track.

Brick storefronts in a small town. — Maple Creek, Saskatchewan.

“Now I’m on a mission to find the funny in the places you least expect it – Canada’s struggling small towns. Towns that are against the ropes, but still hanging in there, still laughing in the face of adversity.”

Johnny Harris sits on a swingset that is partially submerged. — Manitou Beach, Saskatchewan.

Each episode, comedian Johnny Harris travels to a different rural Canadian town and spends time learning what life is like there.

looking at photos — St. Laurent, Manitoba

That means tasting the local cuisine, trying out unusual things people there do for work or for fun, and visiting sites important to the town’s history. He chats with residents to find out what makes where they live special and what makes it challenging.

Painting in Wells, B.C. with the easel set up on a snowy hillside — Wells, British Columbia.

Man standing at the edge of a body of water, admiring a picturesque view of mountains. — Okanagan Falls, BC, “OK Falls” for short.

He then weaves all those experiences and his insights into a stand-up set tailor-made for that particular town. Instead of relying on tired tropes deriding small town life, he celebrates the unique quirks of each place he visits in a way that is both warm and really funny.

2 men laughing in a farm field. — Buxton, Ontario.

Since locals make up the live audience for his set, he can make a super-specific reference about the town or its residents, and everyone gets it. Laughter and nods of recognition ripple through the crowd, because everyone knows what (or who) he’s talking about.

As viewers, we’re in on the jokes too. The show’s clever editing cuts back and forth from Johnny’s comedy set to the experiences that inspired it.

Scenic Bamfield Inlet from the show Still Standing. — Bamfield, British Columbia (pilot episode screencap).

The pilot episode, for example, takes place in Bamfield, a beautiful village on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

2 people walking next to the water in Bamfield, B.C. from the show Still Standing — Bamfield, British Columbia (episode screencap).

At the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Johnny takes a tour lead by enthusiastic staff member Kelly, and then has an awkward encounter with a sea cucumber.

Everyone in the room has probably met Kelly. A good number of them have probably even met the sea cucumber. And we’ve seen the footage, so we know them too.

2 men sit on a water taxi boat in Bamfield Inlet — Bamfield, British Columbia (episode screencap).

At the point in the set when he mentions water taxi driver Mark, we’ve already seen him ferry Johnny across the Bamfield Inlet. We’ve heard him talking about the fishing industry that motivated many people to relocate to the town, then drove them away, and why he continues to stay there.

It kind of feels like we were riding along with them.

In fact, by the end of each episode, I tend to feel like we’ve just been introduced to a fascinating new corner of Canada and met some of the lovely people there.

And, in a way, we have.

Still Standing night at the drive-in theatre in Manitou Beach, Saskatchewan.

Still Standing is free to stream on Tubi, Freevee, and Pluto. Even though I just started watching it, there have already been nine seasons of the show and a tenth one is in progress!

All photos in this post are via Still Standing/CBC. Quotes are from Johnny Harris.

Young people learning a dance while wearing traditional Danish costumes. Johnny Harris sticks out like a sore thumb. — New Denmark, New Brunswick.

February 7, 2024February 7, 2024

Color Story: Gems + Jewel Tones (part 2)

l had so much jewel-toned goodness to share with you in part 1 of this color story that it overflowed into this whole separate post!

So you can continue to revel in jewel-toned art, nature, artisan goods, destinations, and DIYs.

Also, I’ve put all the Etsy items from both posts into a Jewel Tones collection, so you can find them more easily. (I’m an Etsy affiliate, so you can click through one of the links on this page, buy something awesome, and you’ll be supporting the site at the same time!)

