We have a new friend hanging out in our kitchen. I found this guy at Hobby Lobby during one of their all-the-time 50% off sales for $12. You know me and faux animals. Faux sho they’re mine.
Then he sat in our playroom for a while (a while = 6+ months) and I recently walked in there and had this moment where I said to myself “Self: you have got to stop hoarding things in this room. Use them or lose them.” Which led to an initiative I like to call “Dude, Get On That Already.” The dude being me. Naturally. So I’ll probably revisit this initiative over the next few weeks and months (at least I hope I will) as I systematically pare down the hoarded playroom clutter and decide whether I’m going to keep things and actually use/hang/enjoy them or craigslist/donate/yard sale ’em. A lot of things end up in there for one of two reasons:
- I’m not quite sure where to hang them (so I stick them there and say “I’ll get to it later” and later turns into never)
- I plan to somehow alter things by painting or staining them (so I stick them there and say “I’ll get to it later” and later turns into never)
Well not anymore, folks. I dug in and grabbed my horny little friend and marched his antlers all around the house, trying to find a spot to hang him up and actually enjoy him instead of hiding him away in The Room Of Chaos (yes, that’s its formal name these days, so it gets capital letters and everything). Anyway, after walking around for a while I decided it’d be fun in the kitchen next to the fridge, but the original black color (although very cool in its own right) wasn’t working there. So I dragged my buns outside with a piece of cardboard and some leftover white primer + spray paint.
You know my “thin thin thin and even coats” catchphrase when it comes to spray paint, so I snapped these three in-progress spraying shots to show you how each coat is a nice thin mist. You definitely don’t get full coverage with one thin coat of spray paint – which is a good thing. You’re doing it right if it takes about three of them to slowly accumulate. And always keep your hand moving and hold it 8-10″ away. No thank you drippies. Not on my watch.
Speaking of spray painting tips, this guy’s antlers were still looking dark on the underside, which I knew would be seen when we hung him up, so I waited a full day for his front to cure and then flipped him over to give him a nice deep tissue massage with spray paint on the back.
John and I actually considered a few crazier colors (plum, navy, yellow) but thought that the white would look nice on our grellow walls- especially with the gold mirror in the laundry room so close by (it’s on the other side of the doorway, so we didn’t want it to have to fight for attention). But I have big plans for some of the other things lurking in the playroom. Oh yes, plum, navy, and beyond…
Don’t mind the paint touch ups we have been meaning to do for over a month. I’ll get to it sometime. Unless I’m too busy spray painting various faux animals.
Work it, antlers. Work it.
As for how I hung it on our paneled walls, anchors are a gal’s best friend.
Here’s the box we’ve had… oh… maybe a year?
They seem to last, which is nice because it’s so annoying to run to the store for little hanging stuff. Boo to that. Anyway, for those who might not know how they work, this might sound like “health class” in 5th grade, but the anchor is the white thing and the screw is the silver thing you know what a screw looks like. So you drill a tiny pilot hole into the wall, hammer (or push) the anchor into the hole, and then screw the screw into the anchor.
A into B, baby. Oh but just leave a little bit of the screw sticking out for hanging whatever it is you’re hanging on it (the anchor should be flush with the wall, but the screw might stick out half an inch). Das it.
I gotta tell ya, it took less than an hour of actual time (drying time doesn’t count because you don’t have to stand there and watch it). And that not only includes my little spraying trips in and out for those thin coats but also the whole hanging shebang after he was fully dry. So I have high hopes for my little “Dude, Get On That Already” project. I might just keep this up! And if I ever want to pop it off the wall for a fabulous royal wedding, it makes for a great fascinator.
So are you guys with me on this weird little self-imposed challenge? Any items (or an entire room full of stuff) that you’ve been putting off? Wanna tackle it with me as I go? I’d love to get to at least one thing a week but with kitchen/kid/book stuff I’m not sure if I can stick to that, but it’s definitely the goal! Oh and what should I name this guy? Or is naming white faux animals weird when they don’t have faces? Malcolm? I keep getting Malcolm.
And speaking of projects… surprise!
My apologies for the crazy lighting (oh yeah and the ladders and the dropcloths) but we’re in the midst of getting new lighting! Hah. So there’s just one floor lamp illuminating the back corner of our windowless interior room. Which explains why it looks like a glowing Katy Perry alien is hiding back there or something. But as crazy as it looks… wahoo, it’s progress! More details about the whole process as soon as it’s a wrap (and it’s all cleaned up, photographed, and written out) on Monday!
Sarah says
Fun idea. I like the antlers in the kitchen. I just framed and packaged a piece of needlework I made for a friend’s wedding gift (she decorates in a very colonial style). Let’s just say she’s had two children and built a house since that wedding happened – it was a little overdue for mailing.
Rachel says
Cute! I definitely need some faux antlers somewhere in my life. Get on that!
Jenna B. says
Sherry and John,
I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I’m hooked! Your posts are always informational, well written, and funny. Faux sho! Love it!
Jenna
jessica says
That’s my new year resolution to tackle one project a week.
Where is your trash can from and do you like it, is it functional?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, it definitely does the job! It’s from HomeGoods.
xo,
s
Sally @ Exploits of a Military Mama says
I wonder how many teenage boys are going to be very disappointed when they google “Horny little friend” and friend your antlered beauty?
I love it, by the way. And I have a little black bird in my garage that I started to spray paint yellow about a month ago and left to dry overnight never to return. I must get back to him.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha. I love it. Once a while back we saw incoming links to our site for “young hot love” or something and we just shook our heads. Haha. What a letdown to see us painting something.
xo,
s
Erica Smith says
We (as in: we, we, hubby and me) live in a 650 square foot home, so we gave ourselves a We’ve Got To Move It, Move It challenge about a week ago that pertains to our spare room – move it, move it out if it’s not being used. It’s slowly evolving from the fullest room in our house to the cleanest/blankest slate, and will hopefully become a super duper functional craft room/office/Erica learns to sew and amazes everybody with homemade gifts room. I just started reading your blog about a month ago and I love it. I’m constantly turning to it for inspiration and cute pictures of Clara and Burger.
Molly says
I am in love with operation DGOTA. Our future nursery has been the dumping grounds for unpacked boxes and various other items, and they all need to go before I am too big and awkward to carry stuff down to the basement.
Also, you are now secretly inspiring my husband… we are tiling the shower, and my row of pretty accent tile wasn’t a perfect fit, so he started talking about scootching it around and eyeballing it so it fit and the seams didn’t look weird… and I asked if he had read about your kitchen tiling extravaganza… and he looked at me sheepishly and continued moving tile. He is soooo busteddddd.
YoungHouseLove says
Bwahahahahaha. I love it.
xo,
s
Alex says
Very cool transformation. I’m actually working on hanging a gallery wall in my bedroom, using your guys’ newspaper technique, so I have frames stacked up in my living room. Makes me a little anxious, but it’ll be awesome once I hang it all up.
Holly says
Those antlers seem like the perfect place to hang a cute apron… I never wear one, but they sure have some adorable ones out there!
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!
xo,
s
heather says
mother-son-of-a-bee-sting! I never thought of using the antlers are an apron rack and I have more aprons than Julia Childs has wine. (False. No one does). We have real antlers at our house (though I refuse to let them, or a mount of any kind be hung) but now I might have to go find some naturally shed ones from moose or something, paint them and turn them into an apron rack. A bajillion points to holly for best idea today.
heather says
…anndd holy crap I just Maine’ed myself into a stereotype. I never thought I’d say, “..I might have to go find some naturally shed ones from moose…”. *head hits desk*.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you Maine’d yourself. I love it.
xo,
s
Erin @ One Project at a Time says
Sounds familiar- I’m working on a “clean up your closet disasters” project right now! When we moved into our big foreclosure dump (8 months ago), we had so much reno to do that many things just got stuffed in any closet we could find. We had priorities. Then as things got done, we started randomly digging through and tearing items out of said closets… which left a hot mess. It seems like a waste of time to clean out and organize closets while we still have so much reno to do, but I can’t take the near-fatal-disaster-waiting-behind-closet-doors anymore. Here’s closet #2 we just posted about today: http://oneprojectatatime.blogspot.com/2012/01/disaster-closet-2.html
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! You go girl!
xo,
s
Nicole says
Random comment… you totally look like Clara (or is it the other way around?) in your fascinator picture. A cute, happy-go-lucky (an expressive) family!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks! I love hearing that we look alike because most people who know us say she’s all John!
xo,
s
Kate says
Cute! He’s like a fun little surprise when you turn the corner there :)
Kathy says
Definitely need the “Dude Get on it Challenge”!! There’s three rooms that still need to be painted and we have our own Chaos Room that’s slowly growing as well as a “Chaos Corner” in our formel living room/dining room (that doesn’t actually have any furniture in it). The corner pretty much looks like Christmas vomited all over it… really need to get this holiday stuff in the attic soon!
Raina@ Mamacita Spins The Globe says
I am so with you on the buy it now, do it later front. I also love the fascinator, let’s hope that you get invited to a royal wedding and have the opportunity to wear “Malcom” out and about! :)
Karen F says
I am so with you on this challenge. I have a whole basement (and if I’m honest, attic, too) full of stuff. A lot of it was stuff that we once used and ended up replacing with something else, but the original item was still “good” so I couldn’t part with it. A lot of this happened before Craigslist existed! I’ve already sold a few things so now I’m motivated to keep going through stuff – if I keep it, I need to use it and enjoy it – if not, out it goes!
I also loved the surprise ending of this post! Yay lighting! For some reason when I saw all the dropcloths, my immediate thought was that you’re repainting the walls (even though you’ve said a bazillion times that you love the color and it’s just funky on some monitors).
Ok, and lastly (longest comment ever?) I was in West Elm yesterday and thought of you, Sherry – they have a TON of white ceramic going on!
Karen F says
oh, and I forgot to mention that my husband and I discussed a frame wall similar to yours (but smaller) – I’ve started collecting the frames and pictures but have done nothing to start hanging them – so that will be one of my first “dude, get on that!” projects!
YoungHouseLove says
You go girl!
xo
s
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh sounds like I need to get thee to West Elm immediately.
xo,
s
Kim S says
I think you should totally use that to hang things (cute, colorful aprons, etc). Is it stable enough on the wall? Function and flair!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- yes! I tried to hang Burger’s leash on it and John made fun of me. So I put on my fascinator and stormed out.
xo,
s
Carolyn says
Love the antlers! I was wondering if sometime you could post on how you continue functioning when your kitchen is in-progress? Obviously at earlier stages you still had use of the stove, but in the “messier” stages when everything’s covered up, do you plan ahead of time what you’re going to do for meals? My husband and I are hoping to DIY a kitchen makeover sometime in the next year, but I’m nervous about how long we might be without a fully functioning kitchen. Do you take all that into consideration when you plan the stages of your project? Or do you just go with the flow and make it work? Maybe you have amazing microwave meals up your sleeve or just have feasts of cereal for dinner? Haha … Sometimes it’s the little things like this that make taking the leap into a project that much more daunting. Any tips would be helpful!
YoungHouseLove says
We really really try to have the majority of things working within 24 hours. We never were without a working fridge or stove (just moved it across the room and plugged it in with an extension cord until the electrician came and added a plug) but were without a sink for about three weeks (which stinks, but when you have a stove and a fridge you can still cool). Oh kitchen looks crazy in the pics, but by the end of the day the drop cloths will come down and we’ll be able to cook dinner in there believe it or not! And we’re cereal for breakfast and peanut butter and jelly folks for lunch, so we don’t need to cook stuff until dinner on days like this! Hope it helps.
xo,
s
Christine at Casa-de-Christine says
Love this Dude Get On It Already challenge. My spare room is a clutter zone too! It accumulates everything for “later projects” or wedding stuff. I cleaned it out once already and it’s full again… the door barely opens. Hoping to get around to some of it too! Thanks for the inspiration!
