Pictures of the Top Bunk Bed Tent and Paltry Instructions

I'm sorry this is less of a how-to build a top bunk bed tent because I didn't build it, Mike did. I constructed the bottom bunk bed tent ("How to Make a Bottom Bunkbed Tent"). I've been bugging him to do a post about how he built this thing, but he's been busy saving the world and rubbing my feet. So here's what I've got; mostly just some pictures that will hopefully help you if you're interested in building your own top bunk bed tent.

There are five cross-bars that attach to the middle bar, made of PVC. The top and bottom of the bed (lengthwise) are open, to let air and light in. The fabric is duck canvas, but any fabric without too much stretch should work. I don't know, maybe stretchy fabric would be awesome (or more awesome). We wanted it to be pretty heavy-duty though, in case someone decided to try and lean on it.  

Another view of the top of the tent. The dimensions were based on how high our ceiling was above the bunkbed. And we gave it the shape of the top half of an octagon (is that an A-frame?) because we have a fan in the room that would have hit it otherwise. 

Yet another view. 

We attached the fabric to the PVC pipe with heavy-duty snaps. We also reinforced the fabric where we attached the snaps with pellon (fusible interfacing, or for those of you, who like me had no idea, it's thick stuff you can iron on to your fabric to make it more stiff and sturdy.) Mike sewed on ties at eight points--one in each corner and two more on each side. 

Here's a picture of the snaps unsnapped. In the top right corner is a little window that I cut out and sewed, after we took the very top picture. 

The door way was the hardest, Mike said. This is where the ladder comes up. I don't even know how to explain it (I'm sorry). He sewed the fabric so it made a pocket for the pole. The gauzy fabric in the top picture is a "door" that I sewed on later because my daughter wanted to be able to close the door. We chose the see-through stuff because we didn't want to block out all the light.  

I sewed some little pockets on the inside so she could store her things. She also liked to put things in the fold of the fabric on the sides. I say "liked", because since little Norah was born, we've had to switch things up a bit and the bunkbed tent resides in pieces in our garage. :(

Hopefully this will give you some more ideas on how to build your own. Good luck! Feel free to leave a comment, with your email address, if you have any questions and I will respond as best I can. Also, if you make one I'd love to see it, so send me pictures! 

5 Things I Irrationally Hate

I am all about being irrational. Because logic is far too difficult to wrap my mother-adled brain around.

1. Honey--Oh sure it has nutritional value and is all-natural and delicious, but has anyone ever found a good way to store it? Or get it out of the storage jar? I will wipe off the table, sit down to enjoy a good book and find my elbows sticking to the table. And my shorts sticking to the chair. Arggh. Sticky everywhere.
2. Rice Krispies--Little tiny devils that when soaked in milk and allowed to dry become impossible to clean off the floor. The other morning Ellie, otherwise known as the Messiest Eater in the West, had a bowl of these which she managed to spill all over the table. When I came out from feeding Norah, tiny, wet Rice Krispies were scattered across the whole table. In an attempt to stop them from permanently bonding to my table I tried to wipe them up. They clung and shifted worse than my dress on a hot summer day. It took forever to wipe them up, and they hadn't even performed their superglue feat yet.
3. Joannes-- I already feel extreme stress when I enter this fabric/craft store. I want to sob every time I approach the fabric cutting counter, "No! I don't know how many yards I need. Just sell me the whole bolt." But I am far too cheap for that. Then after I stand in line, sweating about how many yards I need to finish some nursery curtains that I am never going to sew, I have to stand in line again to purchase this fabric. The second line is always at least 20 minutes long and winds through a slot canyon of candy and other junk that I continually tell my children not to touch and no I will not buy them the wooden frog they have always wanted.
4. Plastic Step stools- Specially designed to trip you or scratch your poor feet and legs, especially when wielded by a toddler.

Well, I guess that's it. I have a lot of things that I rationally hate, like war, disease, and broccoli, but I can only think of four irrational things right now. I'll have to add to the list later.