Imagination in action with Nugget + Sarah’s Silks

Leah Faye Gaeddert lives in a small town in the Midwest with her three little kids Emmet, Henry, and Eleanor. They spend most of their days at home — playing, creating art, gardening, reading, baking, and just being together! 

Here, Leah shares creative new ways to combine the Nugget and Sarah’s Silks for some magical playtime builds.

Playtime is one of my very favorite things about childhood. I love when my kids get deep into imaginative play, whether that be out in our yard or playing with their toys inside. We’ve owned and loved Nugget play couches and Sarah’s Silks for years — they are some of our favorites for playtime! Today I’m sharing a few ideas for how to set up Nuggets and Sarah’s Silks together for some fun, imaginative adventures.

The Treehouse 

• One Nugget
• Two Giant Playsilks
• One wooden Playclip
• Rainbow King/Queen Dress-up Set
• Rainbow Fairy Wings 
• Blossom Garland

My kids love a good treehouse build - especially when it comes with a pulley! We used the Nugget base + soft cushion to create a box on top of one of our beds and placed the two pillows on top. I wedged a wooden play broom between the two cushions to create a pole for my pulley system, then used a wooden Playclip from Sarah’s Silks to keep the silk from sliding off. I tied together two Giant Playsilks and tied a basket to one end to create the rope of my pulley and showed the kids how to raise it up and lower it back down.

They had a great time delivering fruits and veggies to each other and using the pulley to bring them up into their treehouse. We added some Sarah’s Silks Dress-up Sets for even more imaginary fun. My son is wearing the Rainbow King/Queen Dress-up Set and daughter is wearing Rainbow Fairy Wings and a Blossom Garland.

The Castle 

• One Nugget
• Giant Ocean Playsilk
• Orange Playsilk
• Wooden Playclips
• Rainbow Knight Dress-up Set
• Rainbow Shield

A classic playtime adventure — the castle! We built our castle by folding our Nugget base + soft cushion into right angles on either side of the room to create our towers and then put the two pillows in the middle for the gate/wall. 

We added a Giant Ocean Playsilk for our moat and used a broom, wooden Playclips, and an Orange Playsilk to create a flag. The kids are wearing Rainbow Knight Dress-up Sets and carrying a Rainbow Shield. The kids loved hiding in the towers and taking turns defending the castle!

The Rocket

• Two Nuggets
• Giant Star Playsilk
• Double Star Playsilk
• Two wooden Playclips
• 2-3 Playsilks in Orange, Red, and Sunshine
• Star King/Queen Dress-up Set

I placed three Nugget pillows on the floor: two in front to look like boosters, and one behind to keep it sturdy. I then folded a Nugget base cushion in half and put it on top of the pillows. Next, I built the “cabin” using another Nugget base and a soft cushion to create a box on top of the base, and placed one more pillow on top to create a pointy rocket tip.

I hung a Double Star Playsilk behind our rocket using wooden Playclips to attach it to a bunting I had hanging on the wall and added Playsilks in Orange, Red, and Sunshine to the boosters on the floor to look like flames. The kids wore Star King/Queen Dress-up Sets.

The kids loved counting down and blasting off — giving the Nugget a good shake to make it feel like it was really launching! They traveled to different planets and jumped around the room like they were jumping on the moon with their silk capes floating in the air behind them.

The Campsite

• One Nugget
• Four Giant Playsilks
• Wooden Canopy Ring
• Playsilks in Orange, Sunshine, and Red
• Blossom Garland
• Rainbow Tutu

For this build, I laid out our Nugget base cushion with the soft cushion on top and pillows on either side. I used a hook and string to hang our Sarah’s Silks Canopy Ring from the ceiling, and then tied four Giant Playsilks to the ring and draped them over the outside of the Nugget. I made a campfire by filling a basket with Red, Orange, and Sunshine Playsilks, and gave the kids sticks from the yard to roast pretend marshmallows with. My daughter is wearing a Blossom Garland and a Rainbow Tutu. Everything is more fun while wearing a tutu.

The Pirate Ship

• Two Nuggets
• Giant Ocean Playsilk
• Various Playsilks in greens and blues
• Wooden Canopy Ring
• Wooden Playclips
• Rainbow Mermaid Dress-up Set
• Rainbow Knight Dress-up Set

We used a Nugget soft cushion as the front of our boat by folding it into a “V” shape. We made the back of the boat by standing up two base cushions straight down either side and then folding a soft cushion over the top and back to create a closed cabin. I then added three pillows on top of the back of the boat to give it more of a pirate ship shape, and one pillow on the inside of the front of the boat to hold a steering wheel. For a steering wheel, I used a Sarah’s Silks Canopy Ring (I left it resting on the pillow at the front). I crafted a flag using a wooden broom tucked into one of the Nugget base cushions, and used wooden Playclips to attach a Playsilk to the top. 

The kids wore Rainbow Knight Dress-up Sets and Rainbow Mermaid Dress-up Sets. Bonus points if you talk in pirate accents, create a fake treasure map, and hide treasure somewhere in the room!

You can find Leah on Instagram @leahfayegaeddert, where she shares tons of playtime ideas, DIY projects, and all about how she’s creating a home that’s full of magic.