Thursday, November 15, 2012

My Deer Husband


My husband loves deer. At least he loves to spot deer while driving. This I know because I have been startled nearly to death in my passenger seat when he exclaims suddenly, "There's one!" It takes me a moment for my heartbeat to leave my ears before I realize he means he has spotted a deer.


I was so excited to spot these Martha Stewart paper pine cone ornaments at Jo-Ann Fabrics 25% off this week. Right away I thought deer ornaments in honor of the thousands of deer I have never spotted.


My children are Brainwashed Deer Spotters as their father dangled in front of them $25.00 for the FIRST deer spotted on our vacations home to Michigan. Please don't think my husband is overly generous, as I mentioned we have never spotted a deer in Michigan.


My husband acquired his deer spotting obsession the old-fashioned way. By his father's offering of money for spotting the first deer on vacations to Northern Michigan. No money ever exchanged hands as far I know; but I'm suspicious that any time the female chatter got too loud in the backseat while my father-in-law was driving, he would call over his shoulder, "Hey, you're not looking for deer!"


Secure tinsel stems by bending them at right angles underneath cone and applying a dab of hot glue. Apply Tacky Glue to rim of cone and place on printed paper or card stock, pink around edge of cone. Hot glue tinsel along bottom edge.


When I was dating my husband, he had me actually get out of the car to trek through underbrush by the side of the highway as it looked like a good area for spotting deer. Wandering a distance ahead of him, I excitedly whispered over my shoulder, "Oh my gosh, there is a big Irish Setter lost in the woods." I have made this little red deer for my husband to recall the RED FOX I thought was a dog.


Position your deer about a half inch away from tinsel stem. I wanted it to appear as though my little fawns have just emerged from the edge of the woods. Keep the majority of decorations behind the deer.


Do you know the funniest thing about living in the Heart of Ohio is the abundance of deer to be spotted on a daily basis. My TSG called her Dad the other day to let him know there were FIVE DEER in her DRIVEWAY, and she lives in the CITY!


Plastic greenery and mushrooms. Oh my gosh do these recall for me ornaments from the past. In person these are oh so CUTE!


Oh! And happy deer spotting!


GIVEAWAY WINNER CINDY

47 comments:

Moony said...

These are adorable! Now I want to make pipe cleaner deer. <3

Hope said...

My husband is VERY DEER indeed! these are adorable!

Erica of Golden Egg Vintage said...

OH MY GOSH these are the cutest ever!!! Seriously, will you make some to sell? I suppose that defeats the purpose of showing us how to make our own! LOL
This post had me laughing quite a bit. My Dad always made us look for deer too. The shout out that about makes your heart stop beating when he finally sees one, I can identify with that! And thank goodness your husband had the best ever Irish Setter spotter with him!
I won't ask to be considered for your giveaway, as you have been very generous to me in the past! But someone is going to be very happy!
Erica :)

Shabby Brocante, Karen said...

These are adorable!!! I have to admit I do love spotting deer as well. My cousin's daughter is living in Ohio. She goes to Oberlin. It's fun to see her pictures. Looks very pretty there. Great giveaway! Someone is going to be very happy!

Musings from Kim K. said...

With our vast woods behind our beloved treehouse, deer are often found making salads in our vegetable garden. Your darling chenille stem deer are much safer. Hugs from MI!

vivian said...

Elizabeth... you are just amazing. how stinking cute these are! lots of deer out this way.. wouldnt take long to win that 25.00 here!
have a great day girlfriend!
xoxo

Perfectly Printed said...

OK...where do you find the time to create? And your ideas never cease to amaze me! These are just too cute!!

chirs

LBP said...

YOUR deer are absolutely adorable, however the deer that try to eat all the trees and plants in my yard are not so adorable!!!

You are the most creative person I know!

Blessings

Linda

Deidra said...

These are so cute. We live in the city and every once in a while we have deer walk by our house looking for food.

Jane said...

Those deer are so cute, especially the red one!
Received my beautiful Snow Bird yesterday - so lovely!!!

Scrap for Joy said...

What a "deer" story. We see lots of deer here in Western PA...and wild turkeys, too. Your ornaments are so clever. I was just at Joann's yesterday but forgot to look at the MS aisle....back I go today I guess.
xoxo
Joyce

Anonymous said...

