Dress Up Storage Bin and Puppet Theater
Things have been quiet around here because I’ve been busy working on a project for my son’s school. If you “Like” The Picky Apple on Facebook, then you got to see a little sneak peek of this yesterday. As the Auction Coordinator for my son’s class (totally got suckered into that!!), we put together this Dress Up Storage Bin to be auctioned off as a fundraiser for the school.
My husband built the Dress Up Storage Bin (inspired by Ana White, but customized for our needs). After building a bed, this was a fairly simple project for him, but it still took about 10 hours of his time. I am SO PROUD of him and THANKFUL for his willingness to help out! I did the painting–all 4 coats (gotta love white paint)! The costumes (or funds to purchase costumes) were generously donated by the AMAZING group of parents from our class. At one point before Spring Break, I was a little nervous about how this was all going to come together, but in the end we had a Class Auction Basket valued at OVER $800!! (This is our first year at this preschool, but apparently the auction is a Big Deal).
The storage bin contains FIFTEEN costumes: knight, construction worker, pirate, veterinarian, chef, firefighter, Batman, Superman, Robin, Fancy Nancy, ladybug, cowgirl, ballerina, princess, fairy.
There are some accessories hidden in the storage underneath the costume. This space will be just perfect for shoes and other big accessories like shields, swords, etc.
The baskets up top are milkcrates from Target. One of the crates contains more costume accessories (shoes, jewelry, wands, crowns). Another crate contains TEN books that coordinate with TEN of the costumes.
The last crate contains THREE puppets (pig, cat, and crocodile-though I honestly thought the crocodile was a dragon when I bought it!). If you turn the Bin around, it doubles as a Puppet Theater. I hand-sewed the curtains myself with fabric from Hobby Lobby after my attempt at no-sew curtains flopped. It was my first time sewing curtains, and they aren’t perfect, but I’d say they look pretty cute!
I am ECSTATIC about how this project turned out and glad to have it over with (it’s been a major source of stress since January). I can’t wait to see how much money is raised on Auction Night. If you’re local and interested, let me know in the comments and I’ll email you with details about the auction.
Now back to the house painting and Easter crafts!!
I’m sharing this post with….
Very cute auction idea. It looks super AWESOME can’t wait to hear how much the winning bid is =)
So so cute! I have been “around the block” when it comes to school auctions. I have either attended or helped make the auction basket for the past 7 years. I only say that to let you know that this has to be the COOLEST idea for an auction item I have ever seen! Cute, practical, functional, and unique! I hope it gets top dollar!
Wow!! It came out looking amazing! You guys really did an excellent job putting such a wonderful “basket” together. I am certain it will do very well!
Cara, I LOVE this. It looks amazing! You guys did such an awesome job!
I’m very excited to see how much this sells for too. I know quite a few moms already who are planning to bid on it. The Auction Chair said that in the past, the “baskets” bring in about half of their actual value.
Tanya, thanks so much!! This is the first time I’ve every really been involved in a school auction, so I have no idea what to expect. I have heard that this preschool’s auction is very well done. And would you believe this idea was my THIRD choice for a theme?? My other 2 ideas were already taken….so glad for that!! I LOVE this theme!
Thanks Brooke!! I want to make one for our house too. It was hard to part with it!
Thanks Cassie! My husband is a talented guy, isn’t he? That was the hard part. I got to do the fun part of buying lots of costumes! 🙂
Love that it’s both cute and functional! Good job!
~* Jessica Lauren @ http://copy-cat-crafter.blogspot.com *~
We desperately need one of these at our house! Great job!
This is fantastic! I love that you can close the curtains and hide it all too…. We have a dress-up room, but it doesn’t ever look this neat and tidy!
I’d love to have you stop by my For the Kids Fridays Link Party and share! Stop by and check it out!
http://sunscholars.blogspot.com/2011/03/for-kids-friday-4.html
Awesome! Now, to talk my hubby into making it!!! 😉
This is so cute. I love that it does double duty and all for fun imaginative play.
Wow! This is amazing!!! I bet it will be a huge hit at Spring Fling. Wouldn’t it be great if someone bought it and donated it to our drama class?!!! I can always dream, right?!!!
I think the double duty aspect of this is key since it’s a bigger piece. It’s a great way to make the most of your play space!
Carrie,
I’m really excited to see how it does at Spring Fling, especially since it is our first year! If your Dream Donor doesn’t come through, you can always add your name to the quickly-growing list of people that want my husband to build them their very own Dress Up Bin! (I’m first on the list!!) Looking forward to auction night!
These things are a must buy for any kid. I will buy them too when I will have kids.Â
How big is your puppet opening and how far up from the bottom did you go? Is this still the original 36″ height? Thanks!