Lucky Find: Black Headboard

My bed, which I built myself, lacks a headboard. I've had plans to make one for a while, but they've been filed away while other projects took priority.

Yesterday I was scouting for bathroom vanity options at a secondhand store, and I happened upon a black wrought iron bed frame.  I'm a sucker for wrought iron.  The frame was in decent shape, it was the right size, and most importantly, I could take it apart so that it would fit into my car.  And bonus, it was on sale!  Only $14.

Batman tape was holding some of the pieces together. :)

After purchasing the frame and taking it out to the car, I discovered that I did not have the right tool to take the headboard apart. I needed one of those little star-head wrenches that come with ready-to-assemble furniture.  I had several at home but not one in my car tool bag.  Argh!

Standing in the parking lot, I could feel the sun beating down on me. (Oh, Burning Orb, why must you roast me?!)  I'll do just about anything to get out of the sun, and if that means fitting a queen size canopy bed frame into a compact car, well... I WILL find a way.  I shifted and slid and twisted the headboard until finally it fit!

Well, most of it.  :)  One of the legs was sticking out the rear window.

I'm tall, so I normally have the driver's seat pushed all the way back.  But to fit the headboard in, I had to pull the seats forward.  I now know what it would be like if I had to drive while sitting in a coach airplane seat.  :P  I felt like I was driving one of those tiny circus cars that 40 clowns come out of.  Too bad I couldn't get a photo of me in the car, but even my arms aren't long enough for that kind of selfie. ;)

Thankfully, the drive home was only about 10 minutes (and entirely clown-free).  Car, bed frame and I all made it into the garage safely.

It's not what I'd planned, but I think it will work to fill the vast purple expanse at the head of my bed.

Autumn Shopping Begins!

Autumn and Halloween merchandise is starting to show up in the stores.  I'm not seeing many bat motifs, but there is a lot of owl and raven stuff, similar to last year.

Of course, I bought some Halloween cottons.

from fabric.com

And I found the most bat-tastic salt and pepper shakers:

from Jo-Ann

Unfortunately, the "tree" is not very sturdy.  When you take one bat off, the tree falls over, taking the other bat with it.  :P  If I want to actually use the shakers, I'll need to anchor the tree to something heavier.

Planning the Bathroom Rejuvenation

As usual, I have spent most of the summer at home hiding from the hot sun.  (Oh, how I love air conditioning!)  I've been watching too much DIY Network and thinking about my next big DIY project -- redoing the bathroom.

This project is best approached with some smart planning because there is only one bathroom in the house. Any delays in the process will be problematic.  I'm not keen on parking a port-a-potty in my driveway or washing my hair in the kitchen sink. :P

I've decided on the general look that I want; now I'm pondering the details, such as sink, faucet and vanity.  What I want is something like this:

Or this:

What I can afford is something like this:

The harsh sting of reality.  :P  It's time to get creative!  I started a Pinterest board to gather ideas.

Next, I have to figure out how to replace the flooring... a portion of which is, of course, underneath the toilet.