Saturday, June 5, 2010

Cupcake Playhouse Tips


My husband and I were recently discussing our single-bedroom housing situation (which we are perfectly happy with), and concluded that my daughter has a little lack of personal space.  She has no bedroom and her crib is smack dab in the middle of the apartment.  I had seen many pvc pipe playhouse ideas online, and decided this would be the perfect project to help remedy our issue.  Plus, pvc can be taken apart for when we decide we need a break from it in our living room.

Presenting.....
her new playhouse!





I went to the local thrift shop and purchased several sheets for less than $2.00 each.  I actually think the sheet I used for the roof was a fancy bed skirt, because it came with all the ruffles (lucky right?).  I tried to pick fun colored light sheets, so they let light into the house.  

The pipes can be bought at any hardware store.  The fittings, however, I recommend purchasing online.  They can be surprisingly expensive.



If you ever decide to take on a project like this, you will learn that the pvc fittings for making the above structure do not exist.  I found several tutorials online for card table houses, but I wanted one that my daughter could stand up in; I wanted it spacious inside.

This is what my husband and I came up with:



As you can see we would have had to find a pvc fitting that had incredilbe 45 degree angels, elbows, and Ts (I actually have no idea of all the correct terms here).  So to remedy this situation, we created the roof separate from the body of the house, and then drilled a whole through the two fittings that rested on each other, and then inserted a bolt.  This way the house is structurally sound, and yet can still be taken apart.


I added a curtain to the door to help support the whole 'privacy' idea.



Then sewed on ribbons to keep walls and curtains in place.



And here is where I cheated.  The door and windows were kind of tricky.  I basically had no idea how to make them when I started out.  I did know, however, that I wanted there to be door and window frames, so I sewed each piece of 'wood' together separately, and then used heat-n'-bond to iron them onto the pre-sewn windows.  Soooo much easier than trying to sew them all on.

Sorriest looking cupcakes ever... pom poms?  They're almost as sad as that cardboard oven...

Oooo look!  She found the chocolate chips I strategically placed so that I could get a picture!

This was such a fun project!  Although, I will not lie, this giant cupcake was tough to sew without a pattern.  But I know it will definitely be used, so the trouble was very worth it.
If you have any questions let me know!  I'm no expert, but I did a lot of research first, so I might have a few more tips if you get the hankering to try one of these for yourself!


-Becka

This post has been linked up to one of the
most fabulous craft blogs out there!!!

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hosted by Jenn!

30 comments:

The Rowleys said...

Absolutely amazing.

CK said...

I can't wait to make one of these myself

mama of 4 said...

That is absolutely adorable! I am in love... Would someone like to make me one??? :)

liz said...

that is adorable and so creative! it shocked me that you found that fabric like you did! i never would have guessed that. you guys were rather resourceful with your construction, i might add!

Ms. Understood said...

I can't believe y'all built that. It looks great and I'm sure your little girl loves it. Great job.

Marie said...

Super cute! I'll bet it will be especially funs on play dates.

Colleen said...

That is so precious! I would have LOVED to have something like that when I was a little girl. :)Great idea!

My name is Lydia said...

Oh Becky I really love it. I like how decorated it is. I'm glad you figured out how to do the corners of the door and windows, it looks super cute. And it was a brilliant idea to make the walls in light fabric so that it would be sunny.

andreamichelle said...

That is AWESOME!! I want to make this now.

Sorta Southern Single Mom said...

That is DARLING!!! I'm glad The Girl Child is at school, because she'd so be angling for one if she was looking over my shoulder!

Thanks for following Single Mom in the South!

Crystal Escobar said...

oh wow!!! I can't believe you MADE that!!! You are so talented, and thanks for sharing with us HOW you did it! I want to try this sometime.
I'm new to your blog, and LOVIN it. I just became a follower, so I'll be back!

CK said...

Wow! Thanks for all the comments! This is SOOO fun!
Becka and I are a tad bit busy (Becky is hosting family at her house for a couple of weeks and I am in the process of moving across the country). So sorry if we don't respond quickly.
We love you! Thanks everyone!
CK

Unknown said...

Love this house. Grand baby is going to get one for Christmas :) You really should put together a pattern and sell it.

My name is Becka said...

Ah, if only I had the time. Wouldn't a pattern be fun? I'm glad to answer questions if any of you have any. Thanks again for the comments!

-Becka

Janae Moss said...

Wow! Now that is talent :) You won't see that on my blog...haha! Great job!

Sarah@Dolls And Daydreams said...

I’ve been seeing all the felt card table houses, but like you I want to make one that is easy to store away (be warned people you can’t iron felt very well and it never looks the same after its wrinkled and creased). I have been tinkering around with the pvc pipe idea as it reminds me of a simple play house I had a child. Haven’t attempted it yet (my daughters just turned 15 months) but thought it would make a fab x-mas prezzy …. So a BIG THANK YOU!!! You Just saved me a lot of worrying and working out!
Sarah

Katie @ EyeSpyDIY said...

How cute did that turn out?! Love it!

Jenn Erickson said...

CK, thank you so, so much for linking up this beautiful project to "A Little Birdie Told Me..." You do everything with such sweet style, whimsy and beauty! I hope you'll swing by again tomorrow to link up another of your inspiring creations!

Carrie said...

Wonderful! I fully believe children should have special spaces to call their own. This one is Magical. Happy SITS day!

Angie said...

Wow! You are full of really neat ideas! Love it!

Happy SITS day!

Anonymous said...

Whoa. I don't even have a child. I want to build this to escape from the husband. :)

Happy SITS day!

Anne @ Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy said...

Wow, what a lucky little girl! That is AWESOME!

The Beauty Bargainista said...

OMG!!! First, HAPPY SITS DAY!! :)

Second, I can not wait to do this with my daughter! Her Summer break is coming up so fast and I have been looking for a big project we can work on together! She will LOVE IT!! :)

Lauren said...

I love this house, what an adorable idea!

Happy SITS day!

OneMommy said...

What a cute idea! And so much bigger than those pop up houses you can buy! I bet she loves it!

Visiting from SITS

Stephie @ Our Marriage Adventure said...

This is the cutest idea ever, and probably WAY cheaper than those hard plastic ones.

Happy SITS day!

Kristi said...

Wow, you are so creative and thoughtful to give your daughter her own space. Beautiful little play house...

Anonymous said...

This is so much better than any you can buy.

Morgan said...

How adorable! I can only imagine the memories she's making in there!

Enjoy your SITS day! :)

Katybeth said...

I am not crafty and my 15 year old is way past this but I'm sure the younger moms in my group would love it and many of them are crafty (in more ways than one :-). This is adorable. I will share!

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