No need to wait for hunting season. Make jaw-dropping antler wall art with branches instead

Turn your home into a rustic retreat with antler wall art cleverly made from branches. If you like the look of deer antlers but can’t or don’t want to put the real deal on your wall, this project offers a stunning alternative. Provocative and awe-inducing in their own right, these branches mimic the shape of antlers and have plenty of woodsy charm. Hang them above a low bookcase in the living room or a sideboard in the dining room for a statement piece that will stop guests like a deer in headlights.

The branches in this project are from a manzanita shrub. Search online marketplaces for similar branches or use branches from a different type of tree or shrub near your home. Not only does this keep costs down, but it also invites inside a beautiful reminder of your neighborhood’s natural treasures. A few rings of eye-catching paint around each branch add a pop of color and visual interest.

Materials
- 2 manzanita or other branches
- Gold acrylic paint
- White acrylic paint
- Paintbrush
- Gold wire
- Wire cutters
- Needle nose pliers

Instructions
1. Place one of the branches on the work surface. Paint a line of gold about 1 inch wide around the skinny part of the wood, below where it branches out.

2. Paint a 1/4-inch wide line of white directly below the gold line. Allow the paint to dry.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the second branch.

4. Cut a piece of wire several feet long. Wrap one end of the wire five or six times around a branch below the white line. To fasten off, use the pliers to bend and coil the short end of the wire around the long end of the wire.

5. Bend a loop in the free end of the wire. Wrap the remaining wire around the other branch as you did in step 4. Position the branches so that the skinny parts cross, and the branched parts point in the opposite directions.

6. Hang on the wall and enjoy.