Looking for easy DIY playhouse ideas? Wait until you see this before and after. Create your own DIY playhouse this weekend.
This post is sponsored by Homes.com.
I love a challenge.
Especially if the challenge involves imagination and transformation and giggles and apples and a DIY playhouse.
Homes.com asked me to participate in a challenge they are hosting for charity. Here’s the basic concept. They sent a basic Little Tykes playhouse to several bloggers and asked us all to use our imagination and to transform it however we wanted. Then you all will have the opportunity to vote on your favorite and the winner gets to donate their winnings to charity. If I win, I’m donating mine to Habitat for Humanity.
Sound like fun?
Are you ready for the transformation?
Are you sitting down?
Oh, good.
Me, too.
Here’s a little DIY playhouse before and after just for you.
Here’s where we started.
It arrived in a big box with instructions on how to put it together.
This is what the playhouse looked like before we started.
The roof was red.
The shutters were brown.
The basic playhouse was cream.
And now?
That same playhouse?
It looks like this.
It’s black and white and striped and it’s a grocery store.
When I was little I had a grocery store just like this.
My uncle built it for me and it was black and white with a giant sign that said GROCERY.
The shelves were stocked with cans from my mother’s kitchen.
I’d raid the pantry and stock the shelves and all my aunts and uncles would stop by and give me .10 for a can of green beans.
Then I’d take my money and shop for candy at the little store down the street while my aunts and uncles quietly gave the cans of soup back to my mother. I’d eat my candy and congratulate myself on being an amazing business person and restock the store and the entire process would start all over again.
Every young entrepreneur needs a grocery store.
And this one comes with a fruit stand and order pad and grocery baskets and a chalkboard for sale sign.
And it’s own tiny grocery door.
We started by spray painting the entire playhouse.
The base was spray-painted with a white spray paint designed for plastic.
The doors, roof, and shutters were all spray painted with a black spray paint designed for plastic.
Next, we built a piece that fit onto the front of the playhouse.
It’s constructed from 1″x 2″s and has a place for produce on either side.
The top was constructed with a frame on top to add a black and white awning.
Next, we added window boxes on each side and filled them with flowers.
The little black shutters open up and make the perfect place for additional grocery orders.
The playhouse was styled with a wreath, an order pad, a welcome mat for customers, a chalkboard sign, and tons of fresh produce just ready to order.
After it was finished, I invited my sweet nieces over to see how the grocery store worked.
I wish you could have heard the giggles.
And have seen all the apple purchases.
I’m so happy with how it turned out and how much my nieces love it.
Let’s take one more look at the DIY playhouse transformation.
From this before.
To this after.
From my little store to this one.
Another generation of general managers has entered the building.
It’s a good day to be in the grocery business. 🙂
disclosure: This post was written in collaboration with Homes.com.
All opinions are my own.
Please see my disclosure page for more information.
This is too sweet and I wish I was 8 years old again to enjoy it. You have my vote. PS...those two little girls are the cutest.
The little boys who live next door to me want me to build them a playhouse in my back yard. This is the perfect solution. It won't be white but it will become a clubhouse for them. Great idea. Now off to find a used playhouse!!
Voted. Lovely, fun, and Kudo's for adding function as well as decor... lots of things could be sold as well as groceries of course. Saw a comment over there about boys -- my boy loved grocery store selling as well at that age!
So much fun.....I love the grocery store’s new look and your nieces are adorable 💗 Heading over to vote right now!!! TGIF🎉
This is so cute! I have 3 granddaughters that would love this!! You have my vote.
This is precious!!! Voted for yours;)
That is adorable! Going to vote now😄
So cute- you always put so much love into your projects!
#2 very nice!
The store is so cute, and the neices are even cuter!
I think this is one of the cutest projects I have ever seen in blogworld---I loved your back story---and its just adorable. No offense to your sponsor, but you see these huge kids furniture in thrift stores and garage sales all the time---a little imagination and a few cans of paint and you have something terrific and new again. Fun stuff!
