Easy Backyard Playhouse DIY

I’ve admired these cute little sheds at Lowe’s and Home Depot a hundred times. I bet you have too 😉 Then we bought our house last fall, and it came with an old shed in the backyard. With a little TLC, it’s now the cutest little backyard playhouse!

The walls weren’t in bad shape, but I did paint the floor with some leftover outdoor paint that we had in the garage. My husband also removed the wire mesh where the walls met the ceiling. It was pointless, since the doors are rarely closed anyway, so it wasn’t keeping anything out. It’s a lot cleaner looking without the mesh.

The toy kitchen was a hand-me-down from Ginger’s big sister, and they don’t make them anymore. I believe THIS ONE is their new and improved model. I found the red shelves at the thrift store, but new bookshelves would also work, like the ones I used to make the “refrigerator” on the right. The refrigerator is a simple small bookcase from Target that I put together. I bought a thin piece of wood at Lowe’s, that I made into the fridge door with some more paint, big decorative hinges, and a handle 🙂

The kitchen toys are partly from the thrift store, and partly from Amazon. We had the most fun shopping for cooking ingredients at Target: a small honey bear, box of pasta, box of cake mix, etc. I transferred the ingredients into containers for use in my real kitchen, so that the empty honey bear and boxes could be used for pretend play.

Ginger will tell you that she has as much fun with her magnetic dry erase board as she does with her toy kitchen though! And with these solar powered lights, she can play well after dark. They really light the whole playhouse! These solar lights are made and sold by Target, and they’re much more effective than the ones I’ve purchased on Amazon. You can find them in their summer seasonal section.

Ginger’s other favorite thing to do is lay in the hammock swing. Well, it’s everyone’s favorite really!! Every one of my (grownup) friends who comes over and sits in this hammock swing, goes home and orders one or two for her own patio! Seriously, it’s so relaxing, it’s like being hugged! Just make sure you hang it from a stud (or in this case a rafter) with an eye hook and a carabiner that’s good for up to 250 pounds. It’s really easy to do. 🙂

My favorite design elements in the playhouse have to be the curtains, rug, and rainbow bunting! The curtains are actually 1 valance that I cut in half to make 2. I think they’re so sweet and I love how they add softness to the space. The rug is made of recycled bottles and comes in several colors and patterns, some of which have matching pillows. You can make the bunting from scratch of course, or use a simple kit.

The “I believe in magic” unicorn print was made by a friend of mine, and is no longer available, but there is a cute alternative HERE.

I also love to sit and watch the girls play from the swing across the yard that I just got to replace or old one. The old one was the kind of swing that needs to have it’s cushions replaced every year, and I can’t stomach doing that. What a waste. Instead, I replaced it with this wood swing which will hopefully last much longer 🙂 You can get one HERE, they come almost completely put together. Also pictured below: my favorite—succulents, hung from this macrame plant hanger.

♥, Kelly