Tree Stump Trampoline Steps

This project was at the top of my outside DIY list this summer:  figure out steps for our trampoline!

 

We've had our trampoline for a couple of years and have been using an $8 white plastic patio chair for the kids to get in and out of it.  Not only was it an eyesore in the backyard but really, really unsafe.  I was hoping we could build something cheap, safe and attractive instead of buying an aluminum ladder- I wanted something more substantial for the little kids to maneuver in and out of the trampoline.

 

Pinterest searches yielded zero inspiration so I started talking to my husband about designing and building a set of steps out of wood or metal (a husband who welds=incredibly helpful!) until I remembered the pile of wood sitting at the end of our street.  Our neighbor graciously let us take some pieces for free(!) for our project.  The tree stump trampoline steps were born.

 

We used two pieces of wood (and by we I mean my husband who did all the work, I didn't even lift a finger.  But I did come up with the idea!)  The larger diameter piece works as the middle step, then the smaller, taller stump was cut in half to form the first and third steps.  All the cuts were made with a chainsaw so the surface of the steps were very rough.  I thought we could just sand them smooth but the wood was just too uneven.  To avoid giving everyone splinters my husband "finished" tops of the steps with a fiberglass resin used on boats.  The steps are nice and smooth without being slippery when wet.  He also used a wood hardener (before the resin) that will hopefully prolong the life of the steps.  The sun is brutal on outdoor furniture and toys at this altitude!



Finally he set them in place in the backyard and used extra long lag screws to keep everything in place.  I love the turtle design that showed up on the smaller stump.

The kids use the edge of the trampoline for a handrail.  The steps are broad enough that no one is in danger of falling off.

 

With the wood hardener and resin the project turned out to be over my budget of $0, but I love the finished product.  Time for trampoline fun!

Woodland Tooth Fairy Pillow

D came home with a missing tooth recently!  I was planning on whipping up her tooth fairy pillow when her first tooth got loose, so I was a bit unprepared by her sudden lost tooth.  Thankfully the Tooth Fairy held off visiting D until I was able to get around to making her pillow.  Here's how it turned out.

I had been saving this fabric for something fun.  A tooth fairy pillow fits the bill, don't you think?  The small pocket in the front is for her tooth...

A little simple embroidery for her name...

A larger pocket on the back side so the Tooth Fairy can leave her receipt...

Now we are ready for the rest of her teeth to come out!

Felt Mushroom Tutorial

Here's a little tutorial for the felt mushrooms I made-

 

Supplies needed:

-large circle of red felt

-half of a Styrofoam ball

-cardboard circle, cut same diameter as Styrofoam ball

(I used a floral foam ball because that's what I had on hand- a regular Styrofoam ball is the way to go for this project, though, I think)

-circle of brown felt, slightly smaller than cardboard circle

-long rectangle of cream felt

-small circle of cream felt

-handful of small cream felt circles in various sizes

-fiberfill

-glass stones, beans, lentils, or something heavy

-tacky glue

-embroidery floss

-needle

 

To start, stitch a running stitch halfway around the red felt circle.  I used very small stitches- larger stitches make the felt lumpy after you gather the felt around the Styrofoam. 

 Once you have stitched about halfway, place the Styrofoam ball and cardboard circle in the middle of the red felt.  Start to cinch the felt around the ball by pulling on the thread.

 

 Once you have stitched all the way around the red felt circle pull the thread very tight and tie off.  You might need to adjust the felt a bit to get it to lie as flat as possible.

 

 It should look like this when you are done.

 

To make the base: sew the short ends of the cream felt rectangle together forming a tube.  Sew the small cream circle onto one end of the tube forming a cylinder.  I used my machine for this part, but you could stitch it by hand if you wanted to.

 

 Turn the base out so the seems are facing inside.  Fill with fiberfill and something heavy.  Beans or lentils would work well for this- I used glass stones because I had them on hand.

 Attach the cream base to the center of the brown felt circle.  I used embroidery floss and a blanket stitch to do it by hand, gathering the cream felt slightly.

 

From the top it will look like this.

 

And when finished it will look like this.

 

 Now attach the base to the rounded red top at the edge of the brown felt circle.  Again I used a blanket stitch with fairly small stitches.

 

 After you are done attaching the base it should look like this.

 Now glue the small cream circles onto the top of the mushroom.  You could sew these onto, too, if you wanted them to be really stable, before you start gathering the red circle.

 

 When the glue is dry your little mushroom done!

 

These little mushrooms live under our woodland theme Jesse Trees this Christmas.  Where are your mushrooms growing?