thinking small

Pop-up treehouse card from The Folded Forest.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about small spaces, trying to remember how special it is to be a kid.

When I was small I loved to hide out in tiny nooks. My Grandma had a great one under her stairs that held shelves and shelves of toys. More stuff than any kid could ever really need, here lived toys from every decade imaginable. Some of the permanent residents (a small musical wooden rocker, for instance) had belonged to my Mother years before, while some of the newer additions (my Grandma's homemade Cabbage Patch Dolls) were only ever loved by me and my brother. It was a treasure trove for the imagination.

At the house I lived in until I was around 5, my parents had created an amazing basement playroom for us. Complete with "Tiger Tiger" shag carpet, I remember a section of this playroom that was reserved for playing house. It had all of the conveniences of a modern make-believe home - a stove, doll beds, plastic dishes.

I'm afraid of trying to remember this place to hard, for fear that I'll forget it.

One of the kids on my block (who coincidentally is now married to a good friend) had a tree fort in his backyard. A tree fort! In the actual trees! With a ladder and everything! I was super jealous of that, and because I was a girl, I think I only ever got to play in it a couple of times. They just had a baby boy, and I hope the city bylaws don't restrict them from building just as awesome a structure for him.

Each time I see photos of someone's treehouse or playhouse online I'm secretly jealous. I think if I ever own land with lots of trees, I'll build an entire treehouse village, Ewok-style.

In the meantime, I'll just have to look at what other people have built - like this one, found via Apartment Therapy, and drool.