1. Amethyst-colored feathers cover the heads of male Costa’s hummingbirds, like this striking fella, who was perched in the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum’s Hummingbird Aviary. / photo by @reenagiolaphoto (avid photographer of birds + her Australian shepherds) via Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

2. “Crystal Trees” oil painting by Erin Hanson. Its palette was inspired by lush springtime in the Texas hill country. / prints + textured replicas are available to ship worldwide

3. “The Sacred Garden Box” made by gem intarsia artist Nicolai Medvedev from opal, sugilite, lapis-lazuli, turquoise, and malachite. / H/T Western Spirit (“Scottsdale’s museum of the West”), which had an exhibition of his work in 2023. / Photo by Harold + Erica Van Pelt

4. A pack of 24 watercolor birthstone greeting cards (blank inside) by The Ritzy Rose.

5. Fabulous Cheesecake with Blueberry Glaze, a dessert re-discovered on a clipping from a 1975 issue of Southern Living magazine tucked into in a family recipe box. / via Food.com

6. Still life with plums, part of the Endless Summer series of 9 paintings by French illustrator Léa Maupetit. / Endless Summer has been exhibited in the artist’s home city of Paris at Klin d’oeil Boutique + Galerie and as far away as 1905 Re-creative Space in Shenyang, China!

7. LOVE bracelets, part of a project providing artisans worldwide with fair wages. / Pictured are Carolina, Claudia, and Wendy, three sisters from a village near Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, who earned enough money weaving these bracelets to build an extra floor onto their home! / via Love Is Project

8. “Enchanted” soy candle in a tin made by A Bearden Project. / sold via The Bee Hive, a boutique collective of independent makers in Atlanta

9. Phoenix Chile Pepper Festival attendees mingling as the sun goes down. / We went to the festival in 2016. Unfortunately, I don’t think they hold it anymore.

10. “Woodland romance” bouquet made from foliage with a mix of textures and tied with cascading ribbons. The flowers and other decor were inspired by the woodsy outdoor setting of a wedding reception. / flowers by Lace and Lilies + photo by Lori Kennedy Photography via The Perfect Palette

11. “We Are Star Stuff“ acrylic painting by Arizona artist Frank Gonzales, whose art is also featured on a large scale in the terrazzo floor of the 24th Street Sky Tram station at Phoenix Sky Harbor.

12. The Northern Lights in Norway! / The photo comes from one of the Sustainable Susie comic books, where the titular character shares responsible travel tips for seeing the aurora borealis and exploring fjords. The books were created by the nonprofit United States Tour Operators Association. / Photo credit: Hans Petter Sørensen + FarOutFocus/Visit Norway via AFAR Media

13. Teal and blue blown-glass terrarium for succulents, air plants, or fairy gardens. / by Garden Outside the Box / mostly blue version

14. Large malachite gemstone in the University of Arizona Alfie Norville Gem + Mineral Museum, Tucson. / I took the photo when I visited the museum last fall. It’s one of Tucson’s top spots to see crystals, gems, and minerals all year round!

15. Rainbow Peacock Watercolor Print by Dean Crouser.

16. Guide for making beeswax food wraps, bee-less vegan food wraps, and snack bags, as reusable alternatives to single-use plastic wrap and baggies. / by Mountain Rose Herbs

17. Boozy Gem Jams by Moxie and Sassafras, a Tucson maker of small-batch macarons, alcohol-infused jams, and other treats with unexpected flavors.

18. Super colorful socks knit by the ever talented + creative Kelli Donley Williams!

19. At Sky Bar in Tucson, a video that looks like space plays on the big screen, while we wait for them to wheel out the telescope. They have nightly stargazing on the patio with volunteer astronomers to guide you and answer questions!

20. Fluorite and smoked quartz at the Galerie de Géologie et de Minéralogie in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris. It was found on Mount Blanc by crystal prospector Christophe Péray, who had lost his longtime collaborator Laurent Chatel on the same mountain range the year before. In his memory, Christophe named this specimen “Laurent.” / Photo by F. Farges via Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle

21. Dark Chocolate Detox Bites topped with dried fruit that looks just like the red fluorite in Laurent (from #20)! / The sweets are meant to be a healthier version of a traditional French Christmas candy, called mendiants (medallions). / by The View From Great Island