Little Buffalo

Changing minds

It took me a little while to get into the whole buffalo skull on your wall trend. Actually, I didn't care for them until I found one hidden in my dad's barn. There it hung on a rusted nail, covered with an inch of dust. As soon as I saw it, I was climbing over dressers and rotted lumber to grab ahold of it! That sounds like an exaggeration, but unfortunately it's not. Matt may or may not have rolled his eyes at me once he saw what I was after. (But now it's hung on our wall... and he likes it. Thus, I win.)

A while ago (who knows how long) my dad snagged a lot of Central High School's slate roofing. The palates have been sitting in the barn as well... When I saw them, I grabbed four pieces and brought them home to St. Louis.

The plan: Hang my buffalo skull on my wall. The dilemma: How?


Ingredients: 
- Skull
- Slate or wood
- Hydrogen peroxide 
- Water 
- 5 gallon bucket 
- Drill 
- Mollies
- Screws 
- Level
- Wire
- Scissors 

Before I did anything, I cleaned the skull. I soaked it in a 5 gallon bucket with water and hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours. After that, I let it air dry in the sun for 48 hours.

My clean little buffalo. 

We decided to hang the slate behind the skull, this would create a picture-like effect. The skull wasn't in perfect condition, but neither was the slate- so we played the imperfections up. 

Grabbing old rags, Matt and I cleaned the slate to show the natural color better. Some were green, some purple, some grey. Neat-o. 

Next, my handyman Matt, started drilling holes into our walls. We decided to use mollies, which allow you to hang something anywhere- without finding a stud. Leveling each individual rectangle as he went. 

Slate is surprisingly easy to drill through... I wouldn't know. But Matt informed me. 

After all of the slate was hung, I wrapped wire around two holes in the skull. The wire then hung on two screws which were drilled into the slate. 

Then we were finished! Easy peasy! Now we have a unique center piece in our apartment. All from my  dad's barn! 

See that cute coat rack  and bookshelf?!

Oh! Look how cute my new coffee table and arrangement is?? I'm in love with these coffee table 

books! 

Xx,

Alex