Papier-mâché Two Delicious Pretend Pies!

My two fresh baked pies were hardened in the summer sun
 and look good enough to eat!

       Make a couple of delicious looking pretend pies to serve at a doll dinner party. I decided to shape a lattice top cherry pie and a simple blueberry pie from papier-mâché pulp for our playroom kitchen but you could make any pie you prefer from this old, familiar, classroom art supply.

Supply List:

• round box with both the top and bottom
• papier-mâché pulp (small pack)
• masking tape
• brown paper bags
• white school glue
• Mod Podge or clear acrylic sealer
• acrylic paints: reds, browns, purple
• paint brush (stencil brush is optional)
• newsprint

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. You will need a small round box container for this project. Something tossed our from the grocery store will be fine. I kept a brie cheese container for my pies. The container should be clean and dry, with no food residue. 
2. Open the box and keep both sides face up. Crumple some newsprint and add this to the openings. The newsprint when wadded will create an uneven surface which is good. The more berries you have in a pie, the more uneven the surface will look. This newsprint will act as the filling for our two pies and will support the papier-mâché pulp tops as we sculpt.
3. Cover or mask both open faced "pie" shapes entirely with making tape. Sealing off the top of the pie shells with the crumpled newsprint inside.
4. Shred the flimsy, paper bag paper into random shapes to apply with glue onto the both halves of our pretend pies. This step strengthens the sculpted forms. 
5. After covering the surfaces of the filled pie shapes thoroughly with the brown paper bag layer, apply a layer of Mod Podge. Let dry.
6. Now mix the papier-mâché pulp according to the directions. Start the process by adding only a little bit of water at a time, gradually working the pulp into a slightly stiff clay. Do not add all of your pulp into a bowl at once and mix. It only takes a handful of pulp to sculpt each pie top. If you need more, you can mix it as you go. The pulp may be layered and it will adhere to it's own surface.
7. Now you may shape this pulp on top of the bumpy pie surfaces only. Don't worry about whether or not the surface is applied evenly. Papier-mâché pulp is a very forgiving material and pies are lumpy on top anyway. So just sort-of apply approximately 1/2 inch of the sticky stuff to the entire surface of each pie. 
8. If you are a beginner, you will start by shaping the blueberry pie shown on my posting here. It has a simple, uniform surface with only a few finger holes on the top to reveal its purple juices after painting.
9. Shaping the cherry pie with a lattice top may prove to be a bit challenging for beginners. I did not make it with strips of pulp! I shaped the lattice work and pulp balls directly onto the top. Applying more white glue to ensure that the fake cherries stayed in place during the drying time. If you should take up this challenge, do not worry if you need to reattach cherry shapes a second time after letting this pie sculpture dry. (See photos below)
10. Shape the edges of your pies just as you normally would when sealing the edges of a real pie. You can do this with your finger tips or a plastic fork if you like. ( How to make decorative pie crust. )
11. Now set these papier-mâché pulp pies in the hot sun for baking... The hotter and sunnier outdoors or on a window seal, the better! It may take a few days for the pulp pies to harden up.
12. Paint the tops of your pies using quick drying acrylic paints. Mix up several variations of browns so that you can apply these randomly as you work. A stencil brush may help the process for those of you who have never painted a surface like this before. 
13. It helps to observe a real blueberry or cherry pie while painting your own. Prepare to get hungry!
14. After painting the pies let them dry thoroughly in the sunshine. 
15. Apply the acrylic sealer to the tops of your finished pie masterpieces. Let these dry again before serving them up to your doll companions.

Left, You will need a small round box container for this project. Center, The newsprint when wadded will
 create an uneven surface which is good. Right, Cover or mask both open faced "pie" shapes entirely with 
making tape.

Shaping the cherry pie with a lattice top may prove to be a bit challenging for beginners.

I used Mod Podge to seal the lower half of each pie.
Brown paper bags were used to craft the pie crusts on bottom.

What the papier-mâché pies look like after drying in the hot sun.

