DIY Tufted Headboard

Living on Okinawa, in general our options for furniture that we like and is reasonably priced is fairly limited. This was not any different when it came to us deciding to get a headboard. When we first got married we relied heavily on hand-me-downs from coworkers, friends, and family which was a huge gift for two broke barely-adults. Over the years we slowly passed along our hand-me-downs to others and opted to invest in specific pieces that we knew we could get decades long usage out of. We had yet to get a headboard since we did not really need one until we moved into our Okinawa house. It's an almost typical Japanese home with of course awkwardly placed windows. The bed rested against a wall with a huge window which lead to many occasions where our temporary curtains would fall onto us after getting caught under a pillow. 

Finding nothing that was not outrageously priced, we (read: I) decided to make a headboard (read: that Madison and my dad needed to make me a headboard). The headboard was going to have a crown molding frame which had to be handmade since crown molding is difficult to find out here and a fabric center. The project was halfway complete before it stalled and just never got completed--thanks guys. 

In 2012, I ended up back in San Diego and made my way to all the essential craft stores including hitting up the clearance racks at the fabric store, where I stumbled upon the most gorgeous micro chevron taupe fabric. It. Was. Perfect. I overly ambitiously bought up the remaining 3 yards. Cheesy as it is, the fabric is what inspired me. My mind was set, I was going to make a tufted headboard.

*This headboard is intended to be attached to an already existing metal bed frame.

TUFTED HEADBOARD

SUPPLIES

- Plywood OR Pegboard

- Two 1.5 x 4 at least 33 inches long

- DIY Button making kits

- 3 yards of fabric 

- Batting and/or foam at least 10 inches wider and longer than your plywood

- Extra long, wide eye threading needle

- Extra thick (multi-thread) string

- 8 2-inch screws

- 4 4-inch bolts with

- Staple Gun

- Electric Drill

- Extra set of hands. 

Although it's possible to do this project alone it is a lot easier when you have a buddy holding down the fabric or helping string the buttons through. 

Follow the instructions on the buttons kits which you can get at any craft store or the 100 yen store. Make your buttons out of the main fabric. Simple enough.

When we made this, we could not find pegboard, not for as cheap as plywood was out here. In any case mark where you intend on placing your buttons so you know exactly how many buttons to make. Dixie insisted she be in this photo.
Drill holes into your plywood where you'll string your buttons. We opted to make two holes per button can't say whether it matters much but we definitely have not had an issue with buttons popping off or loosening and ripping through the batting and fabric.

The the width, length, and height of the headboard is entirely based on personal preference. Our headboard sticks out wider than the bed by about an inch on each side.

At this point do not forget to drill holes where you intend to attach your legs. To make sure that the board stays secure to the legs we opted to use four screws in each leg.

Cover one side with batting/foam. We had an old foam mattress pad that we had been saving to make a dog bed and used it for this as well. the foam/batting has to wrap around the edges and sides. If you want extra cushion, double up the center but do not double on the edges otherwise it might get too thick to staple through. Carefully pull your fabric taught enough that it gets rid of the wrinkles in the fabric but not to the point where the fabric has no give. Staple away! Once complete trim the extra fabric.

The hardest part in my opinion was the threading of the buttons. The fabric I chose was upholstery fabric with a thin layer of batting on the bottom side so it was very thick and it was extremely difficult to thread the needle through all the padding and the fabric. This is where an extra set of hands comes in very handy because on person can sit on one side of the board and the other can sit on the opposite side and you can thread the needle to each other. Tighten the string just tight enough to create a tuft but not to the point where there isn't some give.

Mark where your bolts should go and test that the bolts and leg will attach to your existing bed frame. Use scrap fabric to cover the bottom of the foot to protect your floors. If the legs attach to the frame without issue, take them off and screw them into the plywood and then attach the headboard to the bed frame.

An Afternoon with the Ss

I am so wonderfully lucky to have had the Ss fall into my life! They are my favorite bazinga little family. You would not believe how charming baby is--just like his wonderful parents. Okinawa truly is not going to be the same without them.

