Freezing winter temps and cold + flu season have indoor playtime for little ones at an all-time high right now, and I definitely struggle to find things to keep Sylvie busy without resorting to hours of screen time.
When my sister and I were little, my dad would bring home big boxes for us play in, and we thought it was the greatest thing on Earth, keeping us busy for hours and saving my parents' sanity.
Taking a cue from my dad to help stave off cabin fever, I decided to stop over at an appliance store loading dock to ask if, by chance, they had an extra big box they'd let me take off their hands. My thought was to make a vintage-summer-camp-inspired play cabin for Sylvia. I have the most wonderful memories at camp as a kid, and it's an experience I want for Sylvia as she gets a little older. So why not start now, right?
Summer camp conjures up warm feelings of summer fun which is something we could all use a bit of as winter drags on.
Sure enough, the appliance store was more than willing to spare a free box, so I raced it home and started scheming. I was especially inspired by camp architecture from the 20's, 30's & 40's. Paneled doors, casement windows with mullions, hand-lettered signs above doors, old shingled roofs, etc.
Sourcing Materials & ToolsFrom cardboard + paper grocery bags, it was my goal to use as much recycled material as possible in tandem with non-toxic paint to define the cabin's charming details. To round things out, I'd pair natural (read: biodegradable) elements such as moss and pinecones with thrifted toys.
Since I was painting most of the details onto the cabin, it was important I had tools that would make the painting process easy and efficient. If I'm completely honest, I'm embarrassed to tell you that even as a seasoned crafter, I've often used scraps of cardboard as my paint palette or vessel. My painting tools were always an afterthought, and needless to say, it never quite worked out. I'd end up dropping the cardboard palette or setting it down on the floor and stepping in it. It was a pain in the buns, and this time I had a better plan in mind!
Ken and I have used Handy Products for all our home renovation paint jobs, and they have a product called the Handy Craft Cup which is perfect for this project. The Handy Craft Cup has an ergonomic thumbhole that allows you to comfortably carry the cup around with you as you paint, and the cup is so lightweight it becomes a convenient extension of your hand as you navigate your project. It also has a built-in scraper lip, is easy to clean, and the cup itself is made with bio-degradable additives. Woo! The craft cup was clutch with both the DIY cabin and camp blanket projects in this post!
I also used the Handy Roller Cup for painting bigger areas of the cabin like the door and window boxes. The roller cup has a low, wide base to prevent tipping, as well as an ergonomic handle which makes it easy to move around the room with you. It's also conveniently vibrant red so I never accidentally step in it like my make-shift cardboard paint palette. LOL.
So without further ado, let's dive into our summer camp projects!
DIY Play Summer Camp Cabin
Materials:
- Large appliance box
- Heavy duty 3" kraft paper tape
- Metal ruler with cork back
- Utility knife with replacement blades
- Paper grocery bags for roof shingles
- Scissors
- Non-toxic glue or glue stick
- White non-toxic acrylic paint
- Handy Craft Cup
- Handy Roller Cup
- 2″ Sash brush for larger areas such as door and window boxes
- Smaller paint brush for trim, cabin sign, and grass details
- With a utility knife, cut off the top portion of the box to create your desired wall height. (I chose 40" tall.) Then open up the side seam to turn the box inside out. The printed side of the box should face inward and the plain kraft should face the outside.
- Tape together box scraps to form the pitched roof, and attach with tape along top edge of the box walls.
- Optional: Create eaves by adding cardboard rectangles on the front pitch and along the bottom of the roof line.
- Cut 4" x 3" rectangles out of paper grocery bags and glue onto roof in staggered pattern.
- Draw and cut out windows and door with a utility knife and cork-back ruler. I found it easiest to cut the door off completely to add details and tape it back on in a later step.
- Cut a window opening on the top half of the door. Paint the entire door white. When door is dry, add 3 horizontal strips of kraft tape on the bottom half of the door to create the paneled door effect. Then attach the door to one side of the door opening with kraft tape.
- Add window and door trim by painting a 1-2" thick border around all openings.
Optional Details:
- Add window mullions by cutting ½" wide strips a few inches longer than the length and width of your windows. Paint white and tape onto the inside of the cabin windows.
- Use two small boxes for window boxes. Paint white and attach below casement windows with kraft tape. Fill with crumpled paper and top with moss and pinecones.
- Add grass along the bottom perimeter by painting 2-3" tall wavy lines with white paint.
- Add a small cardboard triangle at the apex of the roof. Tape into place with kraft tape on backside of triangle/underside of roof. Poke a small flag into center of cardboard triangle.
- Give your cabin a name! Hand paint the name onto a strip of cardboard and attach above door with glue.
DIY Play Camp Blanket
Paint an inexpensive camp-style wool blanket for pretend picnics and sleepouts at summer camp!
Materials:
- ¾ Yard cream wool felt, (45" wide fabric)
- 4 Non-toxic acrylic paint colors
- Fabric paint additive (optional)
- Painter's tape
- Handy Craft Cups
- Paint brush
1. Use painter's tape to mark out 8 stripes (2" wide each) across the 27" width of the fabric. Begin taping stripes 3" from one of the short edges, and space the first four stripes 1-3/4" apart. Then leave a space of 5" before beginning the next 4 stripes, 1-3/4" apart.
1a. (Optional) Mix paint with the fabric additive according to manufacturer instructions to help with softness and blanket wash-ability.
2. On one end of the fabric, paint each of the 4 stripes a different color. On the opposite end of the fabric, paint the four stripes in the same color order as the other end of the blanket.
Crafter's Tip: Use the Handy Craft Cup as a convenient way to carry your paint along with you as you paint your way across the blanket.
3. Allow to dry and remove painters tape.
From cabin fever to cabin fun!This play cabin was so much fun to make and even more fun to watch Sylvie enjoy it. She's already spent hours at 'summer camp' this week-having sleepovers with her stuffed animals, watering the window boxes, and heading up KP duty (kitchen patrol). Let's hear it for thoughtful tools like Handy Products that make doing-it-ourselves more fun and efficient.
This post is sponsored by Handy Products. Thank you for supporting brands I truly love and personally use.
