Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The Treehouse ! A Woodsy Hideout For Child Guests

      Sadly, long gone are the days when children spent their summer waking hours in imaginative outdoor play, roaming fields and woods at will, and only returning home at mealtimes. Because those innocent days of building camps and forts and absorbing nature through our very pores are such treasured memories in this senior's mind, I wanted to create a child's space where kids can be amongst the trees in a cosy space with books and art supplies and a dress-up box to stimulate imaginative creative play.


The TREE HOUSE project began in the early fall of 2017 actually as a challenge to my aging neural connections. Would I still remember how to read a framing square and cut the angles to frame the roof ?  A grove of big spruce just a stone's throw from the guest cottage, and visible from its kitchen window was the perfect spot. Gradually, with plans evolving as I went along, the parts and pieces came together.                                                                                         

There are two Re-store windows and two opaque roof panels letting in plenty of light, and a built in bunk for quiet time with a good book.
   In the cold winter weather I built window frames in the warmth of my workshop and shaped a door from a 5 dollar Re-store offering. A boy fairy atop a mushroom adorns the door, which closes with friction catches so that no child can be shut in or out.
      A future project is to continue painting the tree scene on either side of the door, perhaps with some woodland birds and animals......




Between the cottage and the treehouse there are numerous characters to encounter...













 Watch out for this troll as you climb up the steps....

And these driftwood creatures are all over the place...


The Green Man, between the cottage and treehouse is especially proud of his flowery hairstyle










and you may catch him chatting quietly to his friend Mr Wrenchipede...









Or you might just hear a chuckle coming from their neighbor, Giggling Gordon

"The outdoors is quite delightful!"
















says the Flying Vicegripsaurus...
















2 comments:

  1. Fabulous! so fun to see the Beginning...!Kathi you
    are a wonder!

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  2. Great job on the tree house Kathi! As you probably know my wife Toni and I went in for a visit when we stayed at your cottage. You did an amazing job and all the kids that visit must love it!

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