Upholstered Headboard

First, I wanted to let you know that you are formally invited to participate in a linky party I’ll be hosting this Thursday, April 22nd where we each share the story of how we met our house. You don’t have to own your house, you can live in an apartment, and you don’t even have to like your house. I thought it would be kind of fun and interesting to hear everyone’s stories, though, so get ready to participate this Thursday!

So, remember a little while back when I shared my bed woes with you? The bed frame was horribly squeaky, and my $30 Craigslist headboard banged against the wall every time I moved. Not exactly the recipe for a relaxing night’s sleep.

You all gave me some fantastic ideas, and after some thought (and a hard look at the budget) I decided to buy a new metal bed frame and make an upholstered headboard.

There are approximately a zillion tutorials out in Internet-land on how to make an upholstered headboard, but I’ll go ahead and show you what I did.

I invested $9.99 of cold hard cash in a drop cloth from Home Depot to use as the fabric. Oh yeah, I’m a BIG spender. It was the perfect color, though, and very durable (and the right price) – so I went with it.

I then had a piece of 3/4 inch plywood cut to the width of my bed and a height of 33 inches.

When I got the plywood home, I pulled out my trusty jigsaw and cut a gentle curve into the top of the plywood (This step is totally optional).

I then cut 1 inch thick foam to the shape of the plywood and then covered it with a layer of batting (which I stapled to the back with a staple gun). And then laid everything over the drop cloth fabric (which I’d already ironed smooth).

I then (um, I realize “I then” is the phrase of the day here) pulled the fabric taught (but not overly tight) and stapled it in two places on each of the 4 sides, before stapling the fabric all the way around. I made sure I checked the front side of the headboard as I went, to be sure the fabric was smooth. (Probably should have taken a picture of this part, huh?)

Once I was finished attaching the fabric, I turned the headboard over and nailed a strip of silver upholstery tacks along each side. I couldn’t find upholstery tacks in strips in silver anywhere in my fair city, so I ordered them from this shop on Ebay. I HIGHLY recommend working with the strips instead of individual tacks. I’ll explain more in my “blooper reel” tomorrow, but in a nutshell, the strips are fantastic because you only have to nail a tack in once every third “tack” (a big time saver), and since it’s a strip it’s really hard NOT to create a straight line.

Once the headboard was finished, I screwed two large D ring hanger’s to the back of the headboard and hung the headboard from two screws I had screwed directly into studs.

I can’t tell you what a relief it is to finally have a bed that is sturdy and relaxing. And the best part is that it was CHEAP! I paid $65 for the new metal bed frame, and about to make $50 the headboard. Not to shabby…

Rooms in Progress

I know it’s been a while since I’ve given you an update up my master bathroom redo. I promise, I’ve been working as fast as my adorable little pennies and free time allow (Oh why can’t I have one of those HGTV budgets?). I also swear to you that I’m thiiiiis close to showing you the next phase of the project, and, I have to say, it’s pretty darn cool. I’m kind of loving it.

_________________________________________________

That said, I’m coming to terms with the notion that (at least for me) just about every room will be a constant work in progress. I’m okay with that – I would venture to say I even like that.

I had to laugh the other day, though. I was chatting with a friend, and she said “I paint and decorate a room once and consider it done.” My eyes got big, my jaw dropped and I thought “Ummm, not me” (oh, wipe that fake look off surprise off your face).

I love the redo I did in my master bedroom last summer? There’s nothing like waking up in the morning and smiling at the soothing paint color on the wall (okay – there are better, more meaningful joys in life…but you know what I mean…hopefully).

As much as I love my bedroom, there are still a few things in the room I’m not totally happy with yet. Such as:

ISSUE 1) My bed: It looks fine in pictures but oh my goodness it’s LOUD. Between the flimsy metal bed frame and the wobbly headboard it squeaks and creeks at the slightest movement…even at the “earthquake” my 10 pound poodle causes walking across the mattress (eek…eek…eek with every pawstep). NO…NOT GOOD.

Solutions?

- I’m scouring Craigslist everyday for an inexpensive (and solid) bed. Anything with potential will do.

- I could buy a new metal bed frame (they range from $40-60) and see if there’s any way to strengthen (or pad) the back of the headboard to prevent wobbliness (and constant smacking of the headboard against the wall…again, NOT GOOD). Umm...I should mention (for those of you with minds in the gutter) it's just the poodle and me in my bed...I roll over, the headboard smacks...um kay.

- I could ditch the flimsy headboard and make my own upholstered headboard. Love this look with the nailhead detail from Crate and Barrel…ooh ahhh.

- This might sound crazy, but Big Lots sells a “wood” sleigh bed that seems pretty solid for $299 (more than I want to spend, but pretty darn good for a sturdy, lovely, new bed).

ISSUE 2) Fabric: I love my Thomas O’Brien Pewter Blossom pillow (I have the duvet now too). It’s classy, shimmery, matches my wall color, and it’s oh so soothing…but I almost want to add a little more pattern or texture.

