Bed Canopy Tutorial

A bed canopy for Audrey was a part of my vision for her room from the get go. There is something about a canopy that makes a bed seem like a magical place. I mean a bed is nice but a bed with a canopy is like your own special little hideaway. I even hope to add lights to it one day to make it even more magical. I promised you a tutorial and I know that you have been waiting on the edge of your seat for it. So, here are all the details for this super, simple project. I gathered some supplies:

• Two, white curtain panels (I got mine at Ikea. I think they were $10 for the pair)
• Large, oval embroidery hoop
• Adorable, pink pom-pom trim
• Liquid Stitch
• Ribbon

 

I can't write this tutorial without giving Liz over at Life in Projects a major shout out. 1) For her inspiring work with pom-poms and 2) for introducing me to the amazingness that is liquid stitch.

 

 

This stuff is genius and made this project possible without dragging out my nemesis aka the sewing machine. I simply laid the curtain panels out on the floor, applied the liquid stitch and placed the trim on top. It is amazing how strong the hold is!

 

I let everything dry over night and then shimmied the curtains onto the embroidery hoop just like you would with a curtain rod.

 

 

I repeated the same thing with the other panel and that part was done-so.

 

 Then, it was time to figure out how to hang it from Audrey's ceiling. I cut ribbon into four equal lengths and tied them onto loops that were already on the curtain panels. 

I just made sure that the ribbon was tied at equal distances so that everything would be level (although the picture below would indicate otherwise...it took a little adjusting).I tied the four pieces of ribbon into a knot at the end. My sweet hubs put in a ceiling hook for me which I hung the knot onto and that was all there was to it. I told you it was simple!

I love when simple projects like this can make such a big impact.

I may have curled up in this little nook myself a time or two. It is our favorite spot to read bedtime stories.

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Audrey's Bedroom Reveal

It was about six weeks ago when I decided it was high time that we get the show on the road in Audrey's bedroom. Other than painting her wall and moving in her furniture, we hadn't done anything in here since we moved in last May. I have to say that putting a room together looks a whole lot easier on HGTV and other people's blogs then in real life. I mean it's not like we did any major projects but it still took us six weeks! Regardless, we are so happy with the progression and I am beyond excited to be finally sharing it with you. So, let's get on with it, shall we? Oh, and for some added fun let's play a little game of I Spy. How many butterflies, polka dots, and letter A's can you spot in here?

Let's start with one of the major focal points in the room -- the bed! As I mentioned before, I wanted her bed to have the daybed look and feel. I wanted to give Audrey a cozy place to hang out. So, I took off the headboard and centered the bed on the wall. Cozy pillows and a canopy make it the perfect spot to relax and enjoy a good book. Audrey loves sleeping under her canopy. Details on how I made it will be up in the coming days.

To the right of the bed is Audrey's cart turned nightstand, gallery wall, and a full length mirror. The little canvas basket was a Target find a while back and it's where all Audrey princess dolls hang out.

 

To the left of the bed is the Ikea cubbies that hold lots of Audrey's toys including her wooden princess castle.

 

She has a little seating area here with the rug and pillow. I'd like to add more later but she also just borrows the ones from her bed when she wants to hang out down here.

 

And, here is the opposite view of her room.

 

 

 The little, pink table holds a couple of boxes that hold random goodies. If you've ever lived with a 6-year-old, you know that there is always plenty of randomness lying around. She is definitely my little collector so boxes such as these are a lifesaver for keeping a handle on the clutter.

 

And, then there's the workspace. This is personally my favorite area in here. I am in loooooove with how her desk turned out! I am still over the moon that we found this little treasure.

 

We hung a couple of Lack shelves from Ikea to fill up some of the white space and to have a place for show off her books, art, etc.

 



I love the mix of pink, blue, and gold over here. To give Audrey's desk a girly touch, we installed a floral knob from Anthropologie. The boxes next to the desk hold different learning games that we play or as Audrey likes to call them -- her homework. The other boxes hold more books. There may be books in every nook and cranny of our house!

 

To the right of the desk, I hung a couple of clothespins on the wall to hang paper so Audrey can easily access it when she wants to draw and write. I added some black and white washi tape around it to give it a little pop. One side is for single sheets of paper and the other side holds stapled booklets for when Audrey wants to be an author and make books.

 

 

I styled her desk with the gold lamp from Target, picture frames, an Anthro-inspired mug that I DIYed, and a basket for coloring tools and faux flowers.

Here are a few close-ups...

There are always going to be things that we will want to add over time. As you probably noticed, Audrey still needs a chair for her desk. I'm actually on the look out for the perfect little stool but we will see what we come up with. Other than that, we will add "a few more touches" here and there. Those were Audrey's words exactly. I think I may be rubbing off on her.

