At the last Read-A-Thon I was living in a 1-bedroom apartment with 2 other people. I really didn't have a lot of space for myself and, during the later hours of the Read-A-Thon, I needed to keep my light and noise to a minimum. For some of the time, mainly when I was reading an ebook, I covered up myself and my laptop and made an impromptu blanket fort. It wasn't all it could be, though, and I got to wondering, what would make for an ideal blanket fort?
So your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to come up with an ideal Read-A-Thon book fort! It's hour 23, so feel free to go silly. It doesn't have to be fancy:
And can even be quite simple:
I will keep this going for three hours (though I will be passing out in a couple) and the winner will get their choice of a $15 gift card to either B&N or Amazon, though I may be open to gift cards to other locations.
So, tell me in the comments below: What is your ideal blanket fort? How big or small is it? What materials would you use to make it? Would it be a fortress of solitude or would you allow others? Get creative!
As a connoisseur of blanket and any other types of forts, I must say that the key is to make sure there is enough room to move around and to come in and out of it without ruining the whole darn thing. My perfect fort would include something comfy to sit on and against, and just enough space to be able to fidget and move, but not enough space that I'd lose the comfy/cozy feeling of it.
ReplyDeleteWell...I'm claustrophobic, so a dense fort isn't going to work. So I'm thinking one made out of gauzy material, thin and silky. Like a fairy fort! Big enough that I can fill it with lots of pillows and still have room for my hubby to join me. With a couple pretty baskets for books and one for snacks. It would be awesome!
ReplyDeleteI would like to have Sheldon's blanket fort. See it here
ReplyDeleteMy ideal blanket fort would be one of solitude. On the outside it would seem to be quite small but on the inside it would look like a three story library with a cozy fireplace and the squishiest, comfiest chairs you could imagine. The bookshelves would be floor to ceiling and have those swinging ladders so I could pretend to be belle whilst in there. It would be paradise.
ReplyDeletemy ideal blanket fort would have a couple of those huge floor pillows that you can lie on, my big fluffy blanket, pillows, a lamp and partially enclose my bookcase so i wouldn't have to get out of it to find my next book. oh, and it would have my cat in it!
ReplyDeleteMy ideal blanket fort would be a relatively large fort with a pillow inlaid floor, and thick blanket walls in a dome shape to keep the heat in. Would most likely be a fortress of solitude but I will allow the entrance of no more than 2 dogs, as they have a tendency to sit/ lick books.
ReplyDeleteI want the blanket fort/tent from the movie The Holiday: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/249105423108482814/.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, mine would be just like the one I used to have when I was a kid. Just a big blanket draped over a coffee table, big enough for me to curl up under while I read or colour, right in front of my TV, so I can poke my head out and watch something if I feel like it, and close enough to my shelves that I can reach a lot of books just by stretching my arm out.
ReplyDeleteThe base of my fort would be a comfortable chair with soft cushions covered in a fleece blanket, with walls and a roof made out of a duvet perched like a tent. Throw in a lamp inside and a small coffee table for snacks and the laptop, and I think I'm all set :p (splinterskills@gmail.com)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing to do as a child was to set up the folding card table and drape blankets over it. I remember that we had to put a bunch of books on top to hold the blankets in place! We were small enough to lay down inside, but I think these days I'd need a couple tables! I'd probably drag my futon in to lay on and bring some extra pillows and blankets. I'd have one end backed up to a shelf, too, so that I could put books and snacks on it. And, of course, I'd have to be near an outlet for the laptop cable!
ReplyDeleteMy bed was a twin bed and I removed upper bed but but kept wooden construction. Now I cannmake my bed in perfect reading fortess whenever I want using just blankets and puting my reading light inside. Of course, 5-6 pillows and large mug with coffee or tea are must for comfy reading time. Being alone and isolated is best way to enter magical worlds :-)
ReplyDeleteI want a blanket fort that has a really soft floor, but also a lot of big plush pillows, the kind that you can roll and reshape to whatever you need. I think the structure should be like a canopy bed, with the sides being cloth hanging down that you can pull back to get air if you need, but otherwise give you privacy. And a lamp hanging down for overhead light. Maybe a few pockets on the sides for snacks and drinks to fit in. And lots of cats!
ReplyDeletejanice_loar@hotmail.com
My ideal blanket fort
ReplyDeleteIt should be quite big so there would be enough space for me and one other friend to lay around and read our books comfortably. The floor would be covered with the softest and fluffiest carpet ever. The walls of the fort would be made of blankets and it side there would be a lot of pillows. Obviously I would need my computer, phone and books in the fort for me to be able to fully participate in the readathon. Because I would actually need to read there would be a need for some kind of lamp and with that I would put christmas light for the cozy atmposphere. There also should be plates player with my favorite plate playing. And outside of the fort there would need to be a tea and coffee station so I wouldn't have to go far to get my tea or coffee (sometimes I drink tea, sometimes coffee). In my fort the only person allowed in would be my best friend because we would be able to cheer each other up during the readathon and also my dog (because I love to cuddle and read at the same time and he is the best cuddeler ever :) ).
