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Monday, August 5, 2013

DIY Toy Pool

I'm excited to be part of a blog hop with eight other amazing bloggers to bring you some projects based on the theme of "Summer Travel". Since I can barely make it out of the house with my broken leg, much less go on a fun summer vacation, I decided it would be fun to bring some summer fun for my daughter's toys instead (with a whole lot of help from my amazing husband, of course)!

DIY Toy Pool at artsyfartsymama.com



Here is our finished Toy Pool! I was calling it a Barbie pool during the construction, but once it was done, I didn't want to discriminate against all the other toys like Little People, Disney character figures, and Littlest Pet Shop. My daughter has had so much fun playing with this pool (we don't add real water) and I absolutely love how it turned out.

DIY Toy Pool Supplies

Coupons.com so generously gave us $50 to spend at Home Depot for this project. I was surprised at how much we were able to get for our project with our money! If you want to see more deals from Home Depot, make sure to check out these Coupons.com Home Depot coupon codes!

Supplies:
Washing Machine Outlet Box
Spa Blue Spray Paint
Kona Brown Spray Paint
12" Linoleum Tiles
1 1x6x6' Board
1 3/8x2x4' Plywood
1 Box Drywall Screws
Mod Podge
Sand
Slim Colored Craft Sticks (Blue)
E6000 Glue

DIY Toy Pool

Spray the inside and plate cover of the washing machine outlet box with blue spray paint. Spray two coats, letting each coat dry before applying more paint.

DIY Toy Pool

Cut the 1x6x6 board into four pieces: two 10 1/4", and two 17 3/4" for the box.

Cut the plywood in two pieces: one 17 3/4' x 18" (bottom with overhang), and  the other 17 3/4' x 11 3/4" (top of the box).

DIY Toy Pool

Spray paint the bottom piece of plywood with brown spray paint and let dry. Apply another coat or two over the other half of the board that will stick out past the pool box. Let dry completely between coats.

DIY Toy Pool

Paint all the sides of the box with two coats of brown spray paint. Let dry completely between coats.

DIY Toy Pool

To assemble the pool:
Screw the 4 side pieces of the box together with the drywall screws. One on each corner should work fine. Then, attach the top and bottom plywood pieces with screws.

Trace the washer outlet on the top piece of plywood and cut out with a jigsaw. Make sure the outlet box fits before you put the saw away!

Butt the tiles together in the center of the box, and measure 17 3/4" x 11 3/4". CAREFULLY cut with a box cutter or utility knife. The tiles are pre-glued, so peel the backing off and stick to the top of the box.

Place the plate cover on the washer outlet box, and drop into the pool box. You can glue if you want to, but it should fit snugly into place.

DIY Toy Pool

For the bottom plywood section, mix a cup of Mod Podge with a cup of sand. Any fine sand should work great. Mix well, and carefully pour/paint on the wood. Let dry completely, and add a second coat if necessary. This will make your "beach" and will keep the sand safely in place and not all over your floor.

DIY Toy Pool at artsyfartsymama.com

Cut and glue the slim, blue craft sticks together to make a ladder. Totally optional, but my inquisitive daughter was wondering how everyone was supposed to climb up to the pool. Problem solved!

DIY Toy Pool at artsyfartsymama.com

The Barbies fit more like in a hot tub, but no problem with that! I'm pretty sure any kid would have fun playing with any toys in this pool!

Enter to win a $200 Home Depot Gift Card & see Summer Vacation projects from talented bloggers!

Go see what these other bloggers did with $50 from Home Depot:

I received $50 to spend at Home Depot from Coupons.com to use for the project this post. All opinions and photos are my own.

Would you like to comment?

  1. I LOVE your barbie pool...what a great project. I bet Zoey loves it! Also, thanks for the great giveaway

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  2. oh my gosh this is so cute my nieces would love it!

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  3. What an ingenious idea! I would never have thought of using the washing machine box-thing - that's fantastic!

    I also like that you decided not to discriminate against other toys! Sometimes those Barbies can act so superior... ;)

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  4. So stinking cute! Love it!!! I know your daughter is sooo thrilled to have a fun place for her toys to play :) Good job, mama!

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  5. This is so cute! My daughter would love it! I'm so making one for her, thanks!

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  6. That is so cute! I bet your daughter just LOVED that!

    Yvonne @ TriedandTasty.com

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  7. Your new toy pool looks like hours of fun for the little ones, super cute and clever. ;o)

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  8. Love your little toy pool! I could see my kids dunking their toys in it for hours. What a clever idea.:)

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  9. First, that's such a cute little project! Second, I would totally use the Forever21 coupon code: Save 15% Off with Student ID Who knew I could get a discount? Sweet!

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