Nap Time, Anytime

This weekend I finally painted my bedroom gray! Choosing the right gray was a tough, anxiety producing decision after the gray I picked out for the guest bathroom looked very blue. I wanted to make sure I made a good choice this second time around for the bedroom. Martha Stewart suggests "Sharkey Gray" - but when I looked at it at Home Depot I thought it seemed a little too tan. I decided to go with Behr's "Gentle Rain". A nice in-between blue gray and green gray. Not to mention the name makes me think that a "rainy day nap" would be acceptable in the room anytime, rain or shine.

Read more about the above vanity project here, the headboard here, and how to make the pillow shams below here.

The lamp above was a rummage sale find by my sister. I just added a $5 Walmart shade. So cute!

 

The "H" on the wall used to be gold. I bought it at Hobby Lobby for $5 with a coupon and spray painted in black. See it gold below:

Our bedroom is in the perfect spot in the house. See how the sunlight comes in early in the morning?

 

I am so happy with how it's turned out so far. I think the gray really pulls it all together. :-)

"Heavenly" Headboard

Something I have been noticing all over the internet and magazines are DIY headboards. I happen to be lacking a headboard. So why not give it a try right? Right. And it was super easy! I suggest doing it with friends if possible because for part of the project you need about 6 or 7 hands to hold it all in place. My mom, sister, and wonderful husband all helped me out with mine.

For a great tutorial on making a DIY headboard check out this site and this site. I am going to give an abbreviated version. First we measured the area behind the bed where the headboard would go. I looked at a few magazines to see how far it should stick out, how tall it should be, and what design I wanted for the top (the curves). Better Homes and Gardens DIY magazine just featured a really cute curvy one. I picked the three curves because I thought it was complicated enough to be interesting (rather than just a rectangle) but not too complicated.
To pick out the fabric we headed over to Hobby Lobby. I knew I wanted something solid because of all the pattern I have going on in the bedspread and pillows. But I also wanted it to be interesting, no plain solid is exciting enough for me! :-) My sister found this great puckered fabric we thought would be perfect. We also purchased quilt batting by the yard.

Next, my mom and I drove over to Menards and purchased a 4'x8' piece of plywood. We went with the cheap stuff because none of it will be showing and the wood will not be holding anything up. It cost about $10. We drew out our pattern (only 1/2, then flipped it so it would be symmetrical) and traced it on the plywood. Then, T.J. generously cut out our shape with a jigsaw.

 

Next we wrapped first the batting, then the fabric around the board and stapled it in place with a staple gun. This is the part where 7 hands are necessary. 

As you can see, the back of the headboard is not so pretty. But who cares? No one will see it. If you are the type that does care you can always staple a piece of fabric to the back as well, just don't pull it over the sides this time.

 

And there you have it, easy peasy headboard. Total cost = $40.  

Tomorrow we are painting the bedroom gray! Final pictures coming soon.

P.S. Does anyone get the meaning behind the name of this post? What does the puckered fabric on the headboard make you think of? I like to think it reminds me of the fabric of Belle's yellow ball gown in Beauty and the Beast... but some people think otherwise. :-)