Tufted Headboard Tutorial from Mallory and Savannah of Classy Clutter

I am really excited to have Mallory and Savannah here to share their amazing tufted headboard tutorial with you! They are both extremely talented, and Mallory was one of the first bloggers I "met" when I started blogging, she was extremely supportive, just when I needed it. They also have a really great linky party every Saturday, so be sure to check it out! Here's Mallory and Savannah, I'm sure you'll love them!



Hello Commoner's Castle Readers! We're Mallory and Savannah, the author's of the DIY/Home blog, Classy Clutter.  We are beyond thrilled to be over at Lauren's blog sharing a post with you today! We hope you enjoy our post and we'd love to have you stop by our blog!

While I was in Arizona over the Christmas break, Savannah and I tackled a few projects! Of course! It's pretty much our favorite thing to do when we are together! That and going out for sushi ;) One project we really wanted to get done was her youngest daughter's bed. Her (almost) two year old little angel was done with her baby crib and needed a big girl bed! Savannah knew exactly what she wanted but she was a little nervous to tackle it herself. It was definitely a two person job but turned out to be a really fun project!

Savannah had an adorable twin bed that she found at a local thrift store for a steal. Most people would look at it and think... "great lines, cute bed, I'll paint it and it'll be fantastic!" well... that would be true BUT Savannah wanted to take it one step further! She wanted a white girly bed with a soft lime green upholstery and some killer cute colorful buttons! Not a tall order or anything.. ;)

First, we made a template of where we wanted the upholstery.  We used butcher paper and taped it to the bed frame.

Then we measured and marked where we wanted the tufts and buttons to be.

Next, we drew straight lines from each point to get an idea of where the folds in the tufts would be.

Next, we removed the template from the headboard and I traced and marked the foam while Savannah painted the headboard a gorgeous creamy white! 

I laid the butcher paper template on the foam (we used 2" upholstery foam from the fabric store) and traced in with a sharpie. (Yes, a purple one!) 

Then, we cut around the traced edge of the foam using a serrated knife. We also poked holes in the tuft markings.  (didn't get a pic of this step! Sorry!)

Next, we re-taped the template to the bed, after the paint dried. Then, we drilled holes in the headboard using the template tuft markings as a guide. 

Then, we made 17 fabric covered buttons for the tufting. They were so stinkin' cute! Totally worth the sore thumbs! You can get these button kits at a fabric store. We got hers at JoAnn's Fabrics.

Next, the upholstering began! We used spray adhesive to attach the 2" foam piece to the headboard. Then we stapled a large piece of batting over the foam. We used a staple gun for the upholstery. 

Then, we trimmed the excess batting and we used some clamps to hold the upholstery fabric in place so we could begin the tufting process.

TIP: Do you tufting before you staple. If you staple the fabric first, your tufting may look too tight. We wanted nice deep tufts so we did not want to pull the fabric tight until the very end!

We used a long upholstery needle and upholstery thread. Start from the back fof the headboard and feed your needle through to the front, through the fabric.  Attach the button and run the needle back through to the back of the headboard and staple the remaining thread securely to the back. Make sure to pull the needle really tight to get really deep tufts!

The back should look like this when you're done with this step.

Next, we stapled the fabric to the headboard and trimmed the excess. 

Lookin' good! But we've got one more important step! Piping! 

Finally, we started making our own piping so it would match the green fabric. We already knew how to make piping but if you need help, here is a great tutorial. Click here. 

Then, hot glue your piping around the raw edges and TA-DA!!! DONE! 

Here's an up close picture of the piping and tufting...

We were so excited to tackle a project together since we haven't been able to do that in about 6 months! BAH! Sad huh!? It couldn't have turned out any better! We are a team and our team work always pays off! We both are in love with little Millie's bed! Savannah is working her tail off to get the rest of Millie's nursery turned into her big girl room!

Thanks so much for having us Lauren! We'd love for ya'll to stop by our blog and say hello!

Are you ready to tackle your next project yet?? Head over to Classy Clutter for more furniture and home decor inspiration!

