Monday, December 6, 2010

Fern and Elliott's Cubby House!

When you were a kid did you have a cubby house? Did you want a cubby house? I kinda wanted one... but I made do with sticks foraged from the nearby bushland and got inventive with my little hammer and nails. And if the truth be told, the fun was in the building -- I don't really ever remember playing in the cubbies I built and often knocked them down once they were complete to build another. 

But that was then. 

Now, I get to live my fantasies through my own kids, and my husband and I have been secretly champing at the bit to get a cubby since - oh - pretty much the day Fern was conceived! After researching my options, I settled on a modest cubby built by a local company  that could do pretty much anything we wanted AND would construct it for us onsite. Our chosen cubby is a sweet little cottage made from timber and cladding with a colorbond roof (we chose Woodland Gray) with one step-up to a little deck area. It has a door with a little star cut-out and two little windows with perspex sliders. The interior of the cubby is cozy but tall enough for us adults to stand in. Which is just as well, because Dan and I have almost spent more time in there than Fern has! 

My original plan was to lock the door to the cubby until Xmas. But of course, that lasted about 5 seconds before my resolve crumbled. I moved Fern's Ikea kitchen in pretty much immediately and set about painting the interior (Dulux - Whisper White, leftover from painting the kid's bedrooms). The painting is taking a little longer than anticipated, and I still have the exterior timber to paint, plus the window and door architraving. Oh, and the deck railing. And something else, but that's a surprise...

And the decorating? Can I even tell you how much fun I am having fitting this cubby out? Im not spending any money really, most of it is recycled from unwanted bits around the house though I am planning to hit the op shops tomorrow to source a little bookshelf to store toys etc. I'm not going to show you the finished product yet... but it's close, I promise!

In the meantime, here's a little sneaky-peeky at an artwork I've made for one of the walls:


... Plus a squizzy at the exterior door I painted turquoise... oh, and a sweet little birdie windchime from the Jamie Durie range at BigW that I got for $12 and spray painted yellow!


Can't wait to take you on a 'tour' of Fern and Eli's little cubby... stay tuned! x

11 comments:

  1. OMG...these little peeks into this cubby are AMAZING! I can't wait to see the finished product!! I too was always a cubby lover/maker as a kid :) Good luck on the shelving unit hunt today.
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  2. How exciting! Can't wait to se it finished.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We loved making cubbies when we were little too. So much fun!! Loving the sneak peeks ....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey there Nicloe. You have inspired me to start a blog and I always love checking your page out. Thanks for all your great ideas. Love em!! Go team cubby!!!
    Love Emma

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nicole I just want to push that lovely door open and take a peek inside!

    I love your artwork design.

    Kate x

    ReplyDelete
  6. oh how exciting! I can't wait to see it all finished.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! Nicole this is going to be gorgeous, love that door.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Those are some LUCKY kids you have. It's so cute already. we've been waiting on the cubby choice until we decide if we are doing the extension but you have me inspired. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow! Firstly: How on earth did I miss this post? I have been so excited about seeing this little cubby.

    I love the artwork.. so clever and that entrance is too cute..

    Fern & Elliott are very lucky! Cant wait to see inside :) x

    ReplyDelete
  10. SO CUTE! they'll love it! ours is, um, not quite finished, but that hasn't stopped my two from setting up shop and house practically every day. happy decorating! xx

    ReplyDelete

Hello - oh write me a little note - do! do! Your comments really brighten my day and its nice to know Im not alone out there in cyber space ! x