50 Thrifty: DIY Pirate Ship
2 Aug
I can’t take any credit whatsoever for today’s 50 Thrifty and instead, all goes to my awesome husband who, on a whim, constructed this DIY pirate ship out in the living room of couch cushions, blankets, and PVC pipe. Isobel’s latest pirate/mermaid obsession, coupled with our recent trip on Grandpa’s sail boat, has caused us to play endless amounts of nautical-themed games with her. Originally Anthony’s idea was to stick the PVC pipe into the couch for a ready-made pirate ship but he couldn’t get it to work. At that point I walked past him with a quizzical look and ask him what the heck he was doing.
“You’ll see,” is all he would say.
Fifteen minutes later I poke my head in the living room and see the pirate ship in all its glory. Amazing.
It was super easy to put together once Anthony figured out what was going to work. Total items used included two lengths of PVC pipe, a long polyester string, three couch cushions, a small blanket for the sail, a large heavy blanket for the base, and several pillows and toys from throughout the house. And one sassy toddler, of course.
Oh, and cats. You can never do anything of note without involving the cats. Of course.
The cats did knock the sail over a couple of times after vigorously attacking the string, but that’s to be expected and besides, it’s light enough to where it wouldn’t hurt even if it fell on your head.
To make the sail boat, assemble your materials and lay your couch cushions out on the ground. Wedge your PVC pipe in between two couch cushions and a pillow or two. The cushions and pillows keep the “mast” in the air but what stabilizes it is the heavy blanket wrapped around the base. Tuck the other PVC pipe in the cushions at an angle perpendicular to the mast and wrap a small blanket around each end. Cover with more pillows and toys.
Ta da! You have a seaworthy vessel for living room pirate adventures.
Two things–one, I really want the stripey afghan you’re using as a sail. We have several afghans around our house that were made by my grandmothers, but that one is awesome. Two, why do you have a Christmas tree on your wall? In August.
WE ARE EXTREMELY PREPARED, KIRSTIN. (And my Mother has forgotten to take it home for, let’s see, 8 months.)
Man, isn’t it a great blanket though? I lurve it.
So cute, looks like the most comphy DIY ship ever! I first noticed how adorable and tidy your home is… then like Kirstin, I noticed the Christmas tree and laughed. At least it matches your home
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This is awesome! Must build!!
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I love this! And am joining the crowd in loving that stripey blanket. We are big pirate cowboys at my house, sailing the sofa seas pretty regularly but also eating cans of beans and riding horses. NBD
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Fantastic