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. 

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