A King Size Bed

I have very few pictures of my completed projects, which doesn't help when you finally feel like putting up a blog post late at night.  Pictures of finished rooms must be taken in the daylight and when things are clean and lovely.  That takes effort.  Thankfully I did make that effort today for my master bedroom and took some pictures of it in it's current state.  These are not those pictures. I was reminded that I never posted about the bedframe I made last summer and that must come first:

I had wanted a king size bed (and most importantly a mattress that didn't hurt my back) for some time, however the cost of not only the mattress, but also the foundation and bedframe and bedding didn't excite me.  So I concocted a plan to make my own bedframe and headboard.  My parents have made lots of these type of bases for their beds (mine is somewhat modified) and my mom loves the storage they allow for underneath.  I made mine sit 14" off the ground so I could slide those clear sterilite tubs under it. 

Essentially the bed base is just a pywood top with posts cut to size for legs.  I built the bed in two pieces so it would actually be able to be moved in and out of the room.  Though you can't see in in the picture, each side actually has a center leg for support (total of 5 per side).  The mattress is veeeery heavy.   I scooted the legs in a bit so you wouln'd stub your toes.

I sent 2 bolts through the top to secure each leg.  I also trimmed the edges a bit so they wouldn't be so sharp.  I wasn't paying attention at one point and rounded more edges than needed.

I covered them in batting to cover the bolts and protect my mattress.  I had planned on also adding a layer of fabric, but realized the texture of the batting might actually keep the mattress from sliding around.  (In the end it didn't matter since I put a bedskirt over it.)

The base all ready for the mattress. 

Perfect.  The fantastic thing about this bed is that you don't have to buy a foundation (or what used to be a box spring).  According to the guy at the store the foundation is just a hard base.  It is not neccesary at all for the mattress.  For me that means that I have more storage room and it just cost that much less! 

Yay for storage!

For the headboard, I decided on a shape I wanted after searching for ideas forever.  I drew it on a sheet of particle board.  I would love to say that I thought ahead and used poster board to make the curve and then copied it onto the board, but I didn't.  It was a little trial and error. I added 2" (expensive) foam to the front (with spray adhesive), which I found painfully difficult to cut.  I'd rather not talk about it. I've heard an electric bread knife works well. I don't own one.

I have no pictures of these steps. 

I then wrapped the front and sides in the same batting stuff I used for the bed base and stapled it to the back.  The fabric went over that and was also stapled to the back.  The fabric I chose is actually a suit type fabric from Joann's. I just couldn't find the right color and texture in anything else. Turns out that it worked well and is really soft.

To attach the headboard to the base I used an extra board which was bolted to the headboard and then the base legs.  These bolts are removable.   

Tada!  I had purchased enough of the headboard material to make my own bedskirt.  I didn't even think about using a store bought one since I just wanted my bed to be whatever height I chose.  However, I came across a clearance target bedskirt for $10 and picked it up on a whim.  It fit perfectly and was close enough to the color that I doubt I will ever make the bedskirt I planned.

At first I only had king sheets and put some old queen bedding on.

Then I got my new bedding. (Love.)  Obviously it didn't coordinate with the turqoise.  I never intended it to.  :)

P.S.  I did run into a few unexpected problems.  Orginally I had planned to do nailhead trim near the edge.  It wasn't until after I added the thick foam (not in my origianl plan) that I realized I would have nothing to put the nailhead trim into.  I abandoned the trim plan and ended up liking the headboard even better I believe.  The final unforseen (because once again it wasn't in my origianl plan) problem that darn thick foam created was that in order for the now-thicker headboard to rest on the bed base the mattress had to bed scooted down and the bed base is now 2" too short.  My bedding doesn't stay in as well as I'd like.  I might try to fix the problem someday, but not now.  Too many other things to do...

The Built-ins Part Two

*I've looked back through my blog a little and have been surprised to see how few of my projects I've actually blogged about.  I might go back and put up some I've done to have a record of them.

I was pretty excited to finish my first working drawers.  They weren't so bad once I understood the hardware.  (I am half tempted to go back to Home Depot and inform them of the different ways to mount drawer glides.)

The shelf in the bottom part is in too.  FYI, the drawers of the left and right were already there. 

I used my Kreg Jig that I received for Christmas to build the drawers (it's essentially a pocket hole guide).  I didn't make them quite like a traditional drawer, but I think mine are sturdier.  :)

I removed all the decorative legs and chopped some of the top off of each one to get off that nasty hard glue that held the old countertops down.

