When we came across the @alittleatlarge Instagram account we couldn’t be more inspired by wonderlust and fairydust!
Writer and creative photographer for A Little At Large, Narelle and her daughter Tiah have crafted a profile full of cherished childhood memories.
We loved the beautiful beach vibes and couldn’t resist reaching out to see how they would style their very own Wooden Teepee Hideaway!
This blog entry below is a repost, originally written by Narelle at A Little At Large – http://bit.ly/LittleLoves
One of the things I love most about having a 5-year-old is finding things to do that ignites both our imaginations, but also creates an opportunity for us to work together to make the kind of memories we will both cherish.
With this in mind, we recently partnered with Plum Play Australia to create and curate our very own Wooden Teepee Hideway.
I have to admit to not being the handiest of handywomen, and my husband had never excelled in the “build it yourself” stakes either. So I posted the task on airtasker.com and within half an hour I had Andrew, my trusty handyman on route.
Andrew made pretty short work of putting it all together, while Tiah supervised.
With the building done and the excitement rising, we hit Bunnings to pick out some paint. Tiah insisted she wanted it to look just like our big house, so Cabot’s Beach House Grey was the winner, a water-soluble wood stain that would be easy to apply and just as easy to clean up little paint dipped fingers.
To the garden shop we ventured, where we picked out some marguerite daisies in bloom and two Chinese star jasmine that we thought would look pretty amazing growing over to form a natural floral arbour in time. A quick stop to Domayne to pick up some joy (you will spy the sign later), and also to Spotlight, for some tulle and fancy lace ribbon.
Completing the painting was the fun part. Tiah worked on the bottom and I worked on the top simultaneously, giggling as we went when paint splashed down on her nose from my drips and my feet from hers. Two coats and we were done. We left it for a few hours to dry and got our accessories ready for the part we both love the most – the styling.
With plants in place and a few choice bits from inside the house (including the gorgeous Sheridan fluffy Icelandic sheep pillow and a sustainable reindeer hide), we were almost ready for the exciting final touches.
A swag of tulle placed over the door (the teepee does come with a roll down awning that affixes with Velcro, we just embellished it a little), some battery operated festoon lights that we got for a song and the final piece – JOY- the battery operated light from Domayne’s Christmas collection that fitted snugly above the door.
Tiah was glowing, her teepee was more beautiful than we ever imagined and proud as punch, she immediately rounded up the neighbours, including Grace, the friendly dog from next door to join in the housewarming. We did not expect there to be jumping- well maybe just from Tiah – but when Grace joined in the festivities, I could not help but snap a moment I know we will smile about well into the future.
As a play space, the teepee is ideal. We have a small yard and its compact footprint fits perfectly. As for the materials themselves, we were thrilled with the excellent quality. Even our handyman Andrew commented, saying how well cut the pieces of timber were, no rough edges and everything fitted together so snuggly that he said it should last a lifetime. Thumbs up Andrew.
We created some beautiful memories building and styling our teepee, but the ones I am most looking forward to are the ones still to come. I know this will be a place where carefree summers will be savoured, where tea parties will be hosted and treats from the pantry smuggled. There will be secrets shared, giggles giggled and good times had with friends. And not forgetting Grace, who pops in pretty regularly for a snuggle and random joyful jumps.
You can win your very own Grand Wooden Teepee from Plum Play, head HERE to find out how to enter. But be quick, competition ends this Sunday, 10th December 2017. Alternatively, if you’d like to purchase a Grand or Great Wooden Teepee Hideaway for your little ones this Christmas, use the promo code ALITTLEATLARGE for 15% off (also valid until Sunday, 10th December 2017). These dates are in line with Plum Play’s Christmas delivery deadlines, but this can be extended to Wednesday 13th December for Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne, Wollongong, and Newcastle.