3.27.2014

{Quad Squad} Reading Spaces & Birthday Crafts

I had totally forgotten about Pinterest for awhile. Not even sure how that happens. Either way, this morning I remembered about it and jumped online to scout ideas for toddler reading nooks. And then promptly thanked my lucky stars that Pinterest exists! I've been pinning a couple ideas here and there to my Quad Squad board and during my search found this pretty little pin of a styled cube shelf that would be perfect to replicate for Trystan and Logan's room! I plan to imitate it closely soon as I can get my hands on some shelving!

My kids are expressing a love of books and several of them, especially Logan, will sit in complete contentment flipping through a book while babbling a "story" to go along with the pages and point out pictures and characters to themselves as they read. It's really sweet. Even if they like to tear some of their little tomes apart out of frustration or a fight of possession, hence the turquoise duct tape on the hefty novel Harrison's holding in the photo below! And also hence the reason they are mainly given all board books right now to help improve the longevity of their books. (All the paper-paged books reside on the mantle above the fireplace in their play room until further notice.)


So for now, I put together two impromptu reading areas, one in each of their rooms. I didn't think they would make much of the subtle change, but they Love it. Yes, with a capital L! Soon as they enter a room, they quickly make themselves comfortable in the chairs and grab for their books and puzzles I stored in baskets within arm's reach. A rug that my mom scored at a resale shop helped set apart the space in Trystan and Logan's room and also stuck to the color scheme I have going in there. 





And since we currently keep the baby monitor stationed on the bench (it has to be a little distance away from the sound machine or we can't hear the babies at all), I installed an outlet cover to keep them from messing with the plug. Those things are super cheap and very easy to put on and they work great. I highly recommend them if you have a pesky outlet that your kiddos keep messing with. I have now installed these in both of the kid's rooms! I get mine at Babies R Us and Target, but you can also order them online, too. My safety tip for the day. ;)


For Kailey and Harrison's room I didn't have a spare rug, so I used one of their car mats and mixed and matched chairs (all four of which my mom also got at resale shops!) to go along with a basket of books and their new mini doodle pads I grabbed at Target before our road trip last weekend. Those things have been a major hit and they are only given them to play with during nap time or in the car. Keeps the "new" from wearing off so that they are guaranteed to entertain!




Have you seen the rain gutter book shelves on Pinterest? That's another idea I'd like to replicate in each of the kid's rooms as soon as I can find the time. And I'm thinking an Ikea cabinet like this one would be good to add to Kailey and Harrison's room. Plus I'd like to create an area on a wall where they can display their latest art projects, like this or this.

Speaking of art, I'm beginning to work on plans for the quad's second birthday party. Can you believe it's coming up?! May 31....they will be TWO! We're doing a Bubble Guppies theme since the kids love that show, and I've pinned a gazillion ideas on the birthday party board I started to keep track of all the fun ideas that are out there. I even scored some Bubble Guppies party supplies at Party City last week when I found the tiniest corner display of BG stuff, just as I was about to give up my search and leave.

While at Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago, I wanted to get some more craft supplies for an easy project to do with the kids since I've really enjoyed the Easter crafts we'd done lately. And the quads are surprisingly adept at doing crafts, especially when it comes to coloring, gluing and stickers. It was much less stressful than I had anticipated!

I found some cuter summer-themed craft kids that included everything you needed with all self-adhesive backing so there was no extra supplies required. Today, my mom helped me man the quad table and we assisted the babies in putting their creative touch on their projects. They turned out super cute!



I put the door hangers on the quad's bedroom doors so they can see their artwork every time they go in their rooms. And I'll save the little crabs to string up with some foam fish I plan to use as decor for their birthday party.



What craft projects do you enjoy, whether on your own or with your kiddos?

Also, don't forget to shop my Origami Owl jewelry party, where you can get 10% off your order through April 4!! To get the discount, email Kasey at locketsbykasey {at} gmail {.com}—and also check out the giveaway I'm hosting, which ends tomorrow! Pop in to enter for your chance to win a beautiful locket necklace!

It's nearly the weekend...
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4 comments:

  1. I SO enjoy doing crafts with the babies every bit as much as I did with you ! They turned out really cute and i know the kids will enjoy seeing them on their door knobs.

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  2. We love doing craft projects!! I get most of my ideas from Pinterest. It's a wealth of information isn't it?

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  3. Nickjr.com has TONS of bubble Guppies birthday printables. I just did my 3yr old birthday Paw Patrol style and NOTHING is out yet so I printed everything from there. Super cute! Happy Planning!

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    1. Thanks for the tip - just printed out a birthday banner!

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