Deer Sheds

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~
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~

smooth at the tops; the burr is also shown here, where the antler separates from the pedicle of the male deer's head~
I am fascinated by the organic nature of antlers, the fastest-growing bone in our world; the older the deer, the bigger the antlers~
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?~
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~
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~

Deer sheds are collected around the country, by amateurs and my favorites, the Boy Scouts, here in Jackson Hole, for a fundraiser~
Dogs can also be trained to find deer sheds, hopefully before the mice & rodents chew on them, for their high calcium content~

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