Thank you so much for sticking around as we tackled this room. It makes me smile to know that another project can be crossed off of our list. Still to come...a little reorganizing in the playroom and then there's Will's big boy room. Some fun ideas for that project are currently swirling around in my head -- I wonder if I will be able to pull them off. Stay tuned...it looks like it may be a productive spring for us!!!

 

 

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A Gallery of Personality

So.....the bedroom reveal that didn't happen last week is still not happening today. Let's just say that it's 99.9% done or, in other words, all we need to do is hang a single hook in the ceiling and the final piece of the puzzle can be put into place. Unfortunately, we have been a little distracted to get that done. So, as a consolation prize I am here to show you the gallery wall that I actually was able to get completed recently. This blank, white wall was begging for some fun and colorful artwork. My favorite thing about this is how personalized it is. The only thing that we actually purchased (minus the frames of course) is the butterfly print from Ikea. Two of these pieces we made awhile back. You can read about them here and here. Audrey painted the large A at a friend's birthday and everything else is new to the party.

 

I am constantly in awe of my creative little girl. I gave her a canvas, some bottles of acrylic paint, and a paintbrush and this is what she came up with! To my amazement she didn't even use the brush end of the the paintbrush. She turned it around and used the plastic tip to make these dots. It is perfect in every way! Looking at it in this picture I am realizing that I need to have her sign it. All true artists sign there work. Am I right?

 

The silhouette was another DIY. I have done silhouettes in the past, but I think they are beyond cute when the girl's hair is up in a ponytail. So, I followed the same steps as before and mounted it on some inexpensive gift wrap. I also added a little strip of washi tape as her hair accessory.

 

These last two pieces were made from some of Audrey's old t-shirts. She still cherishes the moment that she found out she was going to be a big sister. This was one of her shirts we got her before Will arrived and it bummed her out when it no longer fit. Now, she proudly displays it on her wall.

 

These bird appliques are also from one of my favorite shirts that Audrey wore as a toddler. How I miss those days!

Thank you for bearing with me as we put the finishing touches on this room. It has taken awhile but I am really excited with how it turned out. I am so pumped to share it with you. Now, who wants to hang a ceiling hook for me? Pin It

Audrey's Bulletin Board

 

 

Day by day, I am inching closer and closer to finishing Audrey's room. I feel like I can finally say that the end is in sight. I am even going to throw it out there that an official reveal will be up on the blog next week...(as long as all goes well this weekend with one final project)!!!

Today, I am here to share a quick DIY that I did for above Audrey's desk. Last summer I picked up this bulletin board at a thrift shop for like 99 cents. Mainly because it was 99 cents and I thought it would look perfectly among the other junk that I have been collecting in my garage. Or, I knew that one day I would need a bulletin board for something. And, what do you know, that day is finally here.

 

It was just your run of the mill bulletin board so to make it Audrey-worthy it needed a makeover. I thought I was going to take the frame off to paint it until I realized that would be impossible without breaking the frame. I just painted it, as is, and it worked out really well. I opted for some gold craft paint since that is what I had on hand and I have been wanting to add some gold accents throughout her room. I didn't sand or use primer or anything and it took about three coats to cover it.

 

I thought it needed a little something more so I added a pattern with some white paint. Love the way it turned out!



I picked up this pink ikat dot fabric at Hobby Lobby. I was a little concerned about getting the fabric on the board since I couldn't remove the frame. My plan was just to tuck it underneath. I trimmed it so it was just slightly larger than the area that I wanted to cover.



Then, I used a knife to push the fabric underneath the frame. It went pretty well minus a couple of places where the hanging brackets got in the way and I had to really force it to go in. I went around the edge where the frame and fabric met with some modge podge to keep it secure and to make sure the fabric wouldn't start fraying.




Now, my 99 cent thrift shop find is lookin' fancy and ready for Audrey's room. I need to pick up a sawtooth hanger to hang it so you will have to wait until the big reveal to see it at home above her desk. This is what I do when there's six inches of snow on the ground. Anybody else snowed in and DIYing it up these days?

 

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A Midcentury Desk Makeover

I cannot tell you how long I have been on the look out for the perfect desk for Audrey's bedroom. I was looking for a project piece--something that I could buy cheap and spruce up for her. I spent all last summer visiting multiple thrift stores, antique malls, etc. I was also open to spending a little more on a piece that had already been redone, such as, something you would find in a shabby chic shop. I had come up empty-handed so many times that I was one click away from just ordering her something online.

Then this happened!!!

