Playhouse Remodel

Posted on September 17, 2014September 17, 2014 by Becky Regal / Posted in Tutorials, Uncategorized / 1 Comment

Don’t be selfish . . .

I have been wanting to find a little playhouse on Craigslist for Elora to play in while I garden, mow and weed. But after finally scoring one for $100, and setting it up in the backyard, I just couldn’t leave it as it was. The colors were all wrong and the inside was drab. Nothing a little spray paint couldn’t fix

I used spray paint made for plastics – I changed brands up a lot. The copper over the bay window was just a metal finish spray paint and it has held up GREAT!

I used poster board and cardboard to block as I painted.

I built a wooden platform for the house to sit on, allowing for the little front porch.

Sorry that I didn’t take pictures as I went a long. But here are some from the final product.

The inside was the same color as the exterior walls. So, I started by spraying the walls yellow, the trim and ceiling cream and the wainscoting blue. The yellow was looking real bad even after three coats. To help disguise the problem I sprayed cream with a stencil and just didn’t worry about lining it all up.

The playhouse was missing the little chair that comes with it when purchased new for $400-$500. Getting it for $100 was worth not having the chair. I was really lucky when I found two classroom chairs for $2 each at the Thrift store. One was blue and the other yellow. (the same colors I used on the walls!) So I used the same little stencil and sprayed the chairs with the opposite color to make them cohesive and cute!

The little kitchen had lost all of the original stickers and was all one color. So I just brushed on a little interest with my paints.

P1200986

My little one just loves her house!

Don’t be selfish . . .

5 Free Family Resources

Posted on September 10, 2014September 17, 2014 by Becky Regal / Posted in Lists / 1 Comment

Don’t be selfish . . .

I move way too often! But at least I know that there are some great resources waiting for me where ever I moving to.

I could make a much longer and better list if I were just posting about my area. But this is a list that covers MOST areas, with pretty basic free activities/resources.

Here are 5 that my family uses… a lot!

1. The Library.

I know that it sounds boring, but give it a shot.

Have you heard about a great new book? Go to the library. Is there a movie that you have been wanting to see? Check out the library. Want to get your kids into reading and meet other families doing that same? Check out your libraries programs.

My local library system is amazing! We go down to the library to join toddler time and story time almost every week. There is also educational play time on Fridays and friends of the library where they have animals or performances every now and then.

Sometimes we go to the library and let Elora pick a book and DVD and Dave and I pick one out for ourselves.

2. Join a Church!

I personally go to a great Seventh-Day-Adventist church that is very active. I run the family ministries for our church.

Every Sabbath we have Sabbath school (Sunday School) for Elora. Music, snacks, bubbles and friends. Like the idea of a Gymboree class but gasp at the cost? Church in the kids department is a lot like those expensive classes, but they are free! I keep thinking about joining a Sunday church as well just for the benefits for Elora.

They always say it takes a village… well church can be that village. You have people of all demographics who know and care about your family. They help mold your child’s character (if you let them)

Family Ministries sponsors camping trips, retreats, game nights, hikes and play dates. We also are doing a weekly mommy boot camp.

Give Church a chance, you might even get something deeper and more personal out of it 😉

3. Local, City, State and National Parks

Local parks often have playgrounds. You can get in a workout using the jungle gym while the kids play! Feed the ducks, go for a hike, take a picnic… utilize your near by outdoor spaces.

The parks in my city have free concerts in the summer and art fairs in the autumn. Some parks host Fairs and Festivals of all sorts including renaissance fairs.

State and National Parks often have Nature Centers with free children’s programs.

4. Historical Societies and Museums

Many towns are proud of their history and often have at least a small museum dedicated to the story they are a part of. Find yours. Take the family and teach your kids about the place they live. Many of these small museums are actually very surprising and offer a pretty good experience for children.

5. Clubs, Meetups, Groups

These can be harder to find. However, many times a good Google search will do the trick. Also, here is another good reason to join an active church.

You would be surprised how many groups of people are looking for others that are into the same activities or subjects that they are into.

There are free play groups, biking and running groups, cooking and crafting, sewing, camping and so on . . .

Be brave and join a group to help enrich your family’s lives.

Don’t be selfish . . .

Baby Swing!

Posted on September 6, 2014September 17, 2014 by Becky Regal / Posted in Tutorials / Leave a comment

Don’t be selfish . . .

I have seen these on pinterest and for sale on Etsy. I am awful at following tutorials but I at least read through this one first. http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2012/07/swingin.html (She has a lot more pictures of the process then I have and did a lot more work and spent more) Then I improvised and made my swing in under 2 hours. I would have been faster except I kept stopping to play with Elora.

Okay, lets get started!

First you need to get a yard of canvas material, or other strong fabric of your choice.
Next, get large dowels from your local lumber store. Or, if your as CHEEP as me, then go to a ReStore or other used building materials type store and buy some stair railings for $0.50 that you can use on many projects to come.
Have a drill
Rope
Sewing Machine
And a tree or other strong secure place to hang it in.

Cut the material into 3 pieces.

About 4 feet long and at about 1.5 feet wide.
About 1.5 feet long and about 6 inches wide.
about 1.5 feet long and about 1.5 feet wide.

I am sorry that I didn’t measure as I cut. I have a very photogenic way of doing things. I had a picture in my mind of how I wanted Elora to fit in it and how it would fit a future baby and I just eyeballed and cut.

Now you need to sew the seams and then sew the pieces together so they look like this. (I doubled them back in many places) The crotch section I created two different slots for the dowel to go in so that I could change it for a baby so the face wouldn’t be at the bar part. (you can see that this canvas had been a drop cloth for my art)

Now drill holes into the dowels at each end by first marking the spot and making sure they will line up over eachother. Choose a drill bit that is large enough for the rope to fit through but small enough that your dowels keep their strength.

Now just slip the dowels through the canvas and the rope through the dowels. Tie the rope together meeting in a point at the top, if you want the swing to be able to spin without the rope twisting and untwisting. I then used a carabiner to clip it on so that I can take it down easy to adjust for baby or toddler.

Now you have a baby swing!

WARNING! child may love it so much that you find yourself pushing them for an hour at a time. Notice the wicker chair in the background? I sit there and read or work on this blog while she swings within reach and I keep it going.

I was on a roll and decided to make two more swings for our “tree set” I made a trapeze and classic wooden. (the wooden one is about to be replace with a wider wooden one for stability reasons.)

Don’t be selfish . . .

Related articles

Related articles