A reader was so kind as to alert me to this, I'm kind of embarassed I had not taken note of it! A upholstered headboard kit from Horchow! They send you everything you need but the fabric, which you choose yourself. It comes in three shapes and allows you to style it as you like (add nail heads or ribbon trim perhaps?) Yes, you could go to Home Depot and a sewing supply shop get some stuff to make one for cheaper, but for $150 for a queen, this saves you gas money and the hassle!

Walking into my office and finally being greeted by my "mantra" for daily living made me smile this morning. There is no more appropriate phrase for me to repeat every day than this old British wartime poster's. I scored a old, carved gold wood frame on eBay for $40 and lacquered it myself with the amazing 1-Shot. It reminds me VERY much of this Brocade frame that is being sold for $500! It's quite satisfying to stretch my crafty muscles on projects like these!

I got the last and final issue of Blueprint this weekend and I have to say, this was one of their best issues to date- and now they are leaving me??? Sometimes it takes a magazine some time to find it's own voice, style and following- and this one wasn;t given much time to do so. I turned down so many of the pages with fantastic tips and images that upon scanning the last page I thought "This sucks, this magazine is friggin' GREAT!!" Kind of like a boyfriend making a last grand gesture of romance before dumping you. It hurts, Blueprint, it hurts.

This idea came from an older issue and I just love it. A cheap, DIY project that can result in gallery-worthy artwork!
Find something that speaks to you, and old envelope or playing card looks great, see above, but it could be anything that is graphically interesting or meaningful to you. Scan into your computer (or have a Kinko's do it for you) and print on a large, poster-sized scale! Shutterfly prints posters, as does a Kinko's or the like. Slap it in an simple IKEA frame and voila!!

Another New England nor'easter has rendered me homebound today-so expect some added posts!

I found this amazing faux pressed tin wallpaper on Design Your Wall and I am all about putting it on the ceiling of my butler's pantry to make it look like an old tin ceiling! $12.50 a yard.

So, magnificently I was linked on AOL yesterday, hence the 14,000 readers and 40,000 hits. I am still amazed, even if it was a fluke! There were a lot of discussions, and one question e-mailed to me, about DIY headboards and canopies. I figured I would do a post with some more ideas on creative ways to create a dramatic bed without having to actually BUY a bed.

(picture courtesy of Domino)
This bed features canopy curtains...without a canopy bed. You can recreate this yourself my using simple window treatment rods attached to the ceiling. Measure floor to ceiling and order curtains in that length with O-ring clips to attach them to the rods. That way you can close the drapes if you wish.

(picture courtesy of Domino)
This headboard is painted right on the wall! This will look best as they did it here, in 2 shades of the same color- otherwise it will look juvenile. This will take a steady hand and patience!


(picture courtesy of Domino)
This is the most simple look- all you need is some really interesting fabric in a large graphic print, stretcher bars from any art supple store and a staple gun. Make sure the fabric is centered and level and wrap around the bars and staple to the back. Hand above the bed and voila!

(picture courtesy of Blueprint/MSL)
This is similar to the painted headboard, but using wallpaper! Cut an interesting pattern along one lengthwise edge of a roll of wallpaper and paste to the wall.

(picture courtesy of Domino)
I received one specific question from a reader about creating a canopy above the bed. This picture above is a very modern way to do it (and quite simple). All they did was screw 4 small hooks in the four corners of the ceiling above the bed and hung a length of Marimekko fabric. I love the large graphic for this kind of use. My modification below, is a little more involved, but I prefer it. Please pardon my quick sketch! You'll need two drapery rods and a very long length of fabric. If you feel up to it, I like the idea of sewing together a solid on one side and a pattern on the other (for the under side). install one bar right above the head of the bed and one at the foot and run the fabric behind the bed (you can tack it to the wall near the floor so it doesn't move). I think it's a beautiful and cheap way to create a very romantic and dramatic look.

I am thinking of making Friday a "reader design question" day where I answer a specific design dilemma from one of you. Let me know if you like that idea!