diy toddler art gallery
Before becoming a mom, I cringed at the bright primary colors that children's art is known for. And after becoming a mom... well, I still cringed. And BECAUSE of that, I wanted to find a way to proudly display the little pieces of art my tiny Picasso creates, on places other than the refrigerator!
When designing my new office space (which I'll be revealing in the next couple of weeks), I wanted to find a special area to showcase some fun Ava-art that complimented the office's color scheme, without branching into the, 'that mom totallllyyy did Jimmy's whole science project' realm. I wanted it to be HERS, but in the colors of the space I created!
T O D D L E R A R T
This DIY is pretty simple -- just mix up your non-toxic children's paint to match your color scheme! If you're new to mixing colors, there are TONS of color wheels and online guides that can help. Fill a pallet with an array of colors that match the other colors you have in your space, and let your little one go to finger-painting town!
We put Ava in her highchair for this activity because she is FAR too active to be trusted (unrestrained) with blue paint on her hands. But it worked great! This was her first time finger-painting so she needed a little guidance and encouragement, but she seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly!
I think she liked the new texture on her hands, and how fun to discover you can move this substance around on a canvas and CREATE something vibrant and beautiful! Once her little masterpieces were dry, I hung them on the office wall above her desk, and secured an empty gold frame (that I repurposed from our wedding!) around the larger canvas.
P A R T T W O
I K E A S U P P L Y S T O R A G E H A C K
I LOVE the wall storage options that Ikea carries. We have the stainless steel rails and baskets hanging in our small laundry room and they are a life-saver! So I knew I wanted to incorporate one of these storage systems into Ava's art corner to help store art supplies.
I purchased two Ikea Sunnersta Rails and six Sunnersta Containers, along with three faux ferns (also Ikea).
I simply spray painted the bars gold with the Rust-Oleum Metallic Paint & Primer (one of my favorite gold spray paints), and then dropped the ferns into three alternating containers, and art supplies into the others!
I absolutely loved painting as a kid. Friends I grew up with will now tease that I tirelessly tried to convince them to paint with me when they came over to play... but what can I say? I truly loved it and still do to this day! So I hope by providing Ava with the right tools and space to be creative, she'll annoy all of HER childhood friends...er... I mean find the joy that I still have when I paint to this day!
*select photos by Stephany Fashenpour
Art Supplies | Michaels
Gold Frame | Etsy
Dolly | Orange Blossom Dollies
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