Throwback Taxidermy Thursday!

So, if you're like me, the idea of doing a project with taxidermy seems a little weird.  Recently, I was watching a British home decorating show where the decorators seemed to be super excited about using taxidermy as a cool decoration in a home, not just as a trophy piece. It got me thinking, and I figured that I'm a little quirky, so why not get some taxidermy and see if I can come up with something unique. Another animal-less option would be to find a ceramic piece, or a stuffed animal that would work exactly the same way.

I found these two pieces, a jackrabbit and a Nebraska white tailed deer on ksl.com which is the Craig's List equivalent here in Salt Lake City. I bargained with the gentleman and paid just $60 for these two plus some longhorns which I will work on at a later date.

I started by disassembling the animal from the wooden mounts.  Fortunately, they were only held in place by a single screw each. This was easily accomplished with a simple screwdriver.  I decided to save the screws to use when I reattached the animals.

I wanted new mounts that were more modern looking than the originals.  There are a couple of crafty wood stores here in the Salt Lake valley and I thought they might carry what I was after. I went to a place called The Wood Connection www.thewoodconnection.com and found lots of options.  I decided on two plaques with an interesting shape. I also selected white paint (to give it a more modern feel), a foam brush, and I made sure there were holes drilled in the back for hanging on the wall.

This style of plaque is pre-made and is fairly heavy duty. It was priced at $10.  It's made of some kind of pressed fiber wood. The Wood Connection also offers some lighter weight, less expensive options made of pine.

The store also sells a wide variety of Ceramcoat acrylic paint ($1.29 each). This paint is easily applied with a foam brush and the best part is - It dries in 15 minutes! I love, love, love this!  That means you can start a project and finish it in the same day.  I love these kinds of projects!

 I opted to paint outside despite a little bit of wind and bugs that used my project as a landing pad. Luckily, the paint is very forgiving.  I used two or three coats of paint, and one bottle was enough to cover the fronts of these.

After the wood was all dry, I used a cordless drill and drill bit to make a hole about where I thought the taxidermy piece should be secured to the wood. I reused the original screws as I figured they were already the right size for the pieces. 

Since my walls are plaster, I drilled a hole with my cordless drill and a large drill bit. Then, I inserted a plastic drywall hanger and used a screwdriver to insert the screw. I think the end result is pretty funky and co-ordinates with the rest of my eclectic home. I was a little tempted to spray paint the skull pure white and the horns a golden color, but in the end I liked the more natural look. I hope this inspires you to reuse and remake something cool!