Project Playroom: "Dream House"

Today I thought I'd show you a couple of additions/improvements I made to the kids' playhouse under the stairs. As you can see, most of the work had been done (see this post for details on how my hubby built this little hideout (or "dream house" as the girls refer to it. :)

But you know me....can't leave well enough alone. 

I had another piece of the box that we used to make the kids' cafe awning (see that here) and knew I could put it to good use.

So I got busy cutting little "shingles" out of colored felt.

And then hot glued them onto the cardboard. (See where I'm going with this???)

Now we have the perfect little roof for their perfect little house. :)

But wait....there's more. 

The kids have been asking for a door since it was built and will often shove stack pillows to create their own. So I got another idea. (Uh-oh, right?)

I bought a very inexpensive tension rod at Walmart

and some light brown felt from Hobby Lobby.

I then tested out my Christmas present (and very beginning sewing skills)

and wa-la! They have a door! No more stacking pillows!

What do you think??

Oh yah, and we added a mailbox.

And look! There's mail!

Now that we're done with the outside, I thought I'd show how we "organize" the inside.

This little pocket holder came from Ikea and has been great to hold all of their baby bottles, toys, and other essentials.

The washing machine is not only to play with

but to store all the babies' clothes as well. 

Or they can always practice their hanging skills. 

Doll diapers and blankies are stored in bins below the crib

while extra babies can be stored in the bed(s).

A new $13 light from Ikea, 

and that completes the tour. 

Here are a couple of my tips when helping little ones to stay organized:

1. Make it fun and pretty---just like adults, it is much easier to want to stay organized when things look nice.
2. Label---help kiddos remember where things belong when things are labeled. (Go here for my thoughts on creating labels for kids.)
3. Less is more---get rid of any excess. If it isn't being played with, get rid of it. Makes it so much easier---on everyone.
4. Make it simple--think about how your kids put things away when you hound ask them. If it is tricky, it probably won't get done. Hence the washing machine. I knew that would be the easiest way for my kids to put away the clothes. The hanging bar is fun and they like to practice from time to time but honestly they'd much rather shove it in somewhere fast.

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