From Tami: Kids & Art Projects

Art projects are so much more fun when you DIY the materials, right? It’s like kids are the original Pinterest innovators, always beautifying the house in unexpected and unconventional ways.

Here is a great decorating story: once upon a time, many years ago, two of my girls got into my postage stamps. Well, everyone knows that stamps make great stickers! I came home to quite a scene—a lovely, refurbished front door. They took three or four full postage stamp booklets, peeled each and every stamp off, and stuck them to the front door. Stamps just covered the door, like tiny U.S postal system wallpaper.

It took me forever to get those off, and the stamps were unusable. That was an expensive art project, let me tell you.

When they were a bit older, those two decided to teach one of their brothers (who must have been three or four at the time) to write. They got as far as “A” before I asked them to stop the lessons. Why? Because after the “A” lesson, the letter “A” was popping up on all of our walls. In sharpie. Always in sharpie.

Mom question: why do kids always prefer permanent over washable markers? It’s like they know. It is even stranger when you think that washable markers have so many more color choices, yet they still always go for the sharpies.

It isn’t just your own kids, either. I have caught my kids’ friends writing on my walls as well. My kids are out of that stage now, thank goodness…although my two grandchildren are getting into it, so here we go again!

Another one of the boys was more of an aspiring sculptor in his artwork. Pens, batteries, Legos, pencils, and tape would all go missing frequently and in large amounts, and then turn up altered: he would tape them all together in crazy configurations. I can’t count the amount of times I had to explain that batteries are for things like flashlights. Apparently they are also for art.

He used to decorate doorknobs with rubber bands and tape, in addition to strapping batteries together. (By the way, he’s twelve now, and he still contributes to household tape-shortages. That’s right, tape is still a hot commodity in our house—even though he no longer sculpts with it. He just likes tape.)

I’m curious to know what household items your children have used to beautify your house. I know you have Super-artists in the family. You must, because you are their mom.

And you’re a SuperMom.

Tami