King of the Jungle

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was full of love with our families this year. We even started a new tradition at the request of my father. A birthday cake for Jesus! I think it's the best tradition by far and can't wait to pass it down to our children!

Thanks for all of your patience while I took a little break from the blogging world. Life has been busy and challenging in the Lenz household. But what doesn't kill us makes us stronger and we both look forward to what 2011 will bring! More on that to come!

So as many of you know I am really big into DIY projects and I am really excited about the one I just completed last week! You can call me crazy but I have been completely obsessed with the all white animal heads on the wall similar to the ones at Z Gallerie. Now I know that this is not everyone's cup of tea and according to my interior designer friend I have an eclectic sense of style.

I just love the rhinos in this room both on the wall and on the coffee table!

Now as much as I love these crazy animals I really do not love the price! Seriously Z Gallerie you want me to pay close to $200 for an animal head. I don't think so. I am not that insane!

So I have been searching high and low for an alternative way of doing this. I looked at some second hand stores, Goodwill and even HomeGoods for what felt like months in search for something similar. Then I hit the jackpot about 2-3 weeks ago at my local HomeGoods.

This huge lions head was sitting in the clearance section just waiting for me to swoop it up. I don't think anyone else had the same thing in mind and it was seriously just meant for me. And not to mention it was so fitting since Chris and I were married at the Houston Zoo and after we said our vows the lion in the zoo roared. So to me it also has symbolism. This monstrous thing was huge and heavy but it only cost me $12! Yes you read that right $12! It totally made my day even though I received many strange looks as I was walking around the store with this ugly lions head in my arms. Priceless!

When I brought this thing home I must admit I hid it from the hubby for a few days. I had no idea what he would think of this thing and my crazy idea and since he actually likes to have a say in our house decor I was really afraid he would reject my idea. To my surprise a few days later after showing him the lion and a few pictures of what could be the end result he was all for it. He was even trying to figure out where we could put it so that everyone would see it! This is just one of the many reasons I love him!

So the next morning I went to Home Depot to get spray paint. I completely covered this thing! There were so many crevasses to make sure that I got all the paint on. It took about 3 or 4 coats to completely get it all covered. I let it sit for 3 days to make sure it was completely dry. I really didn't want and white paint on my walls.

The hubby and I decided that the front room that we are in the process of transitioning would be the perfect location for this new fella. It was meant to be for that spot and really makes a statement! I love it! He is King of the Jungle! I wish I had a better room view of the lion but these pictures are off of my phone. I promise to post a better one later. So here are the final results.

All in all I spent $18 on this project! Much more practical for my budget than $200. Just takes a little patience, determination and a vision to see beyond the imagination.

Next up on the todo list: I really want to try this stenciling project found over at one of my favorite blogs, Jones Design Company! I think it would be perfect in our guest bathroom! This one will take ALOT of patience and time!!!


I am so glad to be back in the blogging world! Get ready to see lots of posts in the year 2011! I am putting a list of goals together (not resolutions as those tend to easily be broken) for all that 2011 will hopefully bring! Starting thinking of your list and I will give the Linky another try so you can link your list with mine to share with others! I can't wait to see what everyones goals are!

Happy Monday! xoxo