Hello again,
Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to fill in my reader survey, it means so much to me.
Hopefully together we can make Bridal Musings the best it can be. *dramatic fist pump*
Now onto a feature that always goes down well with you crafty, creative brides and lovers of all things pretty ~ it's BUY or DIY? time!
Gold Animals
Have you noticed that gold animals have started to pop up everywhere?
I've seen them used as ornaments in stylish homes, as place settings, escort ‘cards' and table numbers at weddings, and even cut in half and used as fridge magnets. Pinterest is a veritable golden menagerie at the moment. And is it any wonder?
These gilded creatures are cute, quirky, whimsical and give an air of luxe to any tabletop.
This is my kind of DIY project ~ it's simple, cheap as chips and doesn't require a lot of resources. However, if time is of the essence or you're just not into DIY, which is ok too, you know. (Please don't ever feel pressured to DIY your wedding to the nth degree!)
Then here are some options of where to buy them:
BUY ~ Gold Animal Decor
top row: large gold animals (7″ x 4″) $18.50 via Original Animal Magnet
bottom row: (7″ x 4.6″) $29.99 via White Faux Taxidermy
These gold animals are perfect for wedding – to – home decor, you could place them in the center of tables on stacks of books as a centerpieces. Guests can then go to their assigned animal table. Then after the wedding use them as mantle piece/bedside table decor or as bookends. However these gold animals would be a very expensive option to buy in bulk!
Gold Animal Magnet Favors
Buy animal magnets in bulk from $1.35 per piece ($148 for 100) for your wedding favours and/or place settings they'd be perfect for a barn or backyard wedding. (Unless, of course you find them a little creepy like I do!) The ones above are by Original Animal Magnets.
BHLDN also do a set of 6 animal magnets in white with cute gold dipped feet for $34
DIY – Spray Painted Animals
It's amazing what a lick of gold paint can do for tacky, plastic animals bought from your local dollar store!
Resources
~ A selection of plastic animals
~ Metallic gold spray paint
That's it.
Oh and you might want to put some newspaper down and put on gloves before you end up covering yourself and your floor in gold paint.
photos via With An IE
Here's a step by step tutorial with photos via Design Sponge if you want a visual guide…but really, you just spray and go!
Where to buy plastic animals in bulk for this project:
Dollar / £1 stores usually have a selection of plastic animals.
Windy City Novelties offer plastic animals at 2 and a 1/2 inches in assorted packs from farm animals to wild animals for around $2 by the dozen.
Safari on Amazon have a wide range of plastic animals that come in tubes of around a dozen.
Toy Farmers have lots of farm animals in a wide variety of sizes (which is helpful, depending on how you wish to use your animals).
How To Incorporate Spray Painted Animals Into Your Wedding
Style Me Pretty | Sitting In A Tree Events | 100 Layer Cake | 100 Layer Cake | Green Wedding Shoes
Martha Stewart Weddings | Kara's Party Ideas | 100 Layer Cake | 100 Layer Cake | Bridal Musings
A stylish couple who's wedding I featured a few months back had a fantastic idea on how to use animals as table settings, check it out here.
Green Wedding Shoes | Sarah Fritzler | Simply Jessie Photography via Bridal Musings
The Sweetest Occasion (check out the full tutorial on animal candlesticks here) | Paper and Ink
How chic is that? A white pig on craft paper menue with a cute name tag via Once Wed
Top Tips
>> Choose animals that are meaningful to you and your partner. Are you dog lovers? Get a selection of cute pups. Do you refer to each other affectionately as ‘honey bunny' and ‘pookie bear'? Gold bunnies and bears it is!
>> Why limit yourself to animals? Dinosaurs are fun! Or how about toy soldiers, skulls or vehicles? (Mini gold plane favours for a destination wedding anyone?!)
>> How about dusting a little gold glitter over your animals for a super sparkly effect?
>> Don't just go for gold! How about painting your animals neon, silver or white? Or a mix!
Design by The Good Machinery , check out the shop here
I love the effect created by painting animals a bold neon colour then dip dying certain parts gold.
>> Everyone loves mason jars (especially here in the US) so why not create cute displays for your sweetie table with these adorable animal topped jars!
via Land Of Nams
>> Keep a few animals aside to use on the kid's table (young children will most likely prefer to see the markings/true to life colourings) but bear in mind that these small toys are not suitable for children under 3 as they're a choking hazard. (For more advice on children at weddings, check out my complete guide.)
So are you loving these gold animals as much as I am?!
If so, would you BUY or DIY? (This time I'd definitely DIY, can't wait to try this one out!)
More crafty DIY projects + my BUY or DIY? series
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