Decorating a Built-In Shelf {with Faux Taxidermy}

When we were building our house, I had the hardest time deciding if I wanted built-in shelves.

I knew that built- in shelves could be really amazing, if they were done right. But I also know that they could be a terrible, dusty, cluttery disaster.

It was a toss up for me, but after all was said and done, I decided to say “yes” to the built-in shelf, but “no” to grandma’s nic-nacs and ceramics. And it’s harder than you think. Those thrift store nic-nacs are just dying to get up there on that shelf, and it’s taking some willpower to keep them away.

This little shelf is always a work in progress. It changes with the seasons, and I keep adding and subtracting from it.

A few weeks ago, it looked like this…

Don’t those antlers look silly? My husband and his poor tiny baby antlers. He got made fun of a lot when these were hanging in our house.

But, thanks to the addition of our friend, Murray the Moose…

 The entire shelf looks a lot better.

I love how sleek and clean everything looked once I added our faux taxidermy moose head up on the wall. The all white is so classy, and I can’t believe the difference it made to change out our baby dear antlers for this gorgeous moose head. Faux taxidermy is very on-trend right now, and I have to admit that I really love it.

Of course, Murray the Moose is the shining star in this entire display. But there are a few other elements that make it all work together.

You may remember my Painted Vases. They add such a simple pop of color, and they are really easy to make. {By the way, I dropped that giant teal vase on my 5 year old son’s head once while working on the shelf. The vase didn’t break, but the head required staples. Mother of the year, I tell you.}

The little white frame is from Ikea, and inside is a little scrap of fabric from one of my throw pillows. Framing fabric is so quick and cheap.

I stuck one of my yellow Spring Kissing Balls on a stick and put it in a painted vase. Repurposing at it’s finest.

The little plate is from Tai Pan Trading, and I just cut a little vinyl decal with my Silhouette. It was a 5 minute project.

The oil lamp was a wedding gift. It really works, but I love the touch of antique it brings. And the other lamp came from Ikea. I honestly think it’s a little small for such a high space, but I’ll leave it for now.

The giant vase in the corner came from Tai Pan Trading. All of the flowers came from the dollar store. Remember them from here and here? And I know what you’re thinking… that’s a lot of floral, right? Right. It’s one of the things I’m planning to change when my decorating budget {of zero dollars} increases.

 The wooden crate came from Joann’s. I stole it from my mom, and she doesn’t know I did, but I’m thinking of painting it Butter yellow.

The white vase inside the crate came from Ikea, and so did the skinny yellow one on the end.

Yes, I have Christmas lights strung across the entire shelf. The lights are on a switch, so I can turn on my “mood lighting” anytime I please. I know, the Christmas lights are borderline tacky. Just go with it.

I framed Murray in a giant, wooden frame that I picked up at a garage sale for $3 and spray painted teal.

All in all, I’m glad I gave the go ahead to building this shelf. I don’t think the decorations are exactly how I want them yet, and honestly, the shelf will probably be in a constant state of changing and rearranging, which is actually one thing I love about it.

But for now, I love it.

 And the gallery wall below, really adds to the whole thing.  I’ll share more about this gallery wall a little later.

 But, really, let’s go back to the star of the show.

Isn’t this guy fantastic?

 He came from a little Etsy shop called Near and Deer, and I am in love with him.

Near and Dear is my newest sponsor, and I’m so excited to introduce them to you guys, so make sure to check back on Thursday. I’ll be sharing a little bit about the company, and I’ve got a discount code for you! And it’s a good one too.