Yesterday, I shared the pictures of Baby’s new playhouse and fairy garden. The idea is that as she grows up, she can add things she likes to it and use her imagination to make it her own space. For now, we have tried to make it as magical as possible for her. As I explained, we have two little dogs and while they are lovely dogs I want Baby to have a place, which I know is 100% safe to play. She is into everything, a real live wire and so her play area needs to be secure, safe and fun! After the lovely comments about her new space, I wanted to share how we created this Baby friendly area.
How to personalise your Playhouse & Garden!
1. Paint – As well as to protect the wood, painting the playhouse is a great way to add character. Choose either an all over colour with a contrasting trim or two different colours on alternate slats for a cute candy cane effect. Think about painting the inside to give it a more homely feel. If your children are older get them involved in picking the colours. Maybe paint one inside wall with Chalkboard Paint. We used pink and white for the inside and the outside. The best wood paint we found was from Wilkinsons, much better than the big brands, after LOTS of testing!
2. Think about the function – If space is limited, then use items which can be multifunctional. A toy chest with some cushions on top can double as seating. Maybe a folding table is a better idea, so it can be cleared away to allow more space for play. We found a fabulous solid table and two chairs for £13 from a car boot sale, which is perfect for our playhouse. We want Baby to be able to play safely, so picked up this Gazebo from B&Q for £19 and it covers most of the garden.
3. Flowers/Greenery – Add window boxes or pretty pots outside to add instant colour/interest. The pastel pots I have used in the window boxes were £1 for 6 from Poundland. I have a Silhouette cameo cutting machine and used vinyl on the window boxes, but it would be easy enough to use a paint tester and a stencil.
4. Soft Furnishings – Curtains at the windows, a pile of cushions and some bunting all make for a perfect comfy space. Our curtains were made by my mum from a single duvet cover (£7.50 Tesco). The Pelican cushion was £4 (Tesco sale). The voile on the other window was in my stock and I staple gunned it to the wall. I don’t like the idea of curtain wires in a playhouse, so the other curtains are put up with telescopic poles (Dunelm Mill £2.99 each). The bunting
5. Name it! – A great way to personalise is to make or purchase a name plaque. Your child will love to see their name on the door. I haven’t photographed our nameplate for obvious reasons, but it’s a wooden name plate with Baby’s name and a hedgehog on it (purchased from an agricultural show for £5)
6. Add a wooden Postbox
7. Picket fence – A picket fence, painted white of course, is a must have for a girly play house. We have a small picket fence attached to the house, which came with it. Our brother in law made the other fence from old pallets. My hubby and I made the gate out of a shelving unit we no longer used.
8. Curb appeal – Adding a little bench outside and a hanging basket or lantern hanging next to the door for extra cuteness. We have a bird house (£3), a box ball (£1 car boot sale) outside, together with plants in the window boxes, some glittery butterflies and fairy lights. The wooden heart bunting was £2 from Sainsbury’s Valentine sale.
9. Ladybirds – I saw a tutorial for these ladybirds on Pinterest and knew I HAD to make them. The stones found their way into my car whilst we were at the beach. After a few coats of acrylic spray paint and some hand painting (then a lacquer), our Ladybird family were ready to be released into the garden.
10. Herb Wheelbarrow – Our little white wooden wheelbarrow was £1 from a car boot and I planted some herbs in there for two reasons; for Daddy to cook with them and also as a mini sensory garden for Baby.
11. Gnomes, Snails, Butterflies, Fairies – I think children’s garden should have these little fun additions. The gnome, butterflies and snail came from the pound shop and the fairies were at my mum’s house (until Baby stole them she donated them!).
12. Windsocks – These were a couple of pound each from the beach, but add colour and interest when hung in the garden.
13. Magic Fairy Toadstool – This is one of my favourite things in the garden and it was given to us to review. Baby loves looking at the little door to see if she can see the fairies.
14. Giant Pencils – I saw these on a fellow bloggers site and thought they were a fabulous idea. The fence posts were under £3 each and again they were sprayed with acrylic paint and varnish.
15. Gate Signs – Our welcome to my garden sign was a couple of pound from Tesco and the wire Welcome nailed to the gate was from Poundstretcher.
16. Play equipment – We have a sand/water table, trampoline, slide in Baby’s garden, all bought in sales, 2nd hand or were presents. She also has a swing, which is on the other side of the garden.
17. Interior extras – I have put some old mats in the corner of the house and Baby loves to sit on them. We used the old wooden floor from our living room as an additional floor. I purchased a lovely plaque from Sainsburys sale (£2.40). I added a colour owl mat to the front door and a slate heart (which I tippexed ‘HOME’ onto) tied to the door handle.
18. Windmills – We LOVE windmills and I think they look great nailed to the side of the playhouse.
So that’s how we created our Baby’s house and garden. It took lots of hours work, but apart from the house itself, nothing cost too much money and most things were found in sales or the pound shop (which is a great place to get bits and bobs). Do your children have a playhouse? Do you have any child-friendly extra’s in your garden?
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Comments 63
Awww such lovely ideas – makes me wish mine were little again!
Author
Thanks hun, it was fun to do x
I can’t get over how amazing this is, I just love everything about it and send your post to my brother and said my niece needs one of these x
Author
Aww thank you! Fame at last! 😉 x
I love everything about this playhouse. I am going to have to make those ladybird stones! Just love it all.
Author
Ah thank you so much. I want the Ladybirds in the house! 🙂 x
Wow, you have done a fantastic job! Baby is very lucky! I adore the lady birds stones and I adore the curtains in the playhouse.
