No…Not the “Knight in Shining Armor” type of white horse…I’m talking about the ceramic version! I have seen these regal little figurines pop up a lot recently in home decor trends. They don’t really serve much purpose, but I think they add a touch of elegance to a space. It doesn’t hurt that I grew up riding horses (as did my mom and cousin) – It kind of runs in the family, so horses are special to me. You might remember these little guys I picked up at a thrift store fairly recently…
But anyways, I have been itching to buy into the ceramic white horse trend for the last couple of months. These are the pins that have inspired me and led me to this point and blog post:
(red arrow above was added to direct your attention to the chunky white horse tucked away in the bookcase)
I FIRST really noticed this accessory trend when browsing through one of my favorite home decor blogs, One Brooklyn Modern. If you are into modern, sleek design and urban architecture, Anne’s blog is for you! Love it…But anyway, back in May she received a rather large brown box – Inside was the most exquisite horse statue I’ve ever seen! Sooo jealous…
It’s pretty large too…The whole thing almost came up to her husband’s hip! I knew I had to try something like it…My solution? It’s probably not too hard to guess what with my obsession over white spray paint 
As I mentioned before, I grew up in a horse-oriented family so it should come as no surprise that I spent a lot of my childhood playing with horse toys. I had a big pink bucket full of the plastic variety and could spend HOURS engrossed in their imaginary lives. I haven’t gotten them out and dusted them off in a while though…Until now.
Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on designer white horses or wasting too many hours combing through thrift stores to find the perfect vintage statuette, I simply made a quick trip to my parents house 12 minutes down the road and picked up three of my childhood toys. The plan was to choose one, spray paint it white and use it to style up the DIY-ed oak shelves in our living room. Can’t beat FREE!
These were my options…Mr. Gray pony:
Black Beauty:
And Mrs. Brown:
For anyone familiar with horse toys, you may recognize that these aren’t just any horse toys…They’re Breyer horses. It’s difficult for me to even call these “toys” given their price tags (click on over to their website to see how expensive they are). But my justification for essentially ruining a collector’s toy was that the horses pictured above are probably upwards of 18 years old and pretty banged up by a young child (who shall remain nameless). I doubt they are worth anything – And even if they were, they hold too much sentimental value for me to want to sell. By making one of them usable again, I feel like I’m giving it a new life. That satisfies my conscience at least.
So to make my decision, I placed each of the three on the shelf for comparison.
Ultimately, I chose Mrs. Brown because I liked her very relaxed posture in comparison to Black Beauty’s gung-ho attitude. Mr. Gray Pony was a bit too small for the space…So after a solemn farewell and “Good luck!” from her horsey friends…
…Mrs. Brown got ready for her makeover. After a few quick sprays from my white spray paint out on the front side-walk, she was looking a bit more monochromatic!
Only one problem…Had to get her underside done! As you can see, I had missed a few spots.
So I broke out some yellow cleaning gloves and held her by a hoof to get the rest all painted – Here she is all done!
After an hour or so of drying (or about 25 minutes because I’m too impatient), I put her up on the shelf in her new place of glory!
I love how the glossy paint really DOES make it look porcelain or ceramic! It’s difficult for me to believe it since I’ve been acquainted with this particular horse for my lifetime, but hopefully visitors will assume it’s the real deal (unless of course, they read the blog…). I also love how the white brings out the muscles in the figurine – The great thing about using an expensive Breyer horse is that you know you’ll get a really nice looking and true-to-life figure when all is said and done.
Happy Monday!
(Photo credit for huge white horse from One Brooklyn Modern: here)
Hey Carrie! I was wondering where you got that amazing clock! I love the look of it and have been searching for a whimsical, yet sleek clock for many years… Any advice on where to find one?? Thank you!
I actually found it at a thrift store…But the brand is Elgin and they have a bunch on Ebay – You might be able to find a good deal! This one is pretty cool – http://cgi.ebay.com/ELGIN-VINTAGE-EAMES-ERA-STARBURST-SUNBURST-ATOMIC-CLOCK-/260833332546?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cbae0cd42#ht_891wt_907
J’adore! Like you, I grew up riding and collected Breyers as well. This is an awesome idea and I will definitely be picking someone out of my herd to class up my office!
A kindred spirit!! That’s awesome =) Enjoy the project!
I like this project and I can see a Noah’s ark full of animals being painted!
Haha! Good idea!! =)
You can research the value of your model online before altering it. Even damaged, some vintage horses (not just Breyer) are worth $50-$100. I have several worth possibly twice that by now. A newer horse could be a better choice.
Thanks for the tip!
The horse looks great spray painted white! And I had no idea they were so expensive! It reminds me of Beanie Babies, apparently people collect them and can be quite pricey if it’s an old model.
Thanks! Yeah…My sister and I definitely bought into the Beanie Baby craze…We have something like 75 of them in a box in our parent’s attic =)
LOVE THIS! I shared on my blog today
http://blog.shopdirtylaundry.com/posts/2011/8/30/80-too-cute-tuesday.html
Glad you like it! And thanks for the share!!!
I want your wall clock !! Awesome idea !!
Oh thanks!!
I absolutely love this idea and it really does look like porcelain or ceramic horse! I was not a collector of horses (more into cats) but one of my dearest childhood friends was and this post brought back some wonderful memories! I wish I knew where she was so I could make her one but since I don’t, I am going to make one to remind me of those days. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad!!! What a wonderful way to honor and remember your friend =)
Love the idea! I also collected Breyer horses as a child and had that very one! If you look at it’s underside you can tell it most certainly is not a Mrs.
His name was Rugged Lark ( modeled after an actual real life extremely talented pleasure horse) that I got to meet one time at Quarter Horse Congress. Regardless, I loved the outcome of your project!
Thanks! How cool that you had the same horse and got to meet the model!!! I’m glad you like the project =)
What kind of spray paint did you use? Do you recommend using a spray primer at all?
I used a glossy white spray paint. I didn’t use a primer – I’ve actually never used a primer before and still have good results. Hope that helps!
great job! what brand of glossy white spray paint did you use?
Valspar =)
Gorgeous!! Thank you for sharing on http://www.craftbaby.com! That’s an upcycle if I’ve ever seen one – it TOTALLY looks like porcelain. Nice work.
Thank you! Glad you like it!! And thanks for the opportunity to share =)
LOVE IT!!!
Not sure I could talk my daughter out of one of her’s yet though. May have to thrift shop it !
Awesome! And I don’t think it would be a problem at all to thrift store it =)
It looks totally fabulous. I can’t believe you painted a pricey horse, but I understand your rationale. Very nice.
It was time for him to have a makeover =) Thanks!
Hi Carrie. I love your eye, your talent and your voice. Wondering…what is the wall color and brand on this room. I love it and Mrs. Brown’s shiney white coat looks great against it. (Sorry if this an offending opt-repeated question!) Thanks! -kca
Well thank you! And I will check on that info for you – Stay tuned =)