I can’t believe this day has finally come! Back in June I decided to build a headboard for the master bedroom - at the beginning of the month I shared my plan…and at the end of the month I publicly admitted failure. Well, three months later…I have a headboard!
Before I get into all of the details, how about a sneak peek?
Isn't it pretty?!
You might remember that my main hang up for this project was the fabric. I couldn’t decide on a fabric – and when I did, the fabric didn’t look as good in person/didn’t look good in the room. Sigh. But then one glorious day, Cutting Edge Stencils contacted me to see if I wanted to review one of their stencils! And that’s when I decided to stencil my own fabric. Then I could customize the design and color – problem solved.
I picked the Zamira Allover Stencil for my project. I bought 3 yards (but only used 2.5 yards) of white upholstery-ish fabric from Wal-Mart for $6.99/yard. The paint color is CraftSmart Robin’s Egg Blue (found at Michael’s) and the fabric medium is Martha Stewart (also from Michael’s).
I’m not going to write a full tutorial for any of this because there are already a lot of great ones out there, but I will share a few tips that helped me…and hopefully will help you if you decide to do this yourself.
For stenciling fabric, Becca has a great tutorial with a lot of helpful advice. My main tips would be to use spray adhesive and don’t use a lot of paint on the roller. Oh, and if the paint does bleed under the stencil, you can just use a small paint brush to do touchups. The touchups aren’t noticeable at all with a big pattern like this one.
I’m so happy with how the fabric turned out! Stenciling took for-ev-er, but it was so worth it! I can’t say enough good things about Cutting Edge Stencils. I would definitely buy stencils from them in the future for other projects – accent walls, curtains, furniture, etc. They have a large selection and the quality is great – not like the cheap, flimsy ones in the craft store. Stay tuned for a Cutting Edge Stencils related announcement at the end of the post.
OK, now let’s talk headboard – I don’t have a full tutorial because there are A LOT of them already out there, but here’s my quick tips. Note: I have a king-size bed.
Instead of buying foam, which can be really expensive, I used a full-size foam mattress topper. It was about $12 at Wal-Mart and was big enough to do 2 layers. As you can see below, it wasn’t quite long enough, so I just added an extra little piece to the end – after the batting and fabric, you can’t tell the difference. I used the leftover spray adhesive from my stencil project to hold the foam.
After the foam I added two layers of batting (found at Joann’s) and then my fabric. The fabric was a little stiff from the paint, but ironing it (with the steam on) seemed to help.
I used the excess material to cover any of the wood that might be seen from the top/sides. I decided to use the entire piece of plywood so I wouldn’t have to worry about hanging it from the wall or adding legs. It seemed like the easiest way…and I didn’t have to mess with a saw.
And here it is:
I’m so happy with how it turned out. Having a headboard makes the room look so much more finished! Although, now I want to buy bigger lamps and I need to find something to hang above the headboard.
Ringo and Abby love it too!
OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. Ringo was more focused on trying to bite the buttons off the comforter and Abby just wanted to lick my face. I had to bribe them with treats to get this picture. I don’t know how people get pictures of their dogs laying sweetly in the background.
Anyway, I’m so happy with my new headboard…and that I conquered my first stenciling project!
And now for the big announcement: Tomorrow I’ll be hosting a giveaway for a stencil of your choice (up to $50 value) from Cutting Edge Stencils! Check back tomorrow for all the details!
Giveaway is now closed...
That is beautiful! I can't believe you stenciled that it looks perfect! Love the color. Megan
ReplyDeleteThe headboard looks awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteSam you did a fantastic job! This is killer, good. The dogs are soooo cute. You are brave to let them on your white bedding.
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic! I can only imagine how long this must have taken.
ReplyDeleteWOW!!!!!
ReplyDeleteit's gorgeous, sam!!! your stenciled fabric is beautiful and the bedding is so perfect with it!!! i didn't throw up at all! ;)
ReplyDeleteAnddddd now I'm going to make a new headboard for my room! Yay for ideas I steal from Sam! Yayy! It also gives your whole room a sense of "complete-ness" that it may have been lacking before. So I love it. Hi-FIve!
ReplyDeleteThis is unbelievable!!! Can't believe it - keep scrolling up to look at it again!
ReplyDeleteLove Ringo and Abby too!
Your newest follower - would love to have you come visit and follow back when you have the time
Hugs,
Suzan
You did an amazing job. I love this. I have a link party on Wednesdays, and I would love it if you would link this and any other posts. It is called Wednesdays Adorned From Above Link Party. It runs from Wednesday to Sundays.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.adornedfromabove.com/2012/09/natural-coconut-bubble-bath-and.html
I hope to see you there. I am your newest follower, and I would love for your to follow me also. Have a great Day.
Debi Bolocofsky
Adorned From Above
www.adornedfromabove.com
Your headboard looks amazing! I've done stencilling, but never on fabric. It turned out so great! Found you through Tickled Pink linky party at 504 Main and I'm your newest GFC follower. Hope you can stop by for a visit sometime and folow back.
ReplyDeleteTuula :)
I absolutely LOVE this!!! I love the blue color! We are now following you!
ReplyDeleteBrooke from babblingsandmore.com
it looks gorgeous Sam... love the choice of stencil ! The doggies are adorable and it made me laugh to see them posing so perfectly for you...:) thanks for sharing...xo
ReplyDeleteYour stenciling skills are amazing! Seriously looks great.
ReplyDeleteWow! That is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the pattern that you chose to make your custom fabric. The headboard turned out great!!
ReplyDeleteWow! I really like your headboard. The pattern you picked out makes it look so rich. Great job!
ReplyDeleteSam I love it!!! it's so gorgeous!!! I love the design you did! I'm dying to do an upholstered headboard. It's probably not something I'll do in this house though. So I'll just live vicariously through you and your beautiful one! haha. I love it!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh this looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteFound you through Craftberry Bush link party.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this headboard! Your colour choice is divine and it looks so bright and inviting with your crisp white bedding! Just pinned this!
a) I LOVE the headboard! b) I LOVE your duvet cover. c) Question: are your dogs regular guests on your bed? Our girls sleeps on our bed at night, so I've been shying away from getting white bedding, but I love how it looks. How do you keep yours looking nice and white and clean with the pooches?
ReplyDelete(Clicked through from AKA Design's link up party. Glad to have found your blog! :)
What a great stencil and fabulous cover! And I'm loving your comforter too ... so tell that adorable Ringo to stop eating the buttons! I could see my dog doing that too. Sigh.
ReplyDelete:)
Linda
So gorgeous! I love it...look for a feature on tickled pink tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteWhat an ambitious girl you are! I love that when you couldn't find what you wanted, you just MADE what you wanted. Beautiful! You've made me start thinking about reupholstering my own headboard. That just looks too dang good!
ReplyDeleteStacia@http://feathersandsunshine.blogspot.com
Beautiful. I love the stencil and color you chose.
ReplyDeleteSo sweet! I appreciate all your tips, like the mattress topper, the full sheet of plywood, the adhesive, etc. Pat yourself on the back, and thanks for sharing. I found you at Handy Man Crafty Woman.
ReplyDeleteFound you on pinterest. This turned out beautiful - I love that you can't even tell it was painted on! I looks so much like patterned fabric! I can never find the right fabric for what I want - I never thought to look at stencils instead! Great idea!
ReplyDelete