DIY Kid’s Art Center

If you’ve been following along with my blog or through my Instagram, you know that we’re currently fixing up an old 1902 Victorian home.  My sweet little boy has claimed one little section of wall for his own.  It’s totally adorable!  He brings tools over to it all of the time, and “does work” on it (sanding, “painting”, banging with a mini crow bar…).  I decided to officially make the spot his own by making a little DIY kid’s art center for him:

 

Ahh I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!  It’s super simple, and it’s in our (soon to be) office.  I am *hoping* that Isaac can entertain himself for even a few minutes while I have to get work done during the day (especially once the new baby comes in May!).

I was challenged by Porch to come up with a creative use for hardware, and this was the perfect space to use the beautiful pieces I got from Hickory Hardware. 

The whole project was DIY from start to finish.  The biggest piece was the frame that went above the table.  We built it out of wood planking (bought at Lowe’s).  We used the same planking on one of the walls in our kitchen, and we will be using it in our next kitchen as well! 

 

I stained all of the planked wood in Rust-oleum “driftwood” (from Lowe’s).  Then I framed it all out with scrap wood and screwed the planks into the back of the boards.  I painted the frame a lighter color, but this was only serving as an under layer for the darker color I would put on later.  Then I attached the knobs I got from Hickory Hardware (don’t you love that rose gold color?!):

 

Since I like a more imperfect style (and the DIY frame is definitely imperfect!) I painted the frame with black chalkboard paint and then distressed it.  I think it works really well for a little kid’s creative space!

 

I used buckets (found at IKEA) and drilled two holes in each of the buckets, then tied twine to make a handle, and hung them from the hardware.  I love how it looks all together!

 

For the table, I used a little IKEA Lack table (see the other one I made over here).  They’re the perfect height for kids, and they’re less than $10 – definite win!  I primed & painted the top with 4 coats of Valspar chalkboard paint (from Lowe’s).  Then I attached pine boards to the sides to add some interest and make a little border.  I stained them the same color as the planks in the frame.  Then I added a final piece of Hickory Hardware – a pull turned upside down to make a little chalk holder! 

 

I set it up while my little guy was napping at our current house – you should have seen his face when he saw the whole thing!  SO CUTE!  He audibly gasped and dove right for the markers.  He kept saying “ABC” and “oval” – which are his favorite things for us to draw

 

He has been really into “drawing” with me lately, and this is the perfect space for him right now.  It makes my former teacher-always creative mommy heart proud

 

Thanks to Porch for challenging me to think creatively about using hardware – this was a fun challenge!  See what the other talented Porch bloggers are up to by following #outofthebox on social media.

This post was not sponsored, but I did generously receive free hardware from Hickory Hardware to complete the project.  I’m excited to be a new member of the Porch blogging team!

 

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