Sunday, September 14, 2008

...slacker blogger...

Yes, yes I know. I am slow at updating this thing. I was reminded by L today..she even came up with my title. I think I have about two readers, so it doesn't really matter, does it?!

The biggest news of the week is my DIY project I've been working on.

I have been wanting a headboard for about 2 years now. I've looked high and low for this thing..but they're either too expensive or just not what I'm looking for. I'm pretty picky when it comes to putting something into my living space...can you tell I'm a designer? Anyways, I decided the cheapest and best option would be to make my own. Then, I was at IKEA a few weekends ago and found amazingly beautiful fabric..well, it's really the unfinished curtain panels they sell..but it's perfect. It's exactly what I pictured in my mind and I knew I wouldn't find it anywhere else.

It was VERY easy to make, anyone could do it. It was also only about $20, since I used cheap materials and stuff we had around the house. I wanted to keep it light, so it would be easy to move and hang. So, I decided to use foam core board...you know, the thick presentation boards. I also knew they would be the perfect height and width(with two glued together). So, that's just what I did...overlapped them, glued, and let it dry. Don't mind the alcohol bottles..they're heavy and I use them for all of my gluing projects.



Next, I used an old fleece blanket as batting. I folded it three times to fit the boards and to get the desired thickness, with overlap on the back so I could staple it. I used a staple gun...which, by the way, is the best tool ever invented. I've always loved it and this project proved how excellent that thing really is! I did however, have to make sure I had the right staple sizes to go through the blanket and into the foam core, but not come through the front, since the foam core is really thin...9/16" worked for me.


After the blue blanket, I had to cover it with white fabric, since the fabric I picked is a little sheer. I could have skipped this step if I had chosen a white batting, but since I was being resourceful and went with the blue blanket, I added a step. We had stock in the white, so it was one more thing we could get out of our huge fabric pile.


Finally, the last layer went on and I was done!


Now, it's on to installing the thing. I'm still trying to figure out how I want to attach it to the wall. I have a couple of ideas, but still haven't made a decision. Don't worry, I'll post pictures as soon as I get it up!

2 comments:

Lori's Mom said...

I'm impressed with your project. Just curious, though . . . how heavy were those "bottles" by the end of the project??????

Kids, Canines, and Chaos said...

LOVE the fabric! And, I certainly love the bottles! :)