Playing House

While I was mopping(!) the other day and the table was pushed against the wall and the chairs stacked on top, I remembered to pull out the fabric playhouse I made a few years back. 

Growing up, we had one similar to this, only it was pre-printed and fit over a card table.  Mine is made from cheap muslin with sew- on velcro on the top edge of each panel which matches up with sticky velcro on the inside edge of the metal framework of our dining table.  The paint is just acrylic craft paint, and I cut out the windows, adding "panes" to stabilize them. I only made 3 sides because at the time we always had the table pushed up against the half wall between the kitchen and living/eating area.  I've considered making a 4th panel and cutting the door into it's own panel that can be lifted to enter, but the boys don't really play with it much even when we take it out after not playing with it for months.  I don't think we played in ours much when we were little, either. 

Minutes later, this is where I found them, happily playing:

Classic!?

Comments

[anjo]

Awww...I love the fabric playhouse idea. It looks like your wee ones dug it too. Btw...Boxes are cool...always a big hit for a plethoria of things around my home. (again...awwww!).

Heart your blog, btw. :)

[Christine]

Ohhh! I had one of the card table houses when I was little and loved it! I haven't thought about that in ages.
My 8 year old son STILL loves to sit in boxes and his plastic laundry hamper. I have no idea when they outgrow that!

[Rise]

You are such a fun Mom. Will you adopt me? What? You don't want a 50 year old child?

[Kat]

Boxes were the best. When I was a kid, we moved every few years. My sister and I looked forward to it because it meant there would be another refridgerator box to play in.

[maryse]

this post reminds me of the forts my brother and i built in his room with blankets. his room was small and the way the furniture was set up we were able to make forts almost the size of the entire room. it was great.

[Sheree]

Cardboard boxes are always the best toys. No contest!

[p]

someone spent a small fortune on a much less creative version of the cloth house from Disney for DD but unsurprisingly she plays much more with shoe boxes/kitchen roll tubes etc :)

[fleur]

That's so funny, ours do play in such boxes too. And they use only their own creations...

[Beth]

I love the panels you made for the play house. My husband made some Waldorf style play stands - your pictures inspire me to make something similar to hang on them. I'm totally jealous of your gold medal - I didn't finish on time, but my 10 year old daughter earned hers. Congratulations - the shawl is beautiful!

[Chris]

Cute!

[Dianna]

I loved the year that Land's End had a Santa's workshop printed on the inside of their shipping boxes - all four of my kids turned the boxes inside out and made a Christmas wonderland! The boxes presents came in were always what attracted them more than the contents!

[Pattie]

What a great idea! My girls play under their school room table all the time and pile their toys around the edges to make "walls". They love that sort of thing. Maybe I'll feel so inclined to make one myself one of these days. But, if I do, I'll probably find them ignoring it and playing in a cardboard box like your boys. (o:

[Viv]

I love that house! I need a private house like that just to knit in, away from the prying hands of a 2 year-old. Awesome!

[Blair]

The fabric playhouse is brilliant. At least its so storable that if they don't play with it, its no big deal to store away. Although I'd be sitting in there with a glass of wine.

[Gina]

Would you like a 40-yo child as well? I will help with the mopping. I promise.

[Julia]

So Cute! The playhouse and the boys!

[rose]

Ha! It's a beautiful playhouse, though. I had a plastic tabletop one - eek!

[Jennifer]

Next year, I'm wrapping up big cardboard boxes for Christmas gifts. They are always the favorite gifts so why bother with all that other stuff. Love the fabric house (your endless creativity inspires me) and the socks and fingerless mitts. Happy knitting!

[jess]

lovely. We used to overturn the rocking chair and place the blanket over it to make a 'secret' hideout.

[Kathie]

your boys are soooo cute.

[jacqueline]

that is way toooo cute. when i was a kid, the supermarket groceries used to come home packed into large paper bags and my favourite part of the week was jumping around in one of those bags! endless fun.

[--erica]

oh! Love the happy faces!..of course..the box.. yes, priceless!

[Anja]

Tee hee! What is that little bird doing, so close to the edge?

[Brigitte]

Hi Iris !

I discovered your blog a few days ago, and like the tablehouse so much that I would like to show your pictures on my blog, mentioning your blog as the source of course. I found it inspiring. Would you agree that I publish your tablehouse pictures on my blog ? Please advise by mail. Thanks !

[Gina]

What a cute playhouse!