There are no words to describe what it feels like when you make a child happy. When you see that broad smile and sparkling eye you can’t help but have an elated feeling that comes back each time you remember that moment. That’s how you’ll feel when you give your little girl that bed canopy she’s been wanting. Put away the catalog and run down to the party supply store. There, you’ll find what you need to make a bed canopy more sparkly and beautiful than any fabric canopy.
Party supply stores, craft stores and dollar-theme places carry shiny, mylar-type streamer material which is perfect for making the beaded canopy. You don’t absolutely have to use the metallic, mylar material; you can use most any type of streamer material, like plastic. Whether metallic or plastic the streamer material is sold by the roll, available in many colors, and is not expensive. You’ll need several rolls to make the beaded curtain, depending on the size of the bed and the width of the streamer material.
Cut streamers to reach from the ceiling to the floor. Cut enough of these to go along both sides of the bed as well as across the foot of the bed. Then, cut from one short end of each streamer, to the opposite end, several times, to create a fringe. At one end of each streamer, stop short three inches to create a band by which the curtain can hang. On the backside, lay a strip of tape at the ends of the cuts so that they don’t tear.
You can cut down on the amount of time it takes to fringe the mylar-type material by first making several short cuts along one short side. Take each section and pull it to the opposite side. The material will generally tear evenly making it much quicker to create the fringe.
Use tape or tacks to affix the curtains to the ceiling. Add extra streamers to the width of the bed so that the curtain hangs at least a couple inches away from the bed, all the way around.
Slide beads onto the fringe pieces to create the theme or the look that you want. Cut a wide streamer piece and use it to make a curtain tie-back. Wrap it around several of the streamers, pull them to the wall, and tack the tie-back in place. This will create a doorway so the child can go in and out easily. You’ll love this canopy which is a lot cheaper than a fabric canopy and much more unique.
Reference:
- Streamers here: www.partycity.com
