It’s all about creating memories for your kids, right? I look back on my childhood and vividly remember my cul-de-sac playmates, the summer games, the Barbie town we created and playing dress-up. I recently went through a box at my dad’s house and found Strawberry Shortcake Dolls, Care Bears, Barbie Dolls, stuffed animals and more. When I opened the Strawberry shortcake box, the smell took me back to my childhood. I breathed in the scent over and over…just wonderful, fond memories.
Memories can come from a particular person, a place, a toy…the list goes on. As my kids grow up and play (they turned 2 this month!), I want to create those memories for them. We have a playroom that is designated just for toys but we are beginning to transform it.
First project….a stage! This was something I have talked about doing for about a year now and we finally pulled it together. Inspired by a picture I saw, we developed our own take and literally spent less than $50 to make it happen!
My family and I were at an auction recently and walked by a rectangular ‘piece’ of furniture. We are still not exactly sure what it is, but I knew instantly that it was the base of our stage. We waited by this ‘piece’ until the auctioneer got around. Clearly others did not know what it was either because no one was bidding on it. (My dad is an auction expert and the rule is never bid at the first number the auctioneer throws out….). We ended up getting the base of our stage and a host of other items that were thrown in with it for $5. We simply spray painted it black and the base was complete.
Next, we used an old curved shower rod. We already had this piece, so no cost there! I looked and looked for the perfect shower curtains to use for the stage curtains. I recently found these at Target and they are PERFECT! I did have to get two shower curtains and they were each $19.99. This was the majority of our cost. Some clear shower curtain rings at a garage sale and we have an awesome set up!
My kiddos already love it, but I am imagining them playing dress up, performing talent shows and reading their favorite book from the stage in days near!
What fun projects have you created for your kids to use? I’d love to know!