Briar Beauty

I originally made this to be a Loft bed for Spectra Vondergeist, but recently decided that it would be better suited for Briar Beauty.  So here it is!

You will need:

Foam Core Board
Scrapbooking Paper
(2 different kinds and I used around 6 or 7 pages for the bed itself)
Hot Glue Gun
Hot Glue
School Ruler
Pen
Exacto Knife
Scissors
Ribbon or Cord for Trim
Pony Beads
Wooden Dowels
Sheer Fabric for Curtains



Step 1

So, creating the cut outs

I started with a photo storage box because this was my original design.

I used the box to create the base, and the sides

Since I was tracing the box, I went ahead and also measured the pieces

the base is 11 5/8" by 7 7/8"

The sides measure 11 1/4" by 4 1/4" for the long back piece

7 1/4" by 4 1/4" for the back side

and 2 1/4" by 4 1/2" for the short front piece

Step 2

Now I am going to glue the 2 surround pieces together.

To get them right I glued the short back piece to the outside of the long piece

and the short front piece to the inside of the long piece

Here is the close up of how I chose to

glue the sides together.

Step 3

Now I am going to glue the base on

and it is going to look like a mini room

Step 4

So we have a very lovely start to a loft bed
we need to create some legs 

I'm going to cut out 16 pieces

they are 8" by 1 1/2" wide

Step 5

We're going to glue them together.

Make sure that however you glue them together that you do the same for each one

I am going to start by gluing 2 pieces to the outside one, and then slide the 4th piece in the middle on the other side

I'm going to do this 4 times to create 4 legs

Step 6

 For the covering I am going to be using scrapbooking paper...
Because it's glittery and 7yrs like that sort of thing

I am going to mostly be using a cute glittery pink/purple I found at JoAnn Fabrics

I'm going to start with the main bed and trace out a back piece and a side piece by using the bed

Now remember

if you are cutting out pieces for the inside that you will have to trim them down

the inside is slightly smaller and slightly different in shape

this is where I am trimming mine down to fit

I do the same for the outside,

but I trace a little further on some of the pieces

to cover some of the rougher edges

When it's done it will be almost completely covered 

in this fun glitter paper that my niece

is just going to love

Here is where you can see how I extended the paper a little to cover some of those edges

I am going to do the same thing to the other 2 side pieces

Step 6

I really want this bed to be the glitteriest

Because Spectra is my nieces favorite doll

So I'm also covering both sides of the base with the pretty paper

Don't worry about the edges we're going to fix that right at the end

Step 7

The legs of this loft bed really are going to be doing a double duty so to speak

Since Spectra is a web blogger and always has the dirt,

She not only needs a work space, but of course place to put her clothing

Continuing with the glitter paper I am going to cut out 1 side for each of the legs
and glue them into place

They will look something like this.

Step 8

But I also wanted to throw in something that matched but was a little different
for some really fun contrast.

I had 3 sheets of this paper lying around and the colors match the pink really well
I also really love that it has stripes
Because of course we're covering columns

To avoid the hassle of more seams,
I am going to start with the one side and roll it over the paper, tracing it as I go
to create one seamless piece

I am going to cut it out along the sides
and then fold here along the lines we created when we traced it out

     Right now the good sides are facing in

    Now fold back the other way 

You've just created a nice seam to follow when gluing them onto the legs

 Step 9

Now you are ready to glue them into place

Remember that we will be taking care of the imperfect seems at the end

I started by gluing the middle part into place first so that I could wrap each side over

and glue it down into place

Do this 4 times, covering all 4 legs of the loft bed

Step 10

So now we have all of our basic pieces for the bed, and a few unfinished/rough edges

here's where we fix them

I found this fun glittery ribbon for $1 a roll at Michaels in one of their bins

My color is a little bit of a darker purple so it's going to add some fun contrast

I am going to start at the short side and pick sides where I can run the ribbon in one long piece

I am just putting ribbon anywhere 

that might seem like an unfinished edge 

and making it look more finished

I do not want any white to show.

Now I am going to do the same on the legs.

I will start by running a bead of glue along one side 

and putting half the ribbon on it

then I will cut to size and run a bead of glue along the other side

and wrap it down.

Repeat for all 4 legs

Step 11

My legs and the base are officially done,

Now it's time to put them together

Step 12

Time for some fun personalization.

This loft bed is of course for our house.

Each of the rooms is getting a bed, and some time of closet

Since we went with a fun loft bed

it takes up a lot of space in the room

So to add a closet I'm actually going to be attaching it inside the legs of the bed

I use the dowel rods and the pony beads

or in this case fun iridescent beads 

that have the same size opening

I cut the rod down to fit between

2 of the legs on the side and then

attach the pony beads and secure them inside the legs

I am going to do this twice so there is more room to hang Spectra's Many outfits

Step 13

Spectra is a very web active Ghoul

So of course she needs a desk that has a duel purpose,

a place for her shoes, purses and accessories
I am going to start by measuring in between the 2 posts at the back of the bed
I'm going to cut 4 pieces of the foam core board to put between these posts

Then you're going to need to cut 8 pieces of the glittery purple/pink paper to cover both sides of the shelving pieces we just made.

I covered 7 of the sides and left on of them to add some more of the stripe paper, and then also cut a small detail to add to the tops of each of the shelves you will be able to see.

Step 14

To cover the sides I also used the glittery purple/pink paper to cut 8 long strips

I glued them down the sides carefully and then pressed them in to make sure they were secure

Step 15

Now I am going to glue the shelves where I want them

Making sure to put the desk part on the top because it's the one I want everyone to see.

Then I am going to take the last shelf and glue it toward the top to create the idea of
over head storage.

Step 16

I selected a purple/pink craft paint to now paint the dowel rods attached for the clothing bars

and I am also going to cut and paint one more dowel

This dowel is going to be parallel to the shelving unites and I am going to use it

to hang a sparkly curtain not only for decoration, but to create

individual space for Spectra

Looking back it would have been easier had I painted them before I glued them in

To make the curtain I selected this beautiful sheer fabric I found at JoAnn Fabrics.

I am going to measure and cut from the top of the opening to the bottom, 

leaving a little overhang so that I can create a curtain rod pocket at the top 

and maybe a small hem for the bottom

I am going to cut 2 because I want a curtain for each side that can be pulled to the sides.

To Create Spectra's Bedding

You'll need:

Stuffing

2 kinds of fabric

Sewing machine

thread

To Create the mattress I used
This fun Tutorial I found from
My Froggy Stuff
(you can find this crafting mom on Facebook, blogger, and YouTube)

I made some changes as I was going.
I only used one nicely stuffed mattress because 2 would have been too much
the beads did not work for me
they kept breaking once they were threaded
so I used just the needle and thread and I'm going to put the rougher side facing down.


To create the Bedspread: