A savvy mum built her kids a mini town to play in as their Christmas present – and put it all together herself with a budget of just £400.
Kara Fidd, 32, started making gifts for her two children after not being able to find a suitable ‘Jurassic Park gate’ after her son, Aiden, seven, asked for one last year.
The stay-at-home mum decided to get creative and make the gate herself with left over scraps of wood and paint.
Kara upcycled a sledge she found in a thrift store and turned it into a Frozen-themed sleigh for her daughter, Reagan, five.
When her kids asked for homemade presents this year, Kara came up with the idea to create a whole town in their basement.
With a budget of just £400, Kara has spent every moment she could over the last four weeks constructing a stage, school building, rescue squad and police station.
Kara used scraps from her home renovation projects and sourced items such as a school desk, chalkboard, and an old telephone from thrift stores.
The mum has another two weeks to finish the project in time for Christmas and can’t wait to surprise her kids.
Kara, a content creator, from Lake George, New York, US - who lives with her children and husband, Bryan, 34, who works for the air national guard - said: "People gave me lots of ideas of what I could build my kids this year."
"My daughter loves playing teachers and my son loves anything emergency response related."
"People said build a stage, ambulance or a school."
"So I just thought it would be really cool to combine them all."
"I’m trying to make the whole thing functional as well as fun."
"Hopefully it will be finished in time for Christmas."
"I’m 32 but I am excited to play with this."
Kara started making Christmas presents for her kids last year when her son asked for a Jurassic Park gate that she couldn’t find for an affordable price online.
"Last year my son wanted a Jurassic Park gate, but I couldn’t find one that was decent sized that wasn’t really expensive," she said."
"I realised I could just build one."
"I used scraps and only bought hinges and some acrylic paint."
"I found my daughter a sleigh from a thrift store and turned it into a Frozen sleigh."
"I asked what they wanted this year and they said to build something."
Kara asked for help from her online followers and ended up combining all their ideas to create a mini town which features a stage, school, rescue squad and police station.
"I used the closet structure already there and decorated the front of them," she said."
Kara bought a dry wall for £89, two four by fours for £83 and spent £205 on materials.
"It looks like it cost a fortune," she said."
"The school building is covered in tiles and there is a teacher's desk, school desk and a chalkboard."
"The rescue squad has a cot they can use as a stretcher, a desk, bookshelf, and I’m making an x-ray viewing screen."
"The police station has a little locker and I’m making a jail cell."
The mini town also has a stage which will house all the children’s musical instruments, and a karaoke kit.
"I’m on track to finish for Christmas," Kara said."
"I think imagination is better than toys. The town has lost of props for them to play with."
"I’ve found lots in thrift stores, marketplaces and family have passed down old things too."
Kara will reveal the mini town to her children on Christmas day and can’t wait to see their reaction.
She said: "The kids know I am making something, but they don’t know what it is."
"I’m going to wrap a large box and put a note in it to say, ‘go downstairs.’"
"Then they’ll walk through some wrapping paper at the door and then see it."
"I don’t think we will ever top this."
Cost of the mini town
Dry wall - £89
Two four by four’s - £83
Extra materials - £205
Extra cash for more props and gifts to go inside the town