I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, crafter, and blogger living in rural New England. As seen in Martha Stewart Living, Food Network Magazine, and more! | Tutorials, DIY, crafts, parenting tips, recipes, money saving tips, product reviews, local product features, New England living, intentional living, and more! |
Our kids’ playhouse is pretty special - it was built for them by their Grandfather and the door was built by their Dad. It’s a special spot that has gotten a lot of use over the years and is always a hit when they have friends over. For awhile now I’ve wanted to add a little flagpole but wasn’t able to find an affordable boat flagpole in the dimensions I needed so I decided to make one myself. | This post contains affiliate links |
optional: you could use a boat flagpole and bracket kit if you wanted to make this quick and easy, but I was trying to make this project as inexpensively as possible and opted to make it myself with scrap wood we already had - I also wanted more control over the length of the pole and the angle which is another reason why I decided to make it myself.
How-To:
First, I decided on the angle of the dowel into the scrap piece of 2x4 and made a pilot hole at that angle with a small drill. Then I kept going up in drill sizes to make the hole the correct diameter. (Note: I do not recommend using a spade bit.. I tried that and it was terrible going in at an angle. We ended up borrowing a drill bit in correct final size to finish the hole.)
Once the hole was made I glued the dowel into it with some wood glue then painted it white with several coats of paint. While I was waiting for that to dry I moved on to painting the wooden knob with several coats of gold paint and then let that dry too.
Next I drilled a small hole into the end of the top of the flag pole and cut some toothpicks down to fit inside the hole but stick out far enough to also fit into the hole in the wooden knob. Then I added wood glue and put the knob onto the end of the flagpole. (Note: Using toothpicks to reinforce this joining is key - if just wood glue was used it would be at more risk to break off, but the toothpick reinforcement going through really helps!)
And now we can attach the flag! I just used some cotton clothes line rope to tie the flag to the flagpole. The wooden flagpole has enough grip and the flag is so small that we don’t have any issue with the flag sliding down or moving.
Now that your flag is assembled you just have to mount it. I screwed the base into the side of the playhouse then touched up the screw heads with white paint to help them blend in.
The finished product!
I will probably take the flag down come winter, as our harsh New England winters with heavy snow and ice would likely damage the pole but then I plan to put it right back up in the spring.
| "The Cottage" Sign - I made this a few years ago by making a stencil for the words using my Cricut and having the kids dip their hands in paint for the handprints. |
A few other Playhouse details…
I just love the simple details of our little playhouse - my favorite being the amazing custom farm-style door my husband made for the playhouse.
| Similar Wireless Doorbell - we put the button on the porch post and hung the box inside the playhouse so the kids can ring the doorbell to be let in. | Similar Kid-Sized Adirondack Chair - we got a kid-sized adirondack chair at a yardsale and painted it the same bright green that we painted the door (the original chair was yellow!). |
| Peep Hole - We added a peep hole to the playhouse door too. The kids love looking through it to see who's ringing the doorbell. | "Friends" Reference - I just had to paint a gold frame on the back of the door around the peep hole, just like on the TV show "Friends." |
| Porch Bell - the kids always get a kick out of ringing it to call their friends in from around the yard. |
| Chalkboard - Inside the playhouse I painted one wall in chalkboard paint so the kids have a space to draw. We just keep the chalk and eraser on one of the windowsills inside the playhouse. |
PS - At Christmas we even decorate the playhouse with solar Christmas lights and a wreath!
We LOVE going camping, but camping with kids definitely adds to the amount of stuff you need to bring… like several complete changes of clothes per day for each kid, just in case. In order to keep our tent more organized and to help make outfit changes quick and easy (even in the middle of the night), we love using packing cubes! | This post contains affiliate links |
Each kid gets their own packing cube which makes finding clothes easy - no more digging to the bottom of a dark duffle bag to find a tiny pair of socks. I highly reccomend giving packing cubes a try on your next overnight trip, whether it's camping or a hotel stay, they're a game-changer!
Warmer weather is coming and it’s time for a wardrobe and gear refresh! Here I’m sharing some of my favorite warmer weather and outdoor picks from L.L. Bean for Spring and Summer. | This post contains affiliate links |
Summer is here and it's time for relaxing on the deck or porch, enjoying the weather, and maybe enjoying a beer too. An easy and affordable way to add some practicality and fun to your outdoor space is to simply add a bottle opener to your deck or porch railing! It takes less than 5 minutes to put up and will get use all summer long by you and your guests. | This post contains affiliate links |
I don't know about you, but I'm obsessed with HGTV's Fixer Upper and Joanna Gaines' Industrial Farmhouse Style. Summer has me dreaming about redoing our outdoor spaces so I thought I'd put together a collection of great Amazon finds to bring you some farmhouse inspiration on a budget. | This post contains affiliate links |
Hiking with a toddler is a lot of fun with a little prep. Read on for our tips to make it an enjoyable time for everyone. | This post contains affiliate links and an honest product review of Nûby items |
Pick the Right Hike
One of the most important things to do is pick the right hike for your family. Technical hikes that are miles long aren't the wisest choice, especially in the beginning. For our hike we chose an easy hike with a wide path allowing plenty of room for our little one to run around as we walked.
