Past Project: Head board for Queen Size Bed

So, if you're one of those people who loves new furniture but never has the money to buy it, then this post is for you.

Last year I found myself really wanting a headboard for my bed because I felt like it would make my room feel like a bedroom instead of a hospital. I started looking online to find something I would like but couldn't afford ANYTHING I came across. Then I stumbled on Ana White's Knock Off Wood blog (now known as ana-white.com). If you've spent ANY time blog-hopping, then you know who Ana is and have probably browsed her site. But perhaps you were one of those people who thought it was a cool idea, yet, you didn't think you personally could pull it off. Well, I'm here to tell you that you can...


...because I did it with limited time, money, talent, knowledge, tools, and space! I know it seems crazy, but I took a leap of faith anyway and went to the Home Depot with these plans and found a very nice (and skeptical) man who helped me to pick out the right wood and cut it to fit in my car. I had a chop saw at home to cut everything to the right length, but if you don't have a saw, don't worry. They will cut your wood for you at Home Depot if you know the measurements you need!


Because I didn't have a garage or yard to work in, all the work was done in my living room or on my small porch. It made quite a mess but was totally worth it in the end. One word of advice though, you should definitely cut and sand your wood outside, otherwise you will be dusting for the rest of eternity!

If you're worried about your kids getting in the way, don't! My youngest daughter was only 4 months old while I was working on this project, but she was more than happy to roll around on the floor next to me while I screwed all the boards on, and Brooklyn was 2...the perfect age to help hand mommy screws and tools! (The plans actually called for a hammer and nails but I had to buy cheap wood that was slightly warped so I needed the extra support from screws.)


My husband had an orbital sander lying around so I got really lucky in that department. Sanding something that big by hand is not fun! (But if you had to do it you could!)


Next came the staining. I did this when my girls were either napping or in bed at night because I didn't want them exposed to the fumes... and I didn't want them tracking wood stain across my carpet. :)


It took me longer than it probably should have because I had to take a lot of breaks to take care of my regular responsibilities (so if you're a mom you should think about that too). One time when I took a break from staining to feed Lily she even puked all over the headboard and I had to scrub it up and re-stain. A minor setback in motherhood.


Regular furniture also came in handy as I was waiting for the stain to dry or trying to stain the underside of the headboard. You'll find that without a garage you have to be really creative when making something this big.


Anyway, when all was said and done, I had a headboard that normally sold for $800 and all I paid was $150!


I also get to tell everyone that I made my own headboard...by MYSELF! And you can never underestimate how good that feels.

And last of all, my bedroom no longer looks like a hospital room! Thank you Ana for sharing your talents with the rest of us. And to anyone reading this, let go of your excuses! This is TOTALLY something you can do too!