Kate says
I think you meant screw the screw into the anchor instead of “and then screw the nail into the anchor”?
(And wow, that’s a lot of…er, um, *screwing* for 11 AM on a workday!)
Also, I really like your self-imposed challenge. I have a whole bunch of “Dude, get on that already” projects laying around my house. I’ve been thinking that I need to devote some time to those, and your post is just the kick in the pants I need. No big plans are on deck for the weekend, so Imma gonna see what progress I can make!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha, yes. Yes I did.
xo,
s
Maureen @ This (Kinda) Old House says
I can totally appreciate the whole Room of Chaos. I have a Area of Chaos in every room of my house. I am in the midst of purging things. I have donated countless items and still have so much more to go. My husband and I are are collectors of many things, and sometime it just gets out of control. Plus, I am a sentimental freak about everything I own. I always joke to my husband that I will wind up on Hoarders some day. Ok, maybe I’m not that bad, but I am definitely in a “I must SIMPLIFY” place in my life.
And ditto to the person who mentioned how they love your writing style. I like when people write exactly how they “act” or “feel”.
Oh, and the lights are so exciting!
April says
I am with you on the use it or lose it challenge too. It is tiiime to get organized!
Darcy says
WOW!!! I totally wasn’t expecting that surprise of seeing the in-action of you getting new lighting!!! It made me surprisingly giddy for a day where I left my work badge and office keys at home today!!
LOVE your new antlers and love the name — He’s TOTALLY a Malcolm!
And, lastly — I am IN on your “Dude, Get on that Already” challenge! I need some serious change around my house, and A LOT of de-cluttering too! So, One thing a week sounds like a good goal for me too! And a way to keep me motivated until spring when I can re-do our dining table and chairs a lovely espresso color! I can’t wait to share pictures with you!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Excited for the pics!
xo,
s
Kelly F. says
Fantastic idea! Get on it already! For a little while I thought I was the only one with a room full of “it will go somewhere, someday” and “it’s a work in progress” projects/stuff. Maybe I shouldn’t feel so ashamed.
My guest room has a walk-in closet which I use for decorating stuff (pillows, wall art, wrapping paper, urns, candle holders, etc). This system works beautifully until I have a long term guest (more than a weekend). Then I not only have to share the closet but I no longer have full access. Houston, it IS a problem! Now things have piled up in the office and garage. It is time to cull the herd and use what I have (and I could have forgotten I had at this point). Thanks for the inspiration, one thing a week is totally doable!
Katherine says
When you paint the faux animal white…. and well, you paint anything out white – it works.
I have one a bit smaller, painted white with some white sparkle thingies {it came like that}. I put an organza bow around the neck and hung it on the backboard of our antique hutch….. in the kitchen as well.
I just hope that dinner guests don’t think that what I am cooking is the rest of the ‘ol boy.
Wom Mom Ethne says
I do have a buffalo skull hanging in my entryway, so I’m not judging, but in my house, Malcolm would get covered in scarves, keys, purses, etc. Mr. Buffalo, for example, holds my re-usable grocery bags. Ah well.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I wanted to hang Burger’s leash on him and John batted my hand away.
xo,
s
maribel says
My “Dude Get On That ”
go thru my IPhoto and delete all the blurry, duplicates, not so good pictures of my son (he’s three) and make a photo book of his first year and then start a family yearbook…I’ve been saying this for the last 2 years.
