DIY Toy Pool

I'm excited to be part of a blog hop with eight other amazing bloggers to bring you some projects based on the theme of "Summer Travel". Since I can barely make it out of the house with my broken leg, much less go on a fun summer vacation, I decided it would be fun to bring some summer fun for my daughter's toys instead (with a whole lot of help from my amazing husband, of course)!

Here is our finished Toy Pool! I was calling it a Barbie pool during the construction, but once it was done, I didn't want to discriminate against all the other toys like Little People, Disney character figures, and Littlest Pet Shop. My daughter has had so much fun playing with this pool (we don't add real water) and I absolutely love how it turned out.

Coupons.com so generously gave us $50 to spend at Home Depot for this project. I was surprised at how much we were able to get for our project with our money! If you want to see more deals from Home Depot, make sure to check out these Coupons.com Home Depot coupon codes!

Supplies:
Washing Machine Outlet Box
Spa Blue Spray Paint
Kona Brown Spray Paint
12" Linoleum Tiles
1 1x6x6' Board
1 3/8x2x4' Plywood
1 Box Drywall Screws
Mod Podge
Sand
Slim Colored Craft Sticks (Blue)
E6000 Glue

Spray the inside and plate cover of the washing machine outlet box with blue spray paint. Spray two coats, letting each coat dry before applying more paint.

Cut the 1x6x6 board into four pieces: two 10 1/4", and two 17 3/4" for the box.

Cut the plywood in two pieces: one 17 3/4' x 18" (bottom with overhang), and the other 17 3/4' x 11 3/4" (top of the box).

Spray paint the bottom piece of plywood with brown spray paint and let dry. Apply another coat or two over the other half of the board that will stick out past the pool box. Let dry completely between coats.

Paint all the sides of the box with two coats of brown spray paint. Let dry completely between coats.

To assemble the pool:

Screw the 4 side pieces of the box together with the drywall screws. One on each corner should work fine. Then, attach the top and bottom plywood pieces with screws.

Trace the washer outlet on the top piece of plywood and cut out with a jigsaw. Make sure the outlet box fits before you put the saw away!

Butt the tiles together in the center of the box, and measure 17 3/4" x 11 3/4". CAREFULLY cut with a box cutter or utility knife. The tiles are pre-glued, so peel the backing off and stick to the top of the box.

Place the plate cover on the washer outlet box, and drop into the pool box. You can glue if you want to, but it should fit snugly into place.

For the bottom plywood section, mix a cup of Mod Podge with a cup of sand. Any fine sand should work great. Mix well, and carefully pour/paint on the wood. Let dry completely, and add a second coat if necessary. This will make your "beach" and will keep the sand safely in place and not all over your floor.

Cut and glue the slim, blue craft sticks together to make a ladder. Totally optional, but my inquisitive daughter was wondering how everyone was supposed to climb up to the pool. Problem solved!