Friday, January 27, 2012

Under the Stairs BIG Reveal!!!!! The Playhouse fit for Royalty!


CAN I GET A DRUM ROLL PLEASE?!  First, let's start with a good before picture.




Yep, seems like a long time ago, but I cut that little sliver of a whole in the wall on January 8th!  So, this is LITTLE makeover was started and completed in 18 days!  I spent very little money on the whole thing...I'll do a break down at the bottom.  Here's the playhouse...fit for Royalty!  Wait!  What's a playhouse fit for royalty without a bench outside?!?

 I made the pillow covers out of yep...you guessed it...burlap.  I'm doing a project for Janette from The Johanson Journey and Ashley from Cherished Bliss.  They're doing a Show us Your Plum Challenge, and I'm going to save the tutorial and reveal for that...but they were FREE...recovered and made them with stuff I had...and didn't have to sew a thing!!!!  Whoooo Hoooo!  Go visit their blogs for the deets...and maybe you can get in on the action too!  I made the curtains out of yep...Burlap.

I made the address plaque and gave them an address of their own....so they can receive mail silly!!!  I found the plaque at Good-To-The-Will for only 1$ but you can buy them at Hobby-To-The-Lobby for around 4$ or so with a coupon.


The pillows on the bench outside the clubhouse....


Too cute!

Closeups of some details...


Yes, the mailbox opens!  I made the letters and clipart with my Silhouette...actually found Postmaster font!


Why the bucket of chalk?  Because the top of the bench is a chalkboard...silly!

So, take off your shoes, wipe your feet on the new welcome mat, (burlap that was left over), and come on in!  (I'll do a tutorial on painted rugs soon...PROMISE!

This is what you'll see as you enter the playhouse; The ampersand next to the picture was borrowed from another place in the house.  I buy these when ever they're on sale at Hobby-To-The-Lobby.  I LOVE THEM!! And to your immediate right, another bookshelf. 

As you turn to your left...you'll see these "mini" doors.  They lead to "MOM'S STORAGE" area.  To view their transformation click here.  They were part of the EPIC FAIL...actually they caused it.  Here they are now, much better.  I used pieces of old pallets from the 9-5 to make these little doors.  They turned out great!
 I made the little shelf that's holding the tray and doggie...read about that and see its transformation here.


 Here's a closeup of the knobs...see...much better.  I also put another one of those knobs on the inside of the door (the outside knob is not real.....lol!!!) so the little Monsters can close the door. 



I found this little tray at Good-To-The-Will for 1$!!  I painted it with the same paint I used on the ceiling.  It fits perfectly! 

This little bird cage was a random find at Good-To-The-Will for 1$!  I didn't do anything to it....just hung it up!  The little Monsters LOVE putting random things in there.  This morning, it was being occupied by a Barbie Camera.

 Here's the view if you're sitting with "Mom's Storage" to your back...My second experience with Crown.  Thanks to my AWESOME GIFT from Dad, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.  Compound Miter Boxes ROCK!!  The Telephone booth on the wall I made with my Silhouette, and the light you see is actually an outdoor deck light that I found on clearance!  The chair rail (base-cap trim) I had left over, and the shelves are made of leftover MDF for the Board and Batten wall.  The picture frame says "This Makes Me Happy...and I made it on my Silhouette too.  (I already had the frame).

This little pillow was the splurge.  It was $18 and I found it on Etsy.  The shop is All the Trimmings.  Go visit!  Very cute packaging....very high quality...and very quick shipping.  The pillow cover was actually only $14.50, including shipping it was $18. 

Tater digs the clubhouse.  The curtain in the background was just something extra...There was a water pipe that I wanted to leave exposed (I'm digging the "Industrial Style" right now).  So, I used some left over burlap and made a faux curtain.  I made the "curtain hooks" out of loose leaf rings and binder clips. I purchased them at work...so they were super cheap, - I wanted specific colors, but I HAVE tons of these things around the house.  If I wasn't so picky, they would have been FREE!

LOVE me some UNION JACK.  A big shout-out to Marian over at Miss Mustard Seed for the inspiration! 

This little stool was SCREAMING "Take me with you!!!" when I was in Hobby-To-The-Lobby the other day; probably because it was on clearance and knew I'm a sucker for bargains.  So, since I had a giftcard, and the stars were aligned, little stool (who remains unnamed...any ideas?) came home with me, and made new friends.

And one last before and after.  Here's what the plain wall looked like before I started this thing...sorry...bad pic...I don't think I knew what blogging was at this point (hence the awful decorating!!) 

And after some furniture rearranging, and blood sweat and tears...(Okay, seriously you should see all of the nicks and bruises all over my body) here's the after...

The "wasted space" (actually a non-existence) before...

And the Royal Playhouse/Storage space after...

I hope you enjoyed this transformation as much as I did.  It took me a long time (kinda more than I'd hoped) to complete, but I couldn't be happier with the outcome.  Here's a breakdown of cost/materials.

Paint: (I'll get colors posted asap) Red, Gray, and Blue $11 ea -$33 total
Lighting: $26 Outside $11 Inside -$37 total
Electrical Stuff (outlet box) -$3
Cover- Already had
Sub-flooring -FREE (used old pallets ripped apart from skids in the warehouse at the 9-5)...I have a whole stash in the corner and no one messes with em'!
Walls -FREE (old pallets again)
Wallpaper -Already had
Trim (all of it, including Crown) -Already had (that's why it's a combination of lots of different kinds!)
Door -Made from Scraps
Door Knob -$13 (because it's fake!!)
Curtain Hooks -$2 Because I wanted specific colors...and the loose leaf rings I already had.
Burlap -Already had
Union Jack Pillow -$18
Union Jack Bunting -$11 (isn't here yet)
Stool -$12 used gift card, so $0
Tray on shelf - $1 Goodwill
Frame -Already had
Wall Art -Made it with the Silhouette
Hinges for the mailbox -Already had
Address Plaque -$1 Goodwill find (already had the chalkboard paint, and for the gold, I used paint markers!)
Carpet and Pad -$14 for both (scraps at Lowe's)
Knobs for my storage area and back of the door -$2 ea (X3) $6 total, but I had a gift card, so $0
2X4's -$1.98 ea (cheap because I used the ones for decks) (x6) -$12 total
Bird Cage -$1 Goodwill find

Total cost for the renovation- $163-$19 gift cards = 
$144!!!!!
**Update:  I forgot I had to purchase white paint.  It was $14 with a giftcard....plain ol' high gloss (some shade) white.  I just keep having Lowe's match the Killz white primer from years ago!  I love it for trim.  So, that makes the total cost of the renovation $158...Still not too bad.


I get lots of emails from readers and I read every single one of them!...HOWEVER, the ones that really stand out are the ones that say something like this..."I wish I had the courage to take on something like that....or....I wish I was that creative....or I wish I was that handy...  Here's why, YOU ARE this creative...and YOU ARE this handy!  YOU CAN do something like this...and spend next to nothing.  BUT....ONLY IF YOU THINK YOU CAN...AND GO FOR IT!  I'm not a contractor....I'm no interior designer....and I don't have superhero "creative thinking powers".  But if there's one thing I've learned in life, it's this; Fearlessness breads creative, resourceful thinking!....If I spend my life worrying about how bad something could turn out...I wouldn't try to do much of anything...the only certainties in life are; after you're born, someday you'll die...My theory; you might as well have fun in between!  Are my projects perfect?  NO!!  Not by any stretch of the imagination...but they are fun!  And it's super rewarding when they are done!  So, go for it!  You can do anything you want to do...just believe in yourself!

Go do something full of Awesomeness this weekend...and comment here when you're done...and leave a link so everyone can see!






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100 comments:

  1. What a nice space! Looks very cosy!

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  2. Replies
    1. Ahhhhh...My BFF Gwen!! I'm so glad you stopped by!!!! LOVE your Fridays Letters!

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  3. Wow, you know how to make space really "count". What kiddo wouldn't love this little clubhouse!! super job, I could definitely move in, and don't EVEN get me started on the cute pillow and Tater Cat!! thanks for linking up to the party!! xp\o

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  4. This is so AMAZING!!!! I mean, I almost don't even have words...almost! :-) It truly is such a fantastic space and my kiddos would probably never come out if they had something like that. Your details are incredible and it will be a treasured part of their childhood memories for sure. Way to go! Thank you so much for sharing this with us at Inspiration Friday!
    Vanessa

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  5. So adorable! There are oodles of special touches I'm just loving! The light is so amazing... nicely done!