Jennifer G. says
Oh let’s see…there’s a painting that needs to be hung, some frames that need to be spray-painted and then filled…and then there’s the scrapbook paper collection. I realized I’m not a scrapbooker, but only after I had a crap-ton of paper. So I’m working through that by doing other projects…
Ashley says
Woo to the hoo(hat)! Wait, what sound do deer make?
Anyways, normally I can’t wait til the weekend but now I can’t wait til Monday!
Dana says
I love him (it?), but the only thing that bothers me is that it’s not hung in the middle of a panel. I know it’s probably centered on the wall, but because it’s not centered in the panel, it appears off to me.
YoungHouseLove says
In the pics the panels seem more defined (probably just how the lighting reflects to the lens) but in person the panels are so subtle that he felt the most centered in person when he was actually centered (we tried both placements and went with this one since it made the most visual sense to us). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Shellie says
I have a 3ft tall wooden reindeer named Malcom. He is fabulous.
I also name all our houseplants.
So I vote no on you being weird, haha.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, I only have a few house plants but they need names stat.
xo,
s
Jenna says
Noun 1. lumber room – a storeroom in a house where odds and ends can be stored (especially furniture)
I came across that term while reading A Christmas Carol and had no idea what the heck it meant, so I looked it up. As soon as I read the definition, I thought, “Oh! It’s like Sherry and John’s playroom.” Kind-of classy sounding, no?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love it.
xo,
s
karen says
yay! lighting! I can’t believe how much lighting costs?! I should have been a lighting designer.
Ginny @ Goofy Monkeys says
The antlers look great! You have me here wondering what I can spray paint next. I did our chandelier a little while back and I enjoyed it so much that I can’t wait to paint up something else….maybe I need to find me some antlers.
Barbara Collins says
Hi Sherry, love your blog–just wondering, how do you handle spray painting in the winter? In the sunroom, or do you go outside? I have things I need to spray paint.
YoungHouseLove says
I go outside but we have been having the best mild winter ever! It was 65 degrees and sunny when I sprayed Malcolm!
xo,
s
heather says
..annndd it was literally 2.7 here this morning.
Kate Battle says
Ohhh yay for new lighting! You guys are totally energizing me to keep going on my kitchen. I have the base cabinets all painted! Now to tackle the doors/drawer fronts and install my new range hood!
http://retroranchrevamp.com/2012/01/18/bases-loaded/
I love your challenge too! I have a pile of stuff like that. Maybe I will try and do one piece a week like you. It is so much easier (for any project) to break it down into bite size chunks! I wonder if I have any wall art that would double as a hat…hmmmm…
YoungHouseLove says
Looks so good already in there! You go girl.
xo,
s
Callie says
Looove it! And love the Dude Get On That Already challenge, haha. My husband makes jokes about my pile of chaos in the sunroom, something about Where Crafts Go To Die. I have to v. carefully point out the ones that DO get finished, hehe. :D I have three small (real) antler sets that we inherited from my husband’s grandpa when he lived in Africa and hunted African antelope – I’m so excited about them but they are currently in my Crafts Go To Die pile because I can’t decide whether to spray paint them white. What do you think?? Do you know if spraypaint comes off antler bone, if someday I didn’t want them white anymore? It’s a terrible conundrum.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I’m not sure it would. Anyone know of something less permanent? Could you wrap them really tightly with white yard or something? That could be fun!
xo,
s
Amy @ A New Old House says
LOVE the “Dude, Get On That Already” Initiative!
I’ve got an attic full of stuff like that.
Looking forward to seeing what else you’ve been squirrelling away in the RoC!
Jessica @ The Desert Abode says
I’m really excited to see your lighting project reveal! We inherited 2 ugly track-lighting fixtures in our kitchen and I really want to replace them. Most of the bulbs are burned out too (boo!).
Rebecca says
When I saw the spray painting pictures I thought, “Hmm, wonder why they are going with light blue.” Then I saw the final product (as white) and realized my screen color must be pretty off or it’s Thursday and my mind is loopy waiting for Friday to get here. None the less, nice quicky project!
