When It Comes to Kids, Let There Be Color

Ask a child his favorite color and he'll say blue. A second later he'll say no, it's red. Yellow. Purple. Orange. Green. In fact, kids love color, all colors. That alone should be inspiration when thinking about decorating your children's bedrooms or playrooms.

That they love color - the more the better - also makes do-it-yourself decorating projects with your kids easy and fun. The key is to relax, keep things simple and inexpensive, and don't sweat the small stuff (like big messes). Use your creativity with your kids and watch theirs spring to life.

1. Let kids add color to unexpected places and have it be OK. If color is what a room lacks, kids can use GelGems™ on any non-porous surface such as windows, refrigerators, computer monitors and bathroom tile. Flexible, stickable and reusable, the colorful gels come in virtually any shape and color - hearts, letters, paisley, dots, fish, flowers or seasonal shapes - and can match any room theme or help create a new one around special holidays.



2. Playtime with pillows. Purchase fabric crayons or paint at the craft store, along with cotton material. Cut two matching squares out of material, tape one piece securely to a work area, such as thick piece of cardboard, and have children design the front of a pillow. After they're done, sew the pieces together leaving a hole on one side big enough to put a hand through, stuff with filling and stitch the hole shut.



3. Modern art has never been so inexpensive. Children's artwork can be priceless; after all, a family or self-portrait drawn by their own hands is often more precious than a professional one. With the money you save on artwork, invest in a nice frame to give your children's masterpieces a finished look that blends with your room's decor.



4. Press some style and fun onto stale-looking walls. Have children dip their hands into an accent paint color. Help them press their hands onto the walls to create a room border around the middle of the wall. Vary the position of the handprints, switching 45-degree angles to the right and left to create a pattern.



5. Boot out the old, in with the new. Here is a use for the cute little rain boots they no longer wear, but you cannot bear to give away: planters. Pound a few holes in the bottom of the boot with a nail then pour a thin layer of gravel in the bottom of the boot for proper drainage. Fill with potting soil and Gerbera daisies or other small flowers.

Courtesy of