BEFORE

We have been in our house for almost 6 years. The entire time we have been here we have been fighting our builder because the drainage in our backyard SUCKS!  Finally, last winter they sent in another landscaper who went in and re-sloped the yards and then I FINALLY received my approval for a fence. We finished up our fence last week and this weekend JoJo and I packed up the kid and shipped her off to Nana’s.  We had one goal for this weekend.  That goal was to take this poor pitiful corner of our yard and turn it into a play oasis.

AFTER

I think we did a pretty awesome job!

After we positioned the swing set, which we purchased for $150 last summer at KMart during their end of summer clearance, we used spray paint to draw a border.  JoJo then dug a small trench along the line.  I then used garden border to outline the area.

This was what we had to work with once the border was in place. JoJo and I then started to pull up the small amount of grass we had growing.  We also loosened up the dirt so that we could create a nice smooth foundation for the sand. Once all the grass was up and the dirt was smooth we poured in about {20} 50lb. bags of play sand.  At that point we were ready for the fun stuff, the accessories.

I purchased this bright and colorful pinwheel from a local Big Lots for only $6!  I think I may go back and get a couple more to put in other spots of the playground.

This steering wheel is from one of Aubrey’s Fisher Price playsets.  It was the only thing left on the playset that she still played with so we took it off and attached it to the fence.

I purchased these SOLAR POWER flower lights from Lowe’s Home Improvement.  I really wanted to add some lighting to this spot because it sits in a corner of our yard that gets really dark.  This will not only bring in some light but it will allow Aubrey to spend some evening time out here.

This is my favorite part of the playground.  While we were at Lowes I purchased a square piece of plywood.  I then painted it with chalkboard paint and JoJo attached it to the fence.  I used a plant bracket to hang a paint bucket that will keep all her chalkboard supplies.  A few of the supplies I added were a water bottle, a cloth to wipe the board and a mason jar to keep the chalk dry. We purchased a much bigger piece of plywood than the one you see here but after about 30 minutes we realized there was no way it was going to fit in the truck.  We then had to go back into Lowe’s and have them cut about 5 inches off. If you did not know Lowes will cut wood for you then you should make a note of it.  This little bit of info can make DIY projects a lot easier for you.

Here is another view of the playground.

And this is what a happy kid looks like.  When she saw it she screamed “YOU DID THIS FOR ME? YOU ARE THE BEST MOMMY AND DADDY EVER!”

Aubrey and Riley then spent the next hour digging in the sand.  Our weekend project was a HUGE SUCCESS.