How to Make a Canopy Rod and the Saga of the Canopy

By the end of this post, I'll show you how to make some neat-looking canopy rods from dowels and wood flowers. But first I'll clue you in on the process of budget and reality meeting design and expectation.

As you might know by now, I've been working on a room for my mother-in-law. The room was originally one of the girls' bedrooms, but they have graciously agreed to share in order to have almost unlimited grandmother time while she's here. We've had a canopy that has remained in the room through all of its many transformations (from toddler bed to queen size to twin). Now I wanted to change it up a bit.

It's better if I show you this part in drawings. Below you will see the original plan for the room. The canopy would be hung from a single rod in the middle and draped gracefully across the edges of a wooden bed we planned to make.


The wooden bed got put on hold. Neither my husband nor I seemed to have the time available to build it and it would require both of us and more tools. So I considered buying an iron daybed frame with some baskets for storage underneath.

The budget did not allow for an iron daybed, so for the time being, the mattresses would remain on the floor. The drawing below is how the canopy was arranged above the bed when I started my final preparations just hours before Abuela was to arrive (although I forgot to draw the back part of the canopy that is against the wall.)




So my new plan was to install metal hooks where the corners were attached (currently the corners were hung on large command hooks). From the outer corners I would suspend the rods I had made (coming up in a bit, bear with me or just scroll down) on safety wire. I would suspend the middle rod on shorter pieces of safety wire from two more metal hooks.



The hooks I bought? Not the right kind at all. The first one I installed pulled out of the ceiling way too easily. I had no time to run to the store, so I thought of running the safety wire from the command hooks and trying to suspend my wires from there.



You guessed it. Too much wire. It looked atrocious. Also, procrastination is a killer. Thirty minutes before time to leave the house, I settled on the following arrangement.


Safety wire suspended between the command hooks, but hidden by the front part of the canopy. I won't tell you how many safety pins are holding up that canopy, but you probably wouldn't know unless I pointed it out. I used only one rod in the center that raised the middle of the canopy significantly.




So it's not quite what I had intended, but the canopy turned out well. Maybe by the time we get around to placing the bed in there we'll have the right anchors to redo the canopy.


Even though I only used one rod in the final design, I had made three. Without further ado, here's how I made them:

 

 

 

 

 How to Make a Decorative Canopy Rod

Or a pretty support for a tomato plant or a walking stick for a child ...you get the idea.

Materials:

• 3 dowel rods, 3/8" diameter, 3' length
• 3 small wooden applique flowers
• 3 small nails
• black paint
• silver paint

 1. Attach flowers to ends of dowel rods. 

Easier said than done, I think. The dowel rods were quite difficult to hold while hammering a nail. I ended up driving them into the ground and letting the dirt do the holding.
 

2. Paint the dowel rod black. 

Don't worry about painting the flower parts just yet.

3. Paint the flowers silver. 

4. Allow to dry thoroughly. 

Or use a hairdryer if you're impatient or in a hurry.

5. Add black to silver flowers.

Have a damp rag or paper towel at the ready. Paint the entire flower black, making sure the paint is pushed into the crevices. Then use your damp rag to rub off as much black as is desired.





And that detail is what is at the center of our canopy.

A Room for a Special Lady

I think I may have the best mother-in-law in the world, just so you know. Well, for a while now we have been making plans for her to come stay with us for an extended period of time. We bought bunk beds for the two girls and moved them into a room together. Then we bought a TV for our spare room. We moved in a dresser and a small bookshelf. But the room looked really bare, more like a sad corner to shove an unwanted guest rather than a tribute to the wonderful woman who raised my husband.

I spent a few weeks collecting pictures of inspiration items on Pinterest and Etsy. I decided the room should be turquoise and red, her two favorite colors. Also, it should have a very international feeling since my mother-in-law is from Colombia. When we lived in New Mexico, she visited and absolutely loved the colors and the climate. Finally, I wanted the room to have some birds in it as well.

Okay, a disclaimer. I LOVE Etsy. I have a shop on Etsy (which I would love for you to visit, please). But I don't have an Etsy Budget most of the time. So here is how I made a nice room on a modest budget.

