Horns, antlers, animal skulls…. all such commonplace figures in decorating these days. And interestingly enough, they seem to fit in so many different decorating styles…. Southwest, Hunting Lodge, Nature…… and the oh so popular Farmhouse. All of which are about as far from my decorating style as humanly possible!! Yet… I find myself intrigued by horns and antlers and animal skulls because every so often I come across one that is cool… and dark… and weird….
Let’s not forget that these things also have a popular place in some darker subcultures like heavy metal music or pagan symbolism… so they certainly fit into a darker aesthetic… if you find the right piece….. OR are creative enough to repurpose!
This is a tale of finding a cool pair of horns in a most unexpected place, and turning that pair, which were most certainly meant for those earlier decorating styles I mentioned, into something dark & amazing.
So here’s the part I hate to admit…. I found these gold horned wine bottle stoppers at Hobby Lobby. Ugh – I said it. The truth is… I am not a fan of Hobby Lobby…. not because of their products but because of their policies. I do not care what a person’s religious beliefs are, but I am strongly against any person imposing those beliefs onto another, let alone an employer doing so to their employees… therefore I struggle with Hobby Lobby, a Christian Craft Store, known for its involvement with some discriminatory issues. I would like to say that I have boycotted this retail chain… and while I certainly make it a point to buy crafts elsewhere… as a practically professional DIY’er, I do regrettably find myself in their store every once in a while. But that’s what made this little find oh so special…. because you know that Hobby Lobby would shudder at the thought of their wholesome decor being used in this way… and that makes me smile!… insert evil grin.
OK.. off of my soapbox, and back to crafts! I found these wine bottle stoppers in the clearance section for less than $3!! They only had 2 left, so I snatched them both up. If you are looking for these.. I’d rush to the store before they’re gone, if they’re not already.
So… in reality, these bottle stoppers were pretty cool as is. I love the combination of black & gold…. but I thought I’d give a different spin to one of them, and I painted it with a gloss black spraypaint. That one is my favorite! I know, I know… what a fucking surprise… the darkling likes the black one best!!
I paired the stoppers with black wine bottles. To achieve these bottles, I lightly sprayed them with flat black spraypaint repeatedly until they were covered. OK, I’m not suggesting that you paint each bottle of wine that you intend to drink….. I’m fairly confident that these stoppers will look cool in any bottle of wine….. but today I’m bringing you a twofer… that’s right – another great idea….
Do you ever open a bottle of wine, and that last little bit gets forgotten about.. and a few days later you realize it’s gone bad? I know – there really should never be such a thing as left-over wine! But, c’mon.. it happens to the best of us. Do not throw that bad wine away!! Find yourself a cool bottle, and save that wine for cooking! And every time you have that bit of leftover wine…. add it to the bottle. No vegetable should be sauteed without a dash of that wine… and no jar of tomato sauce should be heated without a dash of that wine! I’m Italian and a vegetarian… so I follow these rules A LOT! That old wine will do wonders for your cooking! 🙂
So…. as you might have guessed.. this black matte bottle with the black horned stopper now has permanent residence in my kitchen as my Heavy Metal “Leftover Wine” bottle.
Interested in other wine bottle crafts? You have to try this DIY Beaded wine Bottle Cover or these Skull Wine Bottle Stoppers!
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