DIY Umbrella Stand: One Bucket. One Bag of Concrete. Endless Shade.
Have you noticed (in this crazy heat-wave) that shade is ridiculously expensive? Patio umbrella stands? $80–$250. Rolling umbrella bases? Mortgage payment. Permanent shade structures? Well… let’s just pretend we didn’t look. So when I needed portable shade for our preschool playground, I started wondering if there was a simpler solution. Turns out there is. This […]
DIY Dutch Door
Looking for a DIY Dutch door tutorial that actually explains how to make a dutch door without requiring a woodworking degree, a workshop full of expensive tools, or divine intervention? Same. This easy DIY dutch door project is a budget-friendly way to add charm, light, airflow, and functionality to your home using an existing interior […]
DIY Classroom Decor Ideas: Cork board tree
This DIY cork board tree is one of those rare classroom decor ideas that is both beautiful and functional. Built from ½” MDF circles and cork sheeting, this interactive display lets teachers pin up notices, rotate artwork, and celebrate student work without damaging walls or wrestling with tape and sticky tac. It’s practical preschool classroom […]
Recycle, Refurbish & Re-Love: “Refinish Children’s Furniture” for Fun, Planet-Points, and Christmas Cheer
I was working on a project for the daycare recently and it occurred to me that children’s furniture is awfully expensive for something that gets destroyed within weeks of purchase. I wondered why the quality of the build had to meet very specific safety criteria, but the finishes used on the furniture were 2nd tier […]
Simple DIY wood bench
You’ve seen the standing sandboxes I whipped up for one of the daycares I work at right? Well, while the kids are playing, the teachers needed a place to sit… Okay, they’re all younger than I am and could probably stand and chase kids for hours on hours – but this old broad needed a […]
Classroom display ideas
So, I’m a substitute helper in a couple of daycares in my area.I’m also a DIYer who lives for makeovers — the kind of person who sees a sad corner, an unused wall, or a glue-covered craft table and thinks, “This could be so much better.” So when I looked around the classrooms and saw […]
How to build a standing sandbox
Have you ever watched a child play in a sandbox and thought, “That looks like fun… if only I didn’t have to wash sand out of their socks, pants, diapers, pockets, shoes and my washing machine after”? Or maybe you’re just tired of the family dog confusing the sandbox with their own personal burial ground. […]