Table Top Easel

My first day as an official stay-at-home Mum delivered my first crafty project. R. has been showing a lot more interest in painting and drawing, so I was inspired to make a table-top easel. (My first plan was to buy the $14 one from Ikea, but haven;t quite been able to justify a trip just for that.) Also, I read that toddlers have a much easier time painting upright, rather than horizontally as we had been doing.

So... nap time arrived and I gathered my supplies.

One large sheet of sturdy cardboard (I used the back of a large pad of chart paper)

Three washing pegs

Paints of your choice (I used some left over yellow interior paint and black acrylic)

Scissors/Stanley knife

String

Superglue

Ruler

1. Cut your cardboard to the needed size - mine had to fit on R's child table.

2. Score a line across the midpoint (make sure you do not cut all the way through!)

3. Punch four holes into the bottom corners and attach string.

4. Paint the easel and glue the pegs to the top

5. I was going to cover the easel with contact paper, but I decided to leave it and R. can add her own artistic flare to it as she uses it.

Who knows how long it will last, but I'm pleased with the finished product. A very easy homemade easel for little artists.