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Monday, January 31, 2011

Craft Display Board for Kids' Rooms
















There is a big bulletin board in our kitchen dedicated solely to the things the boys have made.  They love having their artwork on display and it makes me smile to see those crooked little letters spelling out their names and the dried beans on these masterpieces.  The bulletin board is always full!  





















In one of those "a-ha!" moments I decided to make a display board for each boy so they could display some of their favorite pieces in their rooms (and thus alleviate the burden on the bulletin board a little)!  

I raided the wood scrap bin at Home Depot and found a pieces of MDF that I thought would work perfectly.  One of the pieces was too long, so the guy cut it for me (28"x6"x 1/2").  They charged me a whopping $1 for each piece!  I love when that happens! I primed the boards as soon as I got home with some basic BEHR primer from HD.  Once dry I sketched out the letters and vehicles:  
































It was only AFTER I sketched everything out that I decided I didn't want the boards to be white.  Great ... all that work and I was going to have to do it all over again (sigh).  But blue it was going to be.  I had some blue paint left over from one of the bedrooms, so I just used that.  Two coats later, I was ready to start the fun part.


















Again I freehand drew the images and letters using acrylic paints I had on hand.  I chose to freehand it because I really wanted it to be a handmade piece (i.e., imperfect) as you can see here:

















You can usually find stencil letters at places like the dollar store or Walmart if freehand isn't for you.  


















You can usually find really cute stickers and "wallies" at the dollar store that would work really well for this kind of project.  I used foam bathtub wallies for the Nursery artwork which turned out great for very little expense.  

The most expensive part of this project were the clips, which I finally found at Staples for $1.98 each (plus tax).  They were the 1 1/2" magnetic clips if you were wondering.



























I'm still thinking about whether I should spray paint the clips black or not ... I kind of like the shine as they are.  At any rate, I can't attach them with screws until I decide.  

Here is a picture of one of the display boards on the floor with artwork on it - gives you an idea of what they will look like once they are up on the wall.  I'll make sure to post pictures once they are up in the boys' rooms so you can see what they look like - I was just too excited to share them to wait for me to make up my mind :o)
















What have you made lately for your kids' room?

- Kristin -

Linking up with Debbie's Newbie Linky Party :o)

24 comments:

  1. What a super cute idea! I would totally make one for my little boy's room, thank's for sharing

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  2. So Cute!!! I love the train and truck.

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  3. Ahh that is great! I bet you could sell lots of those at craft fairs if you haven't already!!

    The last thing I made for my kids' room was a name wallhanging (framed) for the baby's nursery.

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  4. This looks great. I made something like this several months ago and we LOVE it. We actually need another one. Yours are cuter though with the train. Great work!

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  5. That's adorable - creative, fun, practical, and cute. Too bad I didn't know about it when my kids were young.

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  6. You are so crafty! That is super cute, and useful too! Have fun at the party...and thanks:)

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  7. New follower from Debbiedoos... I love this and going to try it for my kids room!

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  8. New follower from Debbie's blogging party. Super cute! I'm going to have to do something similar for my weeman's room.

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  9. This is such a great idea. My refrigerator is always such a mess! I am going to have to make one of these!I found you at Debbiedoos!

    Melanie
    www.youmadethat.blogspot.com

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  10. I love this! You are talented with a paint brush! Way to go!

    Visiting from Debbiedoos

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  11. How cute and creative this is!! I love it! I found your blog from Debbie's Newbie Linky Party I am a newbie too come check me out if you get a chance. I am a new follower. Noplacelikehomeally.blogspot.com

    ~Allyson~

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  12. Super cute idea! I may have to try making one of these for the kids playroom! I'm your newest follower from Debbie's newbie party! Hope you will stop by my blog & follow back! Allison @ leomommyof4.blogspot.com :)

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  13. Oh I love it! what a cute idea. I am your newest follower. Come on over and follow me back :)

    Theresa

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  14. That is such a wonderful idea!

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  15. I just love that! So great to hang those things made by little hands! I just found your blog via Debbie's newbie party. I'm your newest follower and would be delighted to have you follow me back!
    Tammy

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  16. I love them! What a great idea to show off your son's master pieces. I will have to do that someday when I have grandchildren.

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  17. these are darling. i love that you did this free hand too, it makes it that much more special and unique. i bet the kids love them too. VERY creative.


    I am hopping around through the newbie hop to welcome everyone to blogging. I love making new bloggy friends and I especially love helping new bloggers grow their following.

    Stop by my blog when you have a chance. There are so many FUN things happening over on Dandelion Wishes!!!
    We are .....
    *Taking Back Monday, one Etsy giveaway at a time. Come enter to win something awesome EVERY Monday!
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  18. Sooo cute! My boys are into all things with wheels and would love this! I saw something at Marshall's recently that was similar, but yours is way cuter and better quality. I found your blog from Debbie's party and am a new follower. I'd love to have you swing by my blog when you get a sec!
    Jodi
    www.rolypolyfarm.blogspot.com

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  19. Those are soooo.... cute. Man, you freehand very well! I'm sure your little guys are happy to have such special places to hang their art. I'm a new follower.
    CAS

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  20. adorable! Now following you.

    I am having a giveaway on my blog.$20 store credit + free shipping from My Carrie Creations. You can get a backpack with your kids favorite Disney and other cartoon characters like fancy Nancy, Dr.Seuss, Angelina Ballerina, Tweety, elmo and more.
    http://houseonashwelllane.blogspot.com/2011/03/20-store-credit-from-my-carrie.html

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  21. This is absolutely fabulous!! I can't draw worth a dime, but I'm going to figure out a way to do this. Thanks for the great idea, and when I eventually work it out, I'll let you know! :)

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  22. I loved to put my art work on my fridge too when I was little. We all like to show off our work.

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  23. Hey! That’s a really nice post. I’m very sure I will recommend it to my co-workers.

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  24. What kind of paint brush did you use to write with!?

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