05 April 2013

The Playhouse Makeover

I finished the kid's playhouse makeover about a month ago and am finally getting around to blogging about it.

All the bits and pieces (except for the plastic kitchen) I collected from op shops or the $2 shop. It was never going to be a 'designer' playhouse, I just wanted to brighten it up, make it warm and welcoming and really it was just an excuse for me to get creative.

This is the outside.....

......which isn't going to change as I like the rustic look, it blends in well with the garden and I like how it looks like a trampers hut!

The inside BEFORE...
......horribly dirty with a few random stickers.

I rummaged in our shed and came up with some textured wallpaper and interior paint left over from our last house. I slapped on coats of paint during kids nap times and hubby helped with the wallpapering.

I painted a mural on one wall...


.........I like how when you open the door 'Miss Bunny' is there to greet you.....

....and of course I had to add a hedgehog. It was so much fun painting again, I haven't done any for years.

Next I decided to move the kid's existing kitchen into the playhouse so needed a splash back and fancied a retro tiled look....
.....so I went straight to Kitschy Digitals and found this fabulous set of 'Retro Checks' digital paper from Alice Apple. I printed them off, cut them into squares and modpodged them to the wall.

I added a retro spice rack found for $1 at a local garage sale and a pattern I did about 10 years ago.
I put up a $2 clip board, which I decorated with washi tape, for my son to hang up his latest work of art.
I found an old picture frame and attached it to the wall with liquid nails, then painted it with chalkboard paint. The old wooden letter holder is to hold the chalk (it was $1).

I added a 'faux bois' (fake wood) floor (Martha Stewart would be proud) and a black doily mat which is also a chalkboard.
....the curtains are a $1.50 tablecloth that I chopped in half and lined with some green lining I had inherited from somewhere. The curtains are tied back with blue/white polka dot ribbon.

The ceiling was looking a little bare and I was going to sew some bunting but then I remembered I had seen some free printable bunting on the Kitschy Digital Freebies page (you must take a look there are fabulous free printables and embroidery patterns) and thought that would be much quicker.

I didn't measure or space anything out, I just 'eyeballed' it and modpodged them up in one nap time. That's how I measure my craft projects these days....'can it be done in a nap time'!
I love the bunting, it is one of my favourite parts of the makeover...although my neck has not quite been the same since....
 
So there you have it! It is definitely one large tick off my works in progress list.


6 comments:

  1. I want to move in myself! Love the mural, you are very talented. The bunting looks gorgeous too, well done!

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    1. Thanks Leanne, I often think about moving in there myself!

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  2. Very inspiring. I'm about to make over our hideous play house, and you've given me some great ideas!

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  3. Hi there, I've just been catching up on reading your blog as I haven't had a chance to in a while (we were home on holiday in NZ for part of the time, YAY!) I LOVE what you've done to your kids' playhouse, it looks amazing! How long did it take you all up, would you say? I'm the same as you, hardly get anything done outside of nap times! And our (almost) 3 year old has pretty much dropped her daytime naps... sigh. Anyway, well done, it looks fantastic. I'm hoping to re-do a dolls house within the next year so this is good inspiration!
    Jennifer

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  4. Hi Jennifer! Glad you enjoyed your time in NZ. Playhouse seemed to take forever but was probably about 4 months on and off. I would have spurts of enthusiasm now and again. It was great to have daylight savings and I would be out painting at 9pm after the kids were asleep. I am not lookng forward to my 3 yr old dropping his naps but I am sure it will happen soon! I am on the look out for a sturdy dolls house as I would love to decorate it although I am not sure I would then let the kids play with it! We have finished painting the house so will get photos up soon. Kim

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