If you missed Part 1 of this tutorial on how to build an outdoor nook you will want to check that out here.

When I was designing the Summer Reading Nook, I was envisioning something that was sort of vintage campy. You know big canvas tents,  really basic shapes,  the kind of thing that when you picture a summer hideaway it instantly pops into your mind.

This tent can be done 2 different ways. You can make it permanent or removable. Living in Southern Utah we get rain maybe twice a summer. Its very very dry here, so I wasn’t worried about the drop cloth being damaged in the weather. So my tent is permantly attached to the nook. If you want to make yours removable, you will just need to sew the drop cloths together. Super simple.

You will need:

(2) 9×12 Canvas Drop Cloths

(2) packages of curtain grommets

(4) Large Screw Eyes (pictured below)

20 Feet of Sisal Rope

We are going to start by attaching the screw eyes to the 4×4 posts.

Drill a pilot hole into your 4×4. The eyehooks are very thick, if you don’t do this you can risk splitting your entire post.

These are the screw eyes that you want. You can find them at Home Depot or Lowes and they are around $3.00 each I believe.

You should be able to screw them in by hand, but if it is getting really tight and they need to go in deeper, my favorite trick is to put a screwdriver through the hole and use both hands to turn it.

Now that you have your corner where the fabric needs to reach. Measure the distance from the pitch of your roof down the roof line to your screw eyes (write down that #). Then measure from the screw eyes to the ground. You are measuring for your canvas roof so make sure to add a couple of inches to your measurements, you don’t want it to be too short. Oh and I wanted mine to puddle, so I added 5 extra inches to the wall measurement. To make the roof/sides you will need 2 drop cloths that are 9×12. Each one will run you around $25, but Sherwin Williams has some on sale right now for $14.99.

Of course the greatest way to get huge pieces of fabric for a fantastic price is to grab a drop cloth. These things are one of my favorite cheapy fabrics because they are durable, a neutral color and huge. Oh and cheap. (Did I already mention that?)

Lay your drop cloth on a flat surface. Mark your width and height and cut your fabric to that size.

Fold your drop cloth in 1/2 hot dog style (OMGosh remember that?!)and  mark where the pitch of the roof ends (where your screw eyes are)

Now we are putting on the grommets. Attaching grommets is VERY easy. And when you are don’t you are going to have something that reminds your kids of shipwrecked Ariel…at least that is what my girls thought. I found my grommets at JoAnn’s. They are regularly $10 but use a 40% off coupon. You will need 2 packages.

With your drop cloth still folded in 1/2 figure out the width between each grommet. Divide that # in 1/2 and draw the first mark on the side with the fold. The distance between each of my grommets is 15” so my first mark is 7.5” from the fold. (Doing it this way saves time)  then mark the full spacing (15”) between each grommet across the rest of your drop cloth. Line each mark up to the center of your template and trace.

Cut through both layers of fabric when you are cutting out the template.

Place the backside of your grommet on and then snap the front on.

So easy right?!! If you are making your tent removable this is the point that you will want to sew it together. Also you will want to hem the raw edge with a sewing machine or with hemming tape.

Tie a large knot in your sisal rope and string it through your screw eyes and all of the grommets. To tie the second knot is definitely a 2 person job (one to tie and one to hold the rope taught.)

We attached our fabric to the crossbar with a stapler along the top.

Hope this inspires you to make something fun for the little (or big!) kids in your life!

The post Summer Reading Nook/ Outdoor Hideaway Plans Part 2: Roof and Curtains appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

You.Guys. As I was writing the tutorial for the Outdoor Summer Reading nook/Playhouse post I was HORRIFIED at the pictures that I had taken. I guess full sun and full shade in 115 degrees for 8 hours will do that to you.

They were that bad.

So I am trying to figure out a way to salvage this tutorial, when one of my great friends Rayan from The Design Confidential offered to help me. This girl is LEGIT. Her site is full of amazing building plans with step by step instructions (think Ana White but more modern and West Elm-y) I pretty much I owe her my 3rd born (no,  this is not a pregnancy hint) and undying love and devotion. So huge huge thank you Rayan!

Now lets get on with the fun.

This is a very simple build. The finished size of the playhouse is 5 feet x 8 feet.

You will need:

(2) 2×8’s @ 60”

(3) 2×8’s @  96”

(4) 4×4’s @ 60”

() 2×6’s @ 60”

(2) 2×4’s @ 37”

(2) 2×4’s @ 41”

(1) 2×4 @ 93”

(13) 2×6’s @ 60”

(2) 2×6’s @ 50”

(1) 4×8’ Sheet of Lattice

(12) Corner Braces (pictured below)

(2) 90 degree angle braces (pictured below)

(6) 2×4 braces (pictured below)

1 Box of 1 1/2” Deck Screws

1 Box of 3” Deck Screws

Start by building your base box with the 2×8’s. This makes it a really great height without needing to put in a step. It will measure 60”x96”. If you have a Kreg Jig, use it to attach your boards together,  or if you are like me and live in the stone age you can just use deck screws.

Next you are going to attach your 4×4’s. Make sure they are nice and flush with the corners of your box. Use corner braces (pictured below) to attach the 4×4’s to the box.

One you have your posts up, attach the center joist to the box using the same corner braces.

