
IKEA gets a bad rap sometimes. Nobody debates the fact that their prices are great, but the two areas in which they seem to take a pretty big hit are on quality and the fact that everything needs to be assembled manually. Â I can't argue about the quality, but I really enjoy the assembly portion of the IKEA experience. Â Sure, it can be frustrating at times, but it appeals to my manhood to know that I had a hand in building our furniture, even if "building" isn't really the right word.
Tigertree, a great shop down in the Short North, has these pre-cut cardboard animal heads that hang on the wall, but which must be assembled first. Â January picked up the large buffalo model last Saturday and, even though I was busy catching up on some work at the coffee shop at the time, I raced home at the prospect of something new to put together.

The box includes nothign more than a stack of corrugated cardboard with laser-cut pieces notched out of itand a single sheet of instructions.

Anyone who has ever put together a piece of IKEA furniture using their wordless instructions will immediately notice the similarity I saw in the instructions that came with our buffalo head.

Like a kid on Christmas morning, I was off carefully tearing out each individual piece and discarding the remnant cardboard to the side. Â I think I bent up a few pieces, but there was no permanent damage.

Here she is! The final product: Beatrix the buffalo. Â She's now hanging proudly over our fireplace.

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