Under A Shady Tree…You and Me
by Craft Ideas Weekly • June 23, 2010 • Make This • 3 Comments
I just loved having a little baby boy… When my son was little we would just giggle and dance and have the best time together! I’d spend hours singing to him and taking pictures of his tiny toes. The soundtrack to that time was Under A Shady Tree by Laurie Berkner. Every time I hear those songs I’m taken back…it was a time when every day meant discovering something magical, like our first picnic on the lawn with grape soda and sandwiches, feeling the breeze under a handmade, makeshift cabana.
A sweet, shady place can be made anywhere…a backyard, a beach, even a sandbox. Here are some wonderful tutorials on making sun shades. These projects vary in difficulty, but each has some wonderful ideas that may inspire you to find your perfect shady spot!
Sail-Style Shades
Sail shades are very simple coverings that block the sun…they are super modern looking and pretty easy to construct.
Here are two tutorials – neither have pictures…but they basically look like triangular shades stretched at all three corners.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2342384_make-garden-sail-shades.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_2383845_make-triangular-shade-sail.html
Sandboxes With Sun Shades
This one is a serious project that creates a very sturdy, permanent structure.
http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/article/-/5832441/shaded-sandpit/
Sun Shade For A Sandbox - Free Plans
Build A “Vegas Style” Cabana
http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-build-a-cabana/index.html
Use What You Have:
Sun Shade Made From Up-cycled Umbrellas - photo courtesy of CRAFTzine
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/06/recycled_umbrella_shade.html
I’ve recently started a blog, the information you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.
Keep posting stuff like this i really like it
You offer a lot of really interesting ideas for different sunshades. Whichever one people go with, and whatever sunshade you choose, research is an important first step. The best resource I have found for this is McGraw Hill’s Sweet Directory of construction products. Though I do work for them, I honestly use them myself because they offer a lot of useful information. I particularly find the CAD details you can download from their site to be helpful. I definitely recommend them.