We are very happy to be working with Home Depot Canada on this project. This mother-daughter(s) design team has been having a hoot working on their playhouse. 

I will be the first to tell you that I am not a fashionista. 

As I walk through the house with paint spattered Costco leggings and whatever t-shirt I found in the drawer, Lila will say to me, “You’re not going to the store in THAT, right?”

This child would wear a dress every single day of her life if I’d let her. 

But despite all of that, I do know the importance of accessories. Accessories are the sprinkles on the cupcake. They’re the glitter on the unicorn. 

They’re important. And the playhouse was not going to go without its glitter and sprinkles. 

We are not quite finished with our playhouse project, but I wanted to share some of the different bits and bobs that we’ve used to gussy it up so afr. The details make all the difference. 

I shared a photo of the playhouse-in-progress on Facebook, and some readers noticed the mailbox. 

The mailbox was a HUGE hit with the girls, and it was an easy and inexpensive addition to the project. We took a simple plastic rural mailbox and mounted it atop a 4X4 post. I gave the post a quick spray with the Behr White solid stain, and it was done!

The girls have created letters and parcels to leave in the mailbox for each other, and have also hidden little random backyard things – rocks, leaves, this weird shell that we play “hot and cold” with, you know the drill – in there. I figure that once the playhouse is no longer the place-to-be in the backyard, this mailbox will be a perfect place to store garden gloves, hose nozzles, or twine.

Perched on the playhouse porch – and beneath a window – are these window boxes with coco liners. My girlfriend exclaimed that these were exactly the flower boxes that she wanted for her own house – and was there not some irony that the children had these before she did?

I love the wrought iron combined with the rough texture of the coco liner. The boxes look just a teensy bit rustic (which is a nice compliment to the beachy-cottage thing that the girls and I were aiming for) and are fairly lightweight.
 

This one hangs over the railing (perfect for easy removal during the fall months) – and the window box just hooks onto screws on the side of the playhouse. It was an simple project that Mr. Suburble and I finished in no time flat.

But the piece de resistance – the playhouse accessory that I just cannot get enough of – is this outdoor pendant. It has completely finished the look of the playhouse. 

The black finish on the light fixture ties in with the flower boxes and the mailbox. I feel like it draws the eye up, and makes you take in the playhouse as a whole.

And it’s a nice looking light. You can’t deny that.

But the best part about this light is that it’s SOLAR! There is a tiny panel that we’ve installed at the back of the playhouse, and each night, the playhouse porch is illuminated. 

I want three more for my patio. 

This place is shaping up! The girls have been spending many hours ducking in and out of the doors and exclaiming, “Hmm… do you think the mailman might have come into the backyard?”

But there are still more plans for this little play space. I can’t wait to show you inside! And, there are still some beachy touches that the girls and I have planned.

This playhouse cannot suddenly transform into a pirate ship without the proper tools. We’ve still got work to do!

See how far we’ve come:

The Old Life of the Playhouse, and How We Got It In Our Backyard

The Design

Paint and Balusters

Saving Time On Painting the Playhouse