Last weekend I went to my favorite Barn Sale with a friend. I came home with a few things, a new sewing/desk chair for myself (super comfy with "reclining" back).
Two sturdy and antique kiddo chairs
And a chalkboard poster
And then, moments after I got home I was in full on planning and rearranging mode!
Does that happen to you too? You bring something new into the house and then suddenly you find yourself rearranging an entire space so that it is better suited for that new item? This happens to me all the time!
Truthfully, I had been planning and thinking about a kid crafting space revamp for quite some time now. I suppose it's the impending winter months where we will end up spending more time indoors and therefore more time crafting. These two chairs were really the only extra push I needed.
It's not perfectly pretty like a pottery barn or pinterest space, but, aside from the aforementioned chairs and poster everything else was already in our house and repurposed in one way or the other.
The table is a scrap of birch plywood left over from another project. The cart used to have cloth drawers in it, but they have been repurposed for another use, so Brad added some more plywood scraps to make shelves.
I always save the crates that Melissa & Doug toys come in because they are very helpful for organizing. (In this case, for masks waiting to be made.)
I took a cue from Violet and Henry's montessori school and left things out on the shelves that they could get to and use on their own.
There is even a place for them to hang their creations.
This space is in the basement, which still needs some work, thus the rugless floor and poorly lit photos, but they don't seem to mind.
And, the best part about it all? They immediately took to their new space!
And, I can peer down the steps to check up on them toiling away on their new crafts!
Oh wait, another awesome thing about this space...is that the chairs are sturdy, yes I know I said that already, but what that really means is that I can sit at the crafting table with them and create with them. Do you create with your kiddos? I admit it's not always easy. It's usually easier to give them the tools and then walk away to do something else that needs to get done while they are occupied. But, when you have a moment, sit down and create with them. They love it, they really do. They love to see what you come up with. They love to sit and chat. And, you will love it too! It is very relaxing and fun. And, it's the perfect opportunity to observe the different tasks that your kiddos are good at first hand. Try it.
This week we've been spending that hour in the afternoon when it's too dark to play outside and not quite time to start making dinner yet here in our new craft space...and we've got lots to show...
Leaf symmetry drawings (this was a favorite of mine, so beautiful, challenging and fun), leaf people, turkeys, and a leaf and acorn collage.
And then we gave these cardboard turkeys a go, whith great success and loads of fun afterward with turkeys, kids and cardboard alike, flying around the house.
In fact, these guys were so much fun I decided to cut out a bunch
and then dropped them off with Violet and Henry at their preschool as a little pre-Thanksgiving craft project...I can't wait to see how they all turn out!
Anywho, we are loving our new craft space and are spending a lot of time there...I just hope the novelty of it all doesn't wear off soon. If it does, I'll follow a suggestion from Violet and Henry's preschool teacher... just add little surprise crafting supply for them to find once in a while!
