A Little More Holiday Cheer

The saddle is boasting some Holiday cheer as well. :)

Pine Wreath - a Little Bit of Twisp

Both mine and my Boyfriend's favorite place to be is Twisp, WA. About four hours from our home, its a sweet little country town tucked into the foothills of the North Cascades, joining up against the Okonogan National Forest. Boyfriend has family members there and at least once a year we make it over there and stay in their quaint cabin for Mule deer season. This last October was when we last visited, and I managed to scoop up many large and beautiful pinecones and black pine greens. They had been sitting in a couple paper shopping bags until I figured out what I wanted to make with them, as well as having the time, and the season.

I finally got the creative knowledge of what I wanted to do with it, or so I thought. On clearance a month or so ago I purchased a twig wreath from Joann's and planned on working with it as a base for the pine greens or pinecones. I grabbed a few supplies and started placing the greens. Then I figured out how I wanted them attached.

I used floral wire (already had on hand) and wrapped it through the "branches" and around the end to secure the pine to the wreath. 

The twig base already had some areas of sturdy wire, most likely to use to attach things to, so I attached the floral wire to the wire on the wreath base. 

 I just repeated this step around the entire wreath until I was satisfied with the fullness and that all of the pine bases were covered up.

'The next step was how to decorate it. I had the pinecones on hand, but with the large size of them, simply attaching them to the wreath didnt seem appropriate. I grabbed three of them, and had an idea. 

So first I wrapped twine around the center and tied at the back. I then made three twine bows, and hot glued them to the tops of the pinecones.

I then attached the pinecones (with their twine ropes) to the base of the wreath, avoiding bunching the pine. I used the excess twine to tie another bow to the top. But it just wasnt enough, so I used some glittery Christmas ribbon to make a more accentuated bow. I liked this ribbon because, although festive, it didnt scream Christmas and the plan was to hang this wreath all year long, and keep of bit of Twisp here at home.

Auction Find!

The Boyfriend and I attended a benefit auction for a friend of the family's son. At the silent auction were lots of neat things, but what really caught our eye was a beautiful Mule-Deer photo and gorgeous wood frame, as well as some 7x7 elk antler sheds found in Montana. We really liked both, but as the auction was nearing an end, a decision had to be made from one to the other. With the rarity and uniqueness of the elk sheds, we went for those - and won the silent auction! We paid what they were worth but didnt feel bad as the proceeds went to a great cause.

I couldnt wait to get the new babies home and find the right spot for them. The only problem was going to be how to mount or hang them....

Boyfriend blinked, apparently. And as they are heavy, they came out a little blurry from movement.

We could put them up in the vaulted opening where the saddle is...

But for now, we found two other good places for them. One in the master atop the electric fireplace...

Which leaves me wondering where my ribbons and buckles will go that were previously displayed on the mantle.

And the other antler is in the kitchen, next to one of the geese, among other things.

I just love this one here - it so perfectly fills up the empty space that was previously there.

Hooray for elk sheds!

The New Home Decor

Anyone who knows me in "real life" is acutely aware that I (and my Boyfriend) are heavy in the western/hunting/horses and outdoors in terms of our lifestyle as well as our home decor. For a while I have been keeping my eyes out for an awesome vintage-y old western saddle to use in the home. Monday I was taking some horse items for consignment to the local tack consignment shop, and naturally took a look at the saddles available. I was looking for something within my price point (under $50), but I wasnt floored by anything .... until I took one last look. I found one tucked underneath some other old dusty saddles, and turned over the price tag: $35. Hallelujah!


I pulled the saddle from it's dusty and dark crevice and piled it next to the purchase counter. I was able to swap the not-needed girth attached for a single stirrup. As the saddle did not come with any stirrups, I much preferred to have at least one versus the cheap-o girth included. Luckily, the shop owner swapped me the lonesome single stirrup for the girth, which was perfect because I knew only one stirrup would be seen anyways.

I trucked the saddle home and it sat in the living room for a couple days until I could bring some oil home from the barn. (My new laptop doesnt have any photo editing on it yet, so sorry for the less-than-stellar image qualities)

Saddle before cleaning

Cleaned and in it's new home greeting company as they walk in the door ... ignore the mess...I have yet to have my own craft room

I love the look of the saddle sitting up there. 

Sweet 'lil consignment saddle. Your tree might be broken and therefore you are deemed as "not safe to ride in", but you look fabulous sitting in the entryway.