DIY Animal Bookends

 
 I've been haunted - in a good way - by these golden pig bookends from CB2 for months now.
So. Fantastic.

But the $30 price tag was more than I wanted to spend, and I knew I could bust out a DIY version anyway. (Hello, Pinterest.) But after mentioning this to my kids, they (and here's a shocker) couldn't bring themselves to sacrifice any toys in the name of house accessorization.
 
Fair enough.
 
You can imagine my tenderized heart when I came home from the grocery store a coupla days ago and found these lovelies waiting for me on the kitchen counter with a note from my 8-year-old son.
"For Mom. Carson."
 

(I think my heart would have been even more tender if I knew what those front two animals even are. Armadillos? Anteaters? Some prehistoric creature that doesn't even exist today?)
 
They're small animals, but he offered them so sweetly, I couldn't back out now. I figured I just wouldn't cut them in half but instead use two animals (rather than two halfs of an animal) as a set.
 
So I found some thin wooden blocks, measured, cut, and sanded them.

 
I glued two pieces of wood together first and used a toothpick to smooth out the excess.
 

Then I put small drops of glue on each paw and glued the animals down.


Here they are, awaiting the spray primer step...


...which can't come soon enough, if you ask me. Those red eyes have got to go. Creepy! Who designed these kid toys, anyway?


So. Primed and painted with Krylon metallic gold spray paint. In hindsight, it would've been easier to spray paint the stand and the animals thoroughly prior to gluing them together. Not a huge deal, but consider it a little tippy-tip to you from me. You're welcome.
 

Oh, and I also hot-glued four little dots to the bottom of each frame so they wouldn't slide whilst trying to hold up books.

For a super-fast, super-free project, I totally love how they turned out. Even knowing those red eyes are lurking under the bear's paint doesn't deter my love.

Any repurposing project that can make two I-have-no-idea-what-kind-of-animal-it-is figurines look even remotely chic? Winner winner chicken dinner.


I was thinking the gold might end up being a little stuffy-looking, but even with paperbacks they look great. I guess it's hard to make a bear-elephant duo look too stuffy...anywhere.


K, for real now. Here they currently live, on my super simple living room mantel.

 
There you have it. Now off you go, to raid your child's toy animals bin.
 
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38 comments:

  1. I think I like these better, even before I knew the oh-so-sweet backstory.

    Also? Aunt Dimity never fails to make me happy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Admit it. You're a pig-ist (definition: one who hates pigs). And I knooooow! Loves to Aunt Dimity. I think I need to reread that one, haven't for too long.

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  2. I've got some big animals I'm trying to decide what to do with! Yours look cute and I love love gold.

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    Replies
    1. Are they big enough that you'd saw them in half? Oh, please say yes! And then please do it. And then please post about it. And I'll come visit you in your bookend awesomeness and bring muffins that we can sit and dine and stare at the lovely largeness.
      Seriously. Do it, Crystal. I want to see how big ones turn out!

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  3. Anonymous1/03/2013

    What a great idea! These are awesome!

    Jordan
    http://jordansvintagekitchen.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jordan. It's nothing earth-shattering, but sometimes the simple things are pretty gratifying. Glad you came by.

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  4. How very clever! My 3 year old loves animals and books, so these are perfect for her bookcase. I pinned them so I can come back to them after I find some animals that will work for this project. Thank you for sharing them at my Link Love Thursday party!

    -Angie
    www.easylivingmom.com

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    Replies
    1. The dollar store has toy animals like these in abundance. If you're lucky, you might even find some nondescript ones like these two, too! If you're lucky.

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  5. I love these. They look so nice.

    Also I have no idea what that animal is either and that's what I thought when I first saw the pic. I was hoping you said what they were.

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    Replies
    1. Hah! It's the long trunk-nose that gets me. Whut the whut?

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  6. Anonymous1/03/2013

    These are just adorable. They would look so cute in a safari themed nursery/child's room!

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    Replies
    1. Agreed. And hopefully they'll look as cute in a non-safari-themed living room for grownups. Because that's where mine are. Because we're mature like that around here. :) Thanks so much for coming by! Your comment makes my day.

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  7. Sooo cute! I love how whimsical they are. So sweet of your boy to donate them to mama. :) Precious.

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    1. Thanks, Makaila! Yes, it was sweet of him. And even cuter is his overwhelming love of how the bookends turned out! I think he feels ownership, the sweet boy.

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  8. Love them! I even loved them before they were painted. Great idea!

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    1. I love the gold, but now I'm curious to see if I'd love a whole rainbow of spray-painted toy bookends... hmm... (look out, kids!) :)

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  9. I've got to sort through the toy bin at Goodwill! These are too precious, red lurking eyes and all! How sweet of Carson to pick these out for you!

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    Replies
    1. Oh, totally. Goodwill is calling your name, Katie! Get there.

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  10. Very creative! I think that the toy animals in DIY projects is such a fun trend! Thanks for sharing at Pinworthy Projects!

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    1. I just love being able to use stuff that normally is good for nothing other than hurting my feet when I step on them because they were left out for days on end and scattered throughout the house. :)
      Thanks, Carrie.

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  11. Anonymous1/07/2013

    These are fabulous! AND such a sweet story! I love it! Thanks for sharing with us. Dropping in from Creatively Tuesday.

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    Replies
    1. I'm happy you like them. Thanks!

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  12. GENIUS!!! Love it!

    Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality! HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I can't wait to see what you link up this evening!

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    Replies
    1. Haha! I don't know about "genius," Christine...but I love that you love these as much as I do.

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  13. The animal bookends looks wonderful and I loved the story!

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  14. YAY!! You have been featured at The DIY Dreamer... From Dream To Reality!! Come on over and grab your featured button.. You deserve it!! :)
    http://thediydreamer.com/from-dream-to-reality/from-dream-to-reality-linky-party-49/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Got the button. Thank you! So nice!

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  15. Awesome idea! Grab a "I Was Featured" button from my blog- I am sharing your post on my facebook page tonight. Thanks for linking to Cowgirl Up. I pinned you too!
    :) Samantha @ Crafty Texas Girls
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crafty-Texas-Girls/140299076008437

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing everywhere, Samantha! I'm glad you like these.

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  16. these look so cute! Love the super easy idea! Thanks so much for linking up to Handmade Tuesdays @ Ladybug Blessings. www.ladybug-blessings.com

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    Replies
    1. I'm with you - super easy ideas are where it's at. And when the result is so great and failproof, it's a win-win.

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  17. I love these! I'm going to pin this and I totally agree with the red eyes, why do they do that? So creepy.

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    Replies
    1. Hah! I know, right? Yuck. I should have totally been a toy designer. Sighhh.

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  18. I love those book ends. You made them look so expensive. Thanks for linking up on DearCreatives.com

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    Replies
    1. You're so welcome, Theresa. I love them, too! :)

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  19. I love your bookends! I just painted a pair of elephant bookends white, but now I am wishing I would have painted them gold!

    http://theinspireddiy.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
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