Deer Antlers

Years ago, my dad shot a buck.  He had the antlers mounted.

 

Aren't they nice?  My dad certainly thought so, but they languished in the dusty basement.

 

I had this lovely piece of wood, just languishing on my craft table...

  

Oh, look!  A picture of a mounted deer head!  I'd give credit to the photo and hunter, but I can't remember where I found it.  It came up on Google Images.  The original included the antlers, but I cropped those out. 

I measured the antlers at the bone (4") and re-sized the inspiration photo to fit.  The ears didn't fit on my board, so I cut the ears off and repositioned them.  I forgot to take a picture of that and the next couple of steps.  Anyhow, I traced around the head and ears, and filled in with brown (FolkArt 2559 Coffee Latte).  I slapped some white (Apple Barrel 20403 White) on the ears, chest, eyes, and highlights.  I put some black (FA 925 Wrought Iron) and dark brown (FA 462 Burnt Umber) in the shadows.  I added some color (FA 949 Skintone) to the ears.  I went over some spots to add shading.  I rarely washed out my brush, so the colors would blend.  Once I was satisfied with my dear deer, I snapped a photo.

 He's not as fierce-looking as the inspiration photo, but I wanted a caricature.  I screwed in the antlers.

At this point, I thought I'd better show my dad what I had done.  He wasn't too impressed, but he wasn't mad.  (Thumbs up!  Hooray!)  He said a sportsman wouldn't approve.  Then he have me permission to paint the bone to match.

 Here it is on the wall in his office.

 I like it!  It's fun. ;)

Linked to Funky Junk Interiors.

Signs!

The name of a fictional bar in an unpublished novel

Scrapbook sheet, glued to metal

Scrapbook sheet glued to wood frame

American Flag

Hometown Team

Fun bakery name for the pie-challenged

I should have moved "A.L. Mighty" down to the next board

Trademarked soda product; hand-painted sign

This one is pretty big

Trademarked game; hand-painted sign

A key-holder!

More distressed than I intended in the corner

Here are the signs I made in anticipation of a local craft fair.  I only sold one.  :(  I don't have a fancy cutting machine for the fonts, so I carbon-traced some of the fonts.  Other fonts were stencils.  I had a lot of fun painting them!

Linked to Funky Junk Interiors!

Re-painted

Remember this?

I repainted it.  I sanded it down a little and primed over it.  Then I did this:

I plan on giving it to my sister as soon as she has a house that's not for sale or rented.  Until then, it stays with me. ;)

Console Table

I built this.  I painted it.  I like it.

I didn't take step-by-step photos.  I used 1x2s, 1x4s, and 1x6s.  I also used a lot of wood filler.  I used a jig saw, a compound miter saw, and a circular saw.  The lumber cost just under $70.  The cost of nails, screws, wood filler, wood glue, paint, stain, etc probably brought the total cost to $120.  I got the drawer pulls off an old dresser; I spray painted them a caramel latte color.

It sits next to the front door.  It has lots of room for shoes, and the drawers provide a nice place for dog leashes, gloves, hats, etc.  I was again inspired by Ana's Knock-Off Wood site, but I designed a custom piece to serve my needs.  As I was painting it, I was struck by the thought that it would make a nice changing table for a baby.  Anyway, I drew up my own color-coded plans, and started building.
 

As I went along, I had to modify things just a bit, but as you can see, it worked out.

It was a happy accident that the electrical outlet is still accessible.

The Headboard

I wanted this:

Emboldened by Ana at Knock-Off Wood...

I built this:

 

I modified Ana's plans.  I changed the width to better fit my mattress.  I used plywood instead of planks and I put a 1x6 on top instead of a 2x6 to better duplicate the bed I wanted to emulate.  Since I'm prone to stubbing toes and running into things, I skipped the footboard.  I just attached the headboard to the metal frame that came with my mattress using 4" bolts.

Here's my material list, with prices:

2-4"x4"x8'         2@$8.77          $17.54

1-1"x6"x8'                                  $10.96

2-1"x4"x8'         7.28/2.47          $9.75

3-2"x4"x8'         3@$2.58          $7.74

1-1/2"x4'x8'                                $24.12

Minwax wood conditioner         $4.99 (pint)

Minwax Jacobian wood stain     $6.49 (quart)

Gorilla Wood Glue                     $4.99

3" wood screws                        ~$7.49

4-4" metal bolts                        ~$3.16 (should have used 4-1/2")

3/8" countersink bit                    $3.69

6% tax on $100.92                     $6.06

Materials on-hand: screws, finishing nails, acrylic paint, Minwax polyshades, foam brushes, nuts, washers, drill bits, tools

Total cost:                                  $106.98

I'm pleased with that price.  Pottery Barn sells the king bed (headboard, footboard, and siderails) in the top photo for $1399 and lets you choose between two finishes.  Their version is mahogany and a mahogany veneer.  I used a combination of whitewood and pine.  Their delivery charge is $150.  Mine was less than the delivery charge.  How awesome is that?!

I'll post step-by-step photos within a couple weeks.  I work slow (and alone), but I was able to finish the cutting and building in two days.  Staining and finishing took a bit longer.  I began Tuesday morning, and the headboard was moved into my bedroom on Sunday afternoon. :)

Here it is in place: