Play Fort on the Fly

My kids are keenly aware that their mother is a DIYer.

Yesterday, at 4 pm, my daughter asked, “Mom, do we have any wood?”

Me: “Yes. Why?”

Daughter: “I want you to build a fort in my room.”

OK, pause right there. My daughter’s room, as you can see here, is not big enough for a fort. That, and I didn’t have enough wood to build her one at 4 pm on a Monday.

Me: “I think we have some other materials we could use to make a fort.”

Daughter: [considering…]

What did I do? I found some curtains that I wasn’t using – they used to be in the guest room:

Guest Room after

They didn’t really work in there, plus I’ve since re-done that room anyway. Bottom line: we weren’t using them. And she loved them because they were green – score!

I grabbed a tension rod and went up to her room.

play fort made with curtains

I hung the curtains on the clothes rod in the closet and then hung the tension rod in the doorway. I draped the curtains over the curtain rod to create a tent effect:

play fort outside view

Daughter was thrilled!

She loaded it up with some pillows and a sleeping bag. I added a small, 3 x 5 rug on the floor under her sleeping bag, just to soften it up a bit.

the inside needs some work

The inside needs a bit of work, as you can see.

Daughter: “Mom, do you have a chandelier? I need some light.”

And just like that, another project is born.

The moral of the story: You can create a cute play fort or play space with what you have on hand. Just be creative.

Or, you can enter to win a gift card to HomeGoods, CostPlus World Market, or Target, and really trick out your play fort! Enter here.

I’m off to figure out the whole chandelier thing now. Wish me luck.

Thanks for stopping by.

8 responses to “Play Fort on the Fly”

  1. Jeanette Avatar

    Looks like she’s gonna be like mom! Beautiful room by the way.

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    1. Karen Cooper Avatar
      Karen Cooper

      Thanks, Jeanette! Yes, my daughter definitely already has DIY skills and loves helping me.

      Like

  2. Cynthia @ A Button Tufted Life... Avatar

    Adorable… both of you! Can’t wait to see you try to put a chandelier in there!!! 😉

    Like

    1. Karen Cooper Avatar
      Karen Cooper

      Thanks, Cynthia! I have tried several ideas for chandeliers, but so far, she hasn’t liked any of them. We’ll see – this is going to tax my DIY brain a bit!

      Like

  3. Lisa@ Cooking with Curls Avatar

    That is adorable! I love the chandelier idea 🙂

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    1. Karen Cooper Avatar
      Karen Cooper

      Thanks, Lisa! I can’t wait to see what I come up with! Ha!

      Like

  4. Sharon Avatar

    What a fun idea! Your daughter is a lucky girl to have such a resourceful mom.

    I love that she asked for a chandelier! Too cute!

    Like

    1. Karen Cooper Avatar
      Karen Cooper

      Thanks, Sharon! That is so sweet. It cracked me up when she asked for the chandelier!

      Like

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I’m Karen

I’m a recovering lawyer. Join me on my DIY and organizing adventures!