Playroom Fun!

Our playroom desperately needed a makeover. I suppose playrooms, by definition, should be full of toys and messes, and ours certainly was. Still is. But it was so uninviting that I never wanted to play in there with Ty. So we decided it needed a few little fixes. We managed to find an inexpensive couch so I would have a comfy place to nurse Beckham; we painted the walls a really fun, wild green; got rid of some of the toys; and then the fun began. I've always liked the idea of chalkboard paint, but hated the idea of my messy four-year-old running rampant with chalk. I saw in a magazine not long ago a playroom with a magnet wall and loved the idea! So we went on a search for magnetic paint. Home Depot carried it, but in a spray can, which seemed a bit messy for me.... So we checked Fred Meyer, who had the paint-on kind. It's basically a dark gray primer that you can paint any color over. We masked a large (8'x3') rectangle and painted 2 coats of the primer, then covered it in an even wilder green. Now Ty has a huge surface to play with his magnets, practice spelling, reading, and math. Plus it really livens up the wall!
I also bought some cheap, white shelves at Ikea and painted them red for some great contrast against the green walls. Then the boys finger-painted 4 canvases to display on the shelves. Well, Ty finger painted 3 canvases and I smeared Beckham's fingers through some red paint on the fourth. What a mess! But so much fun, Ty is so proud, and they look so cute in the playroom!