i wish i could take photos that could do this justice. this is indeed, the perfect playhouse.
at the end of last year, i happened to show my dear mother-in-law a photo of a playhouse on etsy made of felt that simply slips over a card table. we both marveled at how clever of an idea it was, but both agreed shelling out almost $300 was crazy.
after some more conversation, said mother-in-law decided to tackle this project herself for the girls as a joint birthday present. of course, there was much modification and personalization and the end result is the absolutely amazing. did i mention it's the perfect playhouse?
our living area isn't the biggest. especially when there are toys littering the floor and on occasion two cats running the length of the house and back. because of lack of space, i certainly wasn't going to try and put up a card table - that we don't own - somewhere. i simply push some chairs to the side and the playhouse simply slips over our dining room table. even better? the girls are somewhat contained just feet away from me as i cook dinner or prepare lunch. and possibly the best part, when they're done playing, it folds up to the size of a blanket. i've actually been storing it in a large basket between two afghans in the living room so that it's protected yet still easy for me to get out whenever requested.
onto the details...
love the adorable lights on either side of the door. above the door is the house number which i blurred as it's our actual address.
quite possibly C's favorite part is the mailbox on the front of the house. nana actually put cards and notes in envelopes into the mailbox and C loves to check the mailbox to see if mark - our mailman - has left her anything.
one of the short sides. the flowers in the window box can be picked and each have a different shape in the center to help L with shape recognition. the watering can can be removed so that the flowers stay happy. and those two puppies along the bottom? a nod to nana and papi's pups. the window is awesome as i can peek in at them and have a conversation if needed. usually revolving around sharing whatever toys and stuffed animals have joined them inside the house.
the window has also been jumped through by thomas and duke when i left the house out during a nap time. duke was inside the house and apparently thomas didn't think that was fair.
hard to photograph this side as it's only a few feet from a wall. friendly birds and a wise owl. you can also catch a better glimpse at the perfectly scalloped roof.
a better view of the apple tree. the apples can be picked to enjoy or they can be put in the pink basket on the house itself.
the other short side. unfortunately the colors appear a bit off due to the amount of light coming in. another little window to peek in and out of. this is usually the window L peers through most often.
a closer look at the two kitties sitting in the grass on this side. of course those two handsome fellows are the spitting image of our real life furry ones. you can see just how detailed everything is. and the amount of hours that went into creating it. my mother-in-law has more patience than anyone i know!
and a parting look to show a favorite past time in the house. C loves it as a nice spot for some quiet time cuddled up with her stuffed kitty, charlie. this is why one of the pillows on the love seat is perpetually missing. but i always know where to find it.
love it!! ol' sweatshop strikes again!
Posted by: cuckoo | May 15, 2011 at 12:49 AM
Wow Mel - that playhouse is absolutely amazing. You sure have a treasure of a mother in law. Perfectly gorgeous xxx
Posted by: Kelly Rodgers | May 15, 2011 at 12:53 AM
Love this.. amazing grandma!
She rock!
Posted by: Jennifer Camplin | May 15, 2011 at 05:42 AM
I am in AWE!!! This is utterly amazing. I especially love all of the removable parts and pieces -- genius!! Your MIL could have a new side biz on Etsy herself!!! Thanks for sharing, this is terrific!
Posted by: Sara | May 15, 2011 at 06:28 AM
amazing! i'd like to borrow your mother-in-law please! ;)
Posted by: emily (justem) | May 15, 2011 at 09:04 AM
That playhouse looks awesome! You MIL did some amazing work.
Posted by: Carrie | May 15, 2011 at 09:07 AM
THAT is incredible...and it's amazing that you posted this today, because we were just talking yesterday about how we could slipcover the dining room table to turn it into a tent...but now I truly have something to aspire to...it's beautiful! What a fabulous grandma!
Posted by: Lil | May 15, 2011 at 09:40 AM
that is amazing! i love it!!!
Posted by: brandi | May 15, 2011 at 09:55 AM
I've often admired those etsy creations too. This is amazing! What lucky girls!!!
Posted by: bridgette | May 15, 2011 at 11:14 AM
Sew cute!
Posted by: Joanna | May 15, 2011 at 11:57 AM
love all the details (thomas + duke, her dogs and that you can pick the apples/flowers). what lucky, lucky girls! and what a talented mother-in-law!
Posted by: sarah | May 15, 2011 at 06:39 PM
That "playhouse" is awesome! I wish I had one to play in :)
Posted by: Jackie | May 15, 2011 at 09:26 PM
That is spectacular! So much fun!
Posted by: Carron | May 15, 2011 at 10:05 PM
this is awesome!!!
Posted by: kelly purkey | May 15, 2011 at 11:38 PM
this is incredible, mel! INCREDIBLE!!!!!!! oh my goodness. i'd give my left arm for something this cool for the kiddos. what an amazing MIL you have.
xoxo.
Posted by: gabby | May 16, 2011 at 04:20 AM
Melanie that is absolutely AWESOME! What a great job she did with the design and the colors and the ability to move stuff around! YEARS of fun in that toy!!!
Posted by: Kenna | May 16, 2011 at 09:26 AM
Seriously adorable. What a precious gift!
Posted by: becky | May 16, 2011 at 12:57 PM
Wow, that is beyond cute! I just love all of the little personalized pieces your Mother-In-Law has created. Certainly a whole lot of love in that gift!
And yay for you for having such an awesome MIL.
Posted by: Brooke | May 16, 2011 at 09:48 PM