I recently came across this photo on flickr from Mary Beth and was inspired. Block play is a major thing here and I loved how cozy and home-like something as simple as a fireplace block could make a kid block creation look and feel.
It just so happened that we had a bunch of great block-wood literally lying around. Chip had just finished a bit of work on the back porch, which included putting up the rest of the missing batten strips to cover the cracks between the cypress boards (a good picture can be seen here). The left overs from these strips (all about 10-12 inches long) were piled next to the fire ring and I scooped up a few, had Chip chop them into small blocks and the kids and I sanded them smooth.
Using white acrylic ink and a thin (#0) brush, we put in the fireplace details. After the ink was dry, they were rubbed all over with wood polish and then put into action. Along with becoming part of many a block house, I found them in the tree house and on the currently minimalistic (read "toddler proof") nature shelf.
So simple and so fun. I am thinking we definitely need a few more of these. After all, winter is on the way. :)
