DIY: 'By the Sea' Themed Headboard

An adult take on a beach theme bedroom, this headboard is both easy to create as well as elegant. Due to the size, a helper with an extra set of hands may be necessary.

For this craft, you will need:

- Plywood, two sheets

- Soft cloth

- Paint primer

- Large letter stencils

- Sea foam green latex based paint

- White latex based paint

- Seashells

- Polyurethane sealer

- Heavy grit sandpaper

- Jigsaw, or other detail saw

- Drill

- Large head, four inch silver metal bolts

- A hot glue gun and heavy duty glue

Start by measuring your mattress to determine how big the headboard should be. Generally, your headboard will be the same size or slightly larger than the mattress and should stick up high enough to show over pillows. Copy this measurement onto a sheet of butcher paper or poster board, as it will be your template for the headboard.

Using your butcher paper as a template, cut out the base of your headboard from plywood. Sand the edges and side of the plywood until completely smooth. (You will not want there to be any knots in the plywood, as this will show through the paint.) Wipe away any excess dust with the soft cloth. Coat the plywood with paint primer designed for latex based paint. Allow the primer to dry. Add three to four coats of white latex based paint, allowing each coat to dry thoroughly before applying the next.

In eight to nine inch letters, or by using stencils, trace the letters for the word 'by the sea' onto the second sheet of plywood. Using the jigsaw or other detail saw, cut out each of the letters separately. Sand each letter down, so that all edges are smooth and no wood grain detail is apparent. Wipe away any excess dust to the letters with a soft cloth. Prime each of the letters, allow the primer to dry, and add three to four coats of sea foam green latex based paint exactly as you did the main headboard design. With a hot glue gun, affix one to two seashells to each letter and allow them to dry.