Weekend Project: Headboard of Branches

I know I said I would do this on Friday but I ran out of time so I'm doing it for today's post. So now it will be for this weekend's project. Just another reason to look forward to the coming weekend that seems sooooo far away right about now.

I made this headboard out of branches for the Home & Garden Show earlier this year and then later reused it in my sister's Bedroom Makeover because she really wanted to keep it.


My concept for the Home & Garden Show was very deep and kinda earthy so I got this idea to make a headboard out of branches. Originally I had planned on scavenging all the branches myself and weaving them into a really cool design to make a sturdy, more typical style headboard. Well, time ran out and I was left with about a day to knock the headboard out. So I went to the local craft store, bought a bunch of sticks from the dried naturals section, bought some twine and wide hemp ribbon used in upholstering. I then headed to Lowe's where I purchased (4) 1"x2" boards, wood screws, and those foam insulation strips that you run around your door frames. In all, it cost about $30 to make. Not too shabby.

1. Start by cutting your boards to length, depending on what size bed you have. Next, sand, prep and then stain all sides of the boards your desired color. ( I used stain I already had)

2. After the stain has fully dried, lay 2 boards out on a large work surface and space them your desired height......I left about 12" between mine. Apply the foam strips to one side of both boards. You can apply foam strips to one side of the other two boards as well but lay them off to the side until you need them.

3. Lay out the branches perpendicular to the parallel boards. Let the bottom of the branches overlap the bottom board by about an inch. Use the twine to weave in and out around the branches to help secure them together. You can also run some craft glue in between the boards and around the foam strips for added stability.

4. Get the other two boards and lay them on top of your existing boards with the foam strip facing down. The foam strips will press together to help squeeze the branches in place. Once the boards are lined up, screw the boards together about every 6". The tighter you can screw them together the better since they will hold all the branches in place.

5. If you're really picky you can get some colored wood putty to fill in over the screw holes.

6. Next, take the hemp ribbon, or any other colored ribbon for that matter, and weave it in and out between the sticks between the boards. Since I mounted mine 12" apart and my ribbon was 4" wide, I did 3 woven rows. You can see this best in the first picture. Where the ribbon ends, cut it off, tuck it carefully behind and then hand stitch it closed using matching thread. This weaving will also add extra support for the branches to stay in place.

7. That's it! For the bedroom makeover I just screwed the headboard directly to the wall for support (normally the headboard attaches to the bed frame) You can get really creative with this using different types of branches and/or weaving them different ways. Mine was quick and cheap and has surprisingly held up really well!

Spotlight on David Leventi

I'm being lazy today and reposting something from Home-Designing.

These breathtaking photographs are taken by David Leventi.

Enjoy!

Master Bedroom Before And After!

Finally........the moment you've all been waiting for................(as if you really care that much, haha!)

Bethany and Gage are on their way home from the honeymoon as I type! I cannot wait for them to see their brand new bedroom I created for them in the 8 days they've been gone on their honeymoon. It's a little contemporary, as well as sophisticated with a slight bohemian flair. Its also colorful and playful, just like their personalities.

So, once again, here's the before: (before blogs can be read here and here)



And here's the After!


Brian (my fiance) took all their wedding photographs (he also takes all my design photos!.......cute AND handy!) The photos on the wall above the chair (yep! that's my $10 thrift store chair!!) are another surprise since it will be the first time they see any of the pictures from the wedding. Here is one of my favs:


The dresser is a gift from my brother and the lamps were a gift from a friend :)



My father and I created the hanging light fixtures by buying shades I liked and a swag lamp kit. Then my magical dad rigged it all to look pretty and work



Yes, this is the SAME desk and chair from the before photos above! I found the grey paint in my basement left behind by the previous owners (score!) and I purchased the yellow paint. I recovered the chair with fabric left over from some drapes I made awhile back.

The wall hanging is from my last weekend project.


These drawings (by yours truly) I did as a birthday gift several years ago for Bethany. No new cost there!


So my budget for the room was $150-$200. Lets see how I did.

Wall paint - Free! I used leftovers from the Home & Garden Show
Headboard - Free! I made it previously for the Home & Garden Show and will also show you how to make one like it for this weekend's project.
Bedding - Free! The sheets were a wedding gift. The bed skirt is an extra brand new one I already had. I also already owned the quilt from a staging job I did earlier this year. The pillows I did buy on mega sale from Kohl's for a total of $45.
Throw Pillows - I used gift cards and spent a total of $20 for these.
Yellow Throw Blanket - $12 (heck yeah! and its uber soft) on sale at Meijer
Red Chair - $10 Thrift store steal!
Frames - $20 from Ikea

Curtain rods, bed, desk, decorative accessories, pencil drawings, nightstands, and hanging silk were their previous belongings.

Curtains - $40 from Ikea
Hanging Lamps - $70 total for everything to put them both together.
Yellow paint for desk - $15
Tray, wine glasses and plate (on bed) - $3. Yep. I used a Pier One Points Reward certificate which I get all the time since I charge so much for clients on my card.

Total: $230.

O.k. So I'm over budget. It was totally worth it :)

And it looks pretty darn good for $225 if I do say so myself!

xoxo

Laura

How to Make Tissue Paper Pom-Poms

I've had several people ask me lately how I made the Tissue Paper decorations for Beth's Bridal Shower. I got the idea from Martha Stewart's website.

