My Upholstered Headboard: From Plywood Scraps to Delightful Decor

Easter is just around the corner. Everyone is probably busy cleaning their homes and prepping their meals. I am sure my husband wishes that I would be doing the same. Instead, I am completely transforming our bedroom. He, of course, cannot figure out what was wrong with it the way it was. I, on the other hand, have grown tired of a mis-matched college dorm room style master bedroom. I am not going to reveal before and afters yet, as I still have a few more pieces of the puzzle to finish but I am going to share with you my new 36 dollar headboard.

We are by no means experienced builders. I am huge on reading how-tos and just giving it a whirl. So believe me when I say, anyone can do this in an afternoon!

I highly suggest using one sheet of plywood, but for the sake of being thrifty, I used 2 random pieces (same thickness) that we had left over from different projects. First, I drew half the shape on the one piece, have fun and design a shape that fits your decor. **If you are using one piece of plywood I would create a half template out of poster board and use this to trace a perfectly symmetrical headboard onto your plywood.** I then cut the half out with a jig saw.

Yeah, not only did I steal my husbands tools but I stole his jacket too!

My husband was in charge of photos while I cut out and well, March Madness was on so this is all you are getting. Haha. 

I then took my half and laid it on top of the other piece of plywood, traced and cut out. We then used some leftover 1x8 to secure the two halves together. Again, if you are using one solid piece of plywood this step will not be necessary. 

Then it was time to upholster. Rather than paying an arm and a leg for upholstery foam, I bought a queen sized foam mattress pad from Ross for $17.99 (you can find them at Target and Wal-Mart too).

Using a staple gun, secure the foam all the way around the board (place the foam egg crate side against the board). I began with the bottom then pulled taut as I worked on the top to keep everything smooth on the front. 

Then you will want to top that with a layer of batting. You can find batting at any fabric store. Luckily, since I quilt, I had some that I found too thin for my quilts that was perfect to use up on this project! Once again, staple all the way around pulling tightly as you go to keep the front completely free of wrinkles. 

Finally top with fabric and attach some legs, we just used some extra 2x4 that we had. This way we could secure the legs to the bed frame. I found my upholstery fabric at fabric.com for $5.98 a yard!

And that is it, 36 dollars later I found myself with a bed fit for a queen . . . at least it will be once I sew some linens to match the room (hence the lack of a picture of the bed). But even without matching linens, it already looks so much better!

Even the dog is enjoying the bed more now!

Happy decorating and Happy Easter!

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Small Bathroom Storage Solution

Last week as I was brushing my teeth at midnight, I looked up for a second at the bathroom wall cabinet and realized that it was beginning to break apart. The back was literally separating from the rest of the cabinet! Yikes!

As my husband unhappily removed the cabinet (at 12:30 at night), I was hiding my excitement. I hated how big and bulky the cabinet was. I already had ideas whirling through my head with what to do with the open space.

I patched the holes the next day and while I was working I decided that shelving would be the way to go, it would be thrifty and still keep the space looking open. I found the perfect shelves and brackets at Menards. I topped them off with some thrift store Mason jars and thrift store baskets. I never buy baskets anywhere else . . . there is a HUGE supply of baskets every time I go to the thrift store! 

Standing over the toilet to work also go me thinking about all the unused space that exists around the toilet and above it. Hmmmmm. And suddenly we were off to Menards for some wood! We began by building a skinny shelving unit for one side of the toilet out of 1x8s.

We then attached a 1x8 across the top of the unit and attached another 1x8 as a leg for the other side of the toilet. However, when we went to place this around the toilet there wasn't enough clearance for the handle. My husband appointed me to make a cut to the side of the shelving unit since I am queen of the jigsaw! It is my favorite power tool! Once the cut was made everything fit like a glove.

I then attached some trim and painted the whole thing black to match the vanity cabinet. I followed up with some varnish and it was all set. Adorable dollar store bins were the perfect size for the shelves too!

The final touch was to sew a skinny runner for the shelf above the toilet. 

Now our bathroom is perfect! We managed to add more storage space while also making the bathroom feel more open. And it all cost less then the price of a new wall cabinet. That is what I call a successful project! 

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