DIY Sandbox

 

One of Lachlyn's most favorite activities is playing with sand. So for her birthday we decided to get her a sandbox.  I went online and started looking to buy one.  I knew that we needed some kind of cover on top for those sunny days.  I started looking into this one and this one.   But I just couldn't get myself to pay over $100 for the box that really I didn't like all that much.  So that's when I pitched the idea to my husband.  Of course he said yes, because well he secretly LOVES making anything indestructible and especially for his girl Lach.  We decided to put it on wheels and add a strong rope so that we would be able to move it around the yard.  This by far was the best decision about this whole sandbox! Not only will be able to move it around the yard to ensure we could mow the lawn underneath, but we can also can move it around our yard so that we can have shade or sun when we need it. We also agreed that a strong lid would be the best for those rainy days and to keep out the critters. 

I took Lachlyn to the paint store and she immediately said she wanted to paint it blue.  So blue it was.  Because it will be outside I knew I needed a really good sealant and outdoor paint.  I ended going with my trusty Kilz because well I love it.  So I painted the entire box and lid with the primer/sealant and then 2 coats of the blue.  I do have to say it took a couple days and was a lot of work!  At this point I was saying "why didn't I just buy a sandbox?" haha.  But anything for my daughter right?! I put Rhone to work and we got it done!  Bought a $3 shower curtain and staple gunned it to the bottom of the box.  Bought really good play sand and filled it up.  My husband added handles to the lid so that I could easily slid it back and forth. 

We literally finished the box the night before her birthday so although I had not finished the lid she was very happy she got a blue sandbox.  The next week, I took her back to the store to pick out the other fun colors for the lid.  I decided to make something fun and bright and so I started drawing out the pin wheel lines.

I placed the colors out in each part to make sure the pattern looked OK.

Originally I thought I could just tape off the lines and paint, but plywood is just not flat enough for the tape to stick. So I hand painted most of it.  It took a couple days but was very therapeutic for my soul.  It's definitely not perfect, and it took a lot more work than we originally cared to do, but end result I think is pretty sweet.  The kids are obsessed with it, and it's a one of a kind.