Constructing the bed...

It's amazing the difference in your day when it begins with the simple act of making the bed.  Back in my college days I would be late to class, because I needed to make the bed before I left my 3 x 6 room. Priorities, people.  Also, small living at it's finest.  If the bed was messy the entire room was messy, because the entire room was the bed.  Also, OCD.

I love our bed.  Travis built the headboard, and the bed itself is a sleep number bed.  Pricey, I know, but sleep is not something we take lightly around here.  With Travis' three back surgeries and my neck surgery comfort in sleep has no price tag.   Well, it does, but it's not cheap.

Our headboard is a knock-off of a Ballard Design headboard.  The how-to's on building your own are here.  Someone pinned it on Pinterest not too long ago and pointed out that because of our pillows were blocking most of it that the top looked like Yoda's head.  I bust out laughing because it TOTALLY looked like the top of Yoda's head!  Guess who raised their headboard up a foot that very day?  Yeah.  OCD.

So today I thought I would show you a bit of a breakdown on how I make this bed of ours.

I begin with what I affectionately refer to as the "base pillows".  Because this is very architecture like...

Realize that to avoid Yoda head I had to really raise that headboard up, so there is a noticeable gap between the bed and the headboard.  But don't worry, there are pillows, oh so many pillows...

The next layer of construction involves my body pillow and our two "fluffy" pillows.  One for my side and one to support Travis' back.  We take geriatric pillow usage to a whole new level.  That AARP has not contacted me about an interview on our pillow strategies is amazing.  I'm sure I am on their list...

The upside to our fluffy pillows are these lovely vintage pillow cases.  I adore the delicate trim and how the material just cascades over the side of the bed...

Next up, the Euro shams.  The covers for these were made by the lovely and talented, Jill, of Sew a Fine Seam.  She does incredible work and I HIGHLY recommend using her for all of your lovely sewing needs :)

 Then comes the two king size pillows.  The cases are from Target- the Threshold brand and are just the most lovely grey/blue ticking stripe.  I had them monogramed in black thread on the edges of the cases. TGT is a reoccurring thing around here...

Lastly, for the pillows is the bolster pillow from PB...

If you have been counting as we go, that makes a total of TWELVE pillows on our bed.  I know, we live like kings.  Kings who obviously think that piling twelve pillows on a bed each morning is totally normal.  Because it is, and OCD...

The very last item to add to this ensemble is the duvet at the foot of the bed.  I am the only one who sleeps with it, folded over twice, because according to Travis I like to sleep under the weight of a small car.  Apparently.

So there you have it.  The nitty gritty on how this bed is constructed each morning.  It's not simple, but I do love the mornings where Travis and I start out by making the bed together.  It's like a dance of sorts, we both know our parts and the bed comes together seamlessly as we talk about the upcoming day.  No one could convince me that this is not the perfect way to start the day.  Well, the addition of morning chocolates by the bed wouldn't hurt.  Because there is totally such a thing as morning chocolates...

Happy Fluffing!

Our master bedroom...

I change things around.  A lot.  As in daily.  Sometimes it's little things here and there, and then sometimes it's a total overhaul.  Over the past few years our master bedroom has been the room to see the most change.

Some elements stayed, like Travis' dresser and the lovely petite dresser we rescued in Gruene...

I kept the same layout of the room.  We built our new headboard which you can read about here, and added a new to us armoire.  I also added blue artisimo fabric from JoAnne's and the room went to this:

the lamps started out as old baluster pieces...

these plates are a combination of lilypad plates from Wisteria and my children's blue delft birth announcement plates...

we found this huge piece at a resale shop.  It had a large eagle on it, so I yanked off the bird and added a hand painted monogram...

our newly slipcovered settee by LSSlipcovers...

I am loving the addition of a bit of blue in the room as well as the subtle French Linen colour I used on the furniture.  For now I am calling the room finished ;)

Plates on the wall...

Not to be confused with snakes on a plane.

I told Anne's Australian boyfriend what I was doing and he said, "You Texans and your eating off the wall ways".  I guess he's right.  It is a bit odd...

I'm a huge fan of vertically hung artwork. As witnessed pretty much all over the cottage...

So yes, a pattern is going on here.  Onwards and upwards!

Today I decided to take these Delft plates and combine them with my lilypad plates to create a focal point on the bedroom wall going, where else?  Up.

Here they are on the bedroom wall.....I'm liking them grouped with the lilypad plates to give that lovely combination of blue and green that I love.

I added this little green bowl that belonged to my grandmother to my end table....

I've been walking past these plates for a few months now that were sadly, laying on my closet floor- but today divine inspiration struck and I am loving the new look!

Finial touches...

Oh my goodness!  I am blown away by the number of people who have looked at and commented on our DIY Ballard Designs headboard!  Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments and questions.  My husband cannot get over that anyone would make such a fuss over what he refers to as "nothing really".  For the record, the man doesn't realize what a gift he has!

The headboard was perfect, except that it was missing one thing.....no!  Not the bird ;)  The original headboard had finials on the ends:

I wanted to add some to ours, but I wanted them to be in keeping with the rest of the piece.  Our version is a bit more rustic.  I found the perfect ones here on Etsy.  

When the box arrived the seller was so sweet and added in two more salvaged wood pieces.  How could she have known that this was going to make the finials even better?  Kismet. 

Travis took a dowel rod and drilled a hole through the pieces, then put the rod up through them.  

Then he marked the spot on the headboard where the finial would go.

Then the drilling began!

I love that my husband is so smart when it comes to these things.  He has the vacuum running while he drills to catch the wood shavings!  I also love that he has paint on his elbow ;)

Then it was time to put the finial in it's place!

Same process for the other side...

The bird is wary of the new finial...

The addition of the finials was like the icing on the cupcake for this project!

"Did someone say 'cupcake'??"