A hunters Christmas gift...

Every year I struggle as to what to get or make for my son-in-law.

Men are hard enough to buy for but add "in-law" to that and you have someone you haven't grown with or seen growing up and it gets even harder.

This year however I got lucky!

This summer when I went to a fair with my daughter I found a very unusual object that immediately made me think of my son-in-law! 

Oh boy was I excited!

I still didn't know what I was going to do with them but I had a direction and time to think about it!

Eventually I thought, I'll make him a lumbar pillow.

He has back issues so I thought that would be nice.

But then I thought... 

find a poem and make a wall hanging!

After finding the poem, I ran over to Graphics Fairy and found a great image and off to my craft table I went!

Well,

 first I had to hit the computer and clean up the image in GIMP, 

then print it on a piece of patterned paper from my stash.

I pulled out one of the "ok" pictures I found at the Dollar General a few months back and sat down at my desk and got to work.....

sanding, painting (with true burgundy Folk Art paint), modpodge, 

ribbon (from my stash), suede glimmer mist, 

a little vintage photo and walnut stain distress inks 

and 

some really cool hemp twine from Really Reasonable Ribbons.

and.....

this is what I made.....

And the "very unusual object" I found.....

Deer Antler buttons!!!

How cool are they?

I love them!

As much as I love them though, I never would have bought them if it weren't for my son-in-law.

He's the only hunter in the family,

the only one who would appreciate them the way I think he will!

I sprayed the cream ribbon with suede glimmer mist then sewed the buttons on with the twine.

Here is the hunting poem that I found online.....

A close up of the Deer image I found at Graphics Fairy.....

I edited the image in gimp, removing the background then added a texture image (Back in) from Kim Klassen on top to give the deer a little more of a shadowed affect.

I am so happy with this, 

I can't wait to send it to him!

***

I will be linking this to 

Graphic's Fairy - Brag Monday