Friday, May 24, 2013

DIY Faux Taxidermy


NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED WHILE CREATING THIS POST 

There is a long list of reasons I LOVE faux taxidermy...
1. We live in a barn.
2. It is a fun twist on a very traditional style.
3. It goes with almost any style home.
4. It's whimsical...and the list goes on and on.

My friend, Liz found these funky, faux, taxidermy heads at a local German shop called Thomas Phillips  and they were only 20 Euro! I had to grab one for myself. I know there are tons of cheesy animal heads. figurines, taxidermy out there for cheap, ya just gotta look through yard sales and flea markets. If you can't find one, have no fear, click here for an awesome tutorial on how to make one from scratch! You could also use an old Christmas reindeer head as well!!
I liked the burlap look on my new deer friend, Chuck, but his face was really crooked and kinda creepy... I had to do some plastic surgery on poor Chucky stat. Also, the black, gothic lipstick is not a good look for him...
 I decided I wanted to cut up one of my favorite tea towels (which is a modern, navy blue and white Ikat dot) and cover him with that. It ended up being the perfect amount of fabric. I cut the fabric in a ton of small strips...
 Took a champagne break, then moved forward...
I dipped the fabric in watered down Elmer's School Glue. The ratio is 2 parts glue to one part water.
 I wrapped the fabric all around his head, neck and beady little eyes, being careful to push down all the edges. I left the burlap ears the way they were to give it a rustic look.
 I let the fabric dry overnight then mounted the dear, deer head on a wood mount that I painted a soft green. I was originally going to replace the antlers with branches, but decided I liked the look of the antlers just as they were. I think the deer head is a perfect addition to our barn kitchen! I see more faux taxidermy projects in my future...What do you think??
Meet the new and improved Chuck!



Imagine all the different looks you could get using different materials like sheet music, paint, pretty paper, book pages etc!

Post-Op update: Chuck is loving his new life and home. He is feeling confident, sassy and like he can do anything! His owners think he has let his new look go to his head. 



Linking up to:
     
Liz Marie Blog
Home Stories A2Z  The 36th Avenue

20 comments:

  1. Ha, love the caption in your first photo! Chuck looks great! It really does look perfect in your home! I found a plastic deer head at an after Christmas sale (it's actually from Germany). It was covered with glitter. I finally got most of the glitter off, but now I can't decide if I want to paint it or cover it with fabric or paper or what? I know inspiration will hit one of these days!

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    1. Hahaha Thank you so much Lisa!! I am so glad you like it! Oh my you have so many options of what you can do! I can't wait to see what you come up with!! I hope you have an amazing weekend!! xo

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    1. Thank you so much! !I hope you are enjoying your weekend!!

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  3. Lol Molly, funny how we tend to give our little faux friends a name ;). I think Chuck turned out fantastic, and yes, you should definitely add more to your lovely home. Hope you guys have a great weekend.

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    1. Thank you Kristel!! Have you named the guy you have in your bedroom yet??? Ahhh I love your rooms.... insert drool...

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  4. i love it!! I LOVE this look!!!

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    1. Thank you Kristen!! You are so sweet! I hope you have an amazing weekend! xo

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  5. This is the most awesome thing I've ever seen anyone do with a faux animal head- I love it!! And your kitchen is beautiful; going to look for a tour of the rest of your house! Glad I found your blog; following along now :)

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    1. Thank you so much Brooke! I really appreciate it,you are so sweet! I Will be doing a new kitchen reveal soon since so many things have changed since the last time! I hope you are having a gorgeous weekend and I can't wait to go through your blog!! xo

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  6. Great idea! I LOVE Thomas Phillips! I used to clean out their leftovers after Christmas...all of the Christmas Pyramids, Schwiboggen...never paid more than 5-10€ for that stuff (granted it's probably made in China)...but still, I mix it in with my few Kaethe Wohlfahrt items, and it looks great:-)

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    1. Isn't it such a wonderful store?!? I feel like they always have really nice interesting things!! kinda like a Ross or TJ Max!! I bet all your Kathe Wohlfart things are stunning!!

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    1. Thank you so much Allison! I was so happy to! I hope you have a lovely week! xo

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  8. This ADORABLE! (I also love when people speak for inanimate objects. ) I totally want to try this. Nice job.

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    1. Thank you so much Heather! That means so much to me! I hope you are having a sunny week! xo

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  9. Your deer head is so sweet, love the polka dots! I have this linked to my faux taxidermy post too today, for inspiration!

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    1. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! I hope you are having a fabulous day and I will be adding your blog to my featured list!! xo

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  10. I'm totally sharing this. I bought an elephant head at galleydirect.com, and I initially thought spray paint, but after seeing this I am going to look for a really cool fabric instead. Thank you for this post, I can't wait to see the end result.

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    1. Wonderful! I can't wait to se hear how yours turns out! thank you for the sweet compliment!

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Thanks for the lovely comments! Each and everyone means so much to me! xo

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