DIY Outdoor Fun

Those of you who know me, know I am not afraid to tackle any project.  I love trying out new ideas in the sewing room as much as I do in the garage or the yard.  Last summer the kids and I got a bee in our bonnet and decided to build some outdoor lawn games.  This isn't the first wood building project we have tackled together.  Now that the kids are older and stronger, especially my boys, I am amazed at how quickly things get done.  Well, almost.

We put together our ladder ball ladder within one day.  After a few coats of paint, chosen and painted by my daughter. (I know the pink and purple probably gave that away, didn't it).  We were ready to play.  It has been great fun for the entire family, and a wonderful thing to have when company is here.

Last summer we also put together a Cornhole set.  We built it and put one coat of primer on it and it has sat in the garage ever since.  I am not sure why we stalled out on it, but this year with my husbands, ah..encouragement, we finally finished it up.

Once again E and I were in charge of painting and designing the finished product.  We went with Scarlet,  Gray and White for a certain University.  Using contact paper to design the Block O and to trim out around the hole was a great tip provided by the Internet.

The directions for both I pulled of the Internet.  There are numerous patterns on the Internet for ladder ball.  The most common is the PVC type.  Since our original ladder ball set was PVC and the boys managed to mangle that within the course of one summer, we went the wood route. The Ladder ball game directions we used can be found here at This Old House.

The Cornhole we used directions can be found here at DIY network and here at This Old House.  It is a great way to get the kids away from the electronics and involved in something that we can all do together. Happy Gaming.