When Max came to visit last Christmas, beds were at a premium - the house was bulging with people and we just didn't have enough beds to go around. After giving the matter some thought, I quickly turned a closet into a "bedroom" for Max by throwing some cushions on the floor, hanging a quilt on the wall and putting up a few Christmas decorations - he loved it!
Max is coming to visit again this week and over the last several weeks, every time we've talked (on Facetime), he has asked to see the beds in our house, he's kind of obsessed with them. I have shown him the new trundle bed and the new bed in the boy's old room, but I'm keeping his new sleeping spot a surprise - I think he's going to be pretty happy!
The closet was cleaned out and cinderblocks (we had some in the garage, don't know when we bought them or for what reason) were put into each corner of the closet. I made a trip to Home Depot where I purchased a piece of plywood ($19.00) for the basis of the bed, and they even cut it for me to the exact size I needed.
Using a staple gun I attached some batting to the edge of the plywood so Max wouldn't bump his knees. I took an old sheet and cut off a piece from the bottom half to make a "dust-ruffle" to hide the cinder blocks. The bed is high enough up off the floor so Max can keep his suitcase underneath. Then foam was put on top for the mattress. I only bought 3-inch foam because foam is stinkin' expensive! I needed 2 1/2 yards and even with a 50% off coupon (at Jo-Ann's) the foam was $41.00! (The 5-inch foam is $75 a yard!! But Max's little 32-lb. body will rest very comfortably on 3-inch foam!) Just to be sure it was soft enough, I added two extra thick quilts on top and then covered the entire "mattress" with a sheet. (The plywood and foam measures 57-inches by 37-inches - not exactly mattress size.) The next step was to create an "awning" - totally unnecessary but as you know, I excel at unnecessary. I used the top half of the sheet, threaded it onto the closet clothes rod and put the rod back into place.
We had a long cardboard tube in the garage (we have a lot of things in our garage!) so it was put into use to help with the awning. I pounded two nails into each side of the closet wall - set one end of the tube over one nail and on the other end of the tube, I made a small cut on the end so I could fold back the cardboard allowing it to slip over the nail easily. The cardboard tube was cut the exact width of the closet. Then I pulled the sheet up and over the tube to create the awning; and then cut the sheet with pinking shears to the length I wanted. (No need to sew/hem - this is a temporary bed! By the time Max comes again he will be too tall to sleep in there!)
Back at Home Depot I purchased two battery-operated lights - the kind you push to turn on and off - Max will have fun with those. I purchased a map of the United States ($5.00 at Target) and a map of the solar system ($3.99 at Target) - Max loves maps and the solar system - he can name all of the planets!
This week is also Seafair (Seattle's summer festival, you can read more about it here) and while I'm very sad my beloved Blue Angels won't be flying - I'm thrilled Max is here to experience Seafair with me! Every year I send him a pirate shirt and all kinds of pirate crappola...but this year he'll be able to see the Pirates in person on Alki Beach! So to prime that pump, I filled a new closet cubby with pirate books for him to read...along with some binoculars, flashlight, a Ninja Turtle costume (because he's just discovered the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and a new pirate shirt!
The Seafair Pirate quilt I made fits perfectly on Max's new bed. So what do you think? Isn't it great? (Not shown in the pics is a drink holder so Max can safely store his strawberry milk. I've tried to think of everything - let me know if I've missed something and I'll get right on it!)
On top of the closet shelf is Max's new Ninja Turtle backpack that the Aussie picked up for him - she finds the greatest deals! Thanks Kareena! I also picked up the somewhat scary looking Moon pillow for Max...oh, and those are a pair of his shorts on the bed...so I won't forget to give them to him. Well, that's just a sampling of what I've been up to getting ready for the grands...now I'm just watching the clock until they arrive! I think Max will be in closet Heaven - can't hardly wait for him to see it!
