An Antler Makeover

So for a while now I've been intrigued with antler-like objects. I think the rustic elements really are the reason why I'm so attracted to them. About a year ago, my hubby came home from a hunting trip with a nice little surprise on the stove. He was boiling a set of antlers from a deer he had killed that day. I wasn't sure how to feel about it because a.) he was boiling antlers in my kitchen! Gross!!!  b.) he killed bambi!!!  and c.) he was really proud of himself... so should I be proud of him??? ugh regardless - I couldn't do anything about bambi at this point so I had to move on... *tear* I will say this is probably where my creativity had to kick in because guess what - he wanted to mount this thing. I was still seriously grossed out and sad at this point, but I started brainstorming ways to make these antlers "rustic chic." I didn't have pinterest at the time, but below are a few images I recently pulled that were similar to my inspirations at the time:

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After looking through rustic inspirations like these, I knew I would be able to easily mix the antler look into our home in a mix-matchy kind of way. This is also where I fell in love with the organic feel that these objects bring to a home. (Preferring faux antlers of course!) After a year or so of moving my hubby's "trophy antlers" around the house - trying to find them their proper home, they ended up in our new office. I'll give y'all a closeup pic once I post the office reveal. That will be coming soon!

Now here is where the REAL makeover comes into play. A few weeks into my antler craze, I had made another one of my frequent trips to Marshalls and found the ugliest/most amazing lamp ever. Prepare yourselves people. It looked like it came right out of a 1980's summer camp cabin or something. It was SO ugly that it was on clearence for $10. I just couldn't pass it up. Here is the before:

That was the shade... I shamefully just left it at the store. I mean hey, maybe someone else would really love it?? Here is the pic of the rest of it:

 

They were pretty terrible separately, so imagine them together. Scary! After my Marshalls trip, I walked on over to Target to pick up a simple black shade. I think I ended up finding this one for like $7.99 on clearance. (note: the shade isn't shiny, I just hadn't taken off the wrapping yet)

After taping off the parts I didn't want sprayed, it was time to get to work. With just about 2-3 coats of a matte white spray paint and a new shade, here is the after:

 And here is a close up:

So that's my antler makeover! Hope y'all enjoyed:) Some of these pics give you a little sneak peak of our updated entryway. I will be posting about that later in the week, so check back to see!

Happy Monday,