Rainy Day DIY - Painted Antlers

Hi, we're Judd + Jessa aka Pearl + Earl, and we have a silly little blog: http://www.pearlandearl.org.  If you like DIYs crafts and adventures, stop by the blog and say hello!! xoxo  

This morning, we woke up to rain.  Rain!  It was so lovely to see, I can't remember the last time it rained.  We had been planning some DIYs, and decided to put our blog writing on the back burner and be crafty today!  Rainy day crafts are the best, don't you think?  We ventured out to the store to buy some acrylic paints, then home, then back, because I forgot to pick up gold paint, and Judd knows how Jessa gets when she doesn't have just what she has in mind.  Haha!  What a great guy!  Before coming home, we trolled the alleyways of Tower Grove looking for some scrap wood.  Totally unrelated to the DIY project, but we had a blast, and found a great palate that actually fit in the trunk. And the dogs loved the car ride, so I thought I'd mention it! 

Finally we returned home, and sprawled everything out on the floor, turned on some Elvis (I LOVE me some EAP), and got down to business... I mean, TCB!!  Judd is a very clean painter... I, on the other hand....

Step 1:

...Anyway!  Painting is so relaxing, 4 out of 5 doctors recommend it.  So here's what you need:

* horns/trophy. The ones shown here are resin, but we saw some great single horns at the flea market yesterday for $5, and they were naturally shed so that's very relieving if you are of the vegetarian persuasion like us.  You could also try Craigslist if you want some real horns/skulls, they'll be more expensive, but you'll still be on the cheap because they're used!

* acrylic paints- try some bright colors!  Make sure you have a decent amount of white too.

* synthetic brushes- Michaels sells some very cheap brushes in various sizes and shapes already packaged.

* a glass of water, a few paper plates, and paper towels

* and if you're like me, lay down some paper bags or something to paint on, or you will ruin your floor or table!

Step 2:

Give it a once over with your white and a big brush.  The white will give you a good surface to paint on, and it will help your colors pop!   Fill in any nooks and crannies by stippling.

Now you're ready to get creative with some color!  If you decide to do stripes like we did, take a deep breath and know that your hand is steadier than you think.  It is much easier to keep your brush flat, parallel to the object, and then slowly turn the object away from your brush.  It may take some practice, but before you know it, you'll have a perfect stripe every time!

If you choose to add some detailed designs, get yourself a tiny brush and practice on some scrap paper.  And remember if you mess up, you can always paint over it.

...And the big reveal!