DIY Headboard

My bed is just a mattress without a frame or headboard of any sort. For awhile now I've been discussing with my parents a way to actually have a headboard. I've been eyeing Pottery Barn's Raleigh Upholstered Camelback Bed particularly for the neutral color and studs around the trim. The bed happens to be $1,399, but all of us agreed we'd go with the DIY approach since my Dad is an awesome handyman. Here's the step by step tutorial on how we saved $1279 by making our own headboard.

Materials

2 yd Suede Fabric

2 yd Foam

72" Batting

6' Plywood

120 Designer Studs

Wire Rod

Measuring Tape

Pencil

Jigsaw

Table Saw

Sander

Electric Meat Cutter

Staple Gun

Hammer

Plier

Step 1: Measure the width of the bed (6 ft. for this Queen Bed.) Mark the center of the board. Use a green wiring rod to create half the "camelback"stencil for plywood. Cut out stencil with jigsaw. Flip it over and trace on other side.

Step 2: Use a jigsaw to cut along the line created by the stencil.

Step 3: Sand down the edges so it's safe to sleep near.

Step 4: Hold up foam next to cut out. Staple to top and bottom so it stays. Use a meat cutter (one of Grandmama's old tricks since the meat cutter only cuts the foam) and cut the foam along the plywood.

It should start to look like this.

Step 5: Wrap the batting over the foam headboard. Stable it around without damaging the foam. Cut the excess batting away.

Step 6: Iron the fabric (Thanks Mom.) Drape the fabric over the frame. Staple below the foam so the fabric is tight.

Step 7: Measure out each inch and mark it along the border of the frame. Hammer in each stud on each mark with a plier.

Here's how the nailhead border should look like in the end.

The finished project in my room.

I actually love the headboard we made a lot better than the expensive Pottery Barn headboard since mine is an awesome camel suede.

Sweet Dreams are made of these!

Shannon

P.S. I am well aware that my comforter is from Twilight. I actually did not know it was when I first got it.

Assassin's Creed II

With the release of Assassin's Creed III in the Fall of 2012, Gerred and I finally got around to beating Assassin's Creed II. And Can I just say I love Assassin's Creed? Because I do, it's got a captivating storyline that blends great action with an interesting perspective on historical events.

You play as Desmond, from the first Assassin's Creed, as he heads into the memory of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore, a young Assassin set on maintaining order between the Knight's Templar and the Assassins during the Italian Renaissance.

Since the game is set during the Italian Renaissance, there are several characters, locations, and events that mirror the time. Such as, Leonardo DaVinci, Ezio's go to guy for decoding Codex Pages and creating inventions as well as other key figures like the Medicis, Machiavelli, and Pope Alexander VI. 

The game architects stayed true to how the buildings looked during the Renaissance. For instance, St. Peter's Basilica seen in the game was a reconstruction of how the Old St. Peters Basilica constucted in 333 A.D. looked. Also, whenever Ezio climbed to the top of viewpoints and overlooked cities like Tuscany, Venice, or Florence a remarkable panorama appeared depicting, villas, churches, vineyards, and the sea.

The reason it took the two of us a long time to play the game is due to all the features the game has to offer. Aside from the main plot of discovering pieces of Ezio's memory, Ezio also completes his own assassination contracts, renovates his town of Monteriggioni, discovers codex pages, feathers, and glyphs that all circle around the main conspiracy of the Assassins and Templar.

Playing the magnifico game of Assassin's creed has definitely hyped me up for the next installment of Assassin's Creed III which takes place during the American Revolution.

Shannon

P.S. You can now follow this blog via e-mail.

Lucky Green

It's St. Patrick's Day and you know what that means -- wear green. I've gathered up a few key pieces that paired with a basic outfit (comprised of zero amounts of orange) will look great and give that little hint of green without going over the top.

OPI It's Totally Karma

Kate Spade - Happy Go Lucky Idiom Bangle

Juicy Couture - 3/4 Rolled Sleeve Easy Stripe Pullover

Musee Rodin Skirt

Gerard Yosca - Vintage Jade Crystal Studs

Kiel James Patrick - Captain Oscar O'Leary

Erin go Bragh!

Shannon

Mustard Trout and Apples

Since I've been on Spring Break I've been doing a lot more cooking and one night I made a Mustard Trout and Apples for the family.

Ingredients

• • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, plus sprigs for garnish
  • 3 tablespoons fine plain bread crumbs
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 lady apples (6 to 8 ounces total), halved lengthwise and cored
  • 2 teaspoons light-brown sugar
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 8 trout fillets (about 3 ounces each)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
  • 
    

  

  Here are some of the ingredients for the bread crumb mix that went over the apples.

  
  

  

  Baking the apples was the longest part, but baked in the apple cider and bread crumbs they went together perfectly with the rainbow trout.

  
  

  

  So delicious and nutritious since this meal is only 377 calories.

  
  

  Bon Appetit!

  
  

  Shannon 

  
  

The National Zoo

Gerred and I visited the National Zoo in DC yesterday for Spring Break. I was so excited the whole time since I had not been since I was little, having gone to the Baltimore Zoo in more recent years. This zoo was a nice change of pace from Baltimore since there were lots of different animals and exhibits I got to see.

My favorite animal, the otter, was there and he rolled around on his rock and kept playing peek a boo. So adorable. This is about the only shot of him staying still.

There were Golden Tamarin's zipping around everywhere in the Small Mammal Exhibit in an orange blur. Luckily, I was able to remember their name from a report I did in 4th grade.

This lemur was sitting next to a stuffed lemur because he did not have a companion and the toy is supposed to act as a friend.

Burrowing Owl not quite burrowing.

All the Meerkats  kept popping up on their hind legs to look up towards the sky.

Coral from the invertebrates exhibit.

A regal tiger.

One of the Zebras got mad and started chasing the other zebras around and making angry sounds.

A Cheetah hopping about.

The Giant Panda is what the National Zoo is known for. I got to see the panda when he was eating some frozen apple juice in a perfect position. Isn't he so cute?

I loved seeing all the animals and it was definitely a wonderful trip to the National Zoo.

Shannon

Bell Pepper Egg

Breakfast today was certainly colorful today with the Bell Pepper Eggs I made. I got the idea from Pinterest and thought I'd give it a go.

All you need is one bell pepper and a few eggs.

Then you just slice a 1 cm thick pepper. Doesn't it look like a clover? I think this would be a great St. Patrick's Day breakfast without having to eat corn beef and cabbage.

Just pour the egg into the bell pepper in a pan and cook it just like you would with an ordinary egg.

Serve it on toast and you've got a cheery egg in a pepper on toast.

Shannon

Fruit Smoothie

I get on a health kick when I'm at home because that's usually when I don't have to worry about papers or exams and can exercise freely and eat what I want.

So far this Spring Break I've been going on runs in the morning around my neighborhood with Gerred. The first day I ran I forgot my running shoes at home and had to use my volleyball shoes from middle school. They were about a size too small and the soles were falling off. By the end of the run they were in the trash and I found myself picking up some ASICS shoes I got on sale from Kohls. 

I've been making a lot of smoothies too with my magic bullet. I love coming up with new recipes and this new batch I made definitely tastes better than the smoothies from the bubble tea place in the mall.

Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients

2 cups Ice

1 Banana

1 cup Strawberries

1 cup peaches

1 Yogurt

1/2 cup Lemonade

Put it all in and blend.

Pop in a straw and you've got a delicious healthy smoothie.

Stay healthy my friends.

P.S. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Shannon