A DIY Stable for Christmas...

Hello Sisters!!! I know it's been a very very long time!!! All of my "sisters" are doing well and we all hope you have had a wonderful Christmas!!! I know my little girls did. It is so exciting to see them open all their gifts for Christmas. 

This year my little L is in LOVE with horses. Especially 'My Little Pony' horses. And I don't mean the ones they sell at the store today. A while ago I unpacked my huge containter of My Little Ponies that I had when I was growing up..you know..the REAL ones!!! She was instantly in love with them and whenever we go out she chooses a special horse to accompany her. A few months ago I asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she told me a stable...for all her horses. Well, this poses a delima for me because I can sew, crochet, modpodge, etc, etc...but I can not build anything from wood! Oy! What was I to do! So this is when I asked my Dad...who can build ANYTHING...to help me. I told him that L wanted a stable for her My Little Ponies for Christmas and let it be his special gift to her. My dad designed and built it for her and it turned out absolutly beautiful! I can't even begin to express how thankful I am for my dad and all the things he does for my little girls. He's amazing! After my dad finished the project he sent me the detailed instructions with pictures of the whole process. All I know is that this was such a special gift for Leia and I know it is something that will be forever treasured by my little girl and passed on through the generations! I Love you Dad!

A few pictures of the finished project:

Her Ponies have found a new home!

(And now introducing my Dad :)

A Stable Project 


I was asked by my daughter to make a stable for my granddaughter as a Christmas gift. She loves horses and needed a place to play and store them. So I needed a design that would be easy to use and store away. I still had the plans to a barn I built in our backyard, so I used them as a starting point. So I scaled them down and drew in the additions needed to make a stable. Using all outside dimensions I laid out all of the parts onto a sheet of 1/4" thick Luan plywood. The reason for using all of the outside dimensions is to create slot and tab locations in the edges of the parts in order to have them self-fit together. This is the same thing they do for doll houses. Then I drew in all of the corresponding slots and tabs between all of the pieces and cut them out on a band saw and router, you can also use a table saw and then cut the slots and tabs using a router or hand saw. Once all of the pieces are completed, I drew in where I needed to use hinges for the stall gates. The stable was designed and built in two halves so that it will open and close in the middle. This enables full access to all of the stalls and when closed, stores all of the horses. 
After all of the parts were sanded and painted it was time to assemble all of the parts. Be careful when assembling not to glue yourself into a corner as I almost did, test fit the pieces together to insure the correct gluing sequence. Then present your finished project and watch the smiles.

Plans:

Cut out all your pieces:
Make sure they fit together and attach stable doors:
 Attach the hinges to the back of the stable so it will open up:

Once you know it all fits together, take it apart and paint it:
Re-assemble and glue together. Glue on shingles if using:
(my dad made his own shingles but doll house shingles work as well and can be
 picked up at local craft stores or online)
Admire your work: 
Precious Moment: