easy revolving child's art display // a space for a crafty little girl

When we moved into our bigger home a year ago, one of the (many) things I was excited about was having the space to get Lily her own little table and chairs... we picked up some cheap from Ikea *pause for some Ikea love* and they have been a fantastic investment... pretty much every free moment in her day, Lily can be found here - a little artist busily working away on her latest creations.

I have been shocked and continually charmed at the time she spends at her little 'craft table', passionately drawing, cutting, glueing, sticking, tearing, folding and creating. The things she comes up with amaze and amuse... I just love it! Her very own little table is a space she can easily access at any time (when the muse strikes, of course) and I love that it doesnt need to be continually packed away. It is often horrendously messy as the little hoarder hates to part with any of her creations, and while we are working on strategies for keeping it tidy (along with learning responsibility and organising systems), for the most part I let her keep it in the fairly chaotic layout she seems to enjoy...

The artist at work...

I adore seeing her so diligently at work. I love seeing kids free to create and express. So much delight and determination in their little minds, unfolding and evolving day by day....

I made a little craft display wall for the ever increasing amount of artwork being churned out on a daily basis, at home, playschool and Bible class.... being the doting mama that I am, the hardest bit is trying to take something down in order to replace it with something else!! I used ribbon with little colourful craft pegs, with the ends tacked behind the adjacent book cases. I love that it can be used to display not just pictures but some of the more 3D creations too.. and Lily love to choose new works to go up there!

Although Lily likes to draw and colour like any kid, I have to admit she doesn't take too much interest in working on it in a huge amount of detail. When she is busy at her desk, she is usually working on some kind of multi-media sculptural creation... these creations are often animals, which she works on then nonchalently presents to me for inspection 'Look Mummy, I made a mouse'. She works fast and furiously, eager to bring forth the ideas from her fingers - not one for careful construction or painstaking detail. She wants to bring her ideas into fruition using as much sticky tape and scraps of paper as possible, then it's time to move onto the next project without lingering or finessing. She is no perfectionist, but she is a creater! Her sculptures are made in a bizarre fashion from anything she can gather from around the house. Any old boxes, scraps, containers or papers I am done with can be passed on to her or left on her craft table. She seizes them and I can see her little 'mad scientist' brain at work, imagining what animal or person it could become... and she always surprises me!

Here are just a small sample of her recent works. Yes, I am well aware these sculptures could be on sale in a New York gallery for thousands of dollars but I figure there is plenty of time to cash in on her brilliance, let's give the kid a childhood first! ;)

Mouse with tail, Tree Girl and Snail

Love my quirky little artist-in-residence!