DIY headboard

Do you ever get antsy when you haven't done a project in a while? I do. Plus it allows me to have a good reason to buy fabric and procrastinate cleaning. So we decided that we needed a new bedroom look. Right now, we have this monster in our bedroom. My H came into the marriage with it, and it was pretty useful when we rented and had access to oversized bedrooms.

But now...not so much. Add to it that between the toddler and the cat, things were CONSTANTLY falling on my head as I slept, and it was time for a change.

Buy a new headboard, you say? Oh no no no! (Says I) Have you seen how much those cost? I know I can do better than that!

My dad helped me, so when I say "we" for this project it's typically him and me. This was a surprise for my husband for Christmas.

*Warning - I don't actually know what I'm doing, pretty much ever. I do not use technical words because I don't know them, so if you are looking for exact directions, sorry. If you want guidelines and ideas, read on!*

First step was picking up the wood at Lowes.

I used the cardboard to draw a pretty curve for the top of board. I just used a random round object (some sort of tray) I found in my dad's garage to trace the curve. Then my kiddo stole my pencil.

Next up was sawing. I detest  am terrified of power tools, but Dad was in a teaching mood, so I had to do it myself. First we sawed the curves that I cut out. (Note the strings hanging from my shirt, DO NOT WEAR  LOOSE CLOTHING around a saw. I was bad. I was lucky. Don't do it)

Look at that pretty curve.

After cutting the top curves, I went through with the drill and drilled holes for the tufts. This is where it is really helpful to have furniture you can wreck a little if needed. While I managed to not drill through the table, it was always a possibility.

Meanwhile, my mom was on kid duty. Look at that big girl going down the slide all by herself (with grandma to catch her if she stumbled at the bottom, which she didn't, go Bug!). I'm still not quite sure where this big kid came from, and I'm certain my kid is a little snuggly newborn, right?

Next up was attaching the foam to the plywood/sheet of wood/whatever with the staple gun. I hate staple guns, and not just because they scare me. They also make my hand hurt.

I used a foam topper for a full sized mattress that I found at K-Mart for just $14.99! It was a little too short lengthwise, and a little too tall heightwise, but we just folded over the top and added some foam to the sides later and called it good.

This is when my mom, the fabric whisperer, took over. We lay the fabric down and carefully measured it. Bug made sure the board didn't try to run away.

Then more staple-gunning after we pulled the fabric tight. Bug entertained herself by finding my purse (the blue thing) and taking my wallet out (the purple thing she is holding). It turns out, the knots in the wood are exactly penny sized, and she had great fun filling them with pennies.

"Peek, mommy! Peek!!!!"

Now it's tuft time. I found some very thick, almost leathery thread in my craft room and a large needle. I passed the needle through the holes I drilled earlier.

Then through the fabric and the button loop (I used the kind of buttons with holes on the back, not through the front of the button) and then back to the back.

Dad's idea was using the washer, and it was pretty dang brilliant. I would put the washer on after the first pass, and then tie a tight knot after it came back through from the front. While I was confident in the tight knot, I also tied another knot further down on the thread and then staple-gunned that onto the board.

Fast forward a week, and I got my Christmas present! YES! While our power screwdriver/drill is awesome, it's too heavy for me to easily use. This little gal is PERFECT (yes, caps necessary). 

Using my nifty new tool, I quickly screwed in the awesome french cleats that my dad found at Lowes. After carefully measuring. And measuring again, and making my dad measure just for good...measure...

Then we put the other part of the system on the wall. It came with a built in line-level. It's the little things in life.

We hung up the headboard, added our new side-tables and lamps, and voila! I think we gained a good 3' of bedroom space by getting rid of the monster, and the room feels soooooo much nicer. Bug also approved of the new set-up.

Ta-da!

Cost breakdown (because this part makes me happy)

8' by 5' thick plywood board thing - $22

Foam mattress topper for Full bed - $14

Fabric (I believe I got 4 yards to be on the safe side) - $15 (on sale, plus coupon)

Fancy hanging doo-das - $10 for 2

throw in the side-tables ($59.99 each at Target)

lamps ($12.99 each -including shades - at Target)