Cute little ornaments, E!

Oh my! No deer sightings in MI? The area where we lived in MI was covered with them. They were considered pests! We had one race our van and then crash into the side of it when it saw it was going to lose! Silly deer! I also saw 1 newly born on our rental property there. It was still wet! I have lots of deer stories...

Oh and for you to see a fox was such a priveledge! I've only seen one in the wild and it was from a distance but I've lived in so many wild places. They usually hide very well. I have never seen a bear yet we know we have bear here on the farm and in many other places i have lived. Oh well. Maybe when we move to town I'll see one! Ha-ha!

Have a great day! ♥

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

These are adorable, Elizabeth! I haven't seen many deer here, about as many as I would see on Long Island. Although there are just as many warning signs in both places! I remember having to take the driving test here to change our licenses to Ohio and there was a question about what do you do if you should hit a deer. It gave me a chuckle that it was included on the driving test.

Carol T said...

OMG - these are soooo cute. I am trying to figure out how you saw the pinecones at Joannes and come up with these. Your blog makes me so happy.
I love looking for deer and get so excited when I spot them - which isn't hard to do in Michigan! This summer my "deer" husband planted several new bushes and trees in the backyard. Yesterday he announced that something has been eating them and he suspects deer. I haven't seen one in the yard in a few year years, but we know they are around us even though we live in a well populated city. We have wonderful wetlands and woods behind out home.
Carol

RetroSandie said...

E~these deer ornaments are darling! Such a clever idea. You amaze me!! I would love one of yours, even though I don't have a deer hubby (well, an ex-), but I have a deer friend!

Hugs,
Sandie

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

How sweet of you! I have a 'deer hubby' in my house, too! We see really small deer here in Florida. Sweet hugs, my friend!

My Vintage Mending said...

Absolutely perfect. I love the tiny detail...and would love to hang one on my tree...genius strikes again and again...wait is that a deer...no just a suburban dog...darn it...smiles..Renee

Shirley Hatfield said...

Oh, yes please! I had a very young husband who took me trekking into the woods with a bow and arrow. We could hear the deer crashing about in the underbrush, but they were wise to avoid us. The funny thing is...he wouldn't even practice his marksmanship until the night before...a few shots at a target on a bale of hay. The supreme overconfidence of youth! lol! I am so glad we never shot one!

editor said...

The deer are everywhere in south Mississippi! I love to see them, and I also have a very "deer" husband!

Mary

marylnail@bellsouth.net

Cindy said...

As we live in the "city," deer are scarce. However, when my children and I visit my parents out in the country every week, we enjoy getting a sight of them. There is a family of deer that have taken residence in the woods behind their house. They often frolic and wander in the field in front of their house on a daily basis. My parents have even given them names!

Please submit my name, as I would love to have one of your little deer as a remembrance. You always stir such lovely memories and remind me of what truly matters in our chaotic world!

Blessings,
Cindy

~Damita's Pretty Wrap~ said...

OH my goodness Elizabeth! These are the cutest things ever! I love them, will any be for sale?!? I would love to hang one on my tree right by the door. We use to look for deer in the car also :) Great memories with the family. xx Hugs, Holly

Old Fashioned Gal said...

Lol! Your story had me cracking up! My husband is an avid hunter of all wildlife! We have deer all over the place around my house! We actually do the same thing your husband does. It's called, "car hunting" hahaha! I car hunt for many reasons but mainly to make sure I don't crash my truck into one!
These deer are so adorable and creative! Your talent never ceases to amaze me! :)
-Denise

Jess said...

We are very lucky...we get to look for deer every time we go outside. They eat with our cattle during the winter. Our horses run them off so they are stuck with the cows. Go figure. I have to say I LOVE your little fox. It is so sweet. That is one thing I never see on our land. I have seen a panther, bobcats,and coyotes (yuk) but no foxes. We have a self proclaimed "nature reserve" on the back part of our land with a pond. I wanted to make sure our children were able to see all the things I did growing up.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful crafts with us. When I am in my craft room, I think of you often and how you would possibly put it together. I adore your style.

Have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving holiday!

Unknown said...

So cute! And I love the story you included makes me feel like I was there when your husband spotted the deer and when you were making these little darlings.

