I love this simple composition from our Metis booth this weekend; an apple,vintage French grain measure, heavy linen string from Burgundy, and a few red lychees from a San Diego farmer friend~
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqt7xvFXaemxHBFaheGHBxTFes2PnsNx20xwhYqgICgMo-WylzwESv341f9C59ubYgvuTDtBay6uW9zANVfF4quKJyH2LR08zkioG5OY6pXCmzlLChq4tYF9PZslfLMguva3e1eHXQHjA/s400/IMG_1678.JPG)
Does this get you in the mood for Fall and Holiday?
A few months ago I started thinking about holiday 2010 decor; somehow I got hooked on deer sheds and a sort of a modified Ralph Lauren theme. The deer sheds themselves are incredible works of nature; male deer shed their antlers annually; look at the formation, rough at the base~
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YCDtwMRaF0RpoBYl0O2eaHnlSBOX1vhi3b5RTkEUl5tDUap9dlAKz_NVM_SHOrKfO0EUH0KinPH9qpE4k2LypGcIK87NweKP-Wi0aRwcRRO-kb_boB_5kRQY7FqUi2DyuTY3pHTF3_U/s400/IMG_1760.JPG)
smooth at the tops; the burr is also shown here, where the antler separates from the pedicle of the male deer's head~
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3-MeV73ZcTtWm6hklrNjNSYnbVAqASYOtnDsEL5n8j1Ag7mW7YuTAoDwj1YbnV4E0MIJKbdtge2PuPkYiAaianQb-bQHJWlGMapdWMkiQlIDy0g5uOiU7upi6UHuFwrSXMSENE09gWA/s400/IMG_1759.JPG)
I am fascinated by the organic nature of antlers, the fastest-growing bone in our world; the older the deer, the bigger the antlers~
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35JWaGmcKHDPUDaKqyIrjiArIXODnUEdHfAtaM05fRLvcwcRBTgBnn1QaxZl3RSO1pluDQUkcXoF183kexg4b_2ikBOlqKi5RcjE25cNRiZEVZxk4sWUhz6fcBOzM4EHsc0JHI484sLg/s400/IMG_1758.JPG)
each has a generous weight and solidity that you can't feel in a photo; and dare I mention, they look fantastic with vintage French linen?~
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNu8wqE19BbsLmQec28zRt_ryEKL4rZOVoFwD_7tJBYBWN3XbpCr_SIm7m43LumGlsJKfcEzGf2D_ksrYrwMPRkRizdN6y-YhFZdaJ_ZLQfa7fsLZzD2skRPYnAxr40GEavG94loTUMPQ/s400/IMG_1757.JPG)
I decided early on that I would do "apples & antlers" this year around our big front door and the stone arch and other places around the interior; this is just a suggestion; imagine with tons of pine from the garden & tartan and burlap ribbon~
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8loKdozzz0PF9zKAD_hWwzoIWaIlWumZbeZuNRloyPq_VXkpMKIsHwatEnoxmkdCFf940LnUD4E7IHAuc-K-FyQJmN3JlIEsV27nKsWHjfzeV3PPihIamyFtRyW_yPwBVz_zHUbE5CI0/s400/IMG_1761.JPG)
As opposed to horns, which grow from the base and for the life of an animal such as a cow, antlers grow from the tips, and in the space of several months, and based on an animal's testosterone. When they are growing, the antlers are covered with a velvet-like covering, and are warm because of the blood supply. They harden in the fall and winter (when the testosterone levels fall) and are shed in the spring. Here is a velvety set; sometimes you see fake antlers in fuzzy brown; this makes me sad as this is a look that is hunted, not shed naturally. Here is a little anatomy~
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Z-tyK3ZJ_tQL_7FtYSUqcbzZIlr4D_YGbYi5ss10mZWSQkMkX2qaHCXz2-otRBywvP1EXRNO_BdVh8UpfrEJw_kerrekaPAi1ehrKXAhGUClja9LoO2ecwKipKHNMgFWrGqYC1fccUQ/s400/antler+anatomy.jpg)
Deer sheds are collected around the country, by amateurs and my favorites, the Boy Scouts, here in Jackson Hole, for a fundraiser~
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77ZIpNt4yXsQTzDsHB7iXRdYXIymtW0NZ0pAZ1dzh0_2f4lFSut_d45P4w_-xpon3-ukfjGc9duxq58jUb8LmD1uc86rh56PIGPELVJhPVakiS4z20wEd9MYkfVY6qt3FgZCIDngKnus/s400/jackson2005.jpg)
Dogs can also be trained to find deer sheds, hopefully before the mice & rodents chew on them, for their high calcium content~
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpRGlQHfUpdEnG3ctsysmsIMU9FZpXJPq4ortG111H4lH9FzhwcV-Le1eQMN1Stv6XhIPb-FbuLwvpv2-5h1KTyOuo3vipJS5cqgJ_RdnOCFt2EK-R-iKTFX0b2x4GQFxQXgFtEUJFzM/s400/labs+sheds.jpg)
I'll show you more of the antlers end of this month; I don't feel I can do holiday until after Halloween. But it's never too early to plan!
photo credits: Wilderness Trading.com and Whitetail
It seems fitting. I wonder if I can get my hands on reindeer antlers. :)
ReplyDeleteI have seen piles of deer sheds in Maine-it is truly amazing what the male deer goes through!
ReplyDeleteWell I have never seen that before, at least not big piles of them! I love the look of them!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Andrea, it's always inspiring to come here and learn. xo Lidy
Wow, Just look at that pile of antlers! I love decorating with these and just bought a pair of deer sheds this weekend.
ReplyDeletexo, Sherry