Leo and Sofia's pirate ship bunk bed

Leo (4) has become somewhat obsessed with pirates and got into his head that he wanted "a pirate bunk bed." After searching around with him for some inspiration online (see my pirate inspiration board http://pinterest.com/mtoran/kids-pirate-room/) and in the spirit of repurposing, we decided to turn the kids' IKEA cribs-turned toddler beds- into a "floating" pirate boat. I can't take too much credit here, my dad did all the hard labor and the kids and Dave painted, I only sewed the curtains, fed everyone and took a couple of trips to Lowes.The kids not only gained "new" beds, but also a fort and added storage space for their toys (the nets and the bow) . We used hooks to hang the water bottles to the side of the bunk and "stick on" LED lamps for more light inside each of their sleeping quarters.

Here is the picture of the final product.

A few highlights during "the making of"...

Leo was pretty happy with his new bunk, but he reminded us that we still need to make "the cannons that really fire." I was also told we still need a figurehead and painting "waves" on the side of the boat to make it look like its sailing on choppier waters. This crew is so demanding.Sofia just gets on board with everything (excuse the dorky pun, couldn't resist).

If you want to see even more pictures of the whole process, check out this slide show http://youtu.be/802y5hjlItU

 

 

 

Extending the Life of Tighty-Whiteys

Nobody likes tight underpants. Leo (4 yo) is in between sizes and for some reason they don't make a size 5T in your classic, all-white Fruit of the Loom tighy whiteys (or I can't find one), the 6T size is huge on him. So, I decided to use his outgrown flannel PJ's to put "additions" on the elastic waists. The result: underpants with a few more months of life left in them, and a much more comfortable "seam".

Refurbishing a $5 Toy Ironing Board

My two goals for projects this year will be: thriftyness and repurposing. I bought this toy ironing board and iron for $5. The cover was stained with paint. I gave it a second life by making a quilted cover out of an old shirt and a fleece scrap (for the cushioning) left over from making Christmas stockings. Much more classy now...