Do your kids love having their face painted (or in my kids’ case, their entire body besides their face)? Then get yourself some watercolor pencils and call it a day. Nothing beats them for basic face painting, especially when you have kids who like to DIY.
My favorite for the job are the $4 MÅLA pencils from IKEA. Just dip the sharpened end in water and get painting! The best part is the ‘paint’ just washes off with water. Pro tip – make sure to let them dry out (tip up) when done so they are easy to sharpen for the next go round.
A couple of years ago I had a sudden late night epiphany that we should build a climbing wall in our unfinished basement, and low and behold, Thomas made it happen. As we look to finish our basement this year, we decided it was time to spruce the climbing wall up too. Out came the white paint late last night (why do we always start these things around midnight?) and the kids got into the swing of things today too. What they don’t know is that we ordered some fun new holds from Atomic Climbing Holds, are making a huge sensory hammock for play, and have monkey bar holds to add to the ceiling too. Although we have a million other projects to finish up (looking at you kitchen + bathroom), we’re suckers for the fun stuff for our little humans. Can you blame us?
The next morning the kids woke up to a whole new space for them this weekend. We’re not quite done (sensory hammock and expanded section with Swedish ladder to come), but there is plenty there now to keep them busy. Who’s coming to play? 🙂
I have been in full pudding mode thanks to the flu, but my dear friends in LA have been working hard to create this #inspiredbyCPS LEGO space for their (almost!) six year old son. His baby sister is now on the move and Oliver was desperate for a nook in their apartment where he could build away from interested little hands. With a few clicks on Amazon, they had the perfect place for him to build – a wall mounted shelf desk, organized LEGO storage drawers, wall shelving for displaying his creations, and artwork/lighting for aesthetics (the lightbulb in the hanging light even changes colors so Oliver can set it for “different moods” :). He was so excited at the finished product he didn’t even wait for them to clean away their tools before he started building!
Addie and Charlotte are such creative kids, with art and craft materials to rival a professional artist. Charlotte loves American Girl Dolls, and has an enviable collection of dolls and their fashions/accessories. Both girls also love LEGOs. All of this adds up to a lot of stuff but not a lot of space to put it all. This equaled a main level play space that was overflowing and muddled with art supplies and toys, while their basement play space was being underutilized.
Main Level Play Space | Before
Main Level Play Space | Before
LEGOs | Before
Random Toys | Before
Kids’ Sewing Supplies | Before
Art Papers | Before
Basement Play Space | Before
Basement Play Space | Before
Basement Play Space | Before
This is where I come in. 🙂 Their lovely parents were keen to find ways to maximize their play spaces and create better storage and organization. They also wanted to keep with the same beautiful aeshtetic on the main level they had created with their custom pieces from Forty Third Place. Here’s what we did:
Get your tiny humans involved in the sorting and organizing, just give them parameters!
In my experience the majority of children are not keen to part with their things. I know the general thought in this post Marie Kondo world is to have them involved with the purging, but I can guarantee you that every single toy will bring them joy (even the ones they haven’t played with in over a year). So, what to do? You want to downsize but your small human belongs on an episode of Hoarders.
Here’s a couple of recommendations:
A simple way to downsize and have your children involved is to have a set container/basket side for things. For example the stuffies (because everyone has too many) – if they don’t fit in the designated basket then they don’t get to stay. You’re giving your child control but with very clear perimeters. They may still need help talking through letting go, and almost certainly they won’t choose the toys you would keep, but it is a really easy way to downsize with your child’s help.
The other step, is to purge while the kids are away (be brutal, like for realz). Start boxing/bagging up toys you know they don’t use anymore and put them out of sight. I can guarantee they won’t notice anything but their play space feeling easier to play in. If they haven’t been desperately missed in a couple of weeks, donate away!
When purging, low hanging fruit are toys that come with kids meals and all the plastic crap you get at birthday parties. Unless your kids have a huge attachment to them, these should go. Toys your kids have aged out of using is another easy one to remove.
