Rustic Reindeer Wall Plaque
My family spent Thanksgiving at a rustic lodge in Franklin, TN. It had a huge stone fireplace that went soaring 20 feet up. All I could do is think of what I would put on that rustic stone for the holidays.......so here it is, my answer to decorating a rustic lodge for Christmas....or, in my case, if you want to pretend you're still in a rustic lodge.MATERIALS
12 pieces of wood aprox. 6" wide and 24" long (I used cedar fencing since it's about $2.00 for a 6' piece, but wood from a pallet would work as well.)
Jigsaw
Sandpaper
Stain (optional)
Wood glue
Power screw driver or nail gun
STEPS
Create the back panel by evenly lining up 5 boards and then laying two boards crossways on top of them. Glue and then screw or nail gun the two crossboards in place.
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Lay out another 5 boards going in the opposite direction and draw your deer head. (There are so many other options as well: it would also be great doing a pine tree or a snowflake...)
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Using the jigsaw, cut along your pencil lines. It can get a little confusing since what was once one plank may end up being several pieces once it's cut. Remember that you want to keep the outside of the deer, not the inside. Also, I liked to keep track of all the pieces by putting them back in place once they were cut - there were several times that I realized a piece I thought was scrap was the tip of an ear or something like that.
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Once you've got it all cut out, do a quick sanding to remove any rough edges and erase any pencil lines that might be showing. If you want to add some stain or paint, now's the time. It's much easier to stain all the separate pieces I found. If you're using some reclaimed wood or old pallets it will look great without anything. The brand new fence boards I was using needed a little love, so I used a dark walnut stain.
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Once it's dry, go back and reassemble the puzzle. To attach all the pieces, apply wood glue and then either nail gun it from the front our use wood screws from the back. Once it was all together I then went back with another coat of stain just on the inside of the deer to add a little contrast, totally unnecessary, but I think it did make it pop.
Enjoy.