Wednesday, December 29, 2010

ahhhhh the headboard....

it's done! the headboard of LIFE (as I lovingly call it, is done!)
I am making it sound like it was some huge thing to make...it wasn't! but it sounds more interesting, non? (that's french, not a typo).
You got a quick lookie here,
and I know that you thought, "hmmmm, what's she going to do with that?"...
Voila :

 and here was more or less the process...(minus a few steps because I forgot to stop and snap a photo...I swear I am getting better at this documenting-each-step-of-way thing, but it is taking me longer than I thought to get used to doing it)


I started with a gorgeous frame...I am pretty sure there had been a mirror in it originally, as there was some left over silicone on the inside edge...Let me just take a moment here to tell you this...because I'll bet some of you are thinking "I really really REALLY want to make a cool headboard like Nadine, but I don't have the time or patience or budget to go looking for a fabulously ornate frame to use!" (I'm like a psychic right?)
Listen up, you do not NEED an ornate frame to make an amazing headboard!
Here are some ideas; use a simple rectangular frame, paint it in a high gloss fabulous color (like black or white or red or tiffany box turquoise-ish robins egg) and choose some great fabric...upholster the inside, as I did and presto, just as beautiful! Hate high gloss? no probs, choose matte, REALLY matte! it's stunning.
And, I see it like this, if the frame is plain-ish, go a little more over the top with the fabric colors/pattern or paint...if the frame is a statement piece in itself, you can go a little simpler in the paint or fabric because the shape is making a statement already...it's sort of like fashion, if you are going to wear statement shoes, you might opt for a simple black dress...if you are going for the statement dress, you might opt for a simpler shoe...you might also just freaking GO FOR IT...in which case I say AMEN, heck, we only live once right?...just make sure to take photos and share please! (Share...don't Scare!)
Another idea is to use a plainer frame and instead of painting it, why not upholster it too?! you can use a different fabric or the same fabric that you will use in the puffy headboard part...(I say use a different fabric...but what do I know?)...again, take photos and please share!
I chose to use the same paint color as my walls, A: because I love it, B: because I had leftover wall paint, C: because I have no budget.
I chose a fabric from...wait now...IKEA!!!!!! you are thinking, "oh NO you dint!!!!"
...yes I did!!!! Listen, I am going to tell you something here, for $6.00 how the heck can I possibly go wrong????...I actually blew the budget a little and bought 3 different fabrics before deciding to use the black and white. I chose a stripe first, because that was really what my original idea was. I even had a magazine photo, which I can't FOR THE LIFE of me find that I had seen and saved from years ago...oh well...something else will turn out stripey...I found it a little juvenile looking.
then I saw this little number and took pause...I wasn't nuts about the white background, however, I liked the drawing feel to it and the hints of pink and just the overall look of it...of course, when I got it home and held it up, (although I still really like it), I started getting all Feng Shui-ey about it and thought, "birdbrain, living in a bird house, up in a tree, tweet tweet, not much to say..." I don't know, I could free associate on this fabric till the cows come home, but I realized, NOPE...don't want birds watching my back, that's kind of for the birds...
and that is how I chose the black and white floral-ish/geyser-ish Wooshy type design...
As a last little Ikea fabric shopping point, may I also just say that many of the fabrics at Ikea have very large scale patterns...this might suck when making a skirt...but it ROCKS when making a headboard! I actually did not even go with the pattern, I chose a piece off the roll that was even in between the repeat and did not center it either...just adds something extra and super cool...dont you think?
From the collage photo above, you can see that this whole process only took a few steps...(minus the trips out to get all the supplies and schlepping La perfect baby with me to do all the schlepping...).
Once the frame has a few coats of paint on it, I place a large piece of gatorboard underneath it and traced the frame shape on it in chalk.
What's gatorboard? It's like plastic currogated cardboard
Why gatorboard? I did NOT want to start with heavy wood and saws and blah blah blah...so I decided to go with something light weight, easy to transport, relatively sturdy and most of all cuttable with a box cutter or xacto type blade.
Could you use hard cardboard? YES
Could you use wood or MDF? of course!
Was I being a little lazy? NO! I was being practical...leave me alone and stop judging...jeeeeeeze.
When the shape of the frame was traced onto the gatorboard I cut it out with my xacto to fit into the back of the frame. I will state the obvious here, when you put the board behind the frame you do NOT want it to fall out the front, you (really) want it to stay in the back, as though you have framed the board...
Ok, I then played around for a few hours with the best possible way to use the foam padding I bought. Let me just say, not the cheapest stuff around! I did not go to town and get the super thick stuff, I did not even go to the little town and get the kind of thick stuff...I went to like, the suburbs and bought 2 packages of the thin stuff...(remember my non budget)...turns out, it's great!
What also worked best for my piece was to cut the foam to fit through the FRONT of the frame...when I cut it bigger to really stuff it in and make it super pouffy, it just didn't look right...so again, I cut to to fit the front of the frame perfectly and then figured out where I wanted my fabric/pattern to line up.
When all this was done, I flipped it over (front of the frame facing down on the table), followed by the fabric (pattern facing down on the table), followed by the 2 layers of my thin-ish foam padding, followed by the piece of gatorboard cut to fit into the back. I now had a headboard sandwich...all there was left to do was staple gun the gatorboard onto the backside (lip) of the frame. I shot in a few staples and then really made sure that the fabric was not puckering or doing funky stuff on the front side by flipping in over a few times and checking. I also pulled the fabric to make sure it was smooth before stapling. It worked!
There is a bit of POUF to the board, but not too too much and the fabric is nice and smooth.
I also decided to hang the headboard about 8 inches higher than the mattress top to give it a little more grandeur...(needless to say, I used some good picture mounting slide-in heavy duty brackets to attach the headboard to the wall...hello?????...I mean c'mon right?!...couldn't resist some headboard joke! ;-P)
ET VOILA!
the headboard of LIFE!
my total costs? about $45
for good measure...la petite kid!
comments? would LOVE you to post them right HERE!

