DIY Outdoor Vehicle Site

Guest Blog Post

By: Jolie Klassen

I'm so excited to introduce to you one of my good friends! She has so much creativity and loves sharing her gifts over on her blog www.outoftherightbrain.blogspot.com. Today she is guest posting on my blog all about her recent DIY project! With summer quickly approaching I though this was a perfect "get your kids outside" activity! Come take a look and be sure to visit her blog for more fun!!!

Once upon a time ago my littles were much smaller and were easily entertained.  I used to buy one of those wading pools (actually, we still do. . . we have to cool off somehow) and fill it with floating boats, cups and bowls.  The kids would just sit there and pour from one thing to another and then run around like crazy.  It was a nice way to spend our summer mornings.  As they got older and more daring, they slowly added the slide and the cups turned into water fights and well. . . now, my littles aren't so little and I wanted to create a space in the backyard that would spur their imagination and provide a little rest from running around playing soccer. 

My boys are 6 and almost 9 and they live and breathe soccer.  They are content putting up the soccer goals and kicking the ball for hours.  But, summers are hot and playing soccer is exhausting. They needed something else that didn't involve running around sweating like crazy.  My backyard has 3 corner flower beds that have been a bit ignored the past couple of years.  Partly because we haven't been able to water and partly because they get trampled by soccer balls.  This year, I decided to try something different in one them by creating a space for their hotwheel cars and construction cars to be put to use. 

I can't tell you how many times I probably pinned the two or three pins on Pinterest that inspired this idea, but I wasn't planning on using asphalt. . . that sounds horribly messy. . . and permanent.  I wanted something super easy and super inexpensive. 

The first thing I did was head to Lowes and look at bricks.  I bought the cheapest bricks they had at 48 cents a piece.  Half of them ended up being cheaper, because I went back to get more and they were on sale 3 for a dollar.  SCORE!  I painted them black with some leftover chalkboard paint I had from another project.  Honestly, this chalkboard paint was so old, I wasn't even sure it was going to work out.  It ended up being perfect and I love it. If the kids want to draw chalk arrows or finish lines they can do it with no damage.   I was also in the middle of painting the trim in our office that we were giving a face lift and came out and just dashed my lines with some plain old white latex paint.  Super easy.

From there, I placed them in my flower bed In a way that I thought would work out nicely and then filled it with some cheap mulch (I think my bag was $3 from Lowes, and again, from another project).  For the construction area, I used white rock that I found for less than $5 a bag at Lowes.  I didn't even use half the bag, which was great because I have something else planned for the leftovers. 

And then I was done.  It looked so nice and my 6 year old spent hours playing his heart out during spring break.  Every now and then his big brother came and played, raced cars, dug holes and just had a great time. 

My oldest had a great idea of painting blocks to make buildings and so this summer that is one of our projects.  I love how, even though the oldest is getting older, this is still something that gets him excited.  It might not be as exciting for him as his younger brother, but it inspired him to get creative to come up with new ideas to make it even better.  Watching the wheels turn in my son's head fills me with excitement and I can't wait for things to slow down this summer so we can spend some more time out there. 

Here's a quick project round up:

Bricks (Lowes) 48 cents each.  The square brick was less than a dollar. 

Chalkboard paint - I already had some, the one I used was by Rustoleum, but Martha Stewart has a great one that you can use a 40 percent off coupon for to make it cheaper.

White Stripes - white latex paint.  You can get sample sizes at lowes for less than $3.

Mulch - (Lowes) around $3 a bag.

White Rock (Lowes) less than $5 a bag.

We have a huge stash of hot wheel cars, so those were pretty much free. I may have added a new one to Weston's collection in his Easter basket.  They range from 99cents to $4.  The Construction vehicals are by CAT.  I found them at Target a long time ago, but here's a link to them on Amazon.  

I think we spent less than $20 on this project which made my husband super excited. 

Jolie Klassen is a stay at home mom of two boys. You can find her sharing her story as she fills her creative cup in the midst of motherhood over at outoftherightbrain.blogspot.com.  She loves connecting with other women over cups of coffee, nestling up with a good book, and traveling the country with her family. 

For Daily Encouragement and Child Development Ideas: Follow me on Instagram  @at_home_with_kids

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