'How to Headboard on a Shoe String Budget'

Revamping your bedroom décor does not necessarily require a budget of gargantuan proportions. All it takes is a little bit of ingenuity and materials that you can find readily: a curtain rod and set of blackout curtains or coverlet – to create a dramatic headboard (example above).

Whether you are looking to buy a new headboard for your bed, or to draw some attention to your existing headboard and bed, this how-to project is quick, inexpensive and easy-to-follow.

Here’s what you will need:

- Coverlet, a set of blackout curtains, or fabric that measures at least 4 inches wider than the bed on either side.

- Curtain rod kit

- Pencil for marking

- Screwdriver and/or drill

1. To find the perfect height: The headboard can measure anywhere from to 3 to 6 feet in height. Remember that you do not want to have your headboard touching the ceiling, especially if your ceiling is not too high. Starting from the bottom of your mattress, measure your desired height and mark the walls on either side with a pencil.

2. Center the curtain rod over the bed where you have placed your markings. Make any extra markings that you might need in order to attach the brackets.

3. Attach the brackets to the wall and then the curtain rod.

4. Once the curtain rod is securely in place, drape your blackout curtain over the rod and pull it to straighten.

5. Tip: To add weight to the bottom and keep the fabric even and flat, attach weights to the bottom of the hem of the curtain. The small weights will give the curtain more of an appearance of a drape and less the appearance of a curtain without a window. If the curtain drapes too low, use some fabric tape to shorten the bottom.

6. All that’s left now is to fluff up those pillow, to lie back and relax!

-S. Gonzalez

*Photo courtesy of Womansday.com