Our playroom makeover is almost complete, and I’m so excited about some of the finishing touches we’re adding! First we found the perfect toy storage and made adorable chalkboard labels so the boys know where everything goes. Then we added a vintage record wall, herringbone watercolor art, magnet boards, and simple animal artwork to help decorate the space! Everything is looking so fun and colorful, and today I’m super excited to show you my latest little addition to our playroom!
Plastic Elephant Book Ends!
I spotted this photo on Pinterest awhile back, and instantly fell in love. I knew I had to have them for our play room!
Come to find out, these adorable Labrador Bookends are from Pottery Barn Teen, which means definitely not in my price range!
One day while shopping with my blog buddy, Jocelyn, I spotted some little plastic elephants in the dollar bin at Michael’s and just knew they had to come home with me! Ever since my youngest son, Wyatt, was born, I find myself drawn to elephants for some reason. There’s some connection between the two. My aunt says it has something to do with the strong maternal instincts Mommy elephants have when their babies are born. Whatever it is, I just love them!
So I picked up two elephants from the store and came home to see what else I needed to DIY some book ends. I had a couple spare pieces of 1 x 4’s at home, so I decided to use those to create the base of my book ends. I cut the 1 x 4’s into four 5″ pieces and sanded down the rough edges.
Next I spray painted all the wood and the elephants. I first used a spray primer and then painted everything in a pretty teal blue, allowing to dry between coats. To protect the paint and give everything a nice, glossy finish, I also sprayed on a few coats of clear gloss sealer.
Once all the pieces were dry, it was time to assemble the book ends. First I laid one wood block down on a table. I applied wood glue to the long edge of another wood block and placed it sitting upright on the far edge of the bottom block, creating an L shape. Perpendicular to the bottom block, if you prefer : )
I held the block in place for a few seconds to allow the glue to set a bit, and then repeated the process with the other two wood blocks. To attach the elephants to the book end bases, I used a dab of my favorite E-6000 glue on the bottom of the elephant’s feet and placed him centered on the bottom wood block. You can use whatever super glue you have on hand!
After allowing the glue to adequately dry, I set the adorable new book ends on our shelves in the playroom:
I was worried they wouldn’t be heavy enough, but they hold the books up perfectly! And seriously, how cute is a tiny teal elephant? Swoon!!
Just think of all the other fun animals you could use too!
But these little elephants are definitely my favorite : )
And they look adorable sitting next to the Framed Giraffe Art I made with a simple dollar store frame and scrapbook paper!
It’s the fun little details like these book ends that give a room huge personality. I cannot wait to show you the playroom makeover room reveal soon!
Want to see all the projects from our Playroom Makeover?
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P.S. I’m sharing this post at some awesome link parties… Check them out HERE!
Adorable project! Love the knock off!
So cute! Love them! I recently did something similar with horses!
Jenna @ http://rainonatinroof.com
These are so cute, Liz. I have always loved elephants! I wish I could use book ends but our shelves are so packed with books there is no room. 🙂
Liz, those little elephants turned out so cute!!! I am suddenly feeling the urge to make some fun bookends for all the cookbooks on my shelves…I need some zebras 🙂
They’re adorable! I already pinned your giraffe… I’ll have to pin these, too 🙂 I want to make some someday…
<3 Christina @ I Gotta Create!
Wildly Original link party is open.
LOVE those elephants! And the color is perfect, too 🙂
This is just too cute. New follower.
I would love for you to link it up at: http://viewfromrivermountain.blogspot.com/2013/02/show-it-off-wednesday.html
Love the bookends, so creative!
The bookends are so cute!!
really cool! love the color too!
These are amazing! I’m pinning and making them immediately.
OMG love it! They came out great!
So cute! I saw something like this on pinterest also, and have been thinking about making some. I love how they turned out =)
These are so adorable and the color is fantastic! What color spray paint did you use? I need more of that color in my life!
Such a cute idea! This goes under the catagory of “why didn’t I think of that??”:)
These came out great! I’ve been wanting to make these. Thanks for the reminder 🙂
How cute!!! The possibilities are endless! Thank you for sharing!
Oooooh I love these!!! I have those PB Teen dog bookends pinned, too- love your version. Great find with the elephants. Just cute cute cute! Thanks for sharing at The Scoop (:
PS: I am also a recent city-turned-country girl with 2 boys!! Crazy!
What a super fun idea! I love the doggies, too. I’m going to start looking for a pair of my own animals to make these for myself!
I found you today thru the Linky Party at Sugar Bee Crafts, where I’m #245. I hope you get a chance to stop by my blog and leave a comment, too!
~ Megin of VMG206
Oh my goodness these are AMAZING. Like, totally something I would buy. I love it when unusual things are brought up to a chic level, you did such a great job!! New follower! ♥ If you have a minute, I’d love for you to link up to Sweet Sharing Monday! http://saynotsweetanne.com/2013/sweet-sharing-monday-40/
These are so adorable! Elephants happen to be my very favorite animal so I’m sold! Featuring tonight at Mom On Timeout!
These are super cool….with endless possibilities! Thanks for sharing!
Love these. So cute. I would love it if you share this on my Tuesday link party.
http://www.ifitsnotbaroquedesignblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/tuesday-link-party-9.html
so fun! what a great way to add some personality to a space, especially in children’s rooms! love the color choice. xo
-ashley
ashleyrachelle.com
These are fabulous!! Look just like the pricey ones!
These are so awesome! I’m kind of oddly obsessed with bookends. 🙂 I can’t wait to make some myself for my daughters’ room!
This is adorable! We don’t have a pottery barn in our area so I haven’t seen them before but holy crow they are awesome!
Re-doing our play room soon and these may have to be a new addition!
The book ends are adorable! Love it 🙂
Thank you for coming to the party, hope to see you again!
These are adorable Liz! They go great with your art work! 🙂
Thanks so much for coming out to the party at Clean and Scentsible. I will be featuring these tomorrow. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
Jenn 🙂
So super cute!! Featuring today at Mop It Up Monday!!
Totally AWESOME Liz!!!! xoxo
Thanks for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality! Can’t wait to see what you link up tomorrow evening 🙂
I love this idea! I want find labs and do them for my husband’s bedside table. His books are always a mess!
I love these! And I love the idea of making them with other animals, too.
i can’t wait to make some for our play room! i love them
LOVE THIS! Just pinned it!!! Thanks for sharing! have a super day! Smiles, Jill
everydayisanoccasion.com
These are too stinkin’ cute! I need to find some old animals and do the same! I’m hosting a “Craft With What You’ve Got” party and the featured crafting supply this week is craft paints. This project would fit in perfectly! I’d love for you to link it up here.
Danielle at Framed Frosting
I think this may be my Christmas gift project. I have some old sheets of acrylic that could be cut to size & screwed or glued to the bottom and extend under the books to hold it in place. I find bookends slide if heavier books are in them or some of that material to put under rugs to help them grip would also help. Thanks for the idea!
This is great! I just made some DIY A & Z bookends… I saw the animal bookends at PB Teen & some dipped wall letters there too… prices are outrageous! Love your tutorial – Thanks!
Your bookends sound SUPER cute, Rachael! I love re-creating that high-end look on a budget! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Loved this idea so much I shared it on my blog with my readers! I included a link back to your site for the full details, nice post!
– Julia from Bunny Baubles Blog
https://bunnybaubles.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/10-quick-and-thoughtful-diy-gifts-for-everyone-on-your-list/
Thanks so much, Julia!
Thank you so much Julia. Elephants are through out our house . . Paintings, statues and in our hearts. My wife was a missionary in Tanzania.