I don’t know about you but I love to make my home look amazing without spending tons of money. These look like you spent $50 at Pier One Imports but you only need a 5 dollar bill and a trip to your local craft store!
If you are an animal lover like me, you’ll love this DIY project! Elephants are a symbol of good luck, so it’s always good to have them in your home! I put these in my home office on my book shelf to help liven it up a bit.
This project literally cost me $4. That’s if you already have the spray paint and super glue, which I did. Boo Yow!
Tools You Need
- 2 Plastic Elephants ( I got these elephants for $1 each at Wal-Mart)
- 2 Wood Platforms (I got these for .79 each at A.C. Moore)
- Gold Spray Paint
- Super Glue
Time Required
- 1 to 2 hours, which includes drying time. (The project is muy simple but it’s time consuming because you need to wait for the paint to dry, reapply, etc)
Instructions
These instructions are based on the Gold Elephant Bookends that I created in this picture. If you want to learn more, keep reading!
Step One
Wipe off any dust or splinters first. Spray the wooden platforms with spray paint. Apply as many layers as needed. Set aside and allow them to dry.
Step Two
Spray the plastic elephants with spray paint. Apply as many layers as needed. Make sure to get inside all the cracks and crevices! Set aside and allow them to dry!
Step Three
Once everything is dry, apply a dab of superglue to the bottom of each foot. Adhere to the top of the wooden platform. Let them dry.
That’s it! It’s really that easy and they look so chic and irresistible! Don’t you agree?!
Enjoy!
Disclosure – I can not take credit for this DIY as it’s all over the blogosphere and I really don’t know who the original creator is. If I did, I would give them all the credit. What I do know is that I’m obsessed with plastic animals right about now.
Rina says
September 8, 2012 at 2:19 pmLove this! It is amazing what a little spray paint can do. Definitely need to get to Wal-Mart for plastic animals for my art room. Stopping by from SITS.
Rina
Mimi @ Irresistible Pets says
September 10, 2012 at 9:30 amRina,
Thank you! Spray paint is a miracle worker! lol. Thanks for stopping by!
Chelle {Everyday Polish} says
September 8, 2012 at 3:53 pmThese look so nice nobody would ever believe they were only $4! Pinning!
Thanks so much for stopping by with a comment earlier – yay SITS love 🙂
Mimi @ Irresistible Pets says
September 10, 2012 at 9:30 amThanks Chelle! SITS is the best!
Jamie @ Roubinek Reality says
September 9, 2012 at 1:34 amI have been wanting to do one of these gold spraypaint projects for a while now. They really do look super expensive. Love them!
Mimi @ Irresistible Pets says
September 10, 2012 at 9:30 amThanks Jamie! You should try it out!
Michelle Mossey says
September 9, 2012 at 10:04 amCute idea and so simple! Now something like THIS I could actually do. Visiting from SITS! :0)
Mimi @ Irresistible Pets says
September 10, 2012 at 9:29 amThanks Michelle! They were sooo easy to make! Thanks for stopping by!
Kelly @ A Swell Place to Dwell says
December 5, 2012 at 10:20 pmGreat minds must think alike…I have almost identical book ends, but I filled my elephants with cement. Your’s look very regal on their little pedestal. http://www.aswellplacetodwell.com/2012/03/diy-brass-book-ends.html (don’t mind the pictures….it was one of my very first posts, before i learned that pictures make the blog!).
Liz says
April 17, 2014 at 10:41 amHey Aimee!
We featured these on our Gold DIY Round UP post! They are so classy looking! Check the link out here!
http://www.goedekers.com/blog/weve-gold-digging/
Thanks!
Liz
Aimee Beltran says
April 18, 2014 at 2:11 pmThank you so much for featuring my project! I appreciate it!
Claudia says
December 2, 2014 at 10:22 pmHi! I was wondering what dimensions were of the elephant and wooden block?
I can only find elephants of about 1-2inches!
Thanks!