Treehouse of Horror

This blog thing isn't really happening. I used to be so good at it!

Anyway, I surprised my kids with this fun treehouse makeover at the beginning of the month. I had been planning it for a while but they had no idea until they came home from school and Blackberry Bramble had been transformed into the Treehouse of Horror.

The Treehouse of Horror is a great place to read our collection of Halloween picture books and it transforms into a haunted house for Beanie Books just perfectly.

I started with this giant spider web made out of clothesline and lots of knots. Hopefully I will be able to keep it in one piece and save it for next year. And there's our little friend Aragog/Spidey/Charlotte (we never really chose a good name).

But the best part of the Treehouse of Horror is probably our signpost. I made these signs using the planks of decking from the original backyard treehouse--I love that a little part of that treehouse is represented here! I used a combination of the printer ink transfer method and the sharpie tracing method to make these--fun, easy, and free!! Didn't they turn out great? You can see just one little bat hanging down--there are several tied on fishing line to the branches above the platform.

And of course, the Treehouse of Horror is the perfect place to cuddle up with blankets and watch a classic Simpsons Halloween episode!

Happy Halloween! How are you decorating this year?

Backyard treehouse

I grew up on the east coast (North Carolina until I was 16, then Pennsylvania; now my parents live in Tennessee) so trees are important to me. Like, really important.

I spent my childhood playing in the woods behind my house. I had my own little tree fort that I built with scraps of plywood and nails I stole from my dad and I loved playing and reading in it.

 When we were house hunting, I knew that I needed to find a yard with trees in it--easier said than done in Utah! One of the things that made me fall in love with not only our house but our whole neighborhood is how many mature trees there are on our street. We have seven large, shady, beautiful trees in our backyard and one of the very first things we did after moving in was hang a couple of swings from one. We've spent many happy hours on those swings!

A few years after we moved in, I built a little platform in the trees with a slide coming down from it. 

It was fine for reading or maybe eating lunch...

Tempe and Helena in 2011 at the original enchanted treehouse

But it was small. Like, one kid at a time small. We talked about enlarging it for years but it was just too big a project for me to take on by myself. 

I love the look and idea of natural playgrounds and playscapes. I think kids are already drawn to incorporating natural elements into their play--rocks, treestumps, logs and such. I also love how charming natural playspaces are and how easily they can blend into existing landscaping. So when my dad came out for business last week and asked what project I wanted him to do while he was here, we jumped on the chance to get our dream treehouse built!

We built the treehouse frame out of redwood 2x6s and 2x8s, attached to the trees with lag bolts and redwood 4x4 posts. Just like the original, there's a narrow platform between the cluster of five trees where the slide comes down, and then there's a larger platform off to the side. It's about 6 ft square--plenty of room for lots of friends to play together!

I splurged and used Veranda composite decking for the deck and I'm so glad I did. It's so nice that I don't have to worry about kids getting splinters or any upkeep! Definitely worth the extra $40 (yeah--it was only $40 more than using lumber. So not even much of a splurge!)

The three wooden pennants have been in Tempe and Helena's bedroom for a few years, but they are perfect in the treehouse instead. I found a string of solar lanterns at Wal-Mart to hang in the trees. Treehouse + lanterns softly twinkling at night = perfection.

Let this be my public proclamation of THANKS to Grandpa K, aka Big Kahuna for his 12+ hours of work to get this thing framed for us. We love you!