Cricut Bedroom Refresh - DIY Headboard and Closet Doors

Cricut Bedroom Refresh - DIY Headboard and Closet Doors

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I’ve been slowly working my way through my house, refreshing the rooms with new paint and other things.  Today, I’m sharing a faux headboard and closet door makeover using leather and balsa wood.

FAUX HEADBOARD

Some years back, my husband and I got rid of our traditional bed set in favor of an electric adjustable bed. But no headboard! As part of my bedroom refresh, I had this idea for a faux headboard using some basic painting panels customized with Cricut leather.

faux headboard using Cricut leather

 

Materials:

12x12 inch cradled wood panels (sold with art supplies for painting)
Cricut leather sheets (I’m using metallic bronze)
12x12 cork sheets
Paint (optional)
Paint primer (optional)
Spray adhesive
Self-adhesive picture hanging strips (for mounting to the wall)

Directions:

Determine the number of panels you need given the size of your bed. I am making 4 panels to hang over a full-size bed.

Glue a 12x12 inch cork sheet to a 12x12 inch wood panel. Allow to dry. Paint or prime and paint the cork/panel if desired. I’m using some latex paint left over from painting the walls in another area of my home, but you might prefer the natural cork and wood as a backdrop for your cut leather. If you do, I would suggest applying a matte sealer to the cork panel to protect it and make it easier to clean. Allow to dry.

paint panels

Create your cut design in Cricut Design Space. Before you make the project, move the star wheels on your machine over to the side to avoid creating little marks on the surface of the leather. Please note that the wheels will only move over enough to allow for a cut design of about 11 inches across.

cut design

Place the leather face down on a strong grip mat and make the project using a deep cut blade. My Explore Air 2 machine made 3 passes using this blade to cut the leather.  Remove the cut leather from the mat and clean up the cuts using a sharp craft knife if needed.

Apply spray adhesive to the back of the cut leather and glue it to the prepared cork panels.

Attach self-adhesive picture hanging strips to the back of each panel.

attach hanging strips

Press the panels to the wall over your bed.  A level is very helpful to get proper alignment of the first panel on the wall.

use level to hang panels

I suggest mounting the panels about 3 inches above the surface of the mattress to account for pillows, but you should consider the pillows in your own home and your own taste when making a decision about height.

completed project

 

FAUX DOOR TRIM

My closet doors, though perfectly functional, were rather boring. I wanted to add some trim to make them a bit more interesting, but the doors pass too close together to apply typical wood trim. Enter balsa wood!  It comes in very thin sheets and is super easy to cut. I decided to make some simple rectangles to adorn my doors, but you could certainly cut something more elaborate using the Cricut Maker.

balsa wood trim on plaint closet doors

Materials:

Balsa wood strips, 3 inches wide
Glue
Wood putty
Primer
Paint

Directions:

Determine what design you’d like for your closet doors. I made 3 rectangles – 2 large ones 12x24 inches and one small one 12x12 inches.  You might want to use masking tape to “try out” your design. Apply the tape to the front of each door to help you visualize how your design will look while the doors are still hanging in your room. Keep in mind that these kinds of sliding doors overlap each other when closed and plan your design accordingly.

Cut the pieces needed for your design from balsa wood. I needed 3-inch balsa wood strips with a 45-degree angle on each end in order to make my rectangles.

cut wood boards

Remove the doors from your closet. Mark the back of each door to indicate whether the door is the door from the front or from the back in each set. This will make it easier when you go to hang the doors back up again.

Lay the doors flat on your work surface.

plain closet door

Use a measuring stick to mark placement lines for your design on each door.

mark lines for board placement

Glue the boards to the door using the placement lines as guides.

glue wood to doors

Apply weights on top of each board to keep them flat while they dry. I used some spare wood between the weight the balsa wood to prevent any damage to the balsa wood from the assortment of items placed on top. Allow the glue to dry.

weight boards while drying

Fill any spaces present between the boards using wood putty. Allow to dry.

fill spaces with wood putty

This is what my doors looked like prior to painting.

boards ready for painting

Prime the balsa wood using 2-3 coats of paint primer.  The primer will help to seal the wood and protect the soft balsa wood from damage in later use. Allow to dry.

apply 2-3 coats of primer to boards

Paint the doors using whatever colors you prefer. I’m using a soft gray color over the entire door because I wanted my design to appear as subtle texture. But you do your own thing!

Here’s what the doors look like after I hung them back in my room. Love it!

completed closet doors

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