Cherry pie and blueberry pie cooling on the stove top
after baking in the pretend oven, as seen from above.
Read about the play oven and stove-top, DIY here.

PuddingFishCakes makes a polymer clay blueberry 

pie for a miniature doll family.

How to sew a gathered canopy for a child's market stall

The ruffled, canvas canopy cover may be either sewn
 together or assembled with a hot glue gun.

       Cover the top of your market stall with an attractive gathered canopy. This fun fabric, printed with large veggies, was purchased from IKEA.
       I purchased a child's play market stall for the nursery downstairs several years ago. I am now just getting around to setting it up properly. This stall comes with brace work designed to support a fabric canopy. I can't seem to find a picture of it on the internet, so I will need to craft one based upon my own measurements and design.

       It is not difficult to construct canopy covers; any adult or older child can take a few measurements and sew a few straight seams to accomplish this project. In fact, you do not need to sew any part of the canopy. If you prefer to use a glue gun, this will suffice as well. I chose to sew my own because I want to switch it out with alternative canopy trims and store it. Sewing something properly always makes the handling of it more practical.

Supply List:

• one yard of heavy canvas fabric
• scissors
• large needle 
• thick thread
• cardboard
• glue gun (optional)

       Measure across the top of the canopy, both the length and the width. Cut a piece of heavy cardboard to fit the top of the canopy brace work exactly. Cut both top and bottom pieces of your canvas fabric to cover this long narrow piece of cardboard. You can either sew or hot glue this canvas to the cardboard. Trim and tuck under all the edges so that this piece looks clean and professional. My canopy top measured 23 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches.

       Now you will need to make the ruffle to attach to the covered fabric cardboard. This may be sewn or attached with hot glue after it has been cut, hemmed and gathered. Measure from the top of your canopy brace downward when determining how long you would prefer your canopy's ruffle to drape. I chose to make a ruffle twelve inches from top to bottom and approximately six feet long. (The included seam allowance)

       The length of the fabric must be gathered in order to make the ruffle. You don't need much extra fabric in order to sew a neat ruffle. The circumference around my canopy top at it's widest point measured 67 inches. This is because the braces were built with angles extending out from the sides of the canopy.  

       The original fabric awning (if there was one) probably looked something like a trapezoid shape. However I chose to sew a ruffled, fabric canopy to compensate for this shape. By adding an additional six inches of fabric to the length of my ruffle I was able to ensure the fabric would cover the widest part of this brace work neatly.
       Six inches may not sound like much, but it is plenty of ruffle when using a canvas fabric. Canvas is heavier than cotton and it must be used sparingly in order to make it lay neatly around the edges of a piece of furniture. 

       Now if you wanted to cover the canopy with a light weight cotton, you could add more than six inches to your ruffle and it would look nice. However, I would not extend the length of a cotton version ruffle more than twelve inches in addition to the exact circumference of my stall's braces.

How to use heat-n-bond ultrahold tape for

 finishing fabric edges without sewing.

       Before attaching the ruffle to the edge of your covered canopy top, you will need to sew a hem around both the top and bottom of the ruffle. You may use a kind of sewing tape that may be applied with a hot iron if you should choose to avoid any sewing here. I simple ran my fabric through the sewing machine and then ironed the hems flat before gathering the edges with a wide straight stitch across the top edge of my ruffle. Make sure to knot one end of that strong thread so that you can pull the end piece of it to create a gathered ruffle.

       Now pin the ruffle into place around the edge of your canopy cardboard. Spread this evenly with slightly more ruffle around each end of the canopy where the braces form the extended top. It is easiest to sew this or hot glue this into place while working directly onto the wooden, canopy brackets. Be careful not to attach the ruffle directly to the braces, only attach the ruffle to the cardboard top! This is not a problem if you are sewing, but glue may cause a bit of trouble if your not careful about how liberally you apply it. Press the fabric canopy using spray starch. Trim off any stray threads.

