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:

source

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