Glitter Taxidermy

Once you start crafting, you can't stop. Can't stop crafting, and can't stop thinking about new projects to work on. I saw this article on Apartment Therapy about faux taxidermy, and started googling how I could make one of my own. I decided to use this model, because it is the simplest and had easy-to-use templates. The steps say to use card stock, but I wanted mine to be a bit more substantial, so I used foam board.

I printed the templates out at work, taped them to the foam board and used an exacto knife to cut through. The edges were a little rough, and the tape made the poster look stupid, which made me want to glitter the whole thing.

 

You just put the pieces together and like magic, you turn two dimensional pieces into a three dimensional deer head! 

 

I used mod podge and sprinkled glitter once I had painted the mod podge onto the deer. It was...messy. Glitter really is the herpes of the craft world. OH WELL. One billion years later, I ended up with this:

Sparkly!!!

I taped it up on the wall to see what it looked like. 

 

The wall is kind of a grey color, so the deer head didn't really pop as much as I wanted. I decided to make a mount, as if it was actually a deer head. I did the same thing--used a template for a shield and cut it out of the same kind foam board. I bought a sheet of fancy houndstooth paper from the horribly overpriced paper store by my work to cover the shield:

This is the back, with a some picture hanging wire taped to the back. And because I'm weird, I added a piece of paper to the back so you can't see the gross edges or the tape.

I taped the deer head to the shield and hung it up. I am...so pleased with the results. 

 

 

so majestic!

While I'm not necessarily morally opposed actual taxidermy, I think it's gross. And this way, I can cover the whole thing in glitter! Plus my version is a bajillion times cheaper than anything I saw on etsy or the rest of the Internet, not to mention actual taxidermy (I assume). The only costs are foam board ($5), glitter and glue ($7) and the fancy paper ($7), versus $170 for a faux resin deer head from WhiteFauxTaxidermy on Etsy. Thrifty!