Step 1: Curtains

Probably the easiest thing to change about a room. We had some pretty lavender gingham curtains in there before, but lavender gingham would not match the international red and turquoise theme I was going for. I found these adorable Retro Plaid Curtains on Etsy. But the $29 price tag with $12 shipping was a bit much for me. I bought some plain dark red ones from the base for only $8 instead. Not as cool, but $33 in savings.

Step 2: Bedding

Restored Vintage Quilt

Since the bed is usually the largest piece of furniture in the room, changing it will make a big difference. I am still looking for an awesome daybed frame in my budget, but for now I wanted to change the bedding. Finding the right bedding for the right price was harder than you might think.  For $43 (not including shipping) I could get this Scroll Comforter Bedding Set from Target, but I thought it might look a little cheap. Then I found this Esprit Spice Bedding Set on Overstock, but it was only available in queen size and it was $110. Of course if I was going all out, I could spring for the Azaba Duvet Set from Anthropologie, which would be $422. Okay, so not really an option. Then I turned to Etsy where I looked for a simple red quilt twin-size quilt. Certainly more character, but not really much cheaper. Check out this amazing Red and Aqua Quilt from Etsy, but with a price tag of $295 with $20 shipping, it was a bit out of my budget. Saying we went with a handmade quilt, a dark red sheet set from Overstock ($29), and a turquoise skirt from Bed, Bath, and Beyond ($30), the total would be $374.

Then I found on Etsy a vintage quilt in need of repair. It was only $40 with $10 shipping, right in my price range. It would need some major repair work, but that is the topic of another post. After six weeks of intensive care, the quilt was once again beautiful. Partnered with a sheet set from the base ($8) and a turquoise bed skirt from Tuesday Morning ($2.50), my grand total was $60.50.

Step 3: Throw Pillows

"Betsy" Pillow

The quilt by far was the longest part of this project, but I did take several trips to different stores in search of the perfect throw pillows for the bed. Again, that's the topic of another post, which I will try to publish soon. First, I saw this pillow and knew it was central to my theme: Betsy Pillow. What is $60 online was only $15
at Garden Ridge. Hooray!

Turquoise Pillow

Now for a turquoise pillow. I could pay $125 on Ebay for a pair of shams from their Rivulets Bedding Collection, but I only needed one turquoise pillow. A pillowcase we already had stood in for the second. I found a beautiful turquoise satin pillow for only $13 at Garden Ridge.

Three Pillows for $8

The remaining three pillows were inspired by this rug, this pillow, and this pillow (a cheaper alternative to third is this one, which is similar to mine and would cost $31 with shipping). Similar pillows to the first one go for about $26. The second pillow was $49, and the third $47.50. The second and third pillows do not include pillow inserts, which run $9 apiece at Hobby Lobby. Total for all three pillows: $140.50. My total? $8 for all three. Yep, you read that right. Not $8 apiece, $8 for all three. I'll tell you how I made them in another post.

Step 4: Canopy

Canopy

We've had a mosquito net canopy in that room since we moved in. Over time, we have adapted it to a toddler bed, a queen size bed, and now a twin bed. I wanted to change the look of the canopy, but that will have to wait until we actually have the bed in the room. For now, I made a new rod with a decorative flower to hold up the middle of the canopy and make it look a little cleaner. A new canopy would be $65, plus another $21 for a wrought iron curtain rod. Mine was free, with $5 in supplies for the new rod.

 

 

 

 

Step 5: Finishing Touches

I tend to obsess over the details, but sometimes that works out well. I raided the clearance section at Hobby Lobby and got some fantastic deals. First was the wrought iron bird rack on sale for $10 rather than $20.

Turquoise Mirror

Then there was a large turquoise mirror originally $90, but I got it for $18. Not bad, considering this inspiration piece from DENY Designs runs $299 and this tiny mirror would be $32.25 with shipping.

On Etsy, a white shabby chic chair will cost $60 with shipping. I found a white folding chair at IKEA for only $17. Toss in a comfy throw for only $18 from the base, and we are still way under budget. 

Antique Swedish Bird

I fell in love with this little bird from Colombia. Considering that it's only $19 with shipping, I may still snag it. However, I found an alternative from Sweden in a local antique store for only $4.

Turquoise Lamp

Finally, the lamp base we found at Dollar General for only $8. Compare that to this vintage cutie that runs $64 with shipping. I love vintage, but I love cheap, too. The lampshade was taken from a different lamp in the house, but a new one would be around $12.

