DIY Lock Puzzle

So yesterday I was anxious. I need to do something creative. Stat.

So I turned to Thane and said, "Hey...can we go to Menards tomorrow? I want to make Parker a puzzle."

Now this was sneaky of me. If I had said, "Hey...lets go shop for a Pinterest project tomorrow!!" he would have shot me down in 2 seconds. I knew if I threw in the word "Menards" he would be game for whatever I wanted.

I mean...I almost had him talked into new light fixtures. That is how excited he was that I wanted to go to Menards with him. 

Anyways, I had seen lock puzzles on Pinterest before and I am pretty sure they are based off of this Melissa and Doug puzzle:

Super cool..yet not what I wanted. I didn't want to spend $24.99 for a puzzle that had 6 things to do. 

No...I want to spend $13 MORE to make it with 9 latches!! 

Yes, it was a little pricey to make it, but well worth it I think. We got to pick the latches we wanted, I got to paint something, Thane got to go to Menards without me complaining, and P now has a new puzzle. I think that's a win for everyone involved. 

Here are the steps:

First, gather your supplies! The round board was a last minute decision. There was a long rectangle piece of wood that we were going to go with because it was only $6 and then we would just cut it down. After some searching around I found this and we decided it was better because of how thick the wood was. Apparently Thane didn't want the screws to go through the back. Also, a tip I learned today that will rock your world. 

Menards had signs hanging up in the spray paint area. "Menards customers. The color of the spray paint lid is the color of the paint inside. Thank you!" 

Are you JOKING?!?! They actually had a problem with SO many people asking what color was inside the can with a red lid that they had to make a sign? Oh lord....

2nd, spray paint the base color. It was pretty windy out today so I decided to use a box to block the wind. Yet another idea I found on Pinterest. I did only one coat. 

Next, figure out what words I wanted on it. I wanted to put "Parker's Locks" but it wouldn't fit. So I just cut out Parker using my Cricut and attached it using rolled tape. I need to find a better way to do this because it didn't turn out perfect. The random piece of tape is to mark how far down I could go before I had to start putting locks on. 

I was hoping if I held the can straight over the words that it wouldn't bleed through. Sigh.....

This top coat took two coats.

No where near perfect. I may touch it up..but let's be real. No I won't. Parker doesn't care. If he doesn't care, then I don't care!

This is the part where you get your husband to drill the locks in. They come in handy while doing Pinterest projects!

The final project!!! 

Parker saw it while I was trying to take a picture and squealed and crawled on over. 

Unfortunately, the paint fumes were still giving me a headache so this bad boy has retired to the garage for the night to air out. 

So, it was a little expensive to make but it was made with love....and our Menards rebate!!! 

Boom.

PS. This is a form of a puzzle. It will help P work on developing his fine motor skills. Just in case anyone was wondering. :)