Blog Swap with Claiming Our Space

I am so happy to be guest posting here at Adventures of a DIY Mom. I hope you like my Plastic Horse Bookends.  Don't forget to head over to Claiming Our Space to see the great project Rachel has going on.  I am inspired to tackle some of the furniture pieces in my basement.

I was horse-mad as a kid and had horses all over my room. Over the years, they were given away, broken, or donated but a few managed to get boxed up.  I had previously turned one into an art piece and when I found this beautiful palomino in another box, I knew I had to transform him as well.

This project is a bit time consuming, mainly because of the wait time for the drying paint, but I really like how it turned out.

You will need 

• a large plastic horse
• tape
• hack saw
• sanding block
• 2 small pieces of wood
• gorilla glue
• kreg jig
• wood glue
• 4 larger pieces of wood
• screws
• caulk
• spray primer
• spray paint

1.  Start with your large plastic horse.  Mark with tape where you will want to make your cut.

2.  Make your cut. If the edges are a bit rough, sand them with the sanding block. Give each side a quick spray with the primer.

3.  My horse was hollow so I needed to add an additional support to screw into the wooden part of the bookcase.  I cut 2 small pieces to fit inside, rounding the edges. I used the gorilla glue to secure it inside the horse.

4.  I used my Kreg jig drill the holes to secure the pieces of wood for each bookend.  I used the wood glue for a little extra insurance.  If you don't have a Kreg jig, just make sure to pre-drill your holes so the wood doesn't split. 

5.  To secure horse pieces to wood, I pre-drilled a hole and screwed everything together.

6. Using caulk, fill in any gaps. 

7.  Give everything a spray and you are all set. I used Krylon Ivy Leaf.  It is the same green that is in the fabric for the chair I am reupholstering.

So if you come across a plastic animal from your childhood, don't throw or give it away, turn it into bookends so you can see it every day.  I like that a piece of my childhood has been re-imagined in my present.