Consider the Time of Year
The time of year will determine how to prepare for your hike too. It's a given that colder weather means packing layers, hotter weather calls for sunhats, sunscreen, and extra water. But here in New England it's hunting season right now, which is why we're wearing orange. Even though we're in a park, it's still very important to be visible (tip: our daughter's orange hat is just an adult sized beanie rolled up, no need to buy a child-sized one).
Gear
Really the best bit of advice I have is to be prepared. Pack your bag with everything you think you will need and it will help keep everyone happy. I've included a list of the gear we used on our little hike, including Nûby's Insulated Stainless Steel Food Jar and Insulated Stainless Steel Flip-It Cup which were provided to us to use and review.
1. Hiking Backpack Carrier - These carriers are a life-saver when hiking with a little one. Independent toddlers will often insist on walking themselves, but at some point they're going to get tired or you may encounter rocky or steep terrain you don't want them to climb - and that's when this will be essential. These packs are comfortable for your little one and for you since they have a rigid frame, and padded waist, shoulder, and chest straps. There's often a lot of storage under the seat area too, which is perfect for carrying your snacks and supplies for the hike. Carriers with a fold-out stand are super helpful when loading and unloading your little one. The "Snugli" Backpack Carrier we have is a discontinued model, but the one I've linked to looks very similar to ours.
2. Insulated Thermos - Packing hot food to eat on a cool hike is always nice and refreshing. We packed some hot chicken noodle soup to enjoy at the end of our little hike and it really hit the spot. 3. Water for Everyone - Water on a hike is key. Even if you won't be hiking long, always pack plenty of water for you and everyone in your party. I packed a well-loved Kleen Kanteen for myself (can you believe I've had this bottle for over 7 years now? ..hence, the dents), and a Nûby Flip-It Cup for our little one. 4. Orange Hat - Visibility during hunting season is very, very important. Even if you're hiking inside a park, hunting may still be happening on adjacent properties and a hunter may inadvertently get close to hiking trails. 5. Snacks - Snacks are very important, you don't want a hangry toddler on your hands! I packed an Earth's Best cereal bar for our little one and a Lärabar for me. 6. First Aid Kit - You never know when a trip and fall may happen and it's important to have a first aid kit on hand for any potential cuts or scrapes. 7. Bug Spray - Even though it's getting colder out, mosquitoes are still present and ticks are a huge threat in our area. My husband and myself have pre-treated our hiking shoes with permethrin (not pictured) and spray our clothing with bug spray containing DEET to deter ticks. Our pediatrician had told us we could use DEET bug spray on our toddler (*always consult with your own pediatrician first!*), but we're leery about using chemicals on her so we use a locally-made all-natural bug spray (similar type of bug spray linked here). As soon as we get home we all make sure to change our clothes and check for ticks too, just in case.
Nûby was kind enough to send us their Insulated Stainless Steel Food Jar with Folding Spoon and Insulated Stainless Steel No-Spill Flip-It Cup to try on our hike. Their Insulated Food Jar is BPA-free, holds 15 ounces, and will keep food warm for 6 hours and cool for 7 hours. Inside the jar is a second compartment (I loved this feature!) that is perfect for keeping crackers for your soup or chili. There's also a fold-out spoon inside. We packed chicken noodle soup for our hike and it was still piping hot when we sat down to eat. Their Insulated Flip-It Cup is BPA-free, holds 9 ounces, and keeps liquids cool for up to 10 hours. I loved that it holds more than most of our other sippy cups and kept her drink nice and cold. Overall, I really loved these two products - they have a cute design, insulate well, and I love that they're stainless steel. The one thing that I didn't like about them is that they're not dishwasher safe (though that is typical of most double-walled cups and jars).
We've teamed up with Nûby to giveaway a stainless steel food jar and flip-it cup to a lucky follower to use on their own hikes - or any other adventure. Please see our giveaway post on Instagram (@birchlandinghome) for details and to enter. Good luck!!
Giveaway ends 11/25/15 at 1PM EST.
- I received these items for review from Nûby but all opinions expressed are my own. Please read our full Disclosure Policy for more information -
Nûby's Insulated Stainless Steel Food Jar with Folding Spoon and Insulated Stainless Steel No-Spill Flip-It Cup can be purchased at various retailers including Amazon and Babies 'R Us.
