Easy DIY Crib Canopy

Recently I painted my daughters nursery and I've been working on the decor since then. When we bought the house her room was a bright blue, and I tried for seven months to like it but ended up painting it a dark gray. With the darker walls they felt a little bare, especially above her crib. I loved the name banner I put above her crib, but the walls still needed something special! When I was a little girl I had a canopy above my bed, just the kind you get on a hoop and it's called mosquito netting and meant to drape around the bed. It wasn't fancy, but it was really cool when I was little. I wanted to do a canopy for Isla so naturally I went on Pinterest. I started seeing that people were using bed crowns and shelves to make theirs, so I decided to give it a shot. This project cost $35 and took about an hour to complete. For not a lot of time or money I think it makes a major statement in her room.

Here is what you'll need to get started:

• decorative shelf with a hollow bottom ($22)
• tension rods ($8)
• sheer curtains ($5)
• curtain tiebacks or decorative hooks, optional
• drywall anchors and screws
• level
• drill
• screwdriver
• hammer
• pencil
• tape measure

I hung my shelf as high as I could centered above my daughters crib. Since there weren't studs in the places the screws would go, I used drywall anchors. If you haven't used these before, it's actually really quick and easy. My biggest tip is to measure multiple times before you drill any holes. Since the shelf was pretty large (33 inches wide) it was difficult to hold a level up against the bottom while holding the shelf with one hand. Instead I used painters tape and taped the level onto the front center of the shelf. I measured to the center of the crib from the wall it was closest to. Then I used that measurement to make a mark on the wall where the center of the shelf would line up. I also made a mark on the bottom center of the shelf, then all I had to do was line up the two marks to make the shelf centered, and the level would make sure it was straight. This particular shelf has a keyhole design for hanging it, so you place the two holes over screws then slide the shelf down to secure it. So I went as high as I could and I knew it wouldn't be at the very top of the wall since it would need to slide down about an inch. I like how it turned out, but you can always mount a shelf to the ceiling for added drama! Here's a look of the shelf up close, it was actually a darker turquoise with dark distressing, but I made a white wax to buff over the top to lighten it up:

Once the shelf was mounted on the wall, I took two tension rods and a pair of sheers and slid the sheers onto the rods. You could just use one tension rod and hang the pair of curtains on that, but I liked the look of one curtain sweeping over the other so I went with two. I used a pair of sheers that were $5 from Ikea, and I really like them because Ikea curtains are extremely long so these worked well since they almost reach the floor. This shelf is great because the back/bottom is hollow, so the tension rods fit great. I decided to use two decorative hooks to tie back the curtains. At night I actually pull the curtains to the left and tuck them behind my daughters dresser so they're totally out of the way and she can't mess with them in the middle of the night. This could be a strangulation hazard for small children, so please make sure you have a way to keep them out of reach while your kid sleeps. 

I hope you've enjoyed this DIY! I think it's so fun for a little princess and for under $40 it's something she can have for years to come as she transitions to a big girl bed.