Happy October! We only have a couple weeks left until Halloween is upon us!

For us, it’s a super exciting month because it’s also Lil’ Nat’s birthday month! Her birthday is a couple days before Halloween and the anticipation is at full tilt!

Spray paint FTW

When Natalie was 2, I received this cute but faded  and old playhouse from a wonderful friend. It was 18 years old! I had the lovely idea to spray paint it as a Christmas gift for Natalie.

Fast forward and the harsh sun and rain deteriorated most of the spray paint and it has been sitting in the corner of our backyard.

I wanted to spruce up this little house for Natalie’s upcoming birthday however I was hesitant about using spray paint again. It ended up costing more money than I wanted to previously. Spray paint is definitely not cheap!

I scoured Pinterest and the internet for alternative painting ideas for plastic.

After 3-4 hours of research, I found that the best way to spruce up plastic playhouses still ended up being spray paint.

However! I realized my mistake from the first round. I did not prime and the brand I used was very drippy.

This time I took the time to read reviews and found that the Rust-oleum 2X Ultra Cover Paint+Primer was the best.

One Stop Shopping

As you know, I recently started working full time out of the house and time is of essence on the weekends.

For years now, Walmart has been my one stop shop for all things related to kids, holiday decorating and parties. Especially for Halloween! I really try to avoid spending too much money on one time use decorations particularly kids stuff and Walmart has by far the most affordable yet pretty items!

My list included a cute halloween outfit for Natalie, her highly requested Snow White costume, spray paint, halloween decoration and pumpkins!

Of course yummy treats and candy too! What is Halloween without sugar?

I also noticed patio table umbrella was looking a little sad and faded too so this was a great chance to update it as well. I looked online and lo and behold, Walmart had the cutest black and white striped umbrella for our backyard.

DIY Details

Let’s chat about the actual DIY of the playhouse now!

First things first, I had to clean all the dirt, spider webs, and sand off the old spray paint that was crumbling and deteriorating.

When it comes to DIYs, I am definitely the idea person and not so much into the details and execution. Cue my rad husband Travis who always helps me take the time to prep and complete the projects with encouragement.

Once the panels were cleaned, I started spraying the large sides. It took a very short time and I was so excited! 

The black definitely amped it up from baby play house to sophisticated play house. I was getting jelly that I couldn’t just spray paint certain parts of my home too. Remember my obsession with Crittal window frames?

I let the panels dry thoroughly for at least 5 hours. I touched up some areas then let it dry again.

Once everything was spray painted, we put it together.

To say we were obsessed was an understatement!

Naturally Natalie was the MOST excited!

Party Mode

I wasn’t planning to go full party mode but once the house was up, Natalie begged to have a party of our own.

Being the third kid and all, I just couldn’t refuse. She has been staying in daycare longer than we hoped for lately and my mommy guilt got the best of me.

I don’t regret it one bit though! We had so much fun decorating the house together. From the Halloween decor, party treats and candy, black and white patio umbrella, twinkle lights, even the pumpkins and hay were from Walmart!

I know you guys love my styling tricks, well here is a pro tip for ya! Walmart had these wonderful faux pumpkins and what I do is mix them in with the real ones. There are two reasons: one being cost, these heirloom pumpkins are NOT cheap! And second, it is a wonderful filler. You can easily use them to add height and depth in a space. It creates a cozy feel instantly!

The one Natalie is holding is a faux pumpkin! So realistic right?

As a busy mom, I was so grateful to consolidate shopping time so we could have this fun party!

My goal for this house was an elevated home you would see on our neighborhood block. A mini real home all decked out for Halloween.

What do you think? Did I achieve my goal? I am sending you all the best Halloween vibes from our cute playhouse to yours!