How I started the Antlered Doe

It's so incredible to think that I have now entered my 12th year since I started the Antlered Doe. I am still in disbelief that I am doing what I love every single day, and feel so incredibly blessed.

When I decided to turn my dream into reality and start The Antlered Doe, I had exactly $100 in my bank account. That was it—no savings, no credit cards, no investors knocking on my door. Just $100 and determination to make this work. Many people believe that starting a business requires a big loan, thousands in startup capital, or some kind of financial safety net, but my story proves otherwise. If you're practical, resourceful, patient, and willing to start small, you can build a business without borrowing any money from anyone. It isn't going to be a glamorous journey—you are going to work harder than you ever have before, but it's incredibly rewarding. It's about turning what you already have into a foundation.

I was fortunate in one major way: I had a stockpile of shed antlers from years of shed hunting in the Midwest. Those long walks early spring through fields and forests, searching for deer antlers, had given me buckets full of material to make jewelry. But, antlers alone don't make jewelry. To transform them into wearable art, I needed tools- findings, leather, sealants, and a lot more. To buy all of the essentials for jewelry making, I needed money I didn't have.

Since I couldn't afford a rotary tool or other power tools right away, I started with pieces that were very basic that didn't require them. My goal was to create something unique and sellable, something people would love, using whatever jewelry making tools I could come up with money to buy.

Since I was basically broke, I got a little creative to get some extra cash. I opened my closet and looked at my beautiful wardrobe from my years as a bartender. I coordinated them into complete outfits, took photos on my phone, and listed them on Facebook Marketplace. One by one, they sold. Locals messaged, met up, handed over cash. Every $20, $50, $100 felt amazing knowing I was getting closer and closer to being able to go to the craft store and buy what I needed to start making. No debt—just emptying my closet and funding my dream.

With that money rolling in—slowly but steadily—I headed to the stores for basics. Pliers, a leather punch, beads from the clearance bin, jewelry findings (clasps, jumps rings, cords), a simple wood burner for pyrography, and a can of acrylic polyurethane sealant. Nothing expensive; I hunted for sales and bought only what was essential.

My first creations were leather cuff bracelets made from thrifted belts.I’d drive to the Salvation Army or Goodwill, search through the belt rack and look for the stamp “Genuine Leather.”  The older and more worn, the better-scuffs and age added to the rustic charm that I was going for.  A belt for $2 or $3 could make two or three cuffs.  I’d cut them to size, punch holes for ties, and create closures using thin leather strips.

I would add my signature touch: antler accents.  I had access to a bandsaw and I would carefully cut antler tines into thin slivers.  These became the button charms for the closures.  I’d drill holes by hand, then hand-sand each one until they were smooth.  Hours bent over a workbench, sanding away imperfections and saw blade marks, my fingers raw and cut but I didn't mind-I was too excited.  Then came the fun part: pyrography.  Using my basic wood burner, I’d sketch designs-feathers, flowers, arrows, deer tracks—and carefully burn them into the antler slivers then I sealed them with acrylic poly to add shine and protection.

To elevate the cuffs further, I found a local hardware store that was willing to sell me just a small piece of copper flashing-enough for accents without purchasing a whole roll.  With a basic letter stamping kit (another clearance find), I’d hammer in motivational quotes "Follow your arrow", “Wild & Free”, “Strength,” “Fearless.”  I’d add beads from the craft stores discount selection to add texture and accents to the tiny copper plates. I created a Facebook page for my new adventure, and the name came to me instantly: The Antlered Doe. It was perfect. Antlers are symbols of strength, often associated with masculinity in the hunting world, but a doe with antlers? Rare, powerful, feminine. I wanted my jewelry to do the same—take the tough, natural material of shed antlers and craft it into something beautiful and empowering for women. Pieces that reminded the wearer of her own inner strength..

When a cuff was complete, I’d photograph it and post it on my Facebook page and Etsy store for the Antlered Doe. (I made my own website for selling directly in month 2 of my business) At first, buyers were people who knew me: friends from nursing, old bartending coworkers, people who knew me from my home town and people I met during my hunting adventures.  Each sale- $20, $30- was reinvested immediately.  No splurges, no keeping extra for myself.  Every dollar went back into supplies. More leather, better findings, experimenting with new ideas.