• DIY Market Stand Tutorial Part I and Part II

Craft Jams & Jellies for A Pretend Kitchen

My pretend preserves are cooling on the window seal. Soon someone small will have a charming,
 new addition to her old-fashioned, play pantry.

       Any older brother or sister can craft these adorable, homemade jelly or jam jars for a child sized market stall or play kitchen! It's a simple craft that looks like just like real preserves! You can choose to draw pictures of fruit fillings, apply stickers or Mod Podge free, fruit clip art from the web onto the labels I have provided below. The age of your crafter will predetermine whichever steps you decide to take when decorating these labels.

Draw a larger circle using a pencil, onto
the wrong side of your fabric selections.
Cut an additional 1/2 inch margin around
the circle for a proper ruffle if making a
template from the jelly jar itself.

Supply List:

• four glass or plastic containers
• four acrylic paint colors: blue, purple, red and orange
• labels for jellies and jams
• stickers of fruit (optional)
• Mod Podge
• soft paint brush
• scissors
• pencils, crayons or paint for coloring fruit
• calico or gingham cotton fabric (scraps)
• rubber bands

Step-by-Step Directions:  

1. Gather your supplies before beginning. You do not need to use glass jars like mine, if you are afraid they might break when handled by little ones roughly. There are many grocery products on the market that come in similar styles and sizes to mine that are made from plastic. I used four glass yogurt jars that look just like old-fashioned jelly jars for this craft. 
2. Clean the jars with warm soap and water; removing any labels from the outside of the jar with a bit of elbow grease, of course.
3. Squeeze a small amount of paint into each jar and cover the entire surface of the inside of the jars with color. Rotate the jars from side to side until there is a nice even coat of paint. Drain the excess of paint back into the paint containers if possible. Let the paint in each jar harden over night before proceeding to the following steps.
4. Using a round template/pattern (from a glass or plate or the jar plus 1/2 inch), draw a larger circle using a pencil, onto the wrong side of your fabric selections. Repeat this four times for each jar of jam. Make sure that the circles are larger than the top openings of your pretend jam/jelly jars by at least one half inch. You will need this much fabric to hang over the outer rims all the way around each jar in order to seal them with a rubber band. Mothers and Grandmothers often decorate their home made preserves with similar fabric rounds after canning themselves.
5. Set these fabric lid covers aside for wrapping the tops of each jar later.
6. Now print out the labels that I have included for the project below.
7. You can choose to draw and then color in four separate fruits for each label: grapes, apricots, strawberries, and blue berries. Alternatively, you could use some colorful, fruity stickers to decorate each label before applying them with Mod Podge instead of drawing and coloring the fruits if you wish.
8. Use the blue berry label for a jar painted with blue acrylic, a strawberry label for a red painted jar, an apricot label for an orange painted jar and finally a purple painted jar for the grape jelly label.
9. After coloring in or decoupaging each label with stickers, apply Mod Podge to the surface areas of each jar of jam and carefully stick the labels onto the painted jars. Let the surface dry and repeat an application of Mod Podge on top of the labels to protect them from play.
10. Now secure a fabric round to the top of each jar with a rubber band. (see photo)

Left, Clean the jars with warm soap and water. Right, Let the paint in each jar harden over night before proceeding.

Here I have drawn some free labels for your jam & jelly jars.

I added yellow, calico, fabric lids to my pretend preserves.

Crafting For An Old-Fashioned Kitchen:

• Vintage Kitchen Ideas from Better Homes & Gardens
• Woman's 1950s Timewarp House

How to Clean a Vintage Copper Coal Scuttle

Left is the Dutch copper coalscuttle or coal bucket purchased for fifty cents. I've given it a good cleaning (Right) so that little ones may use it for dramatic play in our family's old-fashioned play
 kitchen. Children can learn much about social history when parents and educators
 include items such as this one in their play areas.

       A coal scuttle, sometimes spelled coalscuttle and also called a hod, "coal bucket", or "coal pail", is a bucket-like container for holding a small, intermediate supply of coal convenient to an indoor coal-fired stove or heater.

       Coal scuttles are usually made of metal and shaped as a vertical cylinder or truncated cone, with the open top slanted for pouring coal on a fire. It may have one or two handles. Homes that don't use coal sometimes use a coal scuttle decoratively. I purchase this Dutch copper, coalscuttle at a flee market. It was filthy! However, I cleaned it up with a home recipe and it now is used as a decorative/toy item in the downstairs playroom of my home.

Supply List:

• table salt
• large deep plastic bucket (don't use a nice one)
• giant jug of white distilled vinegar 
• paper towels or soft rag
• scrub brush (not for use in combination with foods)

 
Step-by-Step Directions:

1. First, clean off the dirt and grime on the coalscuttle that may be removed with soap and water.
2. Choose a large, plastic bucket that will easily hold fluids and the coalscuttle. You want the the bucket to hold a fairly large amount of vinegar. I chose a very deep bucket to clean my copper coal bucket in.
3. You can lay the bucket on it's side and rotate it in the solution to get an even soak all around both the inside and outside parts of your coalscuttle, as it soaks.
4. Add approximately 1/4 cup of table salt to a gallon of white distilled vinegar. 
5. Let the dirty copper/brass scuttle soak for several hours. Turn the scuttle from side to side periodically. 
6. You will see immediate results, however be prepared to soak the cooper item(s) in the solution for several hours in order to get the desired level of cleaning.
7. Pour the solution out onto a driveway, gravel bed etc... onto unwanted weeds. This will not only kill unwanted plant growth but protect your grass or ground water sources from the vinegar solution after you have used it.
8. Wash the coalscuttle with warm soapy water again and rub it down with a dray, soft rag. Throw the rag away.

Ads from old newspapers depicting and describing the use of a coalscuttle.

The hot labor making coal kitchen versus the sanitary
 all gas kitchen from 1913.

Is Your Cooking a Fireman's Job? advertisement

       The advertisement above reads, "Are you handling coal and ashes; keeping the kitchen range red-hot for baking, or covering the coals for stewing? Why not do away with the constant attention demanded by the coal stove--the irregular heat--the shifting of pots and kettle-- the smut and smoke-- woodpile and coal scuttle?" (Products advertised in photographs here no longer exist. The ads are used for teaching students about historical content only.)

Farm Life in The Rural Midwestern Farm.

Social History of Midwestern Families 100 Years Ago:

• Farm Wife, 1900
• Living History Farm in York, Nebraska
• Cooking Through the Ages: A Timeline of Oven Inventions
• Wood Stove Cooking

Refinishing a Table And Chairs For a Child's Kitchen

Above you can see the finished table and side chairs.

       It seems as though I have been looking for the right table and chairs to compliment some antique dining room furnishings in our playroom forever. I wanted something simple but elegant. The legs of the table needed to be at each corner underneath. These should be turned, and the top needed to be generous, so that little ones could set up the table for tea time. I have seen many tables and chairs over the years come through resale but none of them were quite right. They were usually too small, too juvenile, too shabby, too country... well, you get the jest of it. But, at last, I spied the perfect table and it wasn't in a shop, folks. I found it while walking through our neighborhood. The perfect table was abandoned by the trash heap of a neighbor with a sign taped to it saying, "Free." 

       Oh! How I love that four letter word, best of all! It was free! The most important word in my vocabulary. I turned the small table this way and that, and saw that some old carpenter had built it sturdy and heavier than he ought. It had spindle legs and appeared to be made of solid pine. I was so over-joyed; I decided to carry it home before someone else discovered the gem. Of course, in reality, few would covet it. It was the kind of table that only an old woman with memories of a forgotten, romantic childhood would value.
       And at least half of my childhood was romantic indeed. This half being managed by a couple of elderly grandparents who begged my parents to leave me with them whenever they had too little time or help, which wasn't often enough. These were the grandparents I played hooky for and longed to be near to - even if I had to fain illness. (That means lie, people.)

The dining area, finished and kept to scale.