 

 

 

Step 6: Work with What You Have

Cabaday

All of the artwork in the room was either painted by my husband or myself. The bookshelf and end table are part of an antique suite we bought in England. We just keep moving the pieces around the house to suit our needs.

The little chair pictured is my dad's rocking chair from when he was a child. The girls can now have a visit with Abuela in her room. 

Now, a word about Cabaday. Cabaday is the vintage horse you see in the photo. I've been told she was mine at some
point, but she's been passed through all the cousins and brought back to me. There really isn't any other place for Cabaday in our home, but fortunately she happens to be red and turquoise! I've seen similar horses range in price from $80 to over $400 (when some artist attacked one and "improved" it). If I had to purchase a horse like Cabaday, the closest one I found to her condition, size, and age was $250.

And Put it All Together

Sorry to send you all link diving today. Soon I'll be detailing some of the projects I did.

For now, here's the grand total. I'm not adding in the bed, dresser, bookshelf, or end table (which were all repurposed from another room or given to me).

Curtains

Inspiration: $41
Mine: $8
Savings: $33

Bedding:

Inspiration: $374
Mine: $60.50
Savings:  $313.50

Pillows:

Inspiration: $325.50
Mine: $36
Savings: $289.50

Canopy:

Inspiration: $86
Mine: $5
Savings: $81

Details:

Inspiration: $474
Mine: $75
Savings:  $399

 

Grand Total:

Inspiration: $1300.50

Mine:  $184.50
Savings: $1116.00

Next Steps

I'd really love to get Abuela an actual bed and some under bed storage. I'd also like to paint in there. But for now I think I'll let her get settled in and enjoy her new room.

String or Yarn Star Christmas Ornaments

Allow me to begin by saying that my mom is a fantastic teacher. When I was younger, I would visit her classroom as often as I could to help out. Later, she became a librarian and I would read stories for the kids (in very badly done accents, but the kids were impressed). One of my favorite activities was, of course, when we did crafts with the kids. Today I'm going to share with you one of the crafts that we did.

This craft has MANY variations, so if the first set of instructions don't include what you might have on hand, keep scrolling to the other versions.

Yarn Star Ornaments

What You'll Need:

• Cardboard (we used a pizza box)
• Wax Paper (recommended, but optional)
• Yarn
• Craft or School Glue
• Thumbtacks

1. Draw a star shape on your cardboard. 

I've found a simple 5-point star or Star of David (2 triangles) somewhere in the range of 3-6" across work best. You can try a 7- or 8-point star, but they are more complex. Or if you have a cool hexagon-shaped trivet, you can trace that as well to make a Star of David.

2.  Lay a piece of wax paper over the design. 

The wax paper will prevent the star from sticking to the cardboard and can be used to catch glitter if you decide to go that route.

3. Stick a thumbtack in each corner of your design. 

My 6-year-old thought this step was pretty cool. She felt rather grown up. 

4. Loosely measure your yarn to the correct size. 

To do this, place the yarn over the design and cut long enough so there is a couple inches excess. (Weird camera angle, I promise she didn't cut herself!).

5. Soak the yarn in glue. 

For this project, we used Aleene's Craft Glue. We tried watering it down, but it made the ornaments too flexible. Our second attempt, with undiluted glue, turned out much better.

6. Once the yarn is saturated, stretch it around your star shape. 

Stretch the yarn so it is taut, but not so tight that your thumbtacks are pulled out of place. For added strength, weave the yarn in an over-under pattern as you string it along. You may tie the yarn or simply twist it into place. This part is messy!

7. Allow to dry at least overnight.

Variation 1 

No cardboard or pushpins? Not to worry, you can use foam plates and toothpicks instead!

 

 

Variation 2

Brads also work instead of toothpicks and pushpins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Variation 3 

Add glitter just before step 7.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Variation 4 

Want stars of different colors and textures? Either use different colors and weights of yarn or use plain cotton string and add tempera paint to your glue in step 5.

Variation 5

Try an 8-point star or more! I will probably try to make another one at some point, but I made mine with diluted glue and it failed-miserably. I'm not too proud to show you, either! May you have better success with it!

If I remember correctly, the project my mom's class did used bluing and liquid starch. If anyone knows that variation, please let me know!