What a FUN project and so adorable! What little one doesn't LOVE to play store? My vote is in for your farm to table!!
This is way too cute! I have a little tykes playhouse out back that I just may have to give a new life to! My little ones love playing in it...they play restaurant. I have eaten way too many "hot dogs" and "hamburgers" from it! Thanks for the inspiration...you have my vote.
Absolutely darling! I just voted. When I taught preschoolers they loved our play food market. It was always a favorite for me too. Tell your little models they did a great job.
Just placed my vote for your playhouse. What a great idea for a charitable event!!! Who knew you could paint over these relatively unattractive playhouses? Hope you win!!!
I absolutely love your play house! It brings back so many good memories. My sister and I played grocery store by the hour. Our Mom would open canned food and boxed food from the bottom so we could stock our shelves. Then we had, our favorite, little Tom Thumb cash register to ring up sales. Good fun! You have my vote. L
Geez Louise, that is so stinking cute. It's killing me that my kids are too old for that. I'm going to pin it, just to pin it. lol
You've got my vote, sweetie pie.♥
ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My daughter would have loved that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She used to sale avocados and peaches at a little stand we created. Nothing as lovely as what you created!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#2, for Sure...So Adorable! My girls; 7 & 9 still love to play "McDonald's", this post now has my mind spinning (like I don't have enough projects going on :) Thank you for posting this fun project!
Absolutely adorable - both the playhouse and your nieces!
and I voted... :-)
Super cute! I voted for you, good luck!!
Thank you for the inspiration! I rescued an older version in the neighborhood recently. Now I have some great ideas for my remodeling project!
Psssst . . . KariAnne . . . I just voted - and right now I would say you're ahead! ;) It's so cute!!!
Done. Your "little black and white grocery store" is worthy of my vote. :)
I voted for you because the black and white theme could be used for other types of shops. That same set of colors could easily become a flower shop, a hot dog stand, a library, an auto shop with checkered flags, etc. I LOVED IT!
You are AMAZING!
I voted for you because quite simply, yours was the best! Good luck but I think you’re a shoo in!
# 2 of course, it is amazing!
Hi Karianne! You are truly amazing! What a great idea you came up with! My best friend Lisa and I used to play “store”, when we were little. That little store of yours really brought back some good memories. You did a fantastic job and I totally voted for your little store. Your little nieces are adorable by the way! Job well done! Have a great weekend! 😊
Yours is a win in my book (and vote), KA - you really did a remarkable job. I'd have loved that as a child - heck if I could fit my big fat bum in it I'd play store right now with it!!!!
Oh! KariAnne! You have done such an amazing job of this playhouse! You have absolutely thought about everything and it is just so cute! Also, your little nieces are so adorable! I just finished voting for you! What a worthy cause you have dedicated your win to! Bless you for being such a special gal! Blessings! Have a wonderful week-end!
Oh, wow! KariAnne, you've outdone yourself! This is soooo cute. Just adorable. And you are amazing! ❤
What a fabulous transformation! These Little Tikes houses can often be found second hand. This store would be great fun for a classroom as well as a home. Well done, KariAnne!
This. Is. Adorable. !!!!! xoxo
I was a little nervous when I was visiting the voting site. I prayed that your house would be the best because I knew I would vote for whichever is best (even if it wasn't yours!) WHEW! Yours was the best!! You knocked it out of the park- you din't just change the color of the facade but added great detail like flower boxes, a front porch with storage and awning- PLUS, something to play other than "house"! Future entrepreneurs unite!
I was so excited to see this post! I have this exact playhouse for my granddaughter who is 4 yrs old and it was starting to look a little weathered! She loved the pictures of your grocery store! Any tips on what you painted first as far as the roof or house part and how did you shield when you painted the shutters? I’m definitely giving this makeover a shot! Voted also!