They were actually super easy and cheap - just $1 each. I bought a small package of tissue paper for each one (10 sheets). Each pack was a different color but I suppose you could make multi-color ones with a variety pack of tissue paper. That could be kinda cool.

So this is how I made them:

Step 1

Stack 8-10 (depends on how full you want them) 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2-inch-wide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.

Step 2

Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire (plain ol' bread ties work too!) in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

Step 3

Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.

Step 4

Bend wire into a loop to fit around napkin, and twist end around loop to secure.

Cute Seats

I came across these little treasures over the weekend while searching for unique seating for a client. The first is the "suitcase sofa" designed by Katie Thompson. She has lots of neat reclaimed pieces that can be purchased through her website ReCreate.



And not to be outdone in creativity, although certainly more difficult to rearrange, is the clawfoot sofa which can be found on Etsy by the seller ruff house ART. The ticket price is $1700 and the cost of shipping isn't cheap either at $325!


xoxo,
Laura

Weekend Project: Create a Wall Hanging from a Scarf

I admit, I'm cheating a bit on this one since this project was completed long ago. But since I am reusing it in the Master Bedroom Challenge, I figured it was relevant to use today. Plus its a fun, easy and inexpensive project that I think most of you can appreciate.

I bought this beautiful silkscreen scarf when I worked at Saks a few years back (I bought one for myself too only in different colors!) Its handmade in England and originally retailed at $250. I bought it on mega clearance for about $25. See, sometimes things at Saks CAN be a good deal! haha. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it right away but I knew it was gorgeous and I could put it to good use somewhere. So naturally, I bought two.

While reading Ivanhoe one day (I wish I were kidding), I thought, wow, this would make an awesome wall hanging.....and its kinda medieval looking as well. So this is how I went about doing it:

1. I went to the closest Hobby Lobby to buy pre-made stretchers that artists use to stretch their canvasses. Luckily, I already learned how to do this at a summer painting class but its so easy, I promise you can do it too. They come in all kinds of sizes so finding one to fit your silk shouldn't be too hard. I bought mine slightly larger so that I could create a border around the silk with another fabric.2. Glue your stretchers together by putting a small amount of glue in each corner. The reason you want to use stretchers instead of just any random pieces of wood is for the same reason artists use them: You want as little area of fabric touching the wood as possible because over time the wood will stain the fabric and in some cases can ruin it by discoloration. That's why stretchers have that tiny raised rim on the outer edge for the fabric to rest on.


3. Lay your background fabric (or scarf depending on how you want to do it) upside down on a large smooth surface such as a big table or the floor. Lay your frame on top, also upside down, and center it with the fabric. If you are stapling your scarf directly, make sure you have it lined up where you want it.

4. Fold the outer edges up over the frame and using a staple gun (or small tacks) staple along the edge starting in the middle and working your out to either end. This way you won't get wrinkles in the fabric.


5. Once my fabric was all stretched, I simply pinned the silk onto the stretched fabric and then very carefully hand stitched it to the fabric. You want to be carefully with this because you don't want it to pucker anywhere or else it will hang weird.
You could stitch it onto the fabric all the way around but I just did the top so that it can still hang and move freely.

Here's the finished product!


Silk $25
Stretchers $10
Fabric for background $8

TOTAL $43...........not too shabby for something so beautiful! The finished size is 36" x 36"

This idea would be great to use for vintage hankies and scarves or even a colorful fabric print that you love. I once recommended this idea to a client with dark wood paneled walls that her husband forbid her to paint/get rid of. We got a couple super large ones, stretched a pretty, light colored fabric over it, hung them over the paneling and it looked just like wallpaper! Very bright and cheery and her husband couldn't complain.

Master Bedroom Makeover Challenge - Day 3

So the update on the room so far.........I am farther along than I originally planned to be at this point and may actually finish early. Of course, you won't be able to see it until after the happy couple are already home in case of the unlikely event that they get online while in Jamaica to look at my blog. I wouldn't want to give the big surprise away, doi.

I got all the painting finished. The paint was free; recognize the color? Its the same color I used in my space at the Home & Garden Show. I had a gallon and a half of paint leftover from that, donated by Sherwin Williams so I thought I might as well use it. One less thing I will have to buy and more money that can be used elsewhere. Plus this is Beth's favorite color and she requested a green room.

While I was painting Alfie must have leaned against a wall or something because now half his body is green. Mixed with his grey hair its not a pretty sight. I've been calling him "sloth" because he looks like he has moss growing on his fur! :) I just love that little guy.

And the red chair, as promise:

Thrift store score for ten bucks. And it looks way better in person. The fabric is in almost perfect condition and is really cute. This is a versatile piece because of the clean lines so if they get sick of it in their bedroom, they can move it elsewhere in the house for a new look!

I also went shopping and bought all the bedding, draperies and decorative pillows.

I'm still working on the nightstands, which I may design and build myself out of the leftover materials from the play castle (thinking low budget here!!!), bedside lamps, a cool hanging light fixture, and artwork. Hope I can pull it all together in less than 6 days!

xoxo