Easel to Felt Board in Minutes

So part of the reason I bought the Ikea Easel [which we still love] is so that I can turn it into a felt board.  I love felt... especially felt stories.  I think it is such a fun hands on activity and she seems to like it too.   Now felt may be cheap but the felt boards online are pretty expensive.  Why not make your own for less than ten dollars and in just a few minutes. 

I Love Our Ikea Easel [and Paint Cups]

Just a reminder if you haven't done so already, be sure to enter the Grace Adele giveaway.

As I mentioned before I love Ikea and I can't wait to go back.  One of the things we bought was this easel that I have been wanting to get for awhile.  It is a steal compared to the the other $50 ones they sell on amazon and it gets the job done.  Not to mention, Cindy stinking loves it. 

One side is a white board and the other side is a chalk board.  It has a tray and holds a roll of paper too. The easel itself cost $17 and the roll of paper was about $3.  The best $20 I spent on a toy and I love that she will grow into it. 

I do wish it had a cup holder or something on the white board side to hold markers or crayons.  I might just have to add that on myself.  I don't let her play with markers so we usually paint on this side.  And I used a chip clip that I got for a dollar to keep a the paper in place.

I love it and I am glad the little one does too. We don't paint like this too often because the clean up isn't worth the 10 minutes she spends painting but I am sure as she gets older she will enjoy it for longer.  Just look at that sweet little smile.  Oh it melts my heart to see her happy. 

Oh and to go with this set I also bought THESE Melissa and Doug paint cups and brushes from amazon.  I love the paint cups even though I thought they were a little pricey.  They have a hole where you can put the brush in to get more paint.  No spills no mess.  It was worth every penny.   It also has little slots to hold the brush.  Not so thrilled with the brushes though, I wish I would have bought the set they had at Ikea instead for $2 [oh and the pack of 24 chalk is also only $2]. 

Painting with Shaving Cream

Linking up today with A Pinch of Joy's Busy Monday linky party with this fun and super easy artsy activity.  I have seen it on a few places, painting with shaving cream, but I didn't try it until recently and now she does it almost everyday.

My Boo may be right handed but she has the heart of a lefty, she loves to paint.  I put a little shaving cream in some clean recycled fruit cups [mandarins to be exact].  It is an easy concoction to mix up.  A little shaving cream and a little food coloring.

Stir and you get this yummy looking foamy paint.  It looks like frosting and I was worried she may want to eat it but the smell reminds you that it is, yup shaving cream.

Why I love it?  It's cheap, easy to put together, and clean up is soooo easy.  I know she looks forward to it to.  She starts with her brush, painting the walls of the tub and by the end she digs her hands into all the cream and starts painting herself.

It cracks me up every time.  I have to admit, I like to sit there and make my own little creations.

How to Cover a Diaper Box

Just a reminder if you haven't done so already, be sure to enter to win the gift certificate to Grace Adele HERE.

I have been a busy busy bee putting everything aside to organize and give my crafting area a huge makeover.  It has been in shambles long enough and thanks to Ikea I finally have a nice neat little spot for all my junk.  After I put together the new storage thingy I got [which I love!!] and might I mention was only $22, I realized I needed a basket or something to put my scrap book papers in.  Enter the diaper box makeover...

I didn't want to spend even more money on a basket and I remember seeing versions of this floating around online and I got this version from THIS blog.  I used fabrics I already had and kept it simple and I actually really love the way it turned out.  I think I will have to make some more for Cindy's play area.  And to think it all began with this....