    Donna

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  6. I love the burlap pillows, especially the flower! What a great mix of textures and styles.

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  7. What a wonderful space you have created for your children. I know they love having this adorable room of their own. Thanks for linking to the Open House Party.
    Hugs, Sherry

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  8. What an incredible room for your little ones to play in and use their imaginations.

    Cinthya
    www.eyeheart.ca

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  9. AMAZING girl!!! you did such an awesome job!!! I'm in Awww over here!! :) I want to play in there!! Looks so fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Bestie!!!! You can come on over...just catch the next flight! We can sip mommy drinks and lock ourselves in there! It'll be fun!

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  10. Here from Sherry's. Lucky, lucky kids to have a mom that creates such an awesome play space! I love your attitude toward DIY! ~ Maureen

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  11. It looks soo good!!! So funny - I literally, just today, finished up an under the stairs Fire Station for my little boy! I love your little US Mail sign! I bet your kids adore their space - it looks really fun and good splurge on the pillow!

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  12. This is the cutest little hiding spot!! The way you transformed the space is incredible and on a strict budget!! Would love you to link this up to our Imagine the Impossibilities Challenge link party tomorrow!
    Here's a link to my site - the party starts at 7am est on Tues, Jan 31. Hope to see you there.
    http://www.eclecticallyvintage.com/blog.html
    Kelly

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  13. Oh wow, I love this so much! Your kids are so lucky! I did something fearless (to me, anyway) this weekend. I covered the cupboard doors in my apartment kitchen with fabric using liquid starch. I'm so happy with it! And you're right, fearlessness breeds creative, resourceful thinking. I'm wondering what I can do next! I clicked over from BNOTP where I've also linked my project. I'll be back- you're lots of fun!

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  14. WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME and only $143.00!!! incredible!!! KUDOS -- this creation is BRILLIANT!!!!!! hugs...

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  15. Love, love, love, love! Knocks my socks off!

    Thank you so much for sharing at our "Imagine the Impossibilities" party!

    Now I must pin, pin and pin!

    Linda

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    Replies
    1. Linda-Thank you so much for stopping by! I'm a HUGE fan of your blog!

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  16. Seriously! You are FABULOUS! You had me at the pillow! I think I need that for the upstairs playroom! Thanks for the inspiration and for joining our "impossibles" party!

    blessings,
    karianne

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    Replies
    1. You're sooooo sweet! Thank you for hosting!!!

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  17. Oh my Gosh this is adorable! How about the name Stout for the stool...as in short and stout??? I love all of the fun details, great post and even better addition to your home. Love it! Thank you so much for linking up to the challenge! Karah

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    Replies
    1. No prob Karah! Thank you for hosting...and yes, the name Stout is PERFECT!!

      Delete
  18. What an adorable room you created for your children! You did an incredible job! Thank you for sharing at Potpourri Friday!

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  19. your playhouse? fun.clever.creative! LOVE this idea!
    thanks for linking up and linking back to catch as catch can last week. "catching" you this week.

    gail

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  20. Seriously adorable!! You did a fantastic job~ Thanks for linking up at Feathered Nest Friday! Hope to see you again at this weeks party!

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  21. What a fantastic little secret place for your kiddos to play in. i love it and I bet they do too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can't keep em' out! Thank you for stopping by!

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  22. So cute, and so much fun, too! What a great project.

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  23. Wow....neat. I have a couple of little boys that would love this little hide away. great job.

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  24. Fabulous! Reminds me of the attic space my sister and I had to play in when little. What kid wouldn't love climbing into a place too uncomfortable for a grownup to play in with carpet, doll houses, and my fav was the lego.
    Kristy @ 4 the love of WOOD

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  25. Linked over from Roakdkill Rescue. Absolutely love that you took unused space and made such a great place for your kids to play. Makes me want to be a kid again so I could play in something like that. I'm a first time visitor and a blogger and I want to say thank you for the last paragraph. It is inspiring. You are inspiring. Encouragement from other bloggers is so important and necessary and it is what builds this great community. Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Heidi!! I like your blog...that's what we all have anyway right?!?! A beautiful mess!!! Thank you for your kind words and thank you for coming over! Have a great Superbowl Sunday!!!!

