DIY Light Up Headboard

Today we are teaming up with Valspar and their Love Your Color Guarantee to share our latest addition to Elsie’s guest bedroom: a light up headboard! We wanted to create something unique and playful for this room in her home.

We were inspired by marquee signs and wanted to create that feeling but in our own homemade way. We’re not exactly master craftsmen, so we kept our design simple and enlisted a little help from our dad. Here’s what we did:

First we built a headboard. We wanted a tall but simple headboard that could also hide electrical work behind it (for the lights).

We used six thin planks about the same length as the bed. We braced these together with two long 2×4 boards behind, and added a frame (using 1x4s) to the top and the two sides.

Next, we used a projector to trace the word onto the bed frame. It was so hard choosing a word! Before we landed on “Sleepover” we thought about doing “Good Night” or “Welcome” or “Sweet Dreams.”

Since the bed frame is in the guest bedroom, we wanted something cute and inviting. If you choose to create this project, have fun choosing your own words for your bed frame. We ended up using a font called Buttermilk.

Next, we planned where to add all the holes for the lights to shine through. Keep in mind that you can easily adjust where the holes are as you drill, but try to evenly space them all along your design.

Now, drill your holes. Before we started we drilled a few practice holes in a scrap piece of wood so that we could choose the best size of drill bit to use. Once we settled on the size be sure to use care as you work. You do have to drill all the way through the board without drilling into a wall or other work surface.

Once you have drilled all the holes, sand and clean off the surface of the headboard. Paint your design. We used Valspar Signature paint in Lincoln Cabin Black.

Once your paint is dry, it’s time to add the lights! We used over 300 Christmas lights in our design. Simply push the lights through each hole and tape in place using electrical tape. You may also need an extension cord at the end depending on how far away your outlet is from your bed frame.

We just love how this headboard project turned out! We can’t wait to have holiday guests over tonight to show off our new guest bedroom décor. Happy crafting! xo. Elsie and Emma

SAFETY TIPS: We spoke with our local fire department to double check the safety of this project. Be sure to follow these guidelines if you plan to recreate this project:

-Before purchasing your lights check for a label of an independent testing laboratory (most commercially sold Christmas lights will have this). Some lights are specially made for indoor or outdoor use, be sure to use lights made for indoor use.

-Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords, or loose/broken lights. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for the number of strands that can be safely connected.

-Your finished project should not have any exposed bundles of cords or wires, only the final cord or extension cord so it can safely reach an outlet.

-Just as you would with your house decorations or your Christmas tree, always turn off lights before leaving your home or going to bed.