Colorful Kid Spaces

Tracking Your Child's Height In Style

2011-06-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

Many parents like to keep track of their child's height in a visual way. The old school way was to write directly on the wall in pencil; and now many parents buy growth charts in varying styles to keep track of their child's growth. In my children's bathroom I wanted to do something a little different; something that also didn't take up a ton of space. Here is what I came up with below:

     I bought all the supplies for this project, including the adhesive measuring tape, at a craft store. It measured 12 inches and then repeated all the way to 7 feet. I placed the measuring tape along the wood moulding of the door frame using hot glue in a few places to ensure it would hold. I wanted to indicate the place where it switched over to the next foot so I wrote the numbers on wooden circles and glued them on to the appropriate place on the tape.
     Next came the fun part. I let each child choose a pre-painted, wooden decoration to be their height marker for their current height. I wanted it to match my beach/sea theme so I gave them choices within that catagory. Tip: If you want to record their height more often consider the sizing of the height markers. The smaller they are, the more often you can record.
     Finally, using a paint marker, I wrote each child's name and age on their woooden decoration, measured their height, and hot glued the decoration to the wall. I love this growth chart because it is personalized to the design of the bathroom, is adorable, and takes up very minimal space visually and physically. This is a very simple and low budget project.....I love that combination!

Chalkboard Paint...a Designer's Addiction

2011-06-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

If you have every used chalkboard paint you know that it is absolutely addicting. You start thinking about anything and everything you can use it on. The awesome thing about it is it will adhere to pretty much any surface. There are also many different colors of chalkboard paint which makes it even more versatile. Take a look at the photo of the dresser below that I transformed with chalkboard paint for my son's room. This project took very little effort and time, but made a huge impact on the design.

Chalkboard Dresser

How-to:

1. Make sure your surface is clean and smooth. If necessary you can lightly sand the surface with fine sandpaper.

2. Using a paintbrush, apply the chalkboard paint in one direction (vertical, or horizontal).

3. Let the first coat dry according to the time frame indicated on your product.

4. When dry, brush on your second coat in the opposite direction of your first coat. This method will create a crosshatch pattern which is ideal for a chalkboard surface.

5. Repeat until you achieve your desired coverage. I have found 3 to 4 coats to be best.

6. When dry enjoy your new and playful piece of furniture!

I hope you have fun! I know you are probably already thinking of other ways to use chalkboard paint.......I warned you it is a designer's addiction!

Introduction to Colorful Kid Spaces

2011-06-20T23:31:00.000-07:00

     Hi, my name is Sarah and I am currently a stay at home mom. I have my Bachelor of Science in Education and I previously taught 6th grade and Kindergarten......so different, yet so similar. So you are probably asking yourself why I am blogging about kid's design and not education. It's simple really. I love teaching kids, but my passion is design. When I get a design idea in my head, I can't stop thinking about it until I have the chance to put it into reality. Wherever I go, whatever I do, I am always taking in and observing design ideas and elements around me.
    I first discovered my passion when I was pregnant with my first child. I had my daughter's nursery completed by the time I was 6 months along. I was absolutely thrilled with the experience and ever since then I never stop thinking about new ideas, ways to improve on my designs, and new trends in the design world. I have since had my second child, a son, and have been able to experience designing for both a girl and boy.
     I enjoy designing all the rooms in my home, but I choose to focus my blog and my website on colorful kid spaces because I am enchanted by the whimsy and playfulness that it allows me to explore.  My future blog entries will be all about colorful kid spaces. I will include new design trends, interesting articles, how-to's, and great product finds. It is my hope that my blog and website will inspire others in their quest to create beautiful spaces in their own little corners of the world.