Make sure not to forget books (this one can be hard, I get it). Start with books you hate reading (we all have them), books that were gifted and nobodyenjoys, and books they are too old to read anymore. Little Free Libraries make donating books so easy and anxiety free.
Finally, find a task you can do together. At my last install, the five year old of the house was very keen to get involved. We sat together and worked intently for over an hour sorting beads, craft materials, and testing old markers to see if they still worked (which ultimately meant minimizing materials). Being involved helped her feel ownership to the new space and made it easier for her to see how having an organized, cleaner, more minimal space made it easier to play and created.
I can’t think of a better way to end the decade than by being given the privilege to create a brand new play space for two wonderful tiny humans. When I visited their home for a consult, the kids main play space was the open concept living room that connected with the kitchen. Having toys in this space works well, because it’s a great space for the kids to play when a parent is cooking and they want to be close. But the room as overflowing and with the prospect of a new play kitchen coming for the holidays, something new had to be done. The kids’s bedrooms were also jam packed with toys, most stored in way that they just weren’t being used.
BEFORE | LIVING ROOM
BEFORE | LIVING ROOM
BEFORE | NATHAN’S ROOM
BEFORE | NATHAN’S ROOM
BEFORE | MAREN’S ROOM
BEFORE | MAREN’S ROOM
The solution was creating a new play space in the finished basement, that up until now had double as holding place for things that needed storing or donating.
Lucky me! This was the second play space I have helped to create for Evie and John. The first in their old home, and this new space in the finished basement of their new home. Their parents were keen to create a space where both kids would want to play independently/together, without the need for constant parental supervision or help. They wanted this space to be the main hub for toys, and a place that the kids’ friends could run amok and have fun in.
The rundown when I arrived:
The space had been freshly painted white to help brighten the mostly windowless room, painters tape still needed to come down.
There was a large dresser in the space that was slated to be sold.
There was a gorgeous pile of artwork in need of displaying.
More functional storage options were needed for toys/materials.
The bunkbed was being underused and the top space used for storage.
Our family celebrates Christmas and it ends up being a week long holiday by the time we’ve seen family and friends. We do our best to keep things minimal while still being magical, but it’s fun to see your kids be spoiled a little. This inevitably means lots of new things coming into the home (this is just a little of what my boys have already been gratefully gifted).
The next couple of days will be focused on family fun, but once the festivities are over it’s time to figure out where to put everything. The temptation of course is to find more storage and just make it fit, but this year I encourage you to take the time to go through old (and maybe new) toys and take out at least the same amount of what has come in (if not more).
Give your kids the gift of being able to find and enjoy their new toys, without having to endeavor on a treasure hunt through buckets and bins. And consider it a gift for yourself too, because I promise it will equal a happier more peaceful household, and some time all to yourself. But first it’s time to bake cookies, wrap gifts, turn up the Bing Crosby, and start laundry (because it isn’t all #instalife glam over here).
One of the very best things you can buy for your play space (and home) isn’t a toy or storage item, it’s a vacuum cleaner – namely a cordless stick vacuum. Kids are inherently messy. They collect all the crumbs, dirt, glitter, and things you can’t identify 😳, and then deposit these all over your lovely floors and rugs – especially where they play. I talk a lot about play invitations and having a clean space is #1. The beauty of the cordless stick vacuum is that you can grab and go mindlessly, which means you will actually use it and often. I know this post might seem a bit silly, I mean come on, we all have a vacuum of some sorts. But for me, the day we bought our Dyson Stick revolutionized our home and my ability to keep spaces inviting. It’s also something even my littlest can use, which means my kids have learned to clean up after themselves too. 🙌
Ladies and gentlemen – the art cart. A perfect gift idea for the kid who has everything but doesn’t know where to find it. 😜 Giving is 1000% my love language – not physical gifts per say, but just the act of doing something kind for someone else. This holiday season I offered my services to a dear friend and we decided creating an art cart for her girls would be the perfect gift for me to give them. So today I headed over with a cart, paper sorter, and wide mouth mason jars (#theessentials) and turned their jumbled art supplies into organized creativity ready to happen.
