BUNK BED HOUSE

Project ideas. They hit hard and stick with me until I can execute them. These days, before I commit, I research whether or not I can easily do the project myself or if it makes more sense to just buy what I have in mind. There are several factors I consider, but time and money are always the main ones. When we purchased my daughter a bunk bed, all I could think of was creating a fun bottom bunk fort. Upon looking, the internet provided me with two realizations: 1. College kids use tacky ones being made for privacy, and 2. Etsy had few cute options but I wasn't willing to pay for one. I’d have to find a way to make it myself. 

In order to move forward, I would need to find fabric that was inexpensive with a simple design and no sewing required (I know it would make it look more finished but I just didn't want to and this is my stubborn adult tantrum against sewing lol). After spending my Sunday morning feeling more anxious about life than I would like to admit, I decided I needed to do something tactile.

My daughter joined me for a trip to Joann's fabrics and the project took shape. We had the basic measurements and selected a beige muslin for the main fabric. A fun yellow sheer was chosen by my daughter. We found some random ribbon in the clearance bin for added touches. I made sure to pick up a pack of iron-on velcro and sticky velcro to attach to the fabric and the underside of the bunk bed frame. 

Back home with my scissors, hot glue, fabric glue and everything we purchased from Joann's, we began our Sunday project. My daughter's focus lasted about 30 minutes and she ran off to play a game in another room. After all was said and done, the only snag was the windows. They felt unfinished and were drooping. To give the windows more shape, I wrapped pipe cleaners with leftover fabric and hot glued it to the bottom side of the window frames. I then took more strips of leftover fabric, ironed them, and hot glued them around the frames for a cleaner look. I know what you’re thinking; "If you had just sewn the fabric it would have taken the same amount of time and would have been cleaner." While you are probably correct, I did it this way. 

This project was fun because there was problem solving, creative creation, and it helped focus my anxious mind. I wasn’t too rigid on exact measurements beside the overall length and width of the bed. I've learned to make these projects with the idea that they will probably get destroyed by a very excited toddler, so I might as well just have fun making them. ​