Padded Headboard

In an effort to spruce up a basement apartment bedroom, we constructed our own version of a padded headboard.

This room has no windows.  The cheery pale yellow on the walls and warm flooring helps cozy up the room, but the plain wall behind the bed needed help. 

Here’s an abbreviated version of what we did.

Start a with 5/8 sheet of finished plywood cut to fit a double size bed.  Select some trim for the edges. This makes up the main part of the headboard.

We cut another piece of finished plywood in this design to mount on top of the main square piece.

With a homemade paint mixture of a dark taupe and white, we came up with this’ taupey-greyish-greige’ color, (that I’d never be able to duplicate).   With thin coats of this paint we left a semi-transparent color on all the wood to show wood grain.

Appliques were painted with the same color, but solid/opaque.

Because we wanted something simple that would go with any patterned bedding and because I love the look of a drop cloth,  we used that for fabric and some awesome large brown buttons.

For the padded insert we cut a sheet of 3/8 plywood to center on the backboard.

Foam was cut to the exact same size and affixed to the plywood with spray adhesive. Batting was cut  to the same size plus the width of the edges.  You just want the batting to cover the sides but not wrap around to the back.

The pencil line you see down the center of the plywood marks the center where pilot holes were drilled to allow for the needle and thread for the tufting.

Cut your fabric large enough to allow some good stretching room, you can trim it up later.

Now this part I learned the hard way…

With very strong thread (used in 4 ply) and a large needle, I tied a small thin button to the end of the strings, and threaded the needle through from back to front.  Weave the needle and thread through the button holes of the large front button several times and then tie a knot.  Trim the excess thread and pull the small button from the back until you get the desired tension.

Staple the thread to the board in several spots.

Attach the padded board to the back board with long screws.

I found this beautiful thick piping to soften the transition from backboard to padded board. The piping was hot glued around the edges.

As for the top piece, the appliques were glued on with wood glue and it was attached to the main headboard with wood from behind.  Again we used the brown piping to tie it in with the padded board below.

The headboard will be attached to the wall with French Cleats.

The headboard has an elegant yet rustic charm about it.

The nightstand in this room will be a future project.

Thanks for reading

Linked Up To:

Made By You Mondays Market Yourself Monday DIY Project Parade Metamorphosis Monday  Get Your Craft On  Nifty Thrifty Tuesday Talent Tuesday Show Me What Ya Got Tutorial Tuesday  Tip Me Tuesday   Power of Paint Party Create and Share Penny Pinching Party Savvy Southern Style Hookin Up with HOH Transformation Thursday Somewhat Simple Time Travel Thursday  Friday Fun Party Remodelaholic Hodge Podge Friday I'm Lovin It Show & Tell Friday Frugal Friday  Flaunt It Friday Feathered Nest Friday Saturday Nite Special 

Coming Up ..

Believe it or not, I actually HAVE been busy. 

The problem is, that at the moment I have so many projects started, but not completed….except for this project.

Come on back this weekend to find out.

A Home away from Home

I’d like to introduce you to the main reason I haven’t posted much lately. Recently we purchased a house in Florida.  This is a project far from my home but close to my heart.   A couple of trips and  some hard work and we have something I’ve managed to become very attached to. There was a lot going in a very few short days, but I only managed to pick up the camera a few times to take these shots.

From the outside this was the way we found it…

…and this is how we left it, (except for the outside light that hadn’t been put up yet)

What we found when we arrived was a beautiful house that had been neglected. What we left with, was a sense of accomplishment, some new friends and a home with its charm recaptured.

The backyard was in dire need of  TLC

It took a hard working landscaper 2 full days to get it all back into shape.

In keeping with the total neglect of this house here is what the pool looked like. 

No color altering here.. this is what it looked like in full sunlight

…and after a day with a very skilled pool man.

The kitchen needed updating.  The blue countertop and the outdated hardware were changed. The walls were painted and some new light fixtures were added.

The front doors wide open while I  anxiously await the appliance delivery.

A coat of paint, new hardware and a granite counter top

All cleaned up and ready for a family.

At the end of the day, we accomplished what we had set out to, making this once beautiful home beautiful once again.

I’m in love !

Linked to:

Metamorphosis Monday DIY Showoff

Recaptured Charm in Italy

I know I’ve been slightly absent so far this year but I’ve been involved with so many different things, time just seems to be rushing by me.

I want to take a minute and tell you about one of those things… Recaptured Charm in Italy ?

Yessiree! 

Truly one of the more beautiful home magazines I have seen has done a little article about Recaptured Charm and the Stenciled Dresser…..in Italian of course.  I’m overjoyed to see it in print and in such a beautiful magazine.

Ristrutturare con Casa Chic

When I was asked if they could run a feature on the Stenciled Dresser I was ecstatic, not fully knowing anything about the magazine, but what a beautiful magazine it is.  Not sure if it's available anywhere in the U.S or Canada, maybe some specialty stores.

The article consists of an interview with yours truly and a run down on the project itself, complete with materials used and level of difficulty.  This is really a simple DIY project which is probably the idea behind making it attainable in the DIY section of the magazine.

A few random pictures from the magazine.

It really is a beautiful magazine.  Thank you Lotus Publishing.

Well that’s it for now. 

This is Lisa, signing off from Italy !

(I wish)

Diary of a Laundry/Powder Room–The Beginning

I’ve been in my current house for over 4 years now.  Mr. Charming and I have managed to rework much of the house but 3 bathrooms have remained untouched.

My laundry machines reside in my main floor powder room.  Convenient ?  Yes  Attractive ?  No.

I admit there are times when I am ashamed to say ‘this is my before picture’, and this is one of them.   Granted, the  bi-fold doors that concealed the laundry area have been taken down for this picture… but it is an unsightly bathroom nonetheless. Thankfully, I have a second floor family room and guests can use the ‘less unattractive’ bathroom up there.

Ok, so here it is <big breath>  in all it’s previous glory.

Can you believe I’ve lived with this for 4 years? Yup.. neither can I.

Ok, now that the embarrassing part is over.  I knew most of this bathroom needed to be demolished, including the floor. 

This makeover will take several steps and will be posted as we go along.

About 3 years ago I bought an old buffet on Craigslist.  At that time I started to strip the layers and layers of paint caked on it so I could stain it, and after 4 attempts at trying to get paint off the top, I pushed it aside and there it sat in the garage till now… 3 years later.

Three-odd years later it makes another appearance and I give it another shot.

I manage to clean the top surface but you can see how much paint is still caked in the tiny grooves. 

I concede.  Moving on to Plan B.

For now, I remove the back piece and cover the raw wood, while I paint the cabinet off-white.

There were layers of paint all over this cabinet but I left some raised  here and there to really give off a cracked, aged look.  After painting and glazing the original heavy metal knobs and hardware go PERFECTLY with the cabinet.  I didn’t do anything to these other than clean them.  They’re gorgeous.

And here is a sneak peek at how the top looks stained.  This is one application of stain.  I ended up giving it two to darken it further. The top back piece is in the works.

With a few more modifications, this beautiful cabinet will be used as the vanity in the new Laundry/Powder Room.

More to come  ….