My parents purchased a beautiful 6 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2 level home in the country a few months ago that was decorated in what I like to refer to is Country Hoarding. The owners of the home ran some kind of decorating business and it appears that 90% of the merchandize ended up on their walls. There was literally no space or wall in the house that wasn't accessorized with something.
In the den aka Man Cave was a stuffed bear, a mounted deer head, and other assorted dead things. After much deliberation we decided that the Man Cave would be a play room for the grandchildren. Keeping the feel of the country house was essential to the room and decorating it was no small task.
Mom who is a master organizer purchased these from Ikea to hold all of the kids assorted play items.
The buckets come in 4 different sizes and range from $2 - $5 a piece. The slide tracks are adjustable so you can personalize each one for your needs. The frames themselves come in different sizes and finishes as well. Head on over to Ikea to check out the different options.
We started by using the bins to put like items together. We ended up with a bin for legos, balls, trains, matchbox cars, blankets (you know for the play fort!), and everything else we could find. The kids love costumes so they have assorted ones including a football player. There was a Dallas Cowboys helmet that was now too small for either of my nephews so we decided to hang it on one side of the wall instead of tossing it out. We added an inexpensive desk from Ikea that we already had for an arts and crafts station.
We had a cute little table that had a scratched surface. So I went by Michael's and got chalkboard paint. I taped off the sides of the table and sprayed the top. Viola chalkboard table! I found the little buckets at Target for a dollar and they hold the chalk for their upcycled table. This project literally took 15 minutes.
I was on Pintrest and had seen this awesome stuffed animal head on the iLoveToCreate Blog that I was all over:
Hello there!
I collected stuffed elephants since I was a child so I didn't actually have to purchase one for this project. You can use any stuffed animal you choose I just wanted to give my old animals a new life sort to speak, later on that.
I went by Lowe's and purchased a pre-cut round pine base for my project. It was $7 after my mom's military discount. I picked up two cans of spray paint in Dallas Cowboys Navy and Gray to paint the base. I also snagged some painters tape and E6000 Industrial Strength Glue while I was at Lowe's.
Elephant Head Mounting
Supply List:
Stuffed Animal, obviously an Elephant in this tutorial
Pre-cut Round Pine Base
Scissors
Navy Spray Paint
Gray Spray Paint
Painter Tape
Piece of a cardboard box
E6000 Glue
Staple Gun
Hanger for the back
Step 1 - Prepare base by wiping off any dust from the base. Spray with 2 coats of the Gray Spray Paint. Let the coats dry in between for a good hour. After coat 2 let dry over night.
Step 2 - Starting at the bottom of the base tape a solid line across. I used a small piece of tape as a guide for the next stripe. Continue taping until you are done with the base. You may have to piece around the edges because of the roundness.
Step 3 - Spray 1 coat of the Navy Spray Paint over the base. Depending on the paint you use this may need 2 coats. Let it dry for an hour or so. If you can see the grey through the base you need another coat. If not, you're good to go. FYI, always pay for the better quality spray paint.
Step 4 - Remove the tape carefully from the base. You should have some seriously awesomeness when you are finished.
Step 5 - Not for the faint of heart, just be warned. Take your stuffed animal and decapitate him. Gruesome yes, worth it definitively! I actually cut him under the legs to give me room to work with. Be aware he's going to bleed, stuffing that is! It's kinda messy so do this over a trash can if possible. You should be left with his head and I threw away the rest of him, I had no use for his butt!
Step 6 - Cut out a piece of cardboard big enough to shove into the hole in his back. You are going to use this to bond the head to the base. Its easier doing it this way trust me. I tried to glue him to the piece of cardboard at first, craft FAIL! My mom recommended doing it this way and for once I listened. Thanks mom!
I used the E6000 to glue all his edges to the cardboard so there is only a small opening in the back that is the cardboard. If there are places that the glue won't stick because of the stuffing, try using a staple gun to get him nice and flat on the cardboard. Make sure you do this in a well ventilated area, E6000 is potent! After you are satisfied let the glue dry/set for a while.
Step 7 - Using the E6000 glue the cardboard to the wood base. I used a few heavy books to help hold the head in place while it dried. Let this dry for a while too. I put in staples around the perimeter to give it extra support. Don't worry the fur will hide the staples.
Step 8 - Using a picture hanger, nail the sucker on the back so you can hang your one of a kind masterpiece on the wall.
Came out too cute! My stuffed elephants had been in storage for probably close to 15 years maybe longer. I loved them so much when I was a child that I had a hoarder episode meltdown every time I tried to get rid of them. I feel this was the best way to give them a new life. I'll see how the kids react to him.