      Delete
  26. That is so cute. Great job! Check out my Under the Stairs playhouse if you get a chance. We used the same light! Great minds think alike :)

    http://joy2journey.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-finished-playhouse-by-christmas-eve.html

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    Replies
    1. Joy! I'm so sorry for not getting back to you sooner! I had a chance to check yours out...and it's absolutely wonderful!!! Yes, great minds think alike! Awesome job!

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  27. This is really amazing! I am so impressed that you made it out of NOTHING to begin with!! Wow - great job :)
    Lindsay
    www.craftyladylindsay.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Lindz!!!! And thank you for coming over!

      Delete
  28. This is an absolute DREAM SPACE! What a fun Mom you are!

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  29. How cute is this? Your kids must be in heaven. Great work, and what an original use of this space!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so honored you stopped by...I was going to link up Friday, then completely forgot! Just now did. Hope it's not too late! Thank you for stoppin by!!!!!!

      Delete
  30. Makes me wish my littles weren't all big :( I have the perfect space. Maybe, grand littles?

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    Replies
    1. See....There you go! I say go for it. If nothing else, a place for you to crawl into and read a book under a nice warm blankie!!! Thank you for coming by!

      Delete
  31. Hi, there! I featured your post here. Please feel free to grab the feature button and thanks for joining us at CBPH :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. wow wow WOW! This is adorable! What a great use of space! It almost makes us wish we had that same space in our house! Really nice job, and what a great value too!

    --Kim@OPC

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  33. U completely rocked this out Ash!!!!! I love it!!! U are awesomeness!!

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  34. I used to love to play under the stairs when I was a kid - this would have been awesome! I love the red ceiling and all the red accents. What a fun, creative space. Thanks for linking up @ the Delectable Home.

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  35. Your under-the staircase makeover is seriously the most inspirational and exciting thing I have seen on the internet for quite some time (and I read alot of blogs!) We take possession of our (new to us) home in 10 days and it is the first time we have even had stairs, and a stair cupboard. I have been wondering what to do with it and now I know, thanks to your wonderful makeover! I am even more excited to get into our new house now :)

    xx Karen

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  36. I am featuring this adorable space at Wow tonight. Thanks for sharing it.

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  37. Such a cute space! My mother made us our own little spots like this when we were kids and I have such fond memories of them. I tried to do the same for my kids.
    Yours turned out so much cuter!

    Love what you did!
    Alison

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  38. WWWWOW!! What an awesome use of that space!! You must be thrilled - it came out GREAT! So cute, clever and fun!
    Thanks for linking it up to Before & After @ Shine Your Light!

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  39. Thank you so much for sharing at my party. I am featuring tomorrow! Don't be surprised if I show up at your house with my blankie and my Kindle to hide in that spot!

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  40. This is incredible! Awesomeness is the right word!

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  41. what about the lighting? how did you do that? this is such a special idea!

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  42. I am in awe! I would love to do something like this ...and my hubby would look at y funny the whole time. You did a really amazing job and the fact that you were able to create such an amazing space for so little cash makes it even better. My hat is off to you and your creativity and the "courage" to go for it!

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  43. Ashley, this is brilliant! I had been wanting to do something like this for my kids. I've been feeling 'blah' and uncreative lately and I'm so happy that I've stumbled upon your blog. Your words of encouragement at the end of this post where just what I needed to hear. I'm inspired. Thank you!

    ~Ryan

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  44. This is so cool!! I have tossed around what to do with the area under my stairs for YEARS and you have just gave me a wonderful way to do it and use up some old paint sitting around the house. Can't wait to get started.

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  45. Perfect: you helped me decide how to redo my space under the stairs too. Wish I'd hung on to some of the old carpet I ripped up years ago and replaced with cork tile. I'll probably use drywall instead of pallets for the walls to keep it simple to cut.

    ReplyDelete
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Thanks so much for stopping by! Comments make my day! Do not panic if I don't get back to you right away! It probably means the little monsters have broken something and I'm fixing it!