Homemade and Happy …

Forgive me while I talk Christmas . . . in January.

This year I tried to reimplement a tradition I started then abandoned a few years ago. I wanted to hand make a gift for each of the children to have under the tree.

The Hubby was able to help me with each gift in some way which made it more meaningful for me and the kids.

We found a darling DIY tent on Pinterest that I wanted to make for Owlie. The construction was simple enough – just a few 1X2s and some dowls. The Hubby did all the cutting and I stained the wood with what we had available in the garage. The best part about the pattern was that it was the perfect size for a twin sized sheet to make up the actual tent which meant no cutting and hemming. I found a really cute gray and white chevron sheet set at Target.

Sewing was minimal. Two pockets for the rods at the bottom of either side of the tent and ties to attach the sheet to the boards. I ended up with extra fabric on one side and didn’t want to cut and hem it, so I folded it up and sewed a few pockets inside for Owlie to store a flashlight, animal or other treasures. The tent can fold flat if we want to get it out of the way.

My boy and I have really loved using the tent each day to read books together. We turn off the lights, turn on a flashlight and lay on our stomachs or backs reading together. He puts the books in the pockets on the side in case we want to read them again. It’s pretty cute and a very happy place for me.

In total, this project cost about $20 and took maybe three hours of my time. We’re having adventures together. It was totally worth it!