thrifty gifts:: fort building kit

I had one of those "where the heck have I been" moments last week, when my nephew brought his Build-A-Fort kit to Thanksgiving - complete with sheets, clips, rope, suction cups, and more.  

The kit was a handmade birthday gift from his friend Joli.  When I emailed her, she sent me a link to this tutorial over at BLOOM - thanks Joli! ...How did I miss this?

 

Fort building is a wonderful open-ended activity, because it can be played with in a variety of different ways.

I did make one adjustment to the tutorial to cut down on time, and added an accessory bag, but for the most part, my kit is the same.

Oh yeah, and I made a custom tag to explain the gift, as well as a matching birthday card using this tutorial.

This particular kit was made for a little girl in my son's preschool class.  It was a lot of fun to make, and I was able to use up the pink fabric in my stash. 


Now to the Thrifty part of the gift...

Here is the breakdown:

Thrift Store:
2 sheets - $1.25/each
pillowcase (for the bag lining & accessory bag) - $.50 
Dollar Store:
clothes pins, clamps, and rope ($1/each)
Home Depot: 
flashlight & suction cups - $2/each
My Stash:
The bag and ties were made from thrifted fabric & shirt in my stash - free!

... so if my math is correct, that comes to $10.00!

to check out the mini-tutorial click the button below:

------------------ UPDATE ------------------

  more kits & a great tip!

Here is a great tip from a reader: Littel Holts suggested that instead of (or in addition to) sewing ties on the sheets, create casings for the rope. Fold down each corner, and half way between each corner, about an inch, and sew.  This is a simple, but sturdy, way to thread the ropes through.

fort kit in action!

RETRO DUFFEL Fort Kit

Thanks for stopping by! 

 

Check out the Fort-Kit tutorial at BLOOM HERE!