Mallory and Savannah are best friends and the brains behind Classy Clutter, a one-stop shop for all things creative with a focus on Furniture and Home Décor. Both are moms with a mission for being creative on the cheap!  Mallory is a full-time mom of two little boys and a student.  She runs her Etsy Shop –Heartfelt Designs and Photography Business from her home in New York. Savannah is a cosmetologist at an Arizona salon called Hair Do and keeps busy doing furniture, crafts and activities with her two little girls!  Classy Clutter keeps them connected from NY to AZ! Classy Clutter is your place for inspiration, tips and tutorials!  Please hop over and check us out!  We’d love to have you!

Thanks so much ladies! This is an A-MA-ZING project, and I'm so glad you shared it here!

Finally! Some Art for the Living Room

I finally figured out how to get my new frames from last week, hung and they are all level! (at least for now!) I had a really hard time getting these up. They are the frames that have the two hooks on the back panel that holds the picture in, and let me tell you the are never the same from frame to frame(plus, they move around a lot.) I realize I could have just used the command strips, but they start to add up pretty quick, so this is what I did.

First, I gathered my supplies. The pictures here are pretty self explanatory. A hammer, a level, a measuring tape, 10 Large Sawtooth Picture Hangers (about 77 cents a pack at Wal-Mart) and Command Picture Hanging strips. 

Not pictured-  painters tape (this could be improvised with card stock or whatever you  have around the house), a piece of scrap cardboard or soft fabric to lay your frame on while hammering), and a nail with a fat head.

Then, I got to work! I held my hanger up to see where I wanted it. I measured, and the bottom line was at 1 1/8". I made to marks at this point.

I used my level as a straight edge to draw a line between the marks.

I also marked the center point of the frame.

I lined my picture hanger  up to the marks I made, and pressed by big nail into the holes to make a starting point for the tiny nails that are used to hang the hanger.

Because the nails are so tiny, I folded a piece of painters tape in half and poked the nail through. This gave me something to hold the nail with. I just ripped it off once the nail was secure.

Repeat those steps 8 times, or as many times as you need to depending on how many frames you have.

I didn't do them all at once, it was tedious and time consuming, so I did 2 or 3 when I had a minute.

Finally! Time to hang them. I put a piece of painters tape on my level, and marked the distance between my nails. I started on the right side, and measured up the wall about 5' for my first hole. Remember this will be where the center of you frame sits. I just kept lining up to my original mark, using the level. 

I wanted four inches between my top and bottom row so I added 4" to the length of the frame, and measured up from the top of the frame below it.

I used about 1 3/4" nails to hang the pictures. I hung the first one leveled it, then the second one. I then held the level above both to make sure they were level with each other.

I also checked that the lines were staying straight by holding my level across the top of three frames.

Just keep going until all your frames are hung. I had to adjust one of them, and move the nail up about an eighth of an inch, but other than that it all went really smoothly. 

I plan on adding a command strip to the bottom of each frame to help keep them secure and level. 

Mike and I are thrilled with how it looks. The size is perfect for the ginormous wall! 

Now, I just have to figure out what order I want them in. I like them the way they are, but I am thinking about doing it a few other ways.

What do you think? How would you arrange them?

Ugly Picture Frame to Modern Mirror

I am loving how this project ended up. It was totally random, and I just kind of went with it, and let it become what it was meant to be. Usually I have a pretty detailed plan laid out in my mind before I start a project. When I started this one I thought I knew what I was going to do, but then I was inspired, and the store I went to didn't have the right color paint, so I just winged it.

I found this frame at a garage sale over the weekend, and I figured for 50 cents it was worth a shot to see if I could make it over. I loved all the girly details, and I liked that it had that faux bamboo texture. 

This is what it looked like when I brought it home-

It's most definitely dated, but I was hoping some paint would mask it's ugly past.

I removed the back to see what I was working with. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was very sturdy, and in great condition. All I needed to do was clean it up a little, and get to work. I washed it up, and peeled the "painting" off the particle board.

