Decorating Projects
for Childrens Rooms

Hello to all ! Thank you to those of you who take the time to email me. I love it!

With the Holidays fast approaching, it is time to think of creative projects for your kids and grandkids.
Instead of all the endless toys this year, why not make a neat decorating project?


Kid's rooms should include not only good design, but things for pure play.
I have written a couple of ideas in this month's newsletter. If you have a place to work where your
kids can't see, you can do this! A garage with a makeshift curtained off area and a "no peeking"
sign will work. Your neighbor's garage will work better! ~smile~

"The Fort"

Your local appliance dealer gets their appliances in large cartons. If you ask nicely and let them know what you are up to, most will cooperate and let you know when to be there to grab some large cartons before they crush them. A refrigerator carton and a stove carton will work for a great start on this project. Turn both cartons upside down. By cutting a side of the stove carton down both corners , you now have a large, lift up flap. Cut doorways in opposite sides of the refrigerator carton. Connect the flap of the stove carton with duct tape over one of the doorways in the refrigerator carton. Now you have a connected "fort". With some fabric stapled as fabric walls down from the flap on each side, you have a secluded play area. Now get creative and cut odd shaped windows in the "tower" of the refrigerator part of this fun play fort. How about long slit windows in the stove carton part? With paint, fabric, and imagination, you can create a wonderful, colorful design your kids will love. This can be placed in a playroom, a bedroom, or any play area that is not exposed to the weather.

In my house, this kind of creative play area was a favorite. And I remember well the day I discovered colored duct tape! The bright colors not only hold things like this together, but work well as trim for windows and doors, while softening the rough cut edges. Great idea, colored duct tape!

This creation is also a palace, a firehouse, a jail for a sibling, or whatever you think your child would like. Or make it generic and let the child decide what it is to be! With extra cardboard for a gabled roof, it becomes a tea house for little ladies and their dolls. Think spaceship, house boat, command post, and get creative! Your kids will love you for it!

You can use two refrigerator cartons for this one. The idea is to cut one side out of each carton (cut along one side and top and bottom) and use the flaps of cardboard as support by sliding them into the carton next to it. Tape together as one larger unit. This gives you a double thickness of cardboard in the front. Now cut out an area about three feet from the floor across the front of both cartons. Staple fabric across the top to drop down as curtains across the "viewing area" and be sure to staple ribbon on each to use as tiebacks when a "show" is being presented. Again, tape and paint create the puppet theater effect. Go all out and add a scalloped valance and stick on decals for real flair. Voila! A puppet theater! Don't forget to cut out a small doorway in the back for the performers to enter and exit.

"Cool Lighting"

This requires a hot glue gun and patience, but the effect is neat. You'll need a large package or two of clear plastic picnic cups, a string of Christmas lights-tiny ones- and a lot of glue sticks for the glue gun! Do not try this when you are feeling frazzled! You will not be happy! You have been warned. And don't tell me you never get frazzled. I won't believe you! <grin>

The colors of the cups and lights are up to you. If you are after a year round lighting fixture, use clear lights and cups in a color that goes with your kids room design. I used multicolored lights and had to take it apart and put it away after the Holidays. There was no way I was going to do it over in clear lights! Live and learn!

Work somewhere that will survive glue droppings. Or use newspapers to catch the drips. Start by poking a small hole in the bottom of the cups with an awl or other small sharp object. You need to make the hole just large enough for a single light to go through and stick, without falling through the hole. Still with me? Please use a string of lights with a white cord. It will show! The game plan is to make a "ball" of cups by gluing them side by side, using the natural cone shape to make the shape of the ball. Try to make the center ring as tight as possible and as round as you can. The process of gluing them can get out of hand, becoming large and out of shape.

I can hear you saying, "how many cups"? This will depend on how big a ball you want. A thirty light string of bulbs will make a large "light ball"! I suggest you try a twenty light string. Each cup gets a light in it after being glued to its neighbor. Try to keep the cord to the inside of the ball. Do not do what I did and try a fifty light string! The ball ended up being three feet across and had to be hung outside on the porch! Dramatic, but not practical! By carefully gluing and attaching the lights, you will have a nice, neat , managable ball of lights. This can be hung in your child's room from a ceiling hook, using an extension cord as the hanging "chain". It is very lightweight. If you want a more secure method, use a matching ribbon as the hanger by wrapping it around the cord. The lights will not burn the cups. The look is really neat and sure to please. Again, if done in your child's room colors, it can be a permanent light fixture.

A variation on this is to simply string the lights around the room at ceiling level and put a cup on each light. Very easy and a delightful way to add light to a kid's room. Blue clear cups with blue lights add a soft, calming, evening sky look. Yellow creates a sunny look in a room that needs a lift, and pink creates a fairy-tale look. Multicolored is great for the Holidays, or for a Latin flair! Be creative! I am sure your kids will enjoy this!

"Sleeping Bag"

I never met a kid who didn't like crawling into a sleeping bag. And I never met a child who liked making their bed! When mine were little, I taught them to make their loft beds as soon as they got up. After a few weeks of protest, they were doing it. And doing it well. Too well. Some investigation was in order. It turned out that after they were tucked in at night and prayers were said, lights turned off, and kisses exchanged, they were getting up and making the beds! They then crawled onto the made bed with an extra comforter as a cover! These they carefully folded in the morning. A quick smoothing of the bed and they were home free! Clever little creatures.... The clincher was that I had been washing all those clean sheets! Hmmmm.... Solution? In a minute!

If you have a child who thinks sleeping bags are really fun, then this project is for you. You will need two colorful sheets a size smaller than the bed. Twin sheets work for a double or queen bed. Then you need a comforter the same size as the sheets. Stitch the sheets together down the sides and across one end. On each of the four corners, sew some sturdy tape for ties. On the comforter, you will need to sew the tape into loops on the corners. Tie the comforter to the sheets. Almost instant sleeping bag! ~smile~ To wash, just untie the comforter and toss the sheets into the machine. Let your child roll up the sleeping bag and tuck into the closet for daytime. The bed is made, the sleeping bag is in the closet, and you have a happy kid and a neat bedroom! Great for sleep-overs, too!

Now to my solution...I took away their TV privileges until they did what I asked them to do.

Wish I had thought of this idea years ago!