One day while on Christmas break, I dragged the entire family to some antique shops in a nearby town (Lebanon for those of you who know me locally). We found this at an antique mall called the Peddler's Market. It is one of those places with aisle upon aisle of booths containing pretty much any random thing that you could possibly think of. We went up and down, up and down keeping our eyes peeled for any desk that we could find. I actually can't take credit for this find. Aaron is the one that spotted it first and I knew right away that I loved it. It had the perfect midcentury shape including those amazing tapered legs. Upon seeing it, I was convinced that it would be way out of our price range until a leaned over and saw a $25 pricetag. Cuh-raaaazy!!! I snatched it up before the owner realized that he or she was way underpriced.

The desk was in decent shape but definitely had some wear and tear on the finish. I looked all over for a name of the manufacturer but I couldn't find it. I did find a note on the bottom that said Fairfield Eng. Co. 1967. I am assuming that is the fire department? It was just fun to find out a little bit about the history of the desk. Call me weird, I guess. In addition to the finish issues, Audrey nor I were into the brown. So, it was time to get out the paint and give this bad boy a makeover. What color did we choose...dark blue! I suggested the color on a whim assuming that my girly-girl would almost immediately shoot it down but she didn't. I thought it would be a great color to mix in with the pinks. Think what John and Sherry did for Clara's playroom in their old house.

Since we were dealing with below zero temps here in Ohio, I knew I couldn't spray paint. Plus, I am still scarred by the last time that I spray painted a large piece of furniture. I decided a brush and a foam roller would be the way to go. I had some leftover blue paint from when I did Will's accent wall so I didn't even have to get new paint. The shade is from Sherwin Williams and is called Indigo Batik.

I started by doing a step that I usually skip, which is sanding. Here are a few pictures of that step for you. My goal was to get most of the original stain off but I didn't lose sleep over it.

 

 

 

I didn't prime because the paint had primer built-in and I didn't want to go out into the arctic tundra to pick some up so I thought I would just see what would happen. It worked out better than expected. I started with a super thin coat.

I used a small brush on the drawers and the edges of the desk and I used a foam roller for the top and sides. It took me three coats to get it looking like this. The color is a little different than it looks in Will's room but it could just be the lighting in the basement. Either way, though, I think that shade will look awesome in her room.



I am still debating if I should do a clear coat on top for protection. I just always ruin my finish when I do that so I might see what happens. If it starts chipping, I will touch it up and add the clear coat later.

I am completely smitten with it and Audrey is, too. In her words she "loooooooooves it!" I know it doesn't look the best in my dark, gloomy basement but I couldn't wait to show it to you. And, we wanted to give it several days to dry really well before bringing it up to her room. I am so pumped to see it in her space and style it up pretty for her. That, however, will have to be another day.

 

 

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DIY Photo Art

Have you ever had DIY deja vu? Well, that is exactly what happened to me when I decided to fake a giant photo canvas of my kids for the playroom. If you remember my post about putting song lyrics on a canvas, you know that I ran into a few snags. Needless to say, it was far from perfect and neither is our photo canvas but I have resolved not to point out every flaw because sometimes I am the only one that notices them.With that said, allow me to explain how I made this piece.

I have recently fallen in love with Jenny's blog, Little Green Notebook. She recently mentioned her $4.00 photo trick that I decided to duplicate. To begin, I had a 36x48 inch engineering print of the photo made at staples. I also picked up a foam board similar in size. I actually had to use a trifold board because it was all that I could find that was the right size. I found mine at Michaels but I'm sure you can get them at any craft store. I could have used a canvas but the foam board is much less expensive and I'm all about that.  I trimmed the photo and the foam board so that they were the same size.

Cutting the foam board was a little tricky. An exacto knife would have been the tool of choice but I couldn't find mine (in a box somewhere I'm sure) so I just used a kitchen knife.

As you can see, the edges were a mess so I put masking top over them to make for a smoother surface.

I loved Jenny's idea of painting the edge so I did the same. I wanted a nice reddish-orange color so I just did a little color mixing until I got a shade I was happy with. Painting past the edge was a major fail, by the way.

Once the paint dried, I attached the photo to the board with mod podge. I didn't get pictures of this step but I just started with the print rolled up and glued it down as I unrolled it onto the foam board. This is where things got extremely hairy for me. I realized that the orange paint could be seen through the print and there were a ton of air bubbles underneath where I didn't apply enough mod podge. It was completely unsalvagable. So, I scrapped it and did the entire process all over again. The second round went much better. Like I mentioned before, however, the end result isn't perfect but I'll let you be the judge of that. I do love the surprise of orange around the edges.

So, back to school is looming for me. I am excited to be in a new school and a new grade level this year but that also means that I have a lot of work to do between now and August 19th when twenty-some new first graders will walk into my classroom for the first time. I will try to update you throughout the process. Goodbye summer and hello to my crazy, busy, rewarding, and amazing life as a teacher!

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