Wednesday, February 29, 2012

May cause unexpected twirling


With physical therapy and doctors' appointments added to the usual round of activities, there has been little time to tackle the project backlog.  So this less-than-ten-minute project was particularly satisfying.  The materials were lying around the house, but I hadn't had the time to put thought into just how I was going to make Baby Girl a canopy so she could have a real princess bed.

This is what I used:

  • Pair of sheer curtains (LILL from Ikea, at $4.99 cheaper than I can make 'em)
  • Pair of bracket curtain rods (old ones I had in the garage, you can find them here)
  • 4 binder clips
  • white plastic tape
  • ribbon
  • screw hook
  • drywall anchor (something like these)



I took apart the curtain rods (each pulls apart into 2 halves) and joined them bracket-to-long-end to make a square.  A bit of crimping with the pliers, and the long end slid into the end bracket up to the bend pretty easily.  Since this doesn't need to be particularly sturdy, I just crimped it tight and taped it to hold it together (something like duct tape or electrical tape should work well).  Before closing the last joint, don't forget to thread on your curtains.

A binder clip in each corner serves to both hold the curtain in place and also to be an attaching point for hanging.  I had a garland I'd made for a party years ago, which dressed it up easily, slipped under the edge of the binder clip to hold it in place.


Loop 4 equal lengths of ribbon through the binder clips, gather them together, knot off, and hang from a screw hook.  There wasn't a joist where I wanted to place it, but since this whole thing is less than 5 lbs, a drywall anchor was a sturdy enough mount for the screw hook.


I think it's calling out for a little more embellishment - maybe some ribbon streamers, or some flowers.  But this isn't a bad start for 10 minutes... especially judging from Baby Girl's reaction:  she jumped on the bed and started twirling, because words failed her.  And then lay down to show me just how a princess sleeps.

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