Thursday, January 23, 2014

Girly Antler Curtain tie backs


When I was pregnant with my baby girl, we moved the twins out of the nursery into a 'big boy super hero room' and My sweet husband got to work painting and working on the nursery.  While he painted I sewed curtains and my sister Donna (the Da part of TaDa's Kooky kitchen) got to work on making so many cute touches in the room like picture frames and a vinyl wall sticker.
We were all able to get the room put together and beautiful before the baby got here. But (there's always a but isn't there?)  I wasn't to fond of how the curtains looked when they were opened.  They slid on the bar and keeping them open was left up to the rocking chair and a baby table toy.  Not to pretty.



We are hunters in this house and every year my husband and I switch off on drawing out for a deer.  And every year we've been lucky enough to get one.  My husband gets the big deer that end up mounted in the living room and I tend to get the smaller guys.  I made a tie rack for my husband last year with a few antlers but with mine from this years hunt I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them!!

I started off by cleaning them really, really good!  ( soap and water, and a Clorox wipe for good measure)  These are real antlers people, blood and germs tend to get stuck on these things, so a good cleaning is always in order.


Then I got a scrap piece of wood on my work bench and held the antler at the angle I wanted it to be in my wall.  Then I started drilling.  Make sure you use pressure but not so much that it breaks the drill bit,  trust me, I've done it a time or two!  Also make sure you use a big enough size so the screw you use to attach it to the wall can fit through the hole snugly,  if the hole is too small the screw could crack the antlers or even break in the antlers,  if the hole is too big the antlers will just flop down and not stay in the position you want it to.
I actually started with a smaller drill bit and then Kole worked the size up until it fit just right.  And repeat on the next antler.



Then I made this handy dandy painting station using two metal hangers.  One I hung on my opened garage door and the other I untwisted, put the antlers on and re twisted so they could hang while I painted.  No painted finger tips or marks on the antlers here!


I gave them a bunch of sprays until the color was even and just right.


Then I waited, only about 15 minutes,  It dried really fast. But while it dried I watched these two little ones ride around and shared a chicken sandwich with my baby  (ps she's almost one, not such a little baby any more).


Then when my husband got home from work I marked the places I wanted them.  A few inches from the window  and high enough that the rocking chair wouldn't hit it.  And then Kole went to work and screwed the antlers in. (you could always paint the screws to match but I actually really like the look or bare screws.)


 

                                             Tada!!!  A much better, more put together babies room!!



                                   (yes that is her sweet little head at the bottom of this picture)

Stay tuned for next week when I tell you how I made these floor length, black out curtains for only $20 and some change!
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3 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Pam! They were so fun to make and added that finished touch to the room :)

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  2. Such a neat idea!!! And not even kidding...I've go that exact rocking chair! My mom used it with me and my siblings. Once we found out I was pregnant she passed it to me. That thing is so sturdy.

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