Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Sentimental Crib Repurposed Into Headboard


I have been on the hunt for the perfect bed for the guest room.
Nothing was right. 
I just could not find what I was looking for. 
I'd always envisioned a white, swirly wrought iron bed. 
I have never been able to find one in the right size, in good condition and for a price I was willing to pay. 
This room has had several headboards since I have been blogging.



This is how it looked a few weeks ago. 



It is cute but I don't have anything else in the room with that mahogany stain and I didn't want to paint this piece.

A few weeks ago we started cleaning out the attic.


We pulled down the crib thinking we could give it to the thrift store. 
Bill thought the stain and style outdated.  
They wouldn't take it because it's a drop side crib and they are no longer allowed to resell them.
I can't tell you the horror I felt that our beloved crib would end up in a landfill. 
Bill knew better than to set it by the curb even though that is what he wanted to do. 
We already felt sort of silly for hanging on to it for 22 years. 
We knew that crib standards change and that someday our adorable crib would be deemed unsafe, yet I stubbornly kept it anyway. In a "baby boomer" way, I felt that our generation would have the safest crib. 
It was deemed unsafe and I knew that no grand baby of mine would ever sleep in it. 
The plan was to have it at our house and buy the kids a new one should that day ever happen. 

I set my mind to repurposing this special piece. 
I played with the pieces trying to find a configuration that would work. 




I saw some great inspiration on Pinterest buy
I went back to the headboard idea. 


I looked at it and pondered every time I went into the garage. 
I decided to do some measuring. The side rail plus two 3 inch boards were exactly the width of a full size headboard. 
I spent about a day brainstorming types of posts. 
I looked at Jenny Lind style beds. 
I finally ended up doing a search for spindle beds. 
Bingo. 



The newel posts used on the green bed would be perfect. 
I searched online and found them at Lowes. The dimensions were perfect. It wouldn't have worked if I had to attach a top or bottom rail to the turned portion of the newel post. 
There was ample room for attaching the side rails to the post. 
The dimensions were all listed on the website. 
I could basically shop from home and pick them up at the store.  
They came completely smooth and ready for paint.  
I do not like sanding!


They were only $36.00 each. 

I took the bite guard off of the rail. 
I guess I've watched too many crime shows because I wondered if DNA was still evident after 22 years. 
How is it that my baby graduated to a big boy bed 22 years ago? 
   

I spent about two days painting everything. It was a trip trying to turn it every which way to get at all the cracks and grooves.



Once all the sides were painted, Bill and I had a consultation concerning the next step. 
I wanted to make sure he was thinking what I was thinking. 
We agreed that dowel joints were the best way to join the newel posts to the crib rails. 


This is where it could have all gone horribly wrong. 
I envisioned splitting rails or having things not level. 
In the end, after measuring and marking, my lipstick method checked my work. 
I put lipstick on the end of the dowel and lined it up to the newel post. The dot ended up in exactly the right spot. 







After eight hours in the pipe clamps, it was ready for a reveal.




I am thrilled.




I love the white.



I love the white headboard with the white wall. 

It provides texture and dimension. 



 I love the cottage, farmhouse look. 






I am completely content that at least one piece of the crib has been salvaged.
 I've never joined furniture with dowel joints before and I loved learning a new skill.
I'm also pleased that this idea came to me and that it wasn't all over Pinterest.
  There were tons of repurpose ideas for cribs.
There were tons of bed making tutorials.
There weren't any other crib makeovers like this.
You know what else I love about this?
I could easily make another one for one of the kids.
Thanks for stopping in and have a great day.
Katie  
Linking with,
Ms. Toody Goo Shoes.   
Between Naps on the Porch    
Savvy Southern Style   
From My Front Porch to Yours
Share Your Style 
Down to Earth Style   
Funky Junk Interiors  
Cedar Hill Farmhouse  
Amaze Me Monday
The Charm Of Home

12 comments :

  1. I love it! What a great idea! I'm pinning it! Love the white too!

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  2. Just beautiful and you know I love to see something re loved into something new. This was so creative and looks awesome. Great job Katie.
    Kris

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  3. Oh MY GOSH!!! How clever are you! That just looks stunning. And the work involved! Well done Katie! Love, Mimi xxx

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  4. How creative are you? It looks really nice and reused in a great way. Good going. Could you tell me where you got the fabric for the floral pattern on the large pillow? I really like it!

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  5. Katie, it's fabulous! It's so hard to part with those baby things, I know. It's great you can enjoy it everyday. Thanks for linking this up at Best of the Weekend!

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  6. I saw this post on Hometalk and it is so clever and looks really great!
    I would love for you to stop by and share at our Something to Talk About weekly link party that starts every Monday morning!
    Karen

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  7. This is wonderful! Thanks for joining Home Sweet Home!

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  8. beautiful job! I love using old cribs for new stuff.

    pinning!
    gail

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  9. Judy in Grand Prairie TXSeptember 5, 2015 at 9:13 PM

    I've been looking for the perfect headboard too. I think this is it I just need the crib rail, can you believe my entire bedroom is the original color of your crib, that would be way to much painting for me, so I'll just keep the old. Oh, and your summer and fall bedding are both so lovely.. We are neighbors.

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    Replies
    1. I see that Judy. It was challenging painting all those rungs! I didn't realize how time consuming it would be. I can't image painting a whole bedroom suite. Thanks for stopping by.

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  10. I have read your article, it is very informative and helpful for me.I admire the valuable information you offer in your articles. Thanks for posting it.. loose headboard

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  11. I just found my 17 yo sons beautiful drop rail crib under tarp in basement & also cannot bear for it to go into a landfill; have queen size bed in guest bedroom & now I know what will be it’s headboard!

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