Once the new countertops were ready I realized that they sat too low.  I added some boards to support them better and give them more height.

(The cupboard doors are all a little crooked.  I was trying to make my new drawers align as best I could, but now that the countertops are on, I might have to do some adjusting.)

So far so good.  I've got a lot more to accomplish in a short time.  There are people coming over on Thursday and it needs to be done!

P.S. After spending a decent amount of time looking at the construction of the cupboards, I'm fairly certain I could build them much better from scratch.

The Built-ins Part One

(These pictures are small.  Maybe in the future I'll try to fix that...)

The picture below is from when we first looked at our house.  The built-ins on either side of the fireplace have never been my style.  I'm a light and bright kind of girl.  These are not-so-much.

I took off the decorative panels before we moved in, but knew I needed to do more than that to make this space be what I wanted.

The countertops were laminate, so painting them was not an option.  Also typical built-ins should have more of a bookcase rather than kitchen counter feel.  So....

I tore out the laminate counters.  It was not easy.  They where unfortunately not screwed down, but rather glued down with Liquid Nails.  I just recently purchased some more Liquid Nails for my own use and the front of the tube says "Forms a bond so strong that it will outlast your project."  Yep.  That just gives you a little perspective into how unpleasant removal was. 

Some of the countertop particle board decided to stay behind instead.  I'm still not exactly sure how I'm going to get all of the residual glue off. 

One part had so much glue that I had to take the decorative leg off so I didn't bust the base cabinet.  I think I'll cut the top off at an angle to get it flat enough to use.

I also took down the scroll brackets since they aren't my style...

...but unfortunately found that there would be more repair work there too. (There's a gap.)

So this is where I'm at.  The low quality of the cupboards had made me question if salvaging them is worth it at all...but then the cost of re-doing them in all new materials + the time it would take means I'm working with what I have.

Tomorrow I'm going to work on the interiors of the base cupboards to try and make them more functional.  I'm adding a shelf in the base, but am also going to attempt turning those false drawer fronts (the two center ones) into functional drawers. 

It's My Passion

It's been a very long time.

Life has been busy (but also pretty darn good).

Long ago I named my blog "So Many Layers" because there are so very many things I like to do and so many different parts of me.  As far as hobbies go, I do like to draw, paint, craft, sing, read, garden, play racquetball (and other sports), do hair, cook occasionally, play board/card games, organize, decorate and do plenty of other things. 

Yet,

I've known for quite some time that my true passion is in woodworking and doing-it-myself type stuff for the home - turning a space into something functional and pretty.  If I do read blogs, they usually are that of someone who has mad DIY skills and whose style I love.  I've been a bit inspired lately by Sandra and Ana White and I'm finally moving forward with a project I've been mulling over since we moved in.

Pictures to come.

P.S.  Since I last blogged it seems that Blogger has really improved their interface.  Hooray!

The Close of Summer

I've had a few people ask me what we've done this summer.  So....I went through some of my pictures and chose random ones as a sampling for you.  Many of these deserve full posts of their own (like the yard), but I'm pretty proud of myself for posting at all.  :)

Cub Scout Camp.  Daniel and I are Cubmasters.  (Technically, I'm the assistant.)  And I know it's really hard to see the resembelance between Adam and I.

I made a bed frame.  It has a mattress now and some awesome bedding.  Maybe I'll show you sometime.

We swam lots in our backyard pool.  (This pic is of the first time.)

Some people in our neighborhood threw a crazy awesome children's parade on the 4th complete with firetruck spraying down the whole street.

Our backyard was finished. 

We went to the Draper Amphitheatre a few times.

Isaac has his first scout over-nighter. That kid is growing up.

We visited a friend's honey operation in Mendon (by Logan).  I took that photo that I plan to paint sometime.

We had a few backyard barbeques, including one night were I got to stay up with some of my siblings and play games.  So fun!

We saw this turtle in Snow Canyon while on a very short trip to St. George.

Sarah started gymnastics.

We saw new things during the Parade of Homes.

We had a extended family reunion.  This is me with my two sisters, Lynea and Leslie at said reunion.  Lynea and her family just finished the transition from Seattle to Kamas.  I visited her in Kamas today. 

This summer has been good and full.  I swear my life is only getting busier as my kids grow.  For some reason I had this notion that it would slow down.  So not true! 

One Year

Today marks the one-year anniversary of our time in this house. 

(taken last year)

It's a good place for us.  :)