Now that the summer has arrived, so have the house guests. Before we welcomed our daughters, my husband and I would be the ones traveling, visiting and staying with family and friends. But, now that we have Savannah and Arabella, it is much easier to have people come and visit us. If you have young children then you know how hard it is to leave the house. Just today, we decided to go to a restaurant for a late lunch. Almost an hour after deciding this, we finally left the house -- only to turn around for a diaper change. I don't know what it is with our 7 1/2 month old, but every time she gets in the car, she goes the bathroom and needs a diaper change. Argg.
Because are daughters are not in school, we began having family visit at the end of May, for the long Memorial Day weekend. My husband's brother came from Florida for a week. Prior to family and friends arriving, I go crazy cleaning the house from floor to ceiling. Having a toddler and a baby doesn't help my preparing for company any easier. By the time I finish in one room and move on to the next, that previous room is already dirty or has toys scattered everywhere. Even though when guests come they tell me not to go crazy getting the house ready for the them -- but, I can't help it -- I like to have a presentable house for guest. Who doesn't?
In the past, guests would stay on the second floor, which was empty. It has four bedrooms, and a bathroom in the center hall, with double sinks. One bedroom was being used as an office, was the other three rooms had bedrooms set up. We had a bedroom with a queen bed, and two bedrooms with twins beds and desks. But, since welcoming the girls, we are now down to two guest bedrooms -- one with queen bed, and one with a twin bed (which has become a storage space for outgrown baby clothes and toys).
I try to make it special when guests arrive by setting up the bathroom sink with bath and body products they like, as well as lay out a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash and stack of freshly washed towels and face clothes. From traveling, I know how crazy it is to pack, and oftentimes forgot our toiletries. So, by doing this, I make sure guests have everything they need, and will not have to run out and pick up forgotten toiletries. And, family and friends who continue to stay with us, know that I do this, and have commented on how they save so much time, packaging this stuff, or buying travel size products, as they know I will have these items waiting for them upon their arrival.
But, this year, I wanted to surprise those that were coming to visit. I wanted to be able to have Savannah help with a craft of sorts that I could display in the bathroom. After scouring the Internet, I had a handful of ideas. Then, I decided to go with the following DIY kid-friendly craft projects --
Create Your Own Personalized Bath Tile ---
Supplies You Will Need:
Plain White or Off-White Bath Tile (I picked up a 6"x6" for .48 and (2) 4"x4" for .32 at Lowe's)
Crayons or Permanent Markers
Trivet or Coaster Holder to Display Tile (optional; available at arts and crafts stores and online)
Directions:
1. Have your children color their own bath tile, with crayons or permanent markers.
2. Depending on the number of tiles created, you can either chose to display like a coaster set on the bathroom counter, lay on the counter and add toiletries or a drinking glass on top of it, or create a backsplash showcasing these works of art.
Savannah had so much fun helping me with this project, as she has discovered coloring and loves to show off her artistic flair. I wish I had picked up more white tiles, as I could have made a backsplash in ours, or the guest bathroom. Something to consider for next time. :-) How cool would it be to have her and Arabella decorate a tile each year, and add to the collection. Not only can they see their works of art when they begin to use this bathroom, but guests will enjoy seeing how their creativity grows as they get older.
Create Your Own Wall Art --
Supplies:
Blank paper (ie. construction paper, printer paper, coloring book pages, etc.)
Crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint, etc.
Picture Frame -- Size depends on the type of art you want to display
Hammer
Picture Hanging Hooks and Nails
Optional: Glitter and other embellishments you want your children to use to dress up their artwork.
Note: To save of buying frame, you can go to a local art or crafts store and buy a blank canvas for your child to decorate.
Instructions:
1. Depending on your child's age and artistic ability, have them color or decorate a blank sheet of paper with their art supplies.
2. Once done, add finished artwork to the frame you have chosen.
3. Hang prominently in the bathroom for all to admire.
Like, I said previously, Savannah has discovered coloring. My refrigerator and wall in the kitchen has run out of space to showcase her masterpieces, so I came up with a great idea to frame some of her best pieces (that she has chosen) and frame them. Then, instead of bath art that I had up on the walls, I would replace it with one of her works of art. Savannah chose to have her first drawing (well, scribbles) as the piece to be on display in the Louve. :-) Now, whenever guests come to visit and use the guest bath, they will see her drawing and instantly smile. Whenever I go upstairs to clean the bathroom, I can't help but stare at her work of art. It makes me smile, but also makes me realize she and her sister are growing up fast. This DIY craft project is another that I would like to continue year after year. Either I could buy a larger frame and do a collage, or stagger the frames along the bare walls.
So far, my brother-in-law and parents who have stayed recently, loved the DIY craft projects Savannah helped me with. It really made the bathroom feel like home, they all said. Mission accomplished!
Do you have any fun DIY bathroom products that you are proud of? If so, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below describer your DIY decoration, bathroom makeover, etc. Or, if you decide to try one of the DIY projects Savannah and I did, I'd love to see your final product. :-) Happy crafting!!!
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