Raw material

Sometimes I just HAVE to do something creative. I mean I JUST HAVE TO! I have to paint something. Make something. Turn a something into a SOMETHING! Do you ever feel that way?

That feeling is why I like to keep raw material around my shop. And since raw material is cheaper at garage sales, that’s where I like to shop.

Renee and I found a vanload (I’m serious here) of deer antlers one Saturday. We paid about a quarter for each set, and there were almost a hundred of ‘em. They were truly a find. Just remember, we’re not talking about big deer found in Colorado or Montana. Deer are pretty small here in Texas and so are their antlers.

Just one box of antlers. More in the attic.

I’ve only made two things out of the antlers, but just keeping the rest of them around satisfies my hankering to create in a basal sort of way. The rest are like blank canvases, full of possibilities and hope….

I coated the antlers with a sealer to bring out the colors and give them a finished look.

I love my mirror, although it is kind of weird.
It goes with the house and its owners!

Renee put my mother's turquoise bracelet on top of the mirror,
and I love it.

OK, I'm done with antlers and horns for awhile. Well, until next week, maybe.

Antlers and horns everywhere!

There’s an old joke that goes like this: If something in your table’s centerpiece used to be alive, you’re probably a Texan.

If that’s the case, Teresa Eliason, the boss of Relics (my favorite place to visit in Abilene...well, except for my cousins' house), is pure Texan. She has taken antlers and horns to new heights, so to speak. Just take a gander at some pictures I took at her place this Labor Day weekend.

OK, some of the pictures don't have horns in them, but I liked the look anyway!

This antler was painted black and held jewelry.

I bet this mirror could go on a wall too. But it would be a shame to lose those great textured candles.

Tomorrow Teresa tells us how she achieves such a rich look on her distressed furniture. She's so nice.