24 comments:

  1. Beautiful - good choice on the fabric. Now I want a headboard.

    ReplyDelete
  2. um, when are you coming to my place to do your magic? it looks beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You've got skills Lerner!
    That's a beautiful piece.

    p.s.
    The paint job on your bedroom wall is impeccable.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh My Gosh...........I just LOVE this !!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've been searching desperately for an adorable headboard and this is the perfect solution. Thank you for sharing your creativity!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love this. Absolutely love this. I was hoping you'd tell all about where you got that amazing fabric...but by the time I got an airline ticket to Dallas - closest IKEA from Santa Fe and stayed at some super boutique hotel...the fabric would cost a fortune. Maybe I can get it on line. Thank you for being so brillant!

    ReplyDelete
  7. thank you all for your amazingly sweet comments! ok- C whitney-Ward...email me: dogzdesign at yahoo dot com. next time I am at ikea I will get you what you need and throw it in an envelope for you, easy! any excuse to go to Ikea!

    ReplyDelete
  8. That is fantastic!

    And that baby is insanely adorable

    ReplyDelete
  9. lovely! it's got my wheels turning!

    ReplyDelete
  10. really great idea and the fabric is perfect....

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a great makeover!! I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Now this I can do! Thanks so much for the inspiration - it looks amazing.
    Angex

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your headboard is gorgeous. I'm sure the petite girl isn't for sale. lol Your daughter is adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  14. i would love it if you linked this to my party tomorrow, it's fabulous.

    http://typeadecorating.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  15. Absolutely FABulous fabric..I was stunned to note you got it at Ikea.....you inspire me ! Aah,to be so creative !

    ReplyDelete
  16. I know this was posted 2 years ago but I'm just letting you know how much I appreciate these instructions. I just bought a dresser with a mirror that is very similar to this. I plan to use the dresser as a buffet table in my dining area and was thinking the mirror with frame would be a beautiful headboard. I was planning to do a similar process to yours but was so pleased to get your tips and ideas to help me complete the project. I just loved the shape of the mirror and frame and am glad to put it to good use. Thanks Again

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is great I loveeeeeeee it!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I absolutely love it!!! Thanks for sharing all the steps! Where can I find a frame like that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ha! well, that is the tricky part Anitra ;-)
      I found this one in a friend's apartment, leaning against the wall, doing nothing...I begged, I got it. I would suggest, junk shops/second hand shops/that sort of place. Even if it has an old mirror, or a hideous painting in it, just take it for the frame. And, don't dismiss a cool rectangle or oval shape- make it your own! remember, mine is attached to the wall, not the bed, so the shape really doesn't matter. have fun!

      Delete
  19. It looks amazingly beautiful. This is a great tutorial for a great headboard

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you! ;-) ...it's still at the head of the bed!

      Delete
  20. I read that Post and got it fine and informative. headboard bangs

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.