Bree says
Malcolm is awesome!
Sheesh, as long as you have all that stuff drop clothed up, you should paint the ceiling! (didn’t you want to do that?)
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! We have a bunch of holes up there to deal with once electrical is done and then it’s next!
xo,
s
Haley @ thedistractedblogger says
I’ve been on a get ‘er done kick too. Mostly involving cleaning, but also finishing finishing my gallery wall. Had the empty frames up for months! Only one more mat to purchase and one more photo to print. SO close!
Vanessa says
When did you become a member of the royal family with your crazy antler hat. Princess Bea it mad jealous.
I may need to jump on this challenge with you. My kitchen cabinets are filled with things we don’t need/use but I think we will someday. That space would probably be better suited for food.
Wait, can we wear crazy hats during the challenge? If so – I am IN!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! I now formally declare it the Dude, Get On That Already While Wearing A Crazy Hat Challenge. Godspeed.
xo,
s
Emily says
Oh man, I just love those antlers!! The white really makes them pop.
As for the whole cluttered room situation, I was recently there too! We just moved into our house about 6 months ago and I JUST unpacked my craft room. I kept saying “I’ll get to it, I’ll get to it” (as my husband rolled his eyes, lol) and then one day, I just got down to it. I think I was so overwhelmed with not knowing how to store everything or where to put things that I just avoided it. Now I love it and can actually enjoy a spot to craft! You can do it Sherry!!!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Emily!
xo,
s
Ellen says
Awesome! I’ve got a white spray paint project on my weekend list too! Now you’ve got a spot to hang damp dish towels.. or not… haha
YoungHouseLove says
Haha – I think that’s cute.
xo,
s
heyruthie says
love the whole post.
EXCITED for the lighting!
*WONDERING* if that is a tiny toy Vespa Scooter lurking at the bottom of the second-to-last picture! If so, cute!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, yes – that was a bday gift for Clara from her grandparents. She loves sitting on it but usually just puts her animals on it and says “rocking, rocking, rocking.” Haha.
xo,
s
heyruthie says
kids. go figure! this morning our Slinky was a stethescope. they never play with it on the stairs!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha. I love it.
xo,
s
Erica says
Man, how cold is it out by you guys? I have a pile of stuff I have to spray paint… it’s waiting for warmer weather.
YoungHouseLove says
We are having the best winter! It was 65 degrees and sunny when I spray painted!
xo,
s
Erica says
Oh my! Luckies! You sure do live in a good part of the country.
SherriEakin says
Ok I was all into Malcolm and totally digging him until you showed me the kitchen with NO CEILING FAN and I was completely distracted/happy/excited/forgetting Malcolm existed. Yay for new lighting! Poor Malcolm, fixtures stealing his thunder and all… :-\
YoungHouseLove says
Poor Malcolm. Such is the plight of the faceless faux antler trophy.
xo,
s
Jessica says
Love Malcolm and love the progress on your kitchen. We’ll be gutting ours in a year or so (our cabinets are on baaaad shape, so no luck on refinishing like you guys), so I’m loving all the progress and tips.
On another kitchen note, I had a flashback to John’s Dexter post this morning. Tragedy struck two days ago when we had pipes freeze, and ServPro came this morning to rip down the ceiling. We totally have plastic sheeting hanging in half our house, and I definately sent a pic to my fiance with the caption “Dexter??”
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, so sorry to hear about your pipes freezing but so glad you saw the Dexter humor in it!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Love Sir Malcolm! I recently installed a floating shelf in our kitchen that’s been in our basement for 4 years!! I love the added functionality it brings and you’re absolutely right anchors are a girls bff! P.S. great surprise :)
Brandy says
While I don’t have a room dedicated to my “soon to get to but probably never” projects, I do have a giant closet in our garage to store what my husband calls my “horcruxes”. I have quite a few projects to start but then discovered sewing so now I need to prioritize. Why can’t there be more time in the day?