Monday, November 18, 2013

A Feature Wall in Progress or That Time I Practiced Pseudo-Taxidermy

I might have mentioned wayyyyy back when that we had a funny spot above our made-over buffet that needed some attention.

Here is what we were working with back in July:


A blank slate, if you will. I knew I wanted to do something along the lines of a gallery wall, but with less photographs and more dimensional stuff. I thought about empty frames. I thought about plates. I thought about a lot of things, but I knew I wanted something that represented us, but was still a little fun.

Enter laser cut frames, some antlers, and a wooden letter. And here we are, so far:


It's still very much a work in progress, but I'm digging it so far. The H is our monogram, and the antlers were a flea market find I bargained down to $25 from $35 (batting those eyelashes and "This is all I have" gets 'em. Every time.)

I like that the frames add some fun whimsical color while the stained wood of the monogram and the antler mount add some warmth. The two larger horizontal frames will have some photos in them. If, you know, I can ever talk Denny into doing a photo session. We'll leave the smaller ones empty, I'm thinking.

Super fun!

Anyway, back to these antlers. Antlers are huge right now. HUGE. And I love them. They can add such a great touch to any home.

My antlers didn't come mounted to the plaque already; really, all I was bought was the antlers attached to the skull, but getting them wall-ready was a cinch.

If you're squeamish and not into drilling holes into antelope skulls, you can click away now. I promise I won't be mad.

There are kits that are sold online to help you create a mount, but usually for just antlers the piece of skull is hidden behind some leather. I wanted to keep the skull visible. Is that morbid? I hope not.

Anyway, my research turned up a method called the European mount, which is usually done to mount an entire skull plus the antlers. Long story short, it involves drilling holes through the skull and onto your mount. The Google image search is terrifying. You have been warned.

Whew. Here we go.


Here's what I was working with. I grabbed the wooden plaque thing from Michaels and stained it with my favorite dark walnut stain. The antlers, I was told, are from an antelope that is native to Nebraska. Boom. You'll also need a sawtooth hanger, your drill, and some screws.

Arrange your antlers how you'd like them on the plaque, and pre-drill holes through the skull. This will keep it from cracking when you screw it to your wooden mount.

Then you'll want to take your screws and attach the antlers to the plaque. Easy peasy!


I realize that they aren't perfect by any means, but they're a nice rustic touch to our living room and we love it. I also love that they only cost me a total of $30, because you can buy these from Restoration Hardware:


And spend $150. Yowzers.

Another look?  Okay:


Just need some photos in those frames and we are done.

So, anyone else become a taxidermist for the day lately?

Wanna see where I party? Click here for an awesome list of link parties I participate in..

Also linking up to:
Savvy Southern Style
Imparting Grace
Jennifer Rizzo

19 comments:

  1. that's amazing :) if i could find myself a good set of antlers i would totally do this! :)

    nicole
    www.hausofharnois.blogspot.com

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  2. Deer mounts around here used to be a dime a dozen, but now they are sky-high - even at yard sales. I love you framed your thermostat to camouflage it.

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    1. I was honestly shocked when the vendor asked for $35 for those--I mean come on! I think he's onto us ;)

      Thanks for stopping by, Donna!

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  3. Feature wall is coming along great and I absolutely love the frames! Totally agree with Donna's comment about framing the thermostat.

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  4. Cool! I like the contrast between the "rustical" antlers and the whisical frame!

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  5. This wall is gorgeous! I need to do something similar on my bare walls!

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    1. Thank you, Steph! :) It is such an easy way to fancy up a blank wall!

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  6. I want to do this in my home office sooo bad! Really cute idea!

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  7. Love the framing on the wall. In time, you'll find the 'fillers'.

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    1. Thanks, Nancy. I'm not rushing finding those last pieces because I know the perfect ones will jump out me when they're ready to be found :)

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  8. Love the frames. If it takes time to find the 'fillers', it looks good as it is.

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  9. I love those frames!! Thanks for linking up at Whatever Goes Wednesday last week. This was the most viewed link last week, so we'll be featuring it at tomorrow's link party. We hope you'll come back and party with again, despite the Thanksgiving madness :)

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    1. Thank you, Miranda! I will certainly come back to party with you, and I hope you have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

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