This cycle-make, sell, reinvest-became my rhythm.  I wasn’t selling a ton of pieces, but it was sustainable.  I had no debt piling up from purchasing supplies-I bought them slowly as I could afford to. I could feel my confidence and self worth rising with every piece that I made.Weeks of this bootstrapping paid off when I finally saved enough for my first Dremel tool. That changed everything. The ability to carve and shape antler with control unlocked new possibilities for designs.

It took practice—lots of it. Failed attempts, uneven burns, pieces that cracked. But I persisted. My first successful ring was simple: a band of antler with a burned feather design. When I posted it, the response warmed my heart. People loved it. Orders came in, and suddenly, I couldn't stop creating rings. It became an obsession. I'd carve frantically, possessively, losing hours to the flow of inspiration. I experimented with Swarovski crystals for sparkle, and turquoise stones for color and depth.  New design ideas consumed me and haunted me until I made them.  It was the first feeling of self worth that I had in years and I was instantly addicted.

Then came the fourth design that changed my trajectory forever. A ring that held an aqua rose accented with burned leaves. When I finished it and slid it onto my finger, something shifted inside me. Staring at that ring, I felt a surge of empowerment, of strength. For the first time in my adult life, I felt truly confident. I named it "Forest Queen." I posted photos to my Facebook page and Etsy store, then packed up for a shed hunting trip to Illinois, excited but unsure what to expect.

What happened next was nothing short of miraculous. Another small business owner who I had never met, Stephanie Hill, saw the Forest Queen ring and shared it on her business page. That single share ignited a fire and I always tell everyone that it was my big break. Orders poured in—first a trickle, then a flood. My Facebook page followers skyrocketed, gaining thousands by the hour. Notifications exploded: likes, comments, purchases. I sat there in disbelief, and just started to cry. This was real. People actually liked the designs I created. God had answered my prayer in ways I never imagined. This was my opportunity, my chance to change everything. There was no way I was letting go.I loved making the jewelry, being creative and building my Facebook page.  It was so completely invigorating whenever a piece sold and it gave me a sense of self worth. It was something I wish I could do full time, but I had adult responsibilities and it seemed like a dream.I was still nursing then, starting orientation at a new facility closer to home. I had decided I needed to play it safe and instead of trying to rely on myself and my art, I had to be an adult and have a “real job”. But during training, my mind wandered constantly to jewelry ideas. The nurses spoke at the front of the room, but I barely heard them. On lunch break, I sat in my car, glancing at a cuff bracelet I'd made on my wrist. In that quiet moment, clarity hit. I didn't want to go back inside. I wanted to create every moment of every day. It was in that moment that I started the car, drove away, and quit nursing on the spot. It was terrifying, a massive leap into the unknown. But I felt God's pull, that divine guidance stronger than ever. This was my path.

Diving headfirst into The Antlered Doe full-time was overwhelming and emotional. Everything accelerated. The more I focused, the more doors opened. Thanks to my Facebook page, local news caught wind of my story—a former nurse turning shed antlers into empowering art—and reached out for an interview. The feature brought a surge of local orders. I grew my social media by collaborating: reaching out to other page owners, offering custom jewelry trades for posts about my business. Each share brought more orders.

Quickly, I learned the basic ropes of running a business: packing orders securely (early on, some arrived broken until I discovered the magic of bubble wrap), meeting promised timelines, and crafting all of the jewelry. Challenges arose, but so did triumphs. Every hurdle taught me resilience and I'm still learning something new every single day over a decade later.

Looking back from where I am now—going on 12 years in business, with my husband working alongside me, supporting our three beautiful children through The Antlered Doe—it's honestly humbling and I'm still in disbelief. That desperate prayer, that dream, that single viral ring—they sparked a fire that still burns bright.If you’re sitting there with an idea burning inside you, but thinking, “I can’t start—I don’t have the money,” hear this: you don’t need much.  Start with what you have.  Sell unused items.  Thrift supplies. Make one thing, sell it, buy better tools with the profit.  Be patient! Slow and steady builds something unbreakable, debt-free.

Bootstrapping forced me to be practical, creative, and to value every material, every sale.  It made success taste sweeter because it was truly mine.  Today, running a business that’s supported my family for over a decade, I still apply those principles: reinvest wisely, stay creative, avoid unnecessary debt.

Your foundation doesn’t have to be fancy.  It just has to be yours.  Start small. Be resourceful.  Trust the process. The empire you dream of can grow from the humblest seed—if you plant it with intention and nurture it with grit.