Impromptu DIY
It's important that I mention when I want something, I want it right now. I need immediate satisfaction. It's a problem. I acknowledge it and am working on it. I'm telling you this because this crazy little trait of mine is the reason I decided to do this quick DIY project. I have had the same bed setup for 10 years now. I got my rails, box spring, and mattress in 2005...no headboard, no frame. Never really had the extra money to splurge on one and back then I frankly didn't care. Well, now I do and it's all I think about.
So, I start my (still ongoing) search for the perfect headboard, and quickly realize they're quite expensive...like thousands of dollars. Enter the crazy trait of mine and the wheels started turning...what could I create that would be a statement piece in the bedroom yet not cost an arm and a leg? Keep in mind I live in NYC and nothing is cheap here, and it's not like I have a backyard to set up my workbench and literally make my own headboard out of wood. It had to be something I could easily get my hands on. During our stay at Sugar Beach, they had these beautiful four poster beds with mosquito netting and I loved the romantic and whimsical feeling it created. Why not recreate that? Yeah, I may not have a four poster bed, but it's the concept that I'm using as inspiration.
I could have just bought one of those stupid, cheap mosquito nets attached to a ring and hang it from the ceiling, but I wasn't feeling it, seemed too juvenile. So I decided to buy a nice curtain rod, hang sheer panels along with a sheer scarf, and hang those tiny LED lights behind it to make it glow. Easy enough, and whenever I finally find the ideal headboard within my budget, I can just move my little creation to the window and install it there. Perfect!
In total I think I spent around $100 between the rod, sheer panels and scarf, end pieces, and the LED lights. It took maybe half an hour to install and set it up. I had some issues drilling holes because the wall is an outside wall, so it's almost flush with the brick exterior. I tried using the plastic anchors that came with the curtain rod to reinforce my creation, but that didn't work out so well. Fingers crossed it doesn't come crashing down while we're sleeping. One strand of lights wasn't nearly enough for my vision, but my husband liked what I did with the single strand and asked me to keep it that way. Whatever makes him happy =)
I'll keep you updated on my perfect headboard search, but in the meantime I need to work on having a little patience. As my husband just said after proof-reading this post "patience is a virtue."
Here's what I used and all but one item was on sale:
