Sunday, November 6, 2011

DIY Dreamy Canopy!

It is a rainy day in Orange. Really wanted to go thrifting but, too yucky! So, I thought while I have a wee moment I would add another DIY project that I am very proud of. 

I feel like my daughters room is the guinea pig for experimentation when it comes to all things crafty.
My husband says it's the room I always wanted as a child. Hmmm, I think he might be right :-)
I started with B's mahogany crib that I wanted to expand upon. Of course, I am thinking ultra girly. A canopy would be amazing but,  how do I do it? I started pouring over catalogs that I have laying around and happened upon my Posh Tots catalog. Ok, I've never bought anything from there . . . yet . . . but you can get creatively inspired just looking at the pictures!

Anyway, after a little studying I came up with a plan. I had, all ready, 4 burgundy curtains in storage. Now I needed a box to attach them to. Off to the thrift and I scored a perfect size box for just under 4 bucks. So, I have my box, curtains and now just a little burgundy paint. After painting I grabbed my staple gun and started to staple the curtain to the inside back of the box, pleating as I went. I actually started on one side and stapled it down and then went to the other to meet in the middle.


This is the back inside of the box.


I then grabbed curtain #2 and started stapling and pleating, right side facing out, making sure to staple on the inside of the box, starting where I designated the front left side of the box as it would be facing out into the room. Does that make sense?? Hard to explain, but when you see the finished product you will understand. Then I started stapling curtain #3 on the right inside of the box. When your pleating, the material starts to get thick because your overlapping and the staples don't want to go all the way through. The hammer was used to make sure some of those staples were lying flat and gripping into the wood.


 I added a little brown satin ribbon as a trim using double side tape.


 I had a large wooden bow that I had gotten on a thrift venture and painted it the same burgundy color as the box. I hammered a nail to the middle front of the box for it to hang.



Next, I attached a picture hangy thingy to the back of the box. What are those things called?? Will have to google that one.


Now it will go flat against the wall.



This beauty I got at a thrift store in Jersey. It is a vintage resin art piece. Beautiful! And was actually the inspiration behind the colors I chose for her room. I wanted to include this in the canopy so it was prominently featured. There is actually a nail on the wall and I had to poke the nail through the curtain for the art to attach!.


Arrange the animals and pillows.  :-) Okay, I just added this pic cause I was proud of the arrangement!!



I then attached a safety pin to each side of the curtain to lift it up and hooked that onto a nail on either side of the back part of the bow. It gives it a more grand appearance rather than just letting them hang down to the sides. Now we get the drapey effect. The 4th curtain I used as a bed skirt to tie it all together. I took off the front rail and the mattress, folded the curtain in half and laid it down, adjusting the "skirt" to get the desired length. Put the mattress on top of the curtain and attach the rail. Voila! 
The top of the box is now a shelf so I added a little rocking horse to top it all off. 

Well, what do you think?? 


 It honestly didn't take that long to do and the results are amazing! Ummmm if I do say so myself!! Think of the possibilities! Maybe some light linen curtains and a creme and baby blue damask covered box. Adding a trim to the curtains would be a nice touch, too. 

What would you do??

 So much fun creating and not having to break the bank to do it!
Happy crafting all!!

Posted by Liz at 1:10 PM
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The Magpie's Nest

by Joseph Jacobs
English Fairy Tales

All the birds of the air came to the magpie and asked her to teach them how to build nests. For the magpie is the cleverest bird of all at building nests. So she put all the birds round her and began to show them how to do it. First of all she took some mud and made a sort of round cake with it.

"Oh, that's how it's done!" said the thrush, and away it flew - and so that's how thrushes build their nests.

Then the magpie took some twigs and arranged them round in the mud.

"Now I know all about it!" said the blackbird, and off it flew - and that's how the blackbirds make their nests to this very day.

Then the magpie put another layer of mud over the twigs.

"Oh, that 's quite obvious!" said the wise owl, and away it flew - and owls have never made better nests since.

After this the magpie took some twigs and twined them round the outside.

"The very thing!" said the sparrow, and off he went - so sparrows make rather slovenly nests to this day.

Well, then Madge magpie took some feathers and stuff, and lined the nest very comfortably with it.

"That suits me!" cried the starling, and off it flew - and very comfortable nests have starlings.

So it went on, every bird taking away some knowledge of how to build nests, but none of them waiting to the end.

Meanwhile Madge magpie went on working and working without looking up, till the only bird that remained was the turtle-dove, and that hadn't paid any attention all along, but only kept on saying its silly cry, "Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o!"

At last the magpie heard this just as she was putting a twig across, so she said, "One's enough."

But the turtle-dove kept on saying, "Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o!"

Then the magpie got angry and said, "One's enough, I tell you!"

Still the turtle-dove cried, "Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o!"

At last, and at last, the magpie looked up and saw nobody near her but the silly turtle-dove, and then she got rarely angry and flew away and refused to tell the birds how to build nests again.

And that is why different birds build their nests differently.