A Sad Hobby Horse Gets a Beautiful Unicorn SPiT Makeover
Did you have a hobby horse as a child? I had one that I loved to bits and it was the next best thing after a real pony. I think some people call them stick horses. A friend of mine found one the other day in a thrift store and it brought back so many memories of riding into the sunset on Silver with Tonto by my side. She wanted to use the hobby horse as a prop at her 50th birthday party, but I begged her to let me give the little guy this Unicorn SPiT makeover instead.
Isn’t he just gorgeous? He must have been well-loved. Either that or he saw way too many sunsets over very rough terrain 😉
He’s stick was broken, he’d lost one of his eyes and he’s stuffing was popping out all over the place.
So the first thing I did was to give him some minor surgery.
Once all he’s wounds had been patched up, it was time for his Unicorn SPiT makeover.
The Unicorn SPiT Makeover
Spitz the little hobby horse with some water to get him ready for the makeover. While he was still damp-ish I mixed up a bit of Navajo Jewel Unicorn SPiT and water and applied it with a foam brush. Unicorn SPiT is quite thick so the water thins it out a little and makes it easier to apply and really soak into that fabric.
US is a water-based gel stain that comes in the most beautiful colors and it smells divine. And no I don’t sell the stuff, I just love it. It was originally developed for wood but it works as a fabric paint too. Our little hobby horse was made from some kind of corduroy material so I had to massage the SPiT into the fabric quite a bit to get an even coverage. I don’t think the little hobby horse minded too much, but Cleo was a little jealous. My poor purr baby.
Once he was nice and dry, I gave him new eyes and used some gorgeous feathers to make a mane that matched the Unicorn SPiT. Don’t you just love the hints of green, jade and teal in those feathers? If you sew the feathers onto a piece of ribbon and then onto the hobby horse. it’ makes it so much easier than sewing the feathers on individually.
My kids are a bit old to play with a hobby horse but that didn’t mean he couldn’t still have a purpose in life. If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, then you probably know that I’m a big fan of things that are weird and wacky.
Being a person is getting a bit complicated. It's time to be a Unicorn.
We had an old wooden, heart-shaped breadboard that we weren’t using anymore that would be perfect for giving the hobby horse a new purpose. A quick sanding and bit more Unicorn SPiT and it looked totally different. I used the same technique to paint this little cupboard that we use in our loo.
Hubby helped me mount the hobby horse on the breadboard. Is that weird? Maybe, I don’t know, but I think it’s cool. He looks awesome hanging on the wall in our holiday home. So much more magical than a real stuffed animal. It must be the Unicorn SPiT makeover 😉
We’ve christened him Jewel and he keeps his button eyes on our holiday home when we’re not there. So what do you think of the hobby horse makeover? Would you mount a well-loved stuffed toy on the wall? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
If you like the idea of using a stuff toy as wall decor, don’t forget to pin it for later.
Sharing is Caring 😉
BTW, if you love Unicorn SPiT as much as we do and want to spit on some crazy things, here are a few more tutorials you’ll enjoy:
- It’s great for creating faux rust;
- And boring melamine is no match for the power of SPiT either ;-);
- You can even use Unicorn SPiT to create this cracked up effect for something totally different;
- Or to make a mixed media mosiac. The posibilities are endless.
Unicorn SPiT has a few sparkling colors too, which are just stunning. This tutorial will show you how to blend the sparkling colors to create jewel-like tones. Oh and if you don’t want to go to the trouble of finding some of the materials we used, we’ve got you covered Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more crafty ideas to share with you 😉
And as always sending you lots of love and blessing. Hope you have a beautiful week and thank you for popping in for a visit.
That is so cute Michelle! Love his eye…couldn’t see it real well on the FB post. The feathers really add a lot to his look & you sewed those on! Time-consuming at best, I would think. Worth it though b/c he looks good. When I was a kid I wanted one of those ponies on a stick soooo bad. They were much more basic back then. We were poor…couldn’t have one. So I have a soft spot for them…LOL.
Thank you so much Florence, they bring back such fond memories for me. My little sister and I had to share one when we were small and it always felt like my turn was never long enough 😉 but at least we had one.
Oh Wow, this is too cute! You have such a creative imagination, and always coming up with something out of the ordinary. I love the color and all the feather. It’s soooooo cute!
Thank you so much Linda, I’m quite pleased with how she turned out
I am back again, this horse is too cute. I am coming to South Africa to learn DIY projects like this one from you.
Oh yay, will you teach me how to make all those gorgeous dishes please Sadhna? Please 😀
I wish we could have met before when I was in Pretoria.
Wouldn’t that have been lovely Sadhna. If you’re ever in South Africa again, please let me know. I’d love to give you a HUGE big hug and if you could squeeze in a cooking lesson or 7 that would be amazing
How do you think of these things! Your horse mounted on the bread board looks so cool. Love the teal color.
LOL, thank you Cathy. My mind works in the weirdest ways somethings 😀
The vibrant colors are my favorite part! And the feathers make it so whimsical
Thank you so much Sarah, and I agree with you those feathers are lovely
I would have never in a million years thought of this!! It’s brilliant and beautiful!
jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thank you so much Jodie 😀
This is one super duper cute idea Michelle! Your creativity knows you limits!!
Thanks so much Ilka, I’m glad you like it
The horse looks magical. He looks so rich in his new colored fur. I love how you gave him new life.
Thanks so much Debra 😉
Oh my gosh, Michelle! This is fun! That color paint is just beautiful and makes it all the more whimsical and dreamy, for sure!
The Unicorn SPiT colors are magnificent Angie and I was really pleased with how easy it was to use on fabric too
Hi, Michelle, this is really creative work, the colour of the horse unicorn is awesome. I like the feathers and his eyes. You have explained all the steps nicely, good post dear.
Thank you so much Sadhna 😀
What an amazing project Michelle. You have such a creative mind. I know that your little Jewel must be overjoyed to be a part of your family. Those colors are so striking and beautiful.
Oh those colors Mary, photos never seem to do them justice though. They are so much more vibrant in real life.
Way tooooooo cute!!!! Love it!!!
😀 Thank you Michelle
Oh I love love love it Michelle! I would absolutely mount him on the wall or any other stuffed animal, I love that idea! He looks stunning and so glam and just so revived!! You come up with the most unique ideas and I love them all!
Awww Katrin, Thank you so much <3
Bet you had great fun doing this
We did, thank you Anon. Getting your hands dirty with US and massaging a hobby horse tends to do that 😉
He’s so cute Michelle!! The feathers and new color are perfect! I bet he’s a great watch unicorn. I’m going to keep my eyes out for a hobby horse now because I want one too!! 😉
Thank you my friend. But I think your little ones would love playing with the hobby horse before he gets mounted 😉