DIY Dorm Room Headboards

After searching Pinterest for numerous hours looking at cute dorm rooms, I knew from the beginning that a headboard was a must for my room. Many websites that I found sold headboards for more than it would take to just make it myself. I have found out the best way to make your own headboard after making one for my roommate and myself. Here are step by step directions and the materials you'll need!

Materials:

{ All materials shown from Joann Fabrics }

1. 1/4 inch Plywood
2. 2 x 4 wood
3. Sheets of foam
4. Batting
5. Spray Adhesive
6. Fabric
7. Staple Gun
8. Siccors
9. Jig saw

Steps:

1. Trace your headboard design on poster board. I traced the top of a chair to get the curve at the top and a trashcan to trace the cut outs on the sides.
   
   
   
   { Poster Board | Joann Fabrics }
   
   
2. Trace the poster board onto the ply wood and cut it out with a jig saw. My headboard measured 36in wide and you can make it as tall and as short as you want depending on the style.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Trace the cut headboard onto the foam. I put the two sheets of foam together since one sheet wasn't tall enough. 
4. Cut out the foam with an electric knife and hot glue gun the two pieces together.
   
   
   
   { Clark being the sweet boyfriend that he his helping me with the electric knife }
   
   
5. Nail the wood 2 x 4's to the back of the board as a stand and then nail two more pieces (horizontal) to the top and the bottom of the back of the headboard, this will keep it sturdy for when you lean back against it.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Use spray adhesive to glue the foam to the headboard.
7. Lay out your batting and place the headboard face down. Pull the batting tight and staple gun it to the back of the board to hold it in place. Cut off any excess batting.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Lay out your fabric just like you did with the batting and cut the fabric so that you have about 6 inches hanging off all the way around the headboard so you will be able to attach it later. My fabric was wrinkly so I steamed it before I started stapling. 
9. Start by putting one staple on the bottom and two staples on each side, make sure to keep the fabric pulled tight. This will give you a good hold on the sides but still allow you to pull when you're working on the top. This is definitely a two person job.
10. This is where it gets tricky... At the top of the headboard, cut slits on the fabric on the back. Make sure to cut perpendicular to the curve, this will allow you to pull the fabric back in different directions to keep the curve smooth. 
    
    
    
    
    
11. Play around with the fabric to see which way to pull each piece until you get the look that you want and staple it down. Start with the cut out curves on the side and do the top curve last.
12. I stapled a white sheet on the back to cover it and make it look a little prettier.
    
    
    
    The final product! See how it looks in my dorm room.
    
    
    
    
    

    Keep Reading:

    15 College Dorm Room Essentials
    
    How to Survive Your Freshman Year of College

Bible Verses to Pray For Your Relationship

Earlier this week I decided that I wanted to give Clark something special that he could take with him to college, something that he would actually use. I wanted to go along the lines of something that would make our LDR easier! So I thought I'd share with ya'll what I came up with. Prayer is definitely the most important thing to help us make this transition. Time spent in prayer will help keep God at the center of our relationship and to trust His timing and plan for us.

{Kate Spade Notebook | Walgreens Notebook}

I bought a small notebook and divided it into 6 sections (loving, forgiveness, commitment, encouragement, be slow to anger and our future). I wrote 28 verses to pray for our relationship in the different sections and I left a few blank pages after each one in case Clark wanted to add anything else. Here are a few verses that I used:

On Loving: 1 Peter 4:8

On Forgiveness: Ephesians 4:32

On Commitment: 1 Corinthians 10:13

On Encouragement: 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Be Slow To Anger: Proverbs 14:29

For Our Future Together: Romans 8:28

I was very pleased with how it turned out and Clark loved it! I was so thrilled that I even bought my self a cute notebook so I can make my self a prayer journal!

For more LDR gifts, check out the care package I made for Clark!