Another Successful Project at Kids Clinic and More

The first Saturday of the month - not every Saturday, as I originally had thought - is Kids' Clinic at Home Depot. As I anticipated, this month's project is a Valentine's gift for Mom. How sweet is that? Funny how a lot of the others there were also grandparent and child combinations.

Can you tell that someone is really happy to swing a real hammer? He feels so grown up, I can tell.

The Keepsake Box, like their other projects are really pretty simple to make. And it is FREE! This one involved gluing the 4 mitered sides around the base, securing them with rubber bands while it dried, hammering the decorative heart onto the lid with 2 tiny nails, and then painting and decorating the whole thing before taking it home.

Now of course a 3 year old would not be able to hold the four sides against the base and wrap the rubber bands around it, but that was the most difficult part. He loved the whole process. The fact that Mama can keep her earrings in it is a plus.And it is FREE!

Look at the foam brushes and bottles of paint set up for the kids. A big bag of foam stick on letters and shapes are there too. Everyone is so polite and patient. Parents spending time with their kids. It is really a nice thing to witness and be a part of.

The finished project is: pink base, pink heart on red top and green polka dots. Mama loves it, of course! And it was FREE! Did I say that already?

Also this weekend, I painted the back of his bedroom door with chalkboard paint. Did you know it is available in tints now? Tyler chose Pea Pod Green. 3 coats and it is now back on the door frame. We have very little smooth cement around here, so his sidewalk chalks collection is sadly underused. With all the blogs and magazines singing the praises of chalk-boarding a wall or door in your house, I thought "why not?" When he's older, if they still live with us, school reminders and game schedules could be written on there. For now, it will be free form drawing and letter/number writing. Cost $14.95 plus tax. Cheaper than buying a framed chalkboard in basic black.

I must admit, this looks pretty tacky with the wood frame, now that it is done. Not something you'd see on Beneath My Heart blog, or Our Vintage Home Love blog. But my intentions are there. I had fun in mind more than style, I guess. The wood door frame matches 2 sets of folding slatted closet doors. When the room was just turquoise and white walls, the wood looked pretty cool. I now have to decide if I want to tackle painting the folding doors and frames. The ones I just did for my daughters room were a PAIN in the BUTT. Ugh. Maybe if I just replace the ugly old brass door knob I'll feel better about this? Your thoughts?

Also this week was an amazing gift. From the pediatrician, no less. It seems her girls did not really care for a wooden castle and figurines set they received. When Tyler, her "favorite patient", talked about being a knight, she left the exam room and came back with this!It has archers, a knight and a standard bearer. 2 ladders, a draw bridge and so much potential. Now we will be on the lookout for cannons and horses and villagers, I suppose. Have we had a blast already with invading robots and dinosaurs. Tyler is going to be so ready for the Renaissance Fair in March, he won't know what to do first!  And guess who spotted the cutest knight dress up costume on Amazon? And children's picture books about knights too.

I tell you, being a full-time Nana is awesome!