I am always looking for new ideas for decorating my small southwest cabin. It’s the little things we come across that turn a house, no matter the size, into a home. I love nature and wildlife…and am ecstatic when I see animals in their natural habitat. One day while hiking, I was so excited when I came upon a beautiful antler. The design was perfect with eight proud points reaching to the heavens. It was a lovely off white and bore a few signs of wear and tear. But to me…it was a beauty! I reveled in the thought that surely one of my creature friends had just deposited it in that exact spot as a gift to me.
I carried the antler happily back to my small rustic dwelling and sat throughout the quiet evening trying to imagine what my deer friend may have looked like. I relished the idea that man had not taken the antler from him in a cruel manner, but that my deer friend had given up his antler in a natural shedding method. Throughout the week, I began thinking. This simple gift, the antler shed, must be used in a manner that would bring joy to my little country cabin.
It happened quite by accident. A friend had joined me for an early dinner one evening and as we sat and sipped wine, the idea struck. I tightened the lid on the wine bottle and laid the bottle across the antler in a way which cradled the bottle. It was as if the two had been made for each other. The bottle had found a home and the antler had found a use. There on my table, proudly sat my new antler shed wine rack. I smiled as I thought of my gift giving deer friend and couldn’t wait until my next hike.
