Faux "Ceramic" Elephant

It's no secret that people are loving animal decor. I am definitely on the band wagon. I came across this little foam and paper mache elephant at Michael's for one dollar (no pic- whoops!!) I wanted it to look like it was ceramic instead of paper- I wasn't sure I could do it, but for a dollar it was definitely worth a try.

First I looked through some images online to decide what I wanted to do with my little elephant. There were tons to chose from so I grabbed a few to share with you guys.

The first thing I did was prime it. Unfortunately I can't find the pic I took {two blogger faux pas in one project, *bummer.}
Anyhow, when I primed it you could still see the ridges from the layers of paper. Fail.

Hmm... so I thought to myself, what fixes cracks? I got out the spackle and applied a thin layer. Then, after it dried, I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper. It actually took two applications before I got a smooth surface.

Then I primed it with Kilz, painted it bright green with Krylon's Gloss Meadow Green, then finished off with Krylon's Clear Coat in gloss.

The elephant is not a huge piece, but it is a cute little accent. Well worth a dollar and a little elbow grease I think. Don't you think it looks pretty close to the middle inspiration elephant? I think the smooth surface and the MANY layers of gloss clear coat made all the difference.

It seems like I never finish this table area. I am forever changing it, like here when I did the Anthro letter knock off with foil and here when I finished the ottoman, oh and how about then I did the book page wreath. 

Thanks for checking out my project!!