I am going to have to try my hand at making some of these.

Great giveaway, whoever gets them is going to be one lucky deer lover

Hugs
Caroline

Michle said...

I too have a husband who can spot a deer from a mile away. He is always scanning the roadside for a possible deer sighting. You do such lovely work. I would love to present him with your deer giveaway.

Michle

Grace said...

I luv these! The story is hysterical. lol I hope I win one of your treasured pieces. Grace xoox

Janet's Creations said...

Your little deer ornaments are so cute!!! Is the greenery vintage or can you buy it at JoAnns? The ornament has a very vintage look to it -- like it popped out of an old Christmas card.

My husband and I both love to spot deer on trips. "Look! A deer!" "Where? Where? Oh, there he is. Oh, how beautiful!" rinse, repeat.

Janet - janetscreations@yahoo.com

Rebel Blossom @ Studio 2sixty said...

How "deer"...I love this decoration! Someone is going to be very happy to receive such sweetness :)

donna said...

Oh how I understand how scared you get. My husband will do the same thing to me. He can spot a deer and all I can see is brush. Your deer are so super cute.
Hugs
donna

craftyles said...

Love how you turned the pinecone into acute cute basket. The deer are adorable!

Unknown said...

Oh how adorable These are. Just this morning we had 2 deer in the backyard eating our bushes. I don't know who was more frightened and surprised...me or the deer. Valarie

Hearts Turned said...

Simply adorable, Elizabeth, as are all of your creations...and such a sweet story to go with them! I love spotting deer, too. They're fairly easy to find on the county roads we travel on near our home.

I love your mittens, too! So sweet!

Wishing you a beautiful day, dear friend...

Julie

Debby said...

Those are the cutest deer I have seen. You just have the touch. They are adorable. Bring your husband to my house......the deer are everywhere.

Unknown said...

How adorable are these?? I love the little deer! Oh, we have deer in abundance in Alabama, one of my sons is named "Buck" LOL.
Happy Thanksgiving~Dorothy

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

Your deers are very "dear"!!! I do believe that you make the sweetest treasures and have the best memories!
Warmly,
deb

kimber said...

These are wonderful! So is your husband's propensity for spotting deer! It is something I remember from our time in Michigan. I don't see many here in Texas...now to see if I can make one of your chenille cuties!xoxo~kimber

Tammy's in Love said...

Well that is hilarious! My boyfriend (turned husband) walked me home from our college and taught me to sing The Bear in Tennis Shoes; no deer to spot in the woods between the school and the apartment dorms a mile away! He's lucky I gave him a second date, he's not much of a singer!

manda said...

Oh my! Such dear little things! I love them. We have feral deer in our area and apparently they are a menace, but I've never seen one. I realllly want to though, I adore these animals!
Hugs from Aus!

Denise said...

Darling creations!Love your sweet ornaments.Better than that is the story that comes with them.Your creations still enchant me. I've received two gifts from you already so I feel these I must skip,it just wouldn't be fair.Please keep telling us your stories too.Happy Thanksgiving My friend-Denise

Nan said...

Catching up on your blog here my dear E. These are just so darn cute I can't stand it. Surely you will sell these in your Etsy shop I hope I hope. We spot moose here where I live we have no deer, but in CA we sure did had them all over the mountains there I loved it they are sweet things.

Angela said...

those are so neat!

Angela said...

those are so neat!

Ina said...

Adorable! the fawns look so sweet! ;p

Unknown said...

I just love this ornament. The deer is just so sweet! I need to find those pinecones! Thanks your so creative and for sharing it with us! Paula Collins

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Beth said...

I have finally bought my MS pine cones to make this project...it has been a long time coming! I found your blog years ago and fell in love with these but kept getting outbid on eBay for the cones, and eventually forgot about my need to make these, then someone told me I could get the cones on Amazon and ta da this project is on my to do list again. I just want to thank you for all of your creative ideas that have influenced my creativeness. I still love visiting your blog and seeing your posts pinned on Pinterest!

Kathy said...

Your creations are adorable. Love what you did with the deer and pine cones from Martha Stewart. I was able to order some today from Amazon and look forward to making my spin on your idea. Have a small white Maltese and give something at Christmas relating to my Sugar. I'll be making white pipe cleaner dogs. Thank you so much!!!