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Upcycled Playhouse

by JOANN |

Item # 472234449P309
Intermediate Weekend Project

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

  • Plastic Playhouse
  • Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Matte Spray Paint, Slate (5)
  • 12oz Can Universal Matte Aerosol Paint, French Cream (8)
  • Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Satin Spray Paint, Moss (3)
  • Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Satin Spray Paint, Stone Gray (5)
  • Painter's Tape
  • Tarp or Drop Cloth
  • Outdoor Acrylic Paint, Black
  • Paintbrushes
  • 2"-11" Narrow Wood Crates
  • 1"-18" Narrow Wood Crate
  • Rust-Oleum Wood Stain, American Walnut
  • Foam Brushes
  • 1yd Brown Felt by-the-yard or 11"x17" Sheets of Felt, Brown (9)
  • Sewing Machine
  • Brown Thread
  • 1 pkg 6pc NuFoam Pad, 10"x26"
  • Basic Sewing Supplies
  • Faux Floral Stems, Various Types
  • Floral Stem Wire Cutters
  • 1yd Outdoor Fabric (for awning)
  • Roll Iron Adhesive
  • Roll Thick Clear Double Stick Tape
  • Heavy Duty Fusible Lining Piece
  • Hot Glue Gun/Glue Gun Sticks
  • Thin Strips 1/2" Balsa Wood, 4
  • Balsa Wood, 4"x15 1/2" Piece
  • 12"x8" Foam Core Board
  • Spray Adhesive Can
  • Iron & Ironing Board
  • Scissors or X-Acto knife
  • Ruler or Metal Ruler

DIRECTIONS:

PLAYHOUSE:

  1. Disassemble house into individual pieces. Clean house thoroughly with soap and water. Let all pieces dry.
  2. Divide pieces by color. For pieces with multiple colors, start with the lightest color of paint.
  3. Spray pieces with several thin coats of paint, following the instructions on the paint can.
  4. For pieces with multiple colors, allow different colors to cure fully, then tape and mask off areas not to be painted. Paint with the next color.
  5. Use acrylic paint and paint brushes to paint small and detailed pieces. A paintbrush can be used to touch up small areas with spray paint but spraying the paint onto a scrap piece of paper and allowing the paint to puddle long enough to apply it.

WINDOW BOXES:

  1. Lightly sand the wood crates.
  2. Apply stain with foam brushes or a rag. Buff off excess stain and allow to dry. Optional: coat with a polyacrylic clear coat.
  3. To make the dirt inserts, Cut eighteen 11"x7 1/2" pieces of brown felt and eighteen 7"x5" pieces of NuFoam.
  4. Fold felt pieces in half, matching the 7 1/2" sides. Mark 1" down from the fold on each side. Pin at the mark and fold felt back from the pinned point.
  5. Sew down sides starting at the fold. The top 1" will have 4 layers of felt.
  6. Turn felt pocket right sides out and insert the NuFoam piece. Then stitch the opening closed. Repeat for all 18 pockets.
  7. Attach the window boxes to the house using screws or construction adhesive. Insert the felt dirt pillows into the window boxes. Cut floral stems to be a few inches then the height of the box. Plant flowers into the box by sticking stems in between the felt pillows.

AWNING:

  1. Fold the 17"x19" fabric on the sides to make the awning 15 1/2" wide and press. Insert the iron-on adhesive strips and press the seam closed.
  2. Take the thin pieces of balsa wood and glue them onto the folded fabric edge at the sides on the underside. Glue one piece of balsa wood 4" up from the front bottom of the fabric and across the panel. Let it dry. After it has dried, iron on the wonder under heavy duty to the underside below the wood balsa strip.
  3. Draw five half circles at the bottom of the 4" side. Make sure the middle circle is in the middle across the 15 1/2" side. Where the half circles meet the next adjoining circle, cut the fabric vertically up to 1" of the balsa wood. Remove the backer paper.
  4. With your X-Acto knife and metal ruler, cut 2 pieces of foam core to be 12" flat on the bottom and 10" tall on one side (angling to the other bottom edge to make a triangle). These are the sides of the awning. Cut fabric to cover each piece of foam core. Spray the foam core with adhesive spray. Apply the fabric to the foam core and press firmly.
  5. Lay the top fabric side down on a table. Glue the top of the awning where it has the balsa strips to the foam core (fabric covered sides on the angled sides).
  6. Use your hot glue gun to glue additional thin wood strips across the underside of the awning to help support the awning. Let the awning dry overnight.
  7. Using the sticky clear tape, attach the awning to the playhouse. Trim any excess fabric as needed when attaching the awning to the playhouse.

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