Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Redneck Water Bed

Em here, Kette is busy busy with lots of photo shoots and traveling for the next week or so, which means your stuck with goofy me for a while, sorry! Anywhoo, Rachael sent us today's Pinstrosity, and my my my it is a doozey, and it is messy( all the better I say!)! But is also looks like A LOT of fun, here goes!

The Original Pin

Sadly due to copyright issues I can't post the picture here, but pop over to this awesome blog and check out the original :)
And if you are just too lazy to do that (like me, depending on the day), it looks like a giant ziplock bag filled with blue kool-aide water, if you were wondering.
Here is the link for the original picture and post:

 http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/2012/02/redneck-waterbed.html

The Pinstrosity
http://amsd2dth27.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/interest-not-included/
The Mishap: Rachael thoroughly read the blog, the directions, and had all the materials she needed, except for one, flat ground. The project called for one clear plastic tarp, (10'x25' 3.5 mil), lots of duct tape, a hose, some food coloring and small little toys that you can put inside for the kids to see. Rachael followed the directions and taped all the way around the edges of the tarp making it like a big enclosed pillowcase. She used a bucket to raise up the entrance of the hose so that the water flowed downwards, and just waited. Here is where is started to get hairy. The ground has to be flat, or else your water bed becomes a steamroller. The water moves the  tarp to the lowest point and then the hose comes out, the water leaks and mayhem ensues. Once she finally found a flatter spot the duct tape job just didn't cut it and water was EVERYWHERE. She said she sat on it just for the sake of someone playing on it (she said the picture above is as close to it as her toddler would go), and she consequently got soaked, that's when they called it quits.
A few pointers:

  • A flat area to do this project is pretty much vital.
  • Double duct taping, go around the tarp the first time to connect the sides, and around it a second time to really make sure it is sealed.
  • When filling it with water elevate the opening and the hose.
  • Other than that I think she had the right idea, if her yard had cooperated better this wouldn't have been such a to do, but now she knows where NOT to do this project!
  • I for one love love love this idea, and forget the kids, totally trying this one out at the family reunion for the adults, looks like fun :)
Oh and just an added note, we love rednecks around here, the title is in no way trying to offend anyone ;)
Happy Tuesday Everyone!

                                              -Emilee
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14 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 10, 2012 at 9:44 PM

    I tried this just three days ago and yes the water does flow to an area that is lowest but other than that it was a blast. No leakd, made me feel like a duct tape master, and tons of fun for me and my little bros.
    The second time however pretty much sucked. Leaking along the short duct tape side and wouldn't feel up. But first time a blast

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  2. AnonymousJuly 12, 2012 at 7:20 PM

    Didn't work for me either!! :( And it cost way more than it said in the pin.

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  3. AnonymousJuly 12, 2012 at 11:29 PM

    I just did it and it was awesome!! I used waterproof duct tape - it was super fun, but yes, it does require a flat spot :)

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  4. AnonymousJuly 21, 2012 at 8:22 AM

    I did this with a friend and it worked great! The only issue we had was putting the last little bit of tape on to seal it, but we got it done and it stayed for three days.

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  5. AnonymousJuly 29, 2012 at 7:39 PM

    Ours only lasted maybe an hour before there were too many holes to repair. Also did it on a really hot day and it was like a greenhouse and burned my grass! I now have a big square patch of dead grass in the middle of my yard!

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  6. AnonymousAugust 7, 2012 at 6:27 PM

    Did this for my grandkids and it was a huge success! When it was finally done, my 3-year old granddaughter fell back onto the blob, looked up at me with her dazzling blue eyes and said,"You are the awesomest GG in the whole world!" So worth the cost and effort!

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  7. BeckyAugust 17, 2012 at 9:56 AM

    our regular duct tape didn't stick. then gorilla duct tape didn't stick. this was a pinstrosity for us. ( when it exploded, the water gushed over to where i was sitting and my iphone sucked up all the water since it was in my back pocket) I have had tons of other successes with crafts, but not that one.

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  8. UnknownAugust 18, 2012 at 6:39 PM

    This was one I wanted to try. I probably won't bother with it now, or maybe do it on a smaller scale for my son. I'll make sure to look for waterproof tape!

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  9. SuzAugust 21, 2012 at 11:20 AM

    We tried it, and it was awesome!!! We used on sheet and had three adults and two kids on it at once. It did leak but we got 4 hours of playtime out of it, and on a hot summer day the cool water pillow felt AMAZING!

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  10. Lisa-MarieAugust 27, 2012 at 6:03 PM

    I did this with my preschool students. I used two full sheets and duck taped on all sides (we knew we would have 14 or so kids). I taped it at home, going around once on the seams, then a second time and third time (so there were three strips, overlapping a bit, but you could see three). I took it to work, and decided to put a tarp under it since our flat space was a bit weedy. It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I really do mean awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to do it again!

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  11. AnonymousAugust 31, 2012 at 7:31 PM

    We did this. Yes you must have a COMPLETELY flat area. even the slightist slope with cause you issues, and once the water fills up it becomes VERY heavy to move. This caused a few small holes while we attempted to move it. Also, you need at least two rolls of duct tape. We only bought one..it's not fun to make another trip to the store because you have 8 inches left to tape lol. Anyways, we eventually got it done and it was worth it. lol funny becuase it was just me and my boyfriend. It was a hot day so the blob was perfect for laying out, getting a tan, and taking a nice cool nap.

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  12. MaryJanuary 5, 2013 at 11:43 AM

    has anyone ever thought about caulking the seems before and/or after taping it?

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  13. Mandy CombsOctober 4, 2013 at 8:42 PM

    I read one on pinterest where the lady used parchment paper to iron the edges sealed. She said it held up very well. Her's a link to the instructions: http://www.homemadetoast.com/2013/07/how-to-make-leak-proof-water-blob.html

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  14. JennOctober 20, 2013 at 5:29 PM

    We did this at the daycare I work at, and it worked fantastic. It only lasted maybe 30 mins, but that was due to the fact that there were about 20 preschoolers and toddlers playing and jumping on it. It was way more expensive then it said in the post though.

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