Author
Thank you hun, lots of graft but we got there in the end x
Love the lady birds and quotes. What a fab job, well done
Author
Thanks so much x
I adore those ladybirds!! So going to make some myself x
Author
Thanks! They are a great project x
What a fabulous idea! I bet Baby LOVES her own private garden! I especially love the rock ladybugs – so cute! xxx
Author
She adores it hun! They are so cute aren’t they?! xxx
Glad you liked the pencils, yours look fab. Our pencils and ladybirds are still going strong over a year later x
Author
Thanks for the inspiration! Great projects x
I love every single thing about it. We have a playhouse but a rubbishy plastic one, so I am very envious!
Author
Thanks so much hun! x
What a lucky Baby! This is a beautiful playhouse, and the best thing is that she’s still really young, so she’ll be able to appreciate it for many years to come. I’m impressed by your ability to source some really cool things for not too much money. Gotta love Poundland!
Author
Thanks! I love hunting out a bargain! x
Love the ladybirds. I really have to make some as well. They look amazing.
Author
Thanks, they were fun to do x
Wow! Many, many fantastic ideas here. I know that I’d probably want to live in there so I’m sure baby loves it! So inviting 🙂
Author
Thank you, I am thinking about moving in x
This house looks better than mine!! This is so cute and such a great space to play in! You’ve done such a great job. Love this so much thanks x x
Author
Ha ha! It is better thank ours too! Thank you xx
This is absolutely fantastic! We recently decided on getting a playhouse in time for next summer, so I’m grateful to have stumbled across this post full of ideas to steal. I mean borrow. No… Im copying.
Author
Steal away hun, but I am available to create similar for very reasonable rates! 😉 x
This looks fabulous – our playhouse is 13 years old and an old plastic one but the kids adore it!
Author
Thanks hun x
This is EXACTLY what I have in mind for my 15 month old daughter. We also have dogs and I would like her to have a safe area to play in, so we can all enjoy the garden together.
We are lucky to have quite a large garden and I have been planning to fence off an area as you have done, but I have been debating on the surface of the play area?
Have you kept real grass in your play area, if so how do you find it? I’ve looked at alternatives ie- artificial or play tiles but it will work out expensive.
Also the size of your play area looks ideal, I wasn’t sure what size space to give to this area.
Author
Yes we have just kept the real grass as didn’t have a budget for anything else and I like it being natural. Good luck with your project x
What some great ideas – I love the giant pencils how cool! x
Author
Thanks hun. They were so cheap, but just add some colour x
I love everything about this post!
I wish i was that creative! We have a beautiful summerhouse at the end of our garden.
I need to get planning!
Oh and love the painted ladybird stones!
Author
Thanks so much, that is very kind of you to say that. I think everyone NEEDS the ladybird stones 🙂 x
What an amazing job! Love that you got some bits out of the Pound Shop!
Author
Thanks so much. I thought it was the way to go as Baby is likely to break some of it along the way, AND they were cute x
We love the poundshop and places like B&M for cheap and cheerful garden ornaments 🙂
Author
They are great, especially if it might get dropped! 🙂 x
OH MY GOD I LOVE IT! Mmmmm can I come and live in it please? My girl would have a full on proper heart attack if she saw this. Seriously. It is beautiful you are a very clever lady (bug) xxx
Author
Thanks huni! Yeah sure, why not! Would be lovely to have you stay 🙂 xxx
So many wonderful ideas and ways to create a special safe area for children. I adore that house, so simple, just lots of creativity and colour. I bet she really loves it.
Thanks for linking #LetKidsBeKids
Author
Ah thank you so much. She does love it x
OMG! I am TOTES doing this with our playhouse! (well something similar anyways! I love that it is fenced off!!)
that is beautiful. its like a perfect little haven for play. my husband built the children a gorgeous playhouse, but now I’ve seen yours i’m jealous, and I need to pretty up the inside some more. #thelist
Author
Ah thank you so much x
Wow! That is truly fabulous! I’ll be coming back to this post next year to do something similar in our garden for R xx
Author
Thank you. Good luck for doing yours xx
Gosh I want to shrink into a tiny little person and spend some time there myself!
Author
Thank you, that is such a sweet comment x
Oh I just love this! We recently purchased a playhouse for our girls, a lovely wooden one. It’s been painted in two shades of pink, and is ever so slowly being accessorised! So far it has some chairs and a little kitchen inside, and I have hooked up some flower bunting to decorate. We did sticker up for halloween and swap out for some ghostly bunting for her little party, definitely one of our best child buys! x
Author
Ah that sounds fab x
Aby – this is amazing! You are an absolute genius. How do you find the time? Once we have a garden I might have to steal these ideas. Hugs Mrs H xxxx
Author
Oh bless you. It was worth the graft to see her happy little face when she first saw it xxx
Wow this is so impressive! Baby is a very lucky girl! Love the ladybirds, I might have to make some. X
Author
Thanks huni! I love them too, so easy to make (especially is you steal the stones from the beach…) x
Fab work. Do you remember if the paint you used was Cuprinol or Wilkinson’s own brand? Many thanks
Author
I think we ended up using both if I remember correctly x
This is soooo lovely! Can’t wait until my little one is a bit bigger (9 weeks old today!) so we can have a go at something similar…although in the meantime, maybe mummy needs a creative space to play…
I came here from your ‘The List #100’ post.
Love what you’ve done with the playhouse, especially the really cute flower planters on the window sills.
Also – the ladybirds are fantastic, definitely going to give that a go with my daughter, really impressed!
Many thanks
Wow! This is fantastic! We definetly want to get a playhouse or wendy house for our LO but we only have a shared garden atm! Boo!
This looks absolutely beautiful. I hope to do something like this for my daughter once we have a house!