Thursday, December 29, 2011

PVC Playhouses

I am excited to show you this project today. For Christmas, I decided to make playhouses for my kids. I saw this and this on Pinterest and they really got my juices flowing. Here are the results:




They are fabric playhouses over a frame made of PVC pipe! How cool is that?!

Just ignore the wrinkly fabric...they had to be hidden away to keep them a surprise for Christmas morning and I haven't gotten around to ironing them yet.

I made them a custom size so they would fit over my kids' toddler beds. We live in an apartment and don't have any other place big enough for them. Plus what kid doesn't want a playhouse fort over their bed?!

The PVC and connections for BOTH playhouses cost $50. And a bonus is that it's easy to take the frame apart for storage or transportation.

Here's a view of the roof from inside the playhouse:I used sheets for the playhouse coverings. I needed two matching sheets for the walls and one coordinating sheet for the roof for each house. I got the pink set (full sized) for $1 on clearance at Walmart (a big score, I know!), and the rest of the sheets from thrift stores on their $1 deal days. The total for all the fabric for BOTH houses was $6. I totally scored on this one. It can be really tough to find matching sheets at a thrift store, but I am here to tell you it can be done!

I used scraps of fabric I already had for the little details, and I spent about $1 on clear vinyl for the windows (don't skip the clear vinyl...it's one of my kids' favorite parts!)

That puts the total for two playhouses to $57. I am very pleased with that!

The hardest part of this project was measuring and making the fabric coverings fit the frame right. The triangle pieces on each end were such a pain! I had to pin, sew, pick it all out, pin again, sew again, etc. until they looked decent. They aren't perfect, but I tell you what, the kids don't care. They LOVE their forts! They were the hit of Christmas for sure.

7 comments:

Kasey said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Way to go, they look great! I am sure your kids will get lots of use out of them.

Casey said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

You did a great job, I love them! So much better than what you can buy in the store!

Katie Carter said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

What a great idea! My boys would love one of these! I would love for you to join me in Handmade 52! http://raisingoranges.blogspot.com/2012/01/handmade-52.html

This Little Life of Mine said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

SO CUTE!

Following you from Show & Tell...

http://myhappilyeverafteragain.blogspot.com/

This Little Life of Mine said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

So cute! Following you from Show & Tell...

http://myhappilyeverafteragain.blogspot.com/

Babies N Toddlers Dresses said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

HI, I was wondering if you help me with this project...I have finished the PVc pipe part...now I m at the sewing part. What was the hardest part to sew or get measurements? Do you have any advise of what NOT to do?
thanks in advance!

www.babiesntoddlersdresses.blogspot.com

Nancy Bandzuch said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

seriously, you have got to be the best mom ever. What a great thing for your kids to play with !
Thanks for linking up to the oldies party this week--the new party will be live on Monday night.
Nancy

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