Happy Monday friends! Today I’m going to tell you a secret. (Just in case you don’t follow me on Facebook or Instagram.) OUR VERY FIRST GRANDSON WAS BORN LAST TUESDAY!!!! Yes, I am just a tad excited. I’ll tell you more about the amazing details later, but first I want to share with you a cute wooden elephant wall mount for his little nursery!
Our older son and his beautiful wife have known for months they were expecting a baby boy. I think most people find out the sex of the baby ahead of time these days, which makes it easy to plan a shower and buy gifts for the little ones before they arrive. Also, my son loves elephants and wanted to incorporate them into their baby’s nursery. So far they have a nice collection of elephant sheets, blankets, onesies and toys.
A few weeks ago my sister-in-law, niece and I went antique shopping. At the last store we visited, my SIL spotted this adorable wooden elephant wall mount. We knew it would look darling in my grandson’s future nursery! (He had not arrived at the time.) The price was slightly above my usual $20 benchmark, but for my grandson, it made the cut! This is how it looked when I purchased it.
The elephant head is quite large, measuring about 2 feet from head to trunk. It is heavily distressed with bits of blue peaking through. And while I love the distressed nature of the piece, there are obvious paint drips and brush marks. There’s also some yellowing and dings which I feel like need to be repaired. More importantly, if this is going to hang in a nursery, it needs to be clean and germ free. A totally makeover is in order!
I started by sanding down the entire piece. Normally I would have used my palm sander, but alas it was at the lake house. So I used a hand-held block sander to knock down the paint drips, brush strokes and to even out the paint.
Then more sanding….
Once the elephant was thoroughly sanded, I brushed off the dust and wiped it down with a damp microfiber cloth. Beginning with the back side of the elephant, I gave him several light coats of white spray paint. I used my go-to favorite by Rust-oleum in a white semi-gloss paint. Once the back and underside was dry, I flipped it over and did the same with the front and sides of the elephant. Thankfully the weather has been unseasonably warm this winter, so I was able to spray paint outside in February!
Here’s a quick before and after. I’m tempted to sand a bit of the edges again to give it a bit more definition and interest. I’ll have to give it more thought. But for now, the elephant head is refreshed with new paint and ready for its debut in our grandson’s nursery! The trunk can hold his diaper bag or a little coat, or can simply be used as a wall hanging!
Based on the construction and assembly of the elephant it appears as though it was hand made, which makes me love it even more. And you know me, I love one-of-a-kind pieces! There are three pre-drilled holes for hanging on the back plate. Due to the weight of the piece, I’m sure my son will use studs and/or wall anchors to safety secure it to the wall. This piece is tucked away in my treasure room until the next time we see our children and grandson, which we hope will be very soon!
I have a few more DIY projects in store (perhaps for the nursery?) so stay tuned! I hope you have a great week, my friends and thank you for stopping by! xoxo Dell
