Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Painting A Thrift Store Wood Duck

We’re excited to share our Cincy adventures (we laughed! I cried! we got something confiscated at the airport!) and we’ve already started our Pinterest challenge project along with having a pretty cool before & after that’s almost done (just have to take pics and write that post for ya) so there’s lots going on in our casa – both duck related and beyond! I say duck related because, well… I snagged this odd little wooden duck for $4 at a thrift store here in Richmond (Diversity Thrift). The date? Oh, about a year ago. Yes dudes, I’m about to get on something after twelve solid months of the “thinking about getting on that” stage (you can read more about my weird little Dude, Get On That Already challenges here). So you can file this under fast and *almost* free (thanks to relying entirely on materials that we already had). Or you can just call it fly. Get it? I quack myself up. Ok, I’m stopping now.

Duck 1 Before

It’s hard to tell the duck’s scale in the pic above, but it’s about 8″ long. Here it is with a whole bunch of craft paint that I had on hand from previous projects like this and this. And see how I used masking tape to make stripes on Mallory (she’s a mallard, right? I hope she is, since I picked her name based on that not-substantiated fact). Anyway, those masking tape stripes were because as soon as I saw her in the thrift store I thought it would be fun to stripe her with a bunch of crazy colors. I know that sounds nutty, but to me it felt sort of Jonathan Adler-ish and happy-go-lucky. I mean if you can’t have fun with your wooden duck decor, where can you have fun?

Duck 2 Taped

It’s hard to picture, but I loved the idea of a stripes like this dachshund pillow from here (<– please click that link just to see the name of that site, which made me snort water out of my nose). And this awesome post about actual painted ducks from here definitely fueled the “paint it, paint it, paint it” chant in my head.

Striped Dog Pillow

I’m not gonna lie. About ten minutes into my project I was staring at this hot mess. And I thought this might be one of those “you know we share the good, the bad, and the ugly… and boy do we have an ugly one for you!” posts. The first coat definitely didn’t have great coverage, so it actually took a few of them for it to look not horrendous (hindsight = 20/20, I totally should have spray primed this guy before taping off the stripes).

Duck 3 Paint On

But in the end, after I removed the tape and free-handed the unpainted areas with differently colored stripes, I was left with this dapper little duck-friend. She’s adorable and perfect for a nursery/kids room/playroom, but I wanted to photograph her in the kitchen so you could see that she actually can live in adult spaces too. You know, like how this happy rainbow Jonathan Adler pillow could totally look awesome in not-just-a-kids room. At least for color-lovahs like me. But if it’s too much for you, you could just spray paint your own wooden duck a solid hue like glossy white or lime or navy for a fresh spin. You know, because every house needs at least one wooden duck.

Duck Afterclose

I actually like the added flair of the stripes. I think she’s cute with the spiky yellow vase and colorful art on the top shelf. And of course the fact that she’s neck in neck with a pig cutting board in a race towards the stove cracks me up. Who knows where she’ll end up though. Little items like this tend to move all around the house, so she might be on the kitchen mantel next and then end up on the console in the living room.

Duck 5 Kitchen Full

Goose, there it is.

Ok, I know that one’s a stretch because it’s clearly a duck, but I just had to try. What have you guys been getting on lately? As a side note, I don’t actually suggest getting on a duck. One bit my mom’s hand when we were young so I don’t think they like to be ridden (just to be clear, my mom wasn’t attempting to ride it when the incident occurred).

Comments

  2. Maureen says

    So cute! Never would have thought to do this. This is a great idea to try with anything you have around the house that could use some sprucing up. And, I am pinning this is, btw. Sorry if I am coming off as a total fangirl. :)

    Reply

  3. Jenna says

    I love animals. I love stripes. This is basically the perfect post for me! Although I think I would have given the duck a gloss clear coat to make him look more ceramic-y. But he’s a lucky duck to get to live at your house! :)

    P.S. I pre-ordered your book yesterday and am so excited to hopefully get to meet you guys in Charlotte in February!

    Reply

  12. Sarah says

    He’s so freakin’ adorable! I agree that he would look fun all glossy – maybe some wipe on poly (or spray on clear coat) would do the trick? LOVE the stripes and that you did it with craft paint.
    Sarah

    Reply

  15. Beccii says

    Aww I liked her as she was… Ducks are my favorite animals… Along with giraffes, rabbits, cats… Yeah I wuv animals :) Cute DIY idea though.

    Reply

    • Pam the Goatherd says

      I liked her as s/he was also! My living room is almost a wildlife museum, so Mallory (love the name!)would have stayed as he was if he had landed here.
      But I like the stripey idea. Something like that would work in my bathroom or kitchen or sewing room. Now I’ll be looking for potential things to paint stripes on!

  17. Jennifer says

    Its definitely a dude duck with that (formerly) green head – lady ducks are the brown ones. In fact, the dudes in most animal species are usually the ones with the pretty colors/plumage, while the ladies are brown or grey. How unfair is that? I think Mallory would look awesome with a glossy coat of poly on top.

    Reply

  18. Christine Somers says

    What a clever idea! My fiancée has a couple of these ducks but they are pretty scuffed up. He never tosses anything out so this is a perfect way to spruce up the duck which will make me happy and allow us to keep them which will make him happy. Thanks for a peace making idea!

    Reply

    • Pam the Goatherd says

      Christine, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure you ask your fiancee for permission before you go to painting his ducks!!!!! It is possible that they are collector’s decoys and if you paint over them you will destroy their value. That would most definitely NOT be a peace making move in your relationship!!!!

  19. Angie says

    First…. Ummm the name of that site is hilarious!!!! Can’t stop laughing!!! Second the duck is AWESOME, I suddenly want to go to the thrift store and get a wooden duck, never wanted one before… But will now be obsessively searching for one. Love it!

    Reply

  20. sally says

    Cracked up laughing when I saw the name of that website. Too funny! Saw a ceramic dog (small) at TJ Maxx yesterday and thought of you! The duck, interesting…better than the before look:)

    Reply

  21. Shannon says

    So colorful and creative! I am counting down the days til your Chicago West Elm stop… Did you know they closed the RSVPs because there were so many? You’re total celebs.

    Reply

  22. Catherine says

    Adorable!

    Tell the truth, Sherry. How long did it take you to feel good about your “free-handed” stripes? I’m afraid my OCD would take over and I’d be stuck trying to make them perfect for hours!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      This project was awesome because I just did it in small doses. One coat and then I had to wait for things to dry, so I could stop obsessing. Then by the second coat I could clean things up a little, and by the last coat it looked pretty good. Not perfect at all, but good ’nuff! Haha.

      xo
      s

  23. Leslie says

    Oh my… love the stripes! My mom has a duck that my grandpa carved, but it is gorgeous with the various wood tones, I wouldn’t dream of painting it.

    So do tell… WHAT did you have confiscated at the airport??? TSA not your best friends that day huh?

    Reply

  24. Mallory says

    I love that I now share the name of your little striped duck! Which is super cute by the way!

    My parents actually had a couple duck pictures hanging in the house when I was little, and for the longest time I thought my dad named me after the mallard. I used to be so embarrassed until the truth came out that it was actually from the show “Family Ties”, like pretty much every other 20-something Mallory I’ve met.

    Reply

  26. Julie says

    Cute! Can’t wait to meet you in WA, and I think you might be crashing one of my friend’s houses in Dallas (Dayme). Have fun – her house is fab!

    Reply

  28. Desiree C. says

    Good thing I didn’t take a drink of my iced tea (Caribou day at work today–woo hoo!) before clicking on the Pet My Weiner link. Bahaha! Who ever started that website could be my friend for sure.

    I love the stripes on the duck–such a neat approach! And that price really fits the bill! Ha! See what I did there?

    Reply

  29. Natalie says

    Totally cute! Might have to try this with some interesting creatures we recently found in our basement from my MIL’s house… an owl? a rooster? The possibilities are endless! Thanks for sharing this fun little ducky!

    Reply

  30. Erica says

    The pig cutting board is adorable. Where did you happen to find that? It would be a perfect gift for my pig loving sister!

    Reply

  32. Katharine says

    I can’t believe you passed up the opportunity to make an “ugly duckling” pun when you were talking about the duck mid-painting! I mean, it was right there!

    Reply

  33. Karen says

    Did you just freehand the second coat? Not sure if mine would come out looking right if I did that, so I was wondering if there was a trick or you are just better at painting then me?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, my trick was to try to rest my elbows on the table to steady both the brush and the duck (I was holding it in one hand and painting with the other) and using a small craft brush. It was only about a quarter of an inch thick, so it was easier to control.

      xo
      s

  35. Christina says

    That’s too funny – I saw a Wooden Mallard at my parents, and totally wanted to jack it for myself…and now, I will make that steal, and know what to do with it!! BTW…that website made me laugh out loud…no joke. LOL

    Reply

  37. Sarah says

    Cracking up at the line “but I wanted to shoot her in the kitchen.” Hoping we’re talking about a camera here and not ye olde duck hunt game.

    Reply

  39. Caity says

    Too cute. The before with the paint was a little scary but the before on the counter is super cute. You inspire me. :)

    Reply

  40. Alyson says

    LOL. You often make me smile, you sometimes make me laugh, but rarely do your entries feel like a stand up comedy routine like this one did. This is probably how a conversation goes with the real $herdog.

    Reply

  43. Kristan says

    So excited to meet you guys in Chicago! Did you know that they had to close the RSVP page early due to such massive response. You are popular here!!

    Reply

  45. Laura says

    What a great (and unique) idea! She/he came out really nice. And I like it in the kitchen, but I’m sure s/he will look good anywhere. :)

    Reply

  46. Steph H. says

    I could totally see you have a post where you make us ‘find the duck’ (or another little animal). I think it would be hilarious to see her hidden somewhere obscurely! We once did this with a stuffed pig in my art class in high school. It sat atop the intercom speaker a whole semester before the teacher noticed.

    Reply

  48. amy says

    Ha! That website contacted and asked me if they could sell my dachshund baby bibs on their site and I totally thought they were some perverted dudes trying to be funny! I went to the site and saw that they were real! Hilarious name! I can’t even bring myself to tell people the name of the website to buy the bibs from! Makes me blush! :)

    Reply

  50. Stephanie says

    Up close I was a little “eh” about Mallory but from far away I just love how fun and happy she looks. Also, I love ducks. Ducks are the bomb. I have to agree with someone above, I bet she’d look awesome glossy.

    I hope this weekend to “get on” putting up shelves all over my hizz-ouse. (Yeah, I just did that. I am delirious today.) There’s not a lot of storage up in this joint (seriously what’s wrong with me?) so I’m trying to create it.

    I bought a couple of adorbs plates from the Collections at Target (Curiousity Shop, I think. They are orange, green and blue with a big ? on them!) that are begging for some open shelf showcasing. They’re kinda attention-whores.

    Reply

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