Driving to Kouri Island

We took the "long way" (the 58), up to Kouri Island. I think most who have driven on Okinawa can agree it's incredibly stressful and we all have our share of crazy experiences on driving out here. Lucky for me, Madison drove on this particular day. It made it a lot easier to spot the random beaches and look outs that dot the 58 going north--all the ones Madison typically misses because he's got his head buried in a book. I have no idea how he can read in the car I get motion sick just looking down at times. Kouri Island is about a little bit over an hours drive from our house and is just a very small quiet island dotted with farm fields, homes, and a few restaurants at the end of the bridge. Evidently, sea turtles also nest on this island. 

Eggs Benedict

Our very first recipe post! We deciding the first meal of the day would be fitting as the first recipe post and what better way to start a weekend than with a decadent Eggs Benedict. Eggs Benedict is simply a English muffin with a gooey poached egg over Canadian bacon or regular bacon and slathered with Hollandaise sauce. We normally reserve Eggs Benedict as our go to breakfast during typhoons. It helps pass the time and gives us a feel good start to our day spent indoors. This is a great recipe for couples to make--one can handle the sauce and the other can poach the eggs. It looks like it would be difficult to make but it's so simple.

EGGS BENEDICT
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs for poaching

- 1 teaspoon white vinegar

- 4 strips of bacon cut in half

- 4 English muffins (toasted and buttered)

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

- 5 small/medium egg yolks
- 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice

- pinch of white pepper

- pinch of salt
- pinch of paprika

- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

- 1 tablespoon water

- 1/2 c melted butter

BACON
Normally Eggs Benedict is made with Canadian bacon but we didn't have any and the great thing about cooking is you can make it your own.
Cut your four strips of bacon in half and cook it to your liking.
We put our bacon under the oven broiler so we don't have to deal with grease spatter and it keeps our stove top free.
Another bonus is that you can put your buttered English muffins in the oven at the same time to toast.

DOUBLE BOILER

If you've invested in a double boiler that's great! We definitely do not need to double boiler anything enough to justify buying one. Our homemade version: a pot and a stainless steel mixing bowl. 

Fill your pot with water but make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.

Bring the water to a slow simmer, not a rolling boil. 

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Separate five small/medium eggs reserving the yolks.
Make sure your double boiler is on a gentle simmer

Mix into your double boiler bowl:
 - 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice

- pinch of white pepper

- pinch of salt
- pinch of paprika

- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Gradually add the egg yolks to the mix. Whisk quickly! If you don't whisk fast enough or if your boiler is too hot your eggs will start to scramble.
Slowly add your melted butter--Don't stop whisking! Cut the heat. Then add the water--Whisk!
 If your sauce is too thick add a half tablespoon of water at a time until it's the consistency you desire.

This recipe usually creates a little extra sauce. Add it to your vegetables at dinner. The sauce can go into the fridge but you will need to use a double boiler to warm the sauce again.

POACHED EGGS

Using a sauce pan, fill it 1-2 inches high with water and simmer the water. Once the water begins to simmer add the teaspoon of vinegar.
To make pretty rounded poached eggs use a metal ring such as a cookie cutter or a stainless steel biscuit cutter. Otherwise, slowly and carefully drop the egg into the water. Make sure you are as close to the water as possible when you drop it in. Don't worry if the egg doesn't look pretty or it has spread apart it is not going to affect the taste.
To keep the yolk nice and gooey cook it for 3 minutes.

Use a spoon, preferably with straining holes, to remove it from the water.

Kadena Steps Diving

For the past few years Kadena Steps has been our go to location for easy diving. Kadena Steps is located north of Kadena Marina. You can turn left at the first or second light after Naval Kadena and you'll end up at the sea wall. There's a short set of stairs up and then the steps down to the water. If timed correctly, at high tide you can go down the stairs straight into the water, if you go during low tide you'll be walking on rocks and potentially on newly forming coral. This location is fairly easy to judge whether it's safe to get in. It can get to around 60 feet deep during high tide. We've spotted lion fish, moray eels, trumpet fish, small schools of fish, baby squid, cuttlefish, and a few other things here. The schools we've seen have never been more than around 50 members. Rumor has it you can spot rays here, we have yet to see one.