The Brink of Design: DIYS

Create a
Floating Head Board:

In looking for a headboard for my small bedroom (maybe my blog should have been called "This Small House"!) I discovered all the headboards were too large for my space. So, I came up with a SIMPLE and CHEAP design that gives my bed the illustion of a headboard.

I went to the fabric store and purchased a quality polyester microfiber fabric. I say "quality" because there are several microfibers out there that are too thin, and will tear if you use them in this type of application. You can use any fabric you want, you just want to make sure that fabric is strong, and can stretch over materials without tearing. The polyester fabric I chose gives the headboard the suede look I was going for.

I then purchased batting (used for making quilts, and bedspreads) in sheet form to give the headboard dimention, and padding.I chose a high loft (thickness of the batting) to give the headboard extra padding (I wanted something soft for reading in bed!). You can purchase by the cut like me, or by the bag.

I then purchased a pre-cut particle board at a local hardware store. Its so much easier than having to cut your own.

Assembling the headboard was SUPER easy. You can do it by yourself, but the hubby gave me a hand. All we used was a staple gun,and stretched the batting around evenly adding a staple as we went to secure the batting on the backside.We made sure that we rounded the edges and made each side equal in thickness. We then did the same thing with the fabric. When we were done the back looked like this:

We then added the hardware to hang the headboard. To obtain that "floating" look we used mirror hardware. As you can see in the picture above, its a thin piece of metal that is slightly bent. This metal attaches to another piece of metal that you hang on the wall:

We centered both pieces, one on the headboard, and one where you want to hang the headboard on the wall. This hardware was the key to the floating design. It allows the headboard to be secure,and hang flat on the wall. It hasn't moved once since we've hung it!
The final outcome was just what I was looking for!

My next project is to add some color to my bed by using accent pillows...I am also going to add some art to the wall above the headboard...Stay tuned!

Add Color CHEAP!

Adding Color to the Blah month of January!

My house is pretty small, and we are fixing it up to sell one day, so I do use a lot of neutrals in my space. In order to add some pops of color, I use several different accessories. Here are a few CHEAP and EASY ways to add some color in these winter months:

For the Dining table:

I bought two clear vases in varying sizes (at the Dollar store..told you I love that place!)

I also found these cranberry fillers there. I filled a vase 3/4 up, and added a tree branch

(also Dollar store) The other vase is filled with pine cones found in my yard. I like to do accessories in odd numbers, so I brought out some of our old wine corks I had stored.

Total cost: $4.00! Not bad huh?!

In order to add continuity to the space, I added some more cranberries
to glass canning jars I keep around. These jars are essential in my

opinion to any home decor! Their possibilities are endless!

They looked a little bland so I tied some twine from a
previous project around the lid area, and voila!

Cost: $1.00! If you have the materials at hand:)

And there you have it. A cheap way to add color to January. Of course

this could be used any time of the year, and if your like me, I like to find

different ways change my decor with the season.

MONOGRAMMING!

I recently fell in LOVE with monogramming. I want to monogram, and label EVERYTHING! Over Christmas I decided to experiment with some new materials and create a monogrammed letter for the holidays. I'm actually pretty pleased with the results!

Because I wasn't blogging at the time, I don't have step by step

pictures, but this craft is REALLY easy! Here's what I did:

First, I used an old shoe box lid and traced a "D" (for my last name) on it. I cut out the letter.

I then used a hot glue gun to attach the moss to it. I found reindeer moss at the Dollar Store

(once again Dollar store coming through for me :)

It can be a little messy, but worth the result!

I tied a red ribbon around the wreath hanger and hung it in the dining nook. Its still there even after the holidays...I'm so proud! Here are a few other ideas I'm going to try in the future: