Transform a Pop-Up Play Tent Into a Haunted Playhouse

Give your child's favorite play tent a spooky makeover with this easy DIY project that turns a simple structure into a monster-mouthed haunted house.

Medium

Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at hgtv.com.

This project guides you through painting a pop-up tent purple, crafting a pink cardboard mouth with white felt teeth, and adding faux fur and googly eyes to create a fun, removable monster face.

Directions

Assemble the pop-up structure first so you can work on it while it is standing.

Apply purple craft paint to the outside of the tent. You will need to add several layers to get a solid, uniform color, so allow each coat to dry completely before adding the next.

Take a sheet of scrap cardboard and sketch a wide, curved shape that matches the width of the tent's doorway. Cut this shape out with your scissors.

Paint the cardboard cutout with pink craft paint. Leave it alone until the color is fully dry.

On a piece of stiffened white felt, sketch out a row of jagged teeth. Cut them out and attach them to the back of the pink cardboard mouth using a hot glue gun. Arrange them so they drape over the tent opening, trimming the felt if the length is too long.

Cut a section of faux fur to drape over the upper front of the tent. You can estimate the size by holding the fabric in place and snipping away any extra material.

Secure the mouth, eyes, and fur using hook-and-loop tape. To make future removal simple, cut the tape into small strips and adhere them directly to the tent surface first. Then, remove the paper backing from the tape and press the facial features firmly into place, pushing from the inside of the tent to ensure a strong bond.