Create an art table in your home
2024 update: This is one of my favorite resources but instead of the e-guides I used back in 2015, Megan of The Art Pantry now has a new book available from my affiliate link on Amazon here: The Art Playroom book by The Art Pantry
It’s gorgeous and has terrific reviews!
“Invitation to Create” was a favorite and now there are wonderful FREE videos here, too.
Be sure to follow The Art Pantry on Instagram and Facebook, too, for lots more inspiration and creativity. I am in love with everything they do.
Here are the only images I could salvage from the original post:
Now on to the original post.
I’ve always been a creative person but in the busyness of life, maintaining some kind of “artistic practice” is challenging.
My boys are now ages nine and six and I want to encourage their creative endeavors. For a while now, I’ve wanted to provide them a space to store their art supplies and to be able to sit down and make something on a whim. When I discovered The Art Pantry, I knew I had found my solution.
The New Playroom e-guide is beautiful, practical, easy to read and so inspiring that I ordered the e-guide late one night and put our art table together the very next day!
{this is not a sponsored post}
Here’s what I did:
1. I chose a table.
I immediately thought about the IKEA desk in the boys’ bedroom. The top wipes off easily and it’s a great size.
2. I chose a spot.
As soon as I considered the desk, I remembered that they rarely used the desk in their bedroom. The e-guide reminded me that it was probably because they didn’t like to be isolated from the rest of the house.
So I thought, “Why not put the art table in the family room?”
We don’t have a television in our family room so it really is where we gather just to play games, hang out and do our nightly gratitude and prayer time. They could be in the hub of the house and visitors to our home could also use it.
3. I gathered supplies.
I had just done the Konmari Method in the boys’ bedroom and playroom so our art supplies were already gathered together. I love art so we had a LOT of supplies.
I shopped the house (which just means looking at what you already have instead of going out to purchase anything) for baskets and buckets and grabbed our “how to draw” books, my adult coloring books and blank notebooks.
I bet you already have a lot of the supplies, too.
During our decluttering and tidying up, I’d emptied out a small bookcase in the boys’ closet so I measured and, sure enough, it fit the corner of the space perfectly. Beyond that I just added a little-used desk lamp. I already have a memo board hanging in the space so we can hang our finished projects there.
4. I put it all together.
The e-guide lists the supplies you’ll need and, again, we already had quite a lot of them. In the weeks since, I’ve purchased more at the back-to-school sales.
I love how it turned out and my boys sit at the art table to do homework, write in their gratitude journal and of course to draw and color. Cutting and gluing are also favorite activities so I make sure it’s stocked with kid scissors, glue and tape. They’re not constantly bugging me for these supplies anymore, either.
I envision grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles using it with our boys, too. Who could resist??
This e-guide is a MUST if you’ve considered having an art table in your home–or if you’ve wanted to embrace creativity at home and weren’t sure how.
There are ideas for spaces of all sizes and even outdoor spaces!
The Invitation To Create was wonderful, too. I love the concept of setting something out for your kids and “inviting” them to create. You WILL be inspired and the kids WILL love it!
It would be especially fantastic for moms of prechoolers and homeschool moms. It reminds me of the “bell work” I put out every day for my 4th graders when I taught school except these are a lot more fun! It gives your kids something to do while you start your day. I hope to start doing them on weekends for our boys.
I can’t recommend these resources enough!
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