Antlers and acorns....it's a start.

Well... I did it. I just had to . I could not hold back any longer. It was 37 degrees when I went to work this morning and a whopping 57 when I came home . Therefore , I could NOT stop myself. I HAD to get some of my fall decorations out ! Just a few.  I felt I exercised a little self -control . If I hadn't there would probably be a Halloween tree up ( don't think I wasn't tempted).

But no, I started small , some bittersweet , faux pumpkins , acorns and gourds. And one print , just one. My beautiful witch on canvas is still in the Halloween closet ( I'm not kidding, I really have a closet dedicated to all that is Halloween ).    
I LOVE antlers . Can you tell? Hubby has been a hunter since before I met him and that's a REALLY long time. But most of these antlers are sheds, meaning in the spring when the deer shed there antlers , they fall off and regrow new ones. Hope that doesn't gross anyone out. It's the natural way of things. I find them fascinating. Each antler tells the story of the animal that shed it. Some are from young bucks, some bare the scars of battle with other bucks and some have laid so long before they were found that they became a source of calcium and vitamins for other forest creatures like squirrels. Some husbands bring their wives roses, mine knows I am much happier with a new antler! We even  have a shed antler from an elk, it covers the entire top of my china cabinet. We did not find that in the woods or even in a field, we found it in a home decor/consignment store , really , funny huh?
I love to decorate with my antlers. In the spring I use bird's nest and moss. In the fall, it's acorns and bittersweet. In the winter , pine cones and evergreen. 
Other elements I use in fall decorating are of course , pumpkins, gourds, acorns and bittersweet. Natural elements. I use a lot of nature in my home. Partly because we are country people and partly because Hubby is a real outdoors man. I feel strongly that your home should reflect the like and interests of all those living there.
I have to stop and say here that although the elements of this arrangement represent nature ,they are not natural, they are faux ( a much cooler word for fake, don't you think). Normally I HATE faux ! One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is people that put FAKE ( I had to use that word ) flowers or plants in their outdoor planters. I mean , really, if you can't take care of the real thing , don't use anything ! PLEASE ! I hope that doesn't offend anyone , but I feel very strongly about this ! I do use the real thing, but mostly in my outdoor decorating. You only have to have a fresh pumpkin or gourd go bad and leak it's guts all over one of your favorite baskets or antiques to never do that again ! I would LOVE to use fresh bittersweet , but it is very hard to come by and it's not nearly as pliable .   

Here is a close up of my first fall arrangement of the year ! YAH!  I wish I was a better photographer, cause it really is pretty awesome.It's not much, but it's a start.

Bring on the Fall!