Above, I've turned over the table after scrubbing it down with soap, water
 and sand paper. I've decided to paint the legs of my table to match other
furnishings in the nursery. Here you can see that I masked the surrounding
 table top so that paint will not get onto it's surfaces.

The table took only one morning to refinish it. I left the top stained
 and sealed it with wood varnish. There is a slight break were the wooden boards
 on the table top have come unglued a bit. I chose to leave this defect alone.
 The table is charming defect and all. There is plenty of height on this piece too.
 Any number of chair styles may fit underneath it without cramping the
 legs of at least four seven year olds.

Not long after, I picked up these two slatted, child-sized, wooden chairs
 at resale for two dollars each. I left the slats varnished and painted only the
 chair backs and legs in the same colonial blue as my table, hutch,
and hoosier. I will need two additional chairs either matching these
 two or not.

I've added two child ladder back chairs and set the table.

The place settings include dinnerware, glasses, silverware and
 a tablecloth all to scale. This can be done by using juice glasses
 and desert plates originating from adult place settings. The
scaled down silverware was originally made for a child.

Refinishing Child Tables & Chairs:

• Creative Ideas for The Kid's Table by activerain
• Wet Distressing DIY Paint for kid's table and chairs
• Whimsical Painted Child Furniture by Just the Woods

Mary Jane teaches etiquette and manners to kids.

Birdies with broken wings

Birdies with broken wings,

Hide from each other;

But babies in trouble,

Can run home to mother.

How to Upcycle a Child's Suitcase

I painted one half of my child sized suitcase with blackboard chalk paint. Then I decorated this side using liquid
 chalkboard paints. The doll drawings may be found on this page of my blog if you would like to draw them on
your version of the craft. Also there is an older post describing the "chalk transfer method" that I used to
design the top half of this chalkboard painted luggage here. The text above on the suitcase reads,
 "Home is where your friends are!"

       I decided to combine two distinct craft projects into one in order to save money on supplies. Namely the suitcase, because these are getting a bit expensive to acquire from resale outlets. The lower half of my suitcase has been decoupaged with vintage sailor fabric and the upper half with chalkboard paint.

This little upcycled suitcase is home to many doll house dolls.

Supply List:

• chalkboard spray paint (black)
• white school chalk
• liquid chalk pens
• Mod Podge
• large soft brush
• scissors
• butcher paper
• vintage fabric (your choice)
• ruler
  

Step-by-Step Directions: Part 1. The Decoupaged Suitcase Surface

1. Before you begin, clean the outside of your suitcase with a moist bleach towelette and set it in the bright sunlight. This will kill mold and bacteria. 
2. Gently sand down the flat surfaces of the luggage so that glue and paint will bond to it with ease.
3. I decoupaged the bottom half of my little suitcase first, for obvious reasons. I wanted the more durable alteration to be on the half that would receive the most neglect and would not be put on display as often.
4. You will need a paper pattern to lay on top of your vintage fabric. Allow a slight 1/8th seam allowance after tracing around the pattern on the wrong side of your fabric. This extra fabric will get tucked between the piping and the bottom side of the suitcase after you apply the Mod Podge.
5. To make the pattern from the actual suitcase top, lay butcher paper across the flat side of the luggage and push with your finger tips around the inside circumference of the suitcase piping. This will leave a obvious crease in the paper that you can cut on top of directly with a pair of scissors. (see photo below)
6. Brush the clean, sanded surface with a generous amount of Mod Podge. Use a large paint brush to do so with speed.
7. Now, carefully line up the fabric and press it evenly on top of the glue, working the creases out with a long ruler and your finger tips.
8. Brush on a second thick layer of Mod Podge to the top of my fabric in order to seal the surface thoroughly. Let the luggage stand and dry thoroughly before moving on to the second half of this craft project.

• 

  Left, make a pattern from the actual suitcase top by laying butcher paper across the top and pushing with your finger
   tips around the inside circumference of the suitcase piping. Right, You can see that I have added a thick layer of Mod Podge.