When that is all done, its time to attach the 2×6’s that will be your deck floor. They need to be cut at 60” long. If you have a way to transport it home, buy 10’ boards to save the most money and waste. Start by attaching your first board directly behind your corner posts so that it sits flush.

Space your boards as you are attaching them (we used a screwdriver) and screw them directly to the base. Also if you need to stagger the boards (if you have to use 2 to make up the 60” width) just make sure that it is centered on your joist.

To fill in the gap and add a little flair to the ends of the floor, I left a little bit of an overhang to make it more step-like. Cut these boards to 50” to fit between your 4×4 posts.

We made the pitch of the roof as absolutely simple as possible. First things first you will want to buy (2) 90 degree braces that looks like this (also please note the baby Preying Mantis that apparently wanted to be famous.)

The boards are not mitered at the top to form the 90 degree angle, but you will need to miter them at a 45 degree angle to fit flush on top of your posts. Also  you will need to cut a 90 degree angle off of the end of the 45 to make it line up with the end of your 4×4. If that is confusing, look at Rayan’s sketch below,  this is why she is a professional folks.

(It is really easy if you assemble the entire roof on the ground and then put it on once it is built.)

Attach your brace to the pitch

Then attach the 2×4 brace to the backside of the front pitch and the frontside of the back pitch. You may need to read that a few times.

Now place your 2×4 cross bar in the braces.

Before you can put on the roof you need to attach braces to the top of your 4×4’s.

Use every ounce of energy you have left (just kidding, its actually fairly light) and put the roof in the braces that you just attached and screw it into place.

And TADA! You have the entire structure built!

If you are planning on attaching lattice to the backside, you will need 1 4×8 sheet. Cut it down to size and attach it to the bottom half of your Nook.

We attached the remainder to the pitch of the roof and then used a Sawsall to cut the excess off. Lattice is really thin and delicate, so be careful with it. One thing that you will notice when you are attaching it to the pitch, is that the corners will come up short on the bottom, because its just not quite wide enough. Use the extra scraps to lengthen the pieces that wont quite reach. (Sorry I don’t have a picture of this process, it was dark when we were finishing up!)

Oh and go give a huge fat hello to Rayan wouldja?

Check out Part 2 HERE!

The post Summer Reading Nook/Outdoor Hideaway Building Plans appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Fun project alert! A few weeks ago the folks at Pottery Barn Kids emailed me about creating a Summer Reading Nook for my girls and for their PBK and PBS Kids Summer Reading Nook Challenge. 5 other bloggers were included and we were given access to specific PBK staples for us to use in our nook,  the rest was up to us.

I don’t know what doing Dylan’s room did to my brain,  I think it unlocked my inner daydreaming child, because right now everything I am doing sort of has the perspective of someone roughly 3.5 feet tall. (what do you know, maybe I am a good mom…if you ignore all of the cereal/toast/ramen that happens in this house.)

So here is the thought process for this fun project. I don’t so much have a spot in my little house right now for a reading nook, so the obvious choice was to make something that was well,  not in my house. When I told Court the plans he was like…”Dude. This thing is going to be so heavy, and cost a million bucks,  can’t you just repaint a wall?” To which I replied “I mean, I understand, but if you saw what I see in my head you wouldn’t be able to shut it off either. Plus its freaking Pottery Barn.”

He then saw the light.

Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Doesn’t it look like childhood in a jar? I am SO in love with it, and more importantly my girls are too.

The design is a mix of thrifted treasures (the light and accessories),  family heirlooms (the amazing oil painting by my Great Grandma),  handmade flair (obviously the pom pom tassels),  and Pottery Barn Kids Furniture.

(Bookcase / Rug / Beanbag / Dalmatian Bookend / Pink Task Light)

The build went really smoothly and I will have a quick tutorial with guidelines and info about the structure up this week.

The canvas tent is made from a drop cloth, sisal rope, and grommets, and was SERIOUSLY simple. And because you guys love to know the behind the scenes nuggets…the original plan was to use wooden dowels instead of the rope. But then the whole, running, screaming, tag playing scenario ran through my mind and I knew we needed something that was a little more forgiving (as in forehead forgiving). So rope it was! If you are a hardcore Vintage Revival-er you will remember the curtains I made for Hailee’s Living Room with this same idea!

My favorite piece is the gray and white striped Rugby rug.

Of course my girls love the beanbag. Also, Ivie’s hair? Super jealous.

And what would be a photo shoot without a few Dylan Outtakes?

That girl will be the death of me.

Reading with my daughters is something that I cherish. I love reading books that have a great lesson in them, like The Giving Tree. My favorite series of all time though is Skippy Jon Jones. I can do a MEAN Spanish accent Skippito.

GET THE BUILDING PLANS HERE!

If you are itching for more kiddie inspiration, check out Dylan’s Bedroom.

Or if you are in the market for something a little more grown up (I use the tern grown up loosely around these parts) check out my living room.

I partnered with Pottery Barn Kids and PBS to create this project. Pottery Barn Kids sent me specific items to use in this challenge. The project ideas, cost, and opinions are 100% mine.

The post Outdoor Summer Reading Nook Challenge with Pottery Barn Kids appeared first on Vintage Revivals.