Solutions?

- I’m LOVING this fabric by Premier Prints (Barber Taupe/Robin). I ordered a yard to see how it will work with my existing bedding (fingers crossed…did I mention I love it?). Works in the picture, eh? Crossing my toes now too :-).

- Mix in some light taupe linen accents (like I have on the lamp shades).

I’ll keep you posted on any changes I make. And I cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye promise that I’ll have an update on the nearly finished project in my master bath ASAP.

Have a great weekend!

Master Bedroom Reveal

Okay - Now I'm a little nervous to share my new bedroom with you. It's not like super-calafragalistically-fantabulous....but it makes me happy, and that's what counts, right?

My bedroom was the first room I worked on when we moved into the Cottage a little over a year ago. Here's the BEFORE picture (If you like the "BEFORE" better, don't tell me):

BEFORE PICTURE

It was okay....It was fun...I liked it for a while...but then I didn't like it. And because I didn't really like it that much I started to not treat my bedroom as well as I should. Long story short, it became a horrid, cluttered mess that gave me a panic attack every time I walked in there. I desperately wanted a bedroom that could be a sanctuary - a room that would feel completely serene and stress free. You know what I mean?

So I did something I NEVER do. I found an inspiration photo (below) and decided in 1 day that I was going to completely change my bedroom based on that one little photo. And I changed the whole thing over the course of 2 days. Again...a first for this girl.

(This is an inspiration photo...NOT my actual bedroom)

Image: Houzz.com

Enough background for you? Alright...here's my NEW and IMPROVED BEDROOM!

I really do like it. It's so clean...so calming...so stress free.

In case you're curious, the wall color is Behr Paint+Primer in "Silver Tinsel"; the accent pillow on the bed is actually a standard pillow sham from Thomas O'Brien's collection at Target that I "tailored (crudely stitched)" to turn into a lumbar pillow; the mirror above the dresser is from Hobby Lobby (on sale for $40.00); the lampshades are from Target.

I pretty much owned everything else, so in total I spent $130 (including paint) to update my bedroom. Not too bad.

I REALLY DO TRY TO BE FOCUSED....REALLY

I really try to just focus on one room at a time so that I can actually get one project finished (ummm, like my master bath) before moving on to the next, but I couldn't resist trying to nail down an idea for my master bedroom. Really, since the rooms need to be friends with one another don't you think it would make sense to have some idea of what my bedroom will look like before I finish the bathroom? That could just be my own convoluded justification speaking...but I'm going with it.

So, here's the story. I stumbled upon the coolest website. It's called sproost.com and it actually has one of the better "What's your style" quizes I've seen. It nailed my style right on the head "58% Nantucket Style, 42% Cottage Chic"...yep, I think that's about right.

It then shows you rooms that fit within your own style, like in my case these (although, I like the first more than the second):





And then they have this awesome feature where you can sort of create your own room by picking furniture and accessories that appeal to you (and you can buy them if you want, but that's not how I shop....$1600 for an armoire? I don't think so).

Here are a bunch of items I picked for my fictional room. It was somewhat enlightening for me to see that I'm drawn to both classic pieces as well as rustic/natural pieces. Apparently, I need that balance. I blame it on being a Gemini.

So, back to my master bedroom (see...I'm trying to be focused here). I was trying to come up with ideas and I thought, "Wait a minute. I love the elements I put together in that Sproost room, why not try to replicate that?". So there you have it. Here's my bedroom inspiration:

As usual I'll try to replicate items through flea-tique stores, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Craigslist, and shopping the house so I can create a room I love at a fraction of the cost. We'll see how well it comes together (after I finish my master bathroom!), but it's nice to have a starting point.

Have a great weekend!

FABULOUS BEDROOM INSPIRATION

Am I the only gal out there that wants to change the décor of a room once a year…at least? In fact I almost named this blog "The Compulsive Decorator", but it felt a little too intense for a blog title. I recently showed you my master bedroom which was the first room I put together when I moved into my house last April, and all of the sudden I have the urge to take it in a different direction. It hasn’t even been a year people!

I don’t know that I want to tackle a change in my master bedroom yet (I still haven’t redone the master bath for heaven’s sake!), but here’s the inspiration that's been haunting me.

(I'm so sorry-I can't remember where I found this photo)

Found on Things that Inspire

Found on Things that Inspire

Pottery Barn Cameron Organic Matelasse Coverlet

JC Penney Catrina Camelback Slipcover Headboard

Aren't those ties on the sides great?!

Found on Urban Grace Interiors

Urban Grace Interiors {The Blog} is one of my favorite blogs by the way.

Erika is a real designer, and I wish I could be as talented as she is. This is her beautiful

twin sister Darby in the photo.

After seeing these pictures, can you blame me for feeling inspired? The look is a more serene than my current bedroom, and a little more sophisticated but still comfortable.

I love the simple but classic upholstered headboards, creams, grey green-blues, and mushroomy tans. Hmmmmm….. This is something to ponder.