This suitcase has two sides, on the left is the chalkboard painted side and on the right is the fabric decoupage side.

Above are photos of the drawing done with a liquid chalkboard marker on my child sized suitcase.

Step-by-Step Directions: Part 2. The Chalkboard Painted Surface

1. Like the decoupaged surface, the spray painted surface needs light sanding in order for the paint to adhere properly.
2. Cover all of the surfaces that are not to be painted with masking tape and newsprint.
3. Lay the suitcase face up and closed in the center of a large cardboard box. This will protect your environment from floating paint.
4. Spray the chalkboard paint in even, thin coats. Repeat this after allowing each application to dry, approximately 25 minutes between coats in the sunshine, outdoors. I painted my suitcase top with at least four layers of paint.
5. Let the project dry thoroughly over night.
6. Now the chalkboard surface is ready for drawing with liquid chalk pens! Liquid chalk may be wiped down with a moist cloth. 
7. To save work that you like, you can apply a couple of coats of spray fixative.

Homes For Dolls Inside Vintage Luggage:

• Doll house in a suitcase
• A 1950s diner in a suitcase
• Chalkboard painted luggage is a traveling doll house...
• Two doll house apartments in vintage luggage
• Doll house and front lawn in a suitcase
• Mice live in a suitcase 

The dolls that live & travel inside the suitcase thus far...

Old Fisher Price doll house dolls.

My little ponies plus one unicorn.

Tiny Madame Alexander Dolls from The Wizard of Oz Collection.

Vinyl Career Figures from Kaplan Co.

A tiny cartonería doll from Mexico.

Cabbage Patch Kids figurines.

 Return to the Doll Guide Index Page 

Update a Classic Pull-Cart With Chalkboard Paint

Above is an easy toy transformation that any older sibling or parent might accomplish in just one, sunny afternoon.

A classic, wooden pull-cart for baby blocks by Melissa &
Doug may be used for this easy DIY craft. I purchased the
one pictured above, for only $1 in a local thrift store.

       You may have seen a pull cart like this one in resale for a dollar or two and wondered if it might be made useful again? They are usually tossed out after a year or so, when baby no longer seems interested in pulling his blocks up and down the hallways.

       Here is an idea to extend his interest in the cart and you probably have most of the supplies needed stored in your garage at home!

Supply List:

• chalkboard spray paint (any color)
• masking tape
• newsprint
• large cardboard box
• a wooden pull-cart (mine was purchased from resale)
• blocks
• chalk
• soft old rag
• red acrylic paint to touch up the wheels of my cart
• sand paper

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Clean and sand the pull-cart to prepare it for painting.
2. Use masking tape and newsprint to cover areas that you don't wish to be sprayed with chalkboard paint. I only chose to spray paint the inside, bottom of my wagon.
3. Now set the wagon inside a large cardboard box to protect the surrounding environment from spray paint as you work. I spray painted my little block wagon outdoors.
4. Spray three to four even coats of chalkboard paint in order to get nice, durable coverage.
5. Let the wagon dry overnight.
6. Remove the masking tape and newsprint. Then repaint the wheels with red enamel paint if these are scuffed up.
7. Now you can use chalk to trace around a variety of block shapes and sizes that are in your toddler's collection. Challenge him or her to match the shapes and call these by name while they play this simple game.
   

Ideas like these help parents to recruit family members in the practice of teaching primary learning activities to babies and toddlers.

Chalk Transfer a Parking Lot & Service Station

It's easy to learn how to design a place
 for Hotwheels to go for a tune up,
 tire adjustment or serious car repairs.

       I used a simple chalk transfer method in order to compose a service station/parking lot for any child sized, chalkboard table top. (See full sized table below.) You can print out a service station like mine from my car mat coloring page collection at Crayon Palace.
       You will need both regular white chalk and a liquid chalk pen to complete this craft project.
       If you do not have a chalkboard table it's easy to remedy this by spray painting the top of an old sofa table with chalkboard paint; but that project is for another post!

Steps for The Chalk Transfer Method:

1. Print or draw a design.
2. Rub the backside of the drawing with white chalk.
3. Turn it over drawing side up and position it on the chalkboard.
4. Use a pencil to trace the basic outline of the drawing.
5. The chalk should transfer onto the chalkboard. It should appear fuzzy.
6. Outline the final drawing with a chalk pen.
7. Dust off the surface using a soft brush.

More Chalkboard Surfaces Crafted for Car Play:

• Train tracks on the chalkboard table by the imagination tree
• Backyard Projects For Kids: DIY Race Car Track by Architecture and Design
• Fun & Simple Toy Car Play Mat by Crafting Chicks 
• DIY Ramp Race Track by thehomesihavemade

More Crafty Fun With Little Cars:

• the weisse guys cardboard city!
• A DIY Toy Traffic Light Craft by B-inspiredmama
• DIY Washi Tape Toy Car Track for Your Son to Play On from Kidsomania
• DIY: Pool Noodle Race Track by Ramblings From Utopia
• Noah's Car Cosy and Race Track by vintage gets crafty
• DIY Wood Race Track from View From the Fridge
• DIY wooden crate storage and display for hot wheels cars by frugalfun4boys
• Tips for preserving, packing and collecting Hot Wheels from hobbydb 
• The blog at Hot Wheels for more craft ideas
• use magnetic knife holders to store little cars by apartment therapy
• Toy Car Tunnel by Lowe's
• Hot Wheels Cakes from Sara's Sweets & Treats
• How to make your own sidewalk chalk and DIY sidewalk chalk eggs  
• The best activities and gifts for boys that love to play with cars from Uplifting Mayhem
• Free Plans - Build a DIY 4-In-1 Activity Table for Kids by addicted 2 diy 

      Photographs of my friend's chalkboard table. I spruced it up a bit with a new coat of chalkboard paint and a chalk drawing for little cars. When his children tire of this; he can wash off the table top and start over.

 I needed to give this little chalkboard table a fresh coat
 of paint before drawing my service station and parking lot.
 It was apparently, well loved. I thought the pencil table
 legs interesting.

I purchased these two slat bottom, kiddie chairs at resale for three dollars each.

Above is a close-up shot of the "Service, Fast - Service Station"
 from the 1950s, drawn with a liquid chalk marker.

The chalkboard painted parking lot is almost full.

I gave the parking spaces numbers; this is a good opportunity to
 teach counting and number identification with a toy.

I included a flower bed at the front of my chalk drawn service station.

The parking lot as seen from above.

The empty parking lot and little car service station
wait to be played with.

Chalkpaint a Wooden Slat Basket

       I sprayed the end surfaces of this wooden slat basket with chalkboard paint. Then I used chalk liquid markers to hand letter, "Aa is for Apples" on one side of the basket and "Bb is for Berries" on the opposite end. Then I lightly outlined apples and strawberries before coloring them in with pastel chalks.

• The Letter "Aa" is for more than just apples... 
• The Letter "Bb" is for more than just berries...

       Above you can see that I carefully wrapped the parts of this stained wooden basket that I did not want to spray paint with masking tape and newsprint. This keeps the surfaces clean and neat.

       I prefer to use the spray paint version of chalkpaint because there are far fewer drips to clean up!

       I will use this little basket to decorate a market stall in the nursery. Above you can see that I have purchased a few plastic apples and below are the plastic strawberries that I will include inside the basket.
       Even though the little ones who play with this pretend food can not read, it is good to expose them to as much print as possible. Over a short amount of time they will make connections between the words and items these refer to.

       I also used a bit of fixative to help keep my chalk drawings from smearing and rubbing off on cloths. If I should decide to make these designs permanent, I will give them heavier coats of fixative and then a final coat of acrylic varnish. 

       This sweet little basket would make a lovely gift for a child on her birthday. Fill it up with chalks, a felt eraser, and a little bundle of plastic fruits or flowers so that she may make up her own version and decorate the sides of the basket as she pleases.