ANTLER ORNAMENT DIY

I'm excited to share this fun and super easy antler holiday ornament diy with you!  We add at least one new ornament to our tree every year.  It's become a tradition.  This year I decided to hand craft one myself.  In honor of the Texas inspired collection I am working on, I chose to use an antler tip.  Deer are a huge part of my surroundings where I live.  They are literally everywhere you look.  It is amazing to me that they shed their antlers every year.  A true testament to our own natural cycles.  They grow to serve a purpose and when they are no longer needed, they are shed.  Many lessons could be learned from this simple natural event alone.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little diy!

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S U P P L I E S:

antler tip // leather // bead // glitter // leather glue // regular glue // brush // scissors

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S T E P S:

1. cut a strip of leather just long enough to attach to the sides of the antler and make a loop to hang on your tree.

2. slide your bead over both strands of leather.

3. glue both ends of the leather to opposite sides of your antler tip.

4. take the rest of your leather strip and glue it around the antler tip a few times to cover the two ends you just glued.  if you don't have leather glue, you can use a glue gun, but it won't last as long.

5. add a layer of glue to the bottom of the tip, making sure you are making the section nice and straight where you want your glitter.

6. quickly sprinkle glitter all over where you added the glue. let dry.

7. hang and enjoy!

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HOLIDAY NESTING

I have done a bit of rearranging and decorating for the holidays, and I must say, it feels sooooo good!  For the past few years I have honestly not felt very festive at all.  Could hardly get myself into the holiday spirit and felt a bit of depression around it.  I will say it has been a struggle to not have my parents around during this time of year (or anytime of year for that matter).  I always can't help but think about having christmas morning at my mom's house, and how excited she would get about it.  My dad hated christmas, and I loved that about him.  And having my brother there with all of us was always so special.  But I will say... I am starting to feel the spirit return, and we still have a few weeks until christmas!!!  I cannot wait to get my tree decorated.  I don't have the lights I want for it, so I'm having to wait until we can get to town to get some.  But I'm counting down the days!  I have been listening to the Bright Eyes christmas cd for days now.  And this little bit of redecorating I have done has made all the difference.  I moved my table out from the corner and decluttered it from all of the random little pieces of nature I had all over it.  I wanted to be able to actually eat at the table, maybe make a few crafts at it, and simply just enjoy the openess that comes from less clutter.  And as you can see from the photos, Bella agrees and instantly found herself a little spot to look out the window from. 

I am so in love with my holiday decor this year.  It's simple, natural and inviting.  It has brightened my mood and calmed my spirit.  What else could I ask for?  I added the old vase full of mountain laurel seeds not only for a hint of holiday color, but b/c they represent my mother.  It is what she leaves behind for us, so when I hold one, I feel close to her.  It feels good to have her spirit in the center of my decor.

PIECES OF HOME

1. antique store finds: beautiful antlers, jar full of feathers & indian postcards
2. bella rosa lounging on the carpet
3. texas sunset outside my studio window
4. me being bored one night taking selfies
5. fire in the fireplace, an almost daily occurance right now
6. my new business cards
7. james parents pup, sugar, sitting pretty
8. medina river cypress trees in the fall
9. random capture of james going through the car wash
10. an antler suncatcher i shipped out this week

DOWN BY THE RIVER

Every day we drive by this river on our way to the post office and the past few weeks I have whined everytime we do b/c the leaves are so beautiful and I want to be taking pictures down there.  We finally took advantage of it and snapped a few pics together before the leaves are all gone.  Two weeks ago they were a billion times brighter than they are here... I need to plan better next year. (I say that every year).  I have been drooling over the trees this season and was really hoping they would still be lingering around for my lookbook shoot this week, but alas, we had a freeze and most of the leaves are now gone.

LOVE OUR SHIRTS???  They are from the lovely folks at Hooked Productions.  They are all handmade in the USA and are sustainable bamboo and organic cotton.  Read more about the love they pour into their production here.  These are the comfiest shirts!  Mine is going to be my go to yoga shirt throughout the cold season.  They not only have clothing but fun stickers, hats, jewelry and more!  Check them out!