I started with two light/ thin coats of quick drying primer from SW, then I did another two light/ thin coats of Ivy Leaf by Krylon. It wasn't my first choice, but the hardware store that was open had a very poor selection. It must have been fate. :)

hmmm...
what to do for the art?

I thought and thought about it, and after a few minutes it came to me.
Maybe that's because I was checking out Land of Nod a few days ago, and saw this-

or maybe I'm a genius! I was thrilled at the idea. I measured the original glass, and it was exactly 12x12, that shouldn't be too hard to find. So the wheels started turning, as I tried to think of a place where I could find an inexpensive 12" mirror. 

Then I saw it, the builder basic mirror that I took down in our powder room. Maybe I could use a razor knife, and cut it up!

I decided to google it, and there were tons of tutorials.
I realized that I was going to need a glass cutter to get this done, so I picked one up for about $4 at the Hardware store. (the one with a very poor selection of spray paint colors)

All I did to cut the mirror was hold my straight edge up to the edge of the mirror, and make marks at the 12" mark then I lined the straight edge up to the marks, dipped my cutter into some oil and pulled it towards me. I did the same thing in the other direction, and I was done. This was my first time cutting glass, and it only took about 10 minutes. It wasn't perfect, at all, but the edges don't show, so it really doesn't matter. The same thing goes for the bevels, I was going to cut them off, but they are covered by the frame, so I left them. 

See how wavy that right side is? I'm sure if I wasn't in such a hurry it would've looked much nicer. My first cut was perfect, but that second one was pretty wonky. Oh well!

After I cut the mirror, I went to check on the frame, and it was still a little tacky, so I gave it a quick blow dry, and brought it in to put back together! So excited! 

Here's a before and after to show you just how much of a transformation it went through!

I'm thinking about highlighting the details with some light aqua paint, what do you think?

Let there be Art!

I have been unhappy with the art situation in our Living Room since right after we moved in. We have two story ceilings, and a honkin huge sectional, so the art piece needed to be quite large, or else it would just look silly.  

I thought we had finally found the solution when I found a painting that my grandfather has had in his basement for as long as I can remember. It was quite large, and I liked the scene, but once I painted the frame, and hung it, I just wan't feeling it for our space.

I considered painting over it "paint-by-numbers" style, like this garage sale makeover we hung above the console table to the right of our fireplace,

 but I wasn't quite ready to do that, so I took it down, and for the past couple of weeks the wall has been blank. I would rather have nothing than something I'm not crazy about.

While Livi was at school Tuesday, I decided I would browse Kohl's and see if anything caught my eye. I couldn't let that $20 in Kohl's cash go to waste!

Well something certainly did catch my eye, I have been looking for large simple black frames with white mats for a long time. I know they are available everywhere, but I just can't justify spending a ridiculous amount of money.  I found these Crestview™ 11" x 14" Montego Matted Frames in black.

They were originally $31.99, but I got them at 60% off, so they ended up being $12.79, they are also offering scratch off coupons, if you use a Kohl's charge, I have never gotten more than 15% with one of these, so that brought it down to $10.88 each, which isn't so shabby.
I went back today when I realized three was no where near enough for that huge space, and got five more, for some reason they were only 55% off today, but at $12.23 I couldn't complain.
I ended up paying just under $95 for 8 frames. Which is a lot for us, but in the big scheme it's a really good deal.

Now, if only I had some idea what in the world I want to put in them, I don't want to end up spending another $80-$100+ on prints, so I had to use my head, and figure out what I was going to do.

I remembered some really great botanical prints I had seen from the Graphics Fairy, so I decided to check her site out, and see if there was anything that would work.

When I showed the prints to Mike he wasn't 100% sure about them, he was a bit nervous that they would look grannyish, so I got to work adding some boldly colored backgrounds, and modernizing them a bit in photoshop. I couldn't find 8 prints that I loved, and went well together, so I chose four, and just did them with two different colored backgrounds. This is what I came up with.

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I'm still not sure exactly how I'm going to end up arranging them. I'm pretty sure I will do two rows of four, but as far as the order of the pictures I won't know until I can lay them all out in front of me.

How would you arrange them?