Okey I think that is mostly it! :))
I now want to build one but I know it would take ages for me to do it :D
I would want a combination blanket fort and tree fort! All the cosiness have a blanket fort with its soft pillows and duvets, with the vistas and fresh scent of a tree fort. I could run an extension cord for the lighting, coffee maker, and popcorn maker. I'd be happy to share, and I think my feline friends would love it. @cremedelafemme
ReplyDeleteMy ideal fort is a combo between the Turkish harem tents and the lavishing tents they put up in the Decameron. Silky and transparent fabrics as walls, with loads of pillows and comfy sitting places for the guests. Warm or cooling when needed. And of course filled with books!
ReplyDeleteThe blanket fort of my dreams would look like a regular fort from the exterior but the interior would bear a close resemblance to that tent from Harry Potter, spacious on the inside but with cosy little nooks that I can curl up into. I prefer solitude but don't mind company now and again. Oh, did I mention it will come equipped with magically bottomless mugs of coffee?...
ReplyDeleteA couple of chairs, a few dark dark blankets and a wall - that was all I needed! I used to park my fort by the bookshelves as a kid :)
ReplyDeleteMy fort would be a like a beach cabana with curtains around it. Family would know that if the curtains were closed I was to be left alone. I would have a recliner and a small bookcase with about 5 books from which to choose. There would be a vase of fragrant flowers on the top of the case. When I was in the fort I would have a pitcher and glass of iced tea on the top of the bookcase. There would be a full spectrum light if I wished to use it so that although I am inside it would feel like daylight. An affectionate cat or dog would be welcome to cuddle with me while I read. Sometimes I would have my Kindle Fire when I preferred a an ebook with audiobook for immersion reading. But there would be no connection to the Internet except for adding books. No phone. The curtains would be in pinks and lavendars. I would have a small oscillating fan to create a very light breeze
ReplyDeleteMy ideal blanket fort at the moment would involve beautiful flowery yellow sheets of many different patterns and a staple gun. I'd bunch one end of the sheets together and fasten them to a central spot on the ceiling of my office (it's the room that has the most out-of-the-way room at the moment). I'd then gracefully spread them out around the room to create three walls, giving each a dainty slope until it touched the side wall where I'd staple it in place and let the end flow to the ground. I'd make sure that one of the three cloth walls was covering the window which gets the most morning sun so that upon sunrise the yellow walls of my blanket fort will glow with new light. Then I'd take every pillow, cushion, stuffed animal, and plushy blanket I have in the apartment and put them on the floor of my new fort. Then I'd curl myself into the pile with a few books and some cookie dough to wait for sunrise.
ReplyDeleteCozy but big enough for a mini-frig and small cupboard with microwave oven. Like thishttps://twitter.com/jangoodell/status/655695201533599745
ReplyDeleteI want it cozy, but big enough for my chocolate lab to fit. I would need to be able to stretch out while I read. There would also need to be a space for snacks, bug because my dog is there, the snacks would need to be up high where she can't reach! :-)
ReplyDelete@Nanlj
My ideal fort is just for me and it has to be small and able to fit my laptop and like twenty zillions books. For my fort I would try and use as many colorful blankets and pillows, because I find I am more comfortable when I am in a colorful place.
ReplyDeleteMy ideal blanket fort would be made of soundproof blankets, because I don't want to hear neighbours or other kinds of noises that annoy me sometimes. It would be made on a sofa, of course, filled with cushions and a little place for my beverages and snacks, and enough room for changing positions, you know... it won't be a small place :)
ReplyDeleteOther people only would be allowed to come in if they want to rub my feet while I read, haha. Or to bring me chocolate.
Thanks for the mini-challenge! It's good to dream sometimes :)
So, for my ideal reading fort I'd have to start with...cushions! Sofa cushions on the floor with a beanbag to lean on, then piled with lots of fluffy cushions and pillows for optimum comfort. Don't forget the all important fleecy blanket with a cat curled up on it! There'd be a lamp inside to read by, casting a comforting yellow glow, and preferably a miniature library of books to choose from. Add in snacks and drinks and you've got everything you need so you never have to leave!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I wasn't satisfied with just imagining this fort...so I built it! Just take a look below :)
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/17533195-lilac-s-reading-nook#comment_141603187
I have to agree with Laura at125 pages I want Sheldon's Blanket Fort. It even has twinkle lights, how cool is that?
ReplyDeleteI want this one with the Illinois flag and all!! But in reality the one I would actually make would be the couch picture you have! :)
ReplyDeleteMy ideal blanket fort would be big enough to sit up in and made of blankets but backed up against a wall so I would have something to rest my back against. It would have a lot of pillows to sit on and maybe a stool to use as a table so as to have something to set drinks on. The lights would be bright florescent camp lights.
ReplyDeleteMy blanket fort would have light filtering through but not so bright as to get in my eyes. I'd be lying in a hammock and there would be a pitcher of iced tea on a table next to me. Loved ones could come in and out, but any other readers would be in their own hammock. Cats are wherever they want to be, so probably curled up on me. I wouldn't get sleepy and someone would be hovering nearby to get me whatever food sounded appealing.
ReplyDeleteMine would have to involve my bed! It would be harder than when I was younger, when I had the bottom bunk bed, but I'd have to find something like a canopy to hold the blankets.
ReplyDeleteUnder the dining room table. Throw blankie, pillows and snacks underneath and all set.
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant idea. I am totally doing this next year...enjoy your rest of Sunday!
ReplyDeleteI'm all for the fort. I've started putting up a tent in my back yard for readathons. It's the perfect cozy place to read. https://instagram.com/p/6qz1lxpB1k/?taken-by=erraticelle
ReplyDelete