The CSI Project is doing Roadkill Rescue this week and this is still my favorite garbage transformation. So I am throwing my hat into the contest. It's been about six months since I made the headboard and I still love it.

Naturally, it comes with a story that starts with a twinkle in my eye and a heap on the curb.


For a while I have wanted a headboard. I cruised craigslist in my search for a headboard, but I was also open to making my own. A few things percolated in my head during this time.


I liked the look of this PB bed. This wall of colored tiles on Ohdeedoh captivated my imagination. They look like mini cupboard doors to me. I also liked this shutter headboard on Shanty 2 Chic. With a king sized bed (a marriage must, in my opinion) getting enough shutters with my budget was a challenge.


I said a little prayer for the patience to live with wants and be very clear about my true needs.

One morning on my way to work I saw a large dresser thing on the curb. Of course I had to investigate. It was too big to become a play kitchen. Too big to fit in my car.  I passed it by. 

Pass by junk? Surely you don't believe that!

The next day before school I went back. I parked, got out my cordless drill/screwdriver and unscrewed all the doors and took the drawers. Picture me stealthily working at the crack of dawn just hoping none of my colleagues or students would see me! Here is the car chock full of these drawers. When I look at this now I can hardly believe I stopped. It really was a dilapidated thing. And, it was 6:30 AM- in the ghetto! I am crazy! My love for junk knows no bounds!

This is how I roll! Once in our parking garage I loaded up a cart and headed to my balcony workshop. Silly me! There is no room in the balcony workshop for this much junk. I had to work in the living room. One of these days I am going to video Cliff's face when I roll in with a cart full o'junk. He really is a patient man.

Turns out the drawers were plastic. Wood printed plastic and some particle board covered in wood print contact paper. No wonder this ended up on the curb. This thing really put the foe in faux bois!


But junk doesn't scare me. It just slows me down.

I took the drawer fronts off and tossed the rest. Finally all that was left was a parade of plastic frame like things with a heavy wood grain imprint. I toyed around with the idea of some sort of frame wall. But, with only three rooms, I am running out of walls. Then it hit me, a headboard! I piled everything up in the corner of my workshop and saved this project for after Christmas. 
 
After a few months on the balcony, these babies were fifthly. Not to mention I found them on the curb to begin with. Citra Solv to the rescue. No hose. No yard. Rub a dub dub, good scrub in the tub. The frames cleaned up nicely and so did my tub. Nice and orange scented!

Since I wanted the look of cupboard doors- ala my inspiration wall, I needed to fill in the middle hole. I went to staples to buy foam board thinking that would be super light weight but stiffer than cardboard. Foam board is crazy expensive for what it is! More expensive than hardboard at Home Depot!
So I went with hardboard. They cut it for me at HD. It took about a dozen cuts, so they did charge me $3 for all the cuts. 

Everything got a coat of black spray primer and black spray paint. Then I used Gorilla tape to tape the inserts into the frames. 



Hanging them on the wall was the next dilemma to be solved. I ended up just getting some black 3" drywall screws and screwing them right into the wall. Not the best look, but they are mostly hidden by pillows. This isn't my forever headboard. But for now, it makes me very happy.



Looking at these pictures I see that I have to do something with the picture on the left. I had a large lamp on that side table and that's why it was hung so high. Too high now. Also, I finally hung the plastic plates above my bed. I took away the green ones. Too busy.

Would you have guessed this was made of plastic and held together with tape? That fact alone makes me happy! Kinda Martha meets Macgyver!
 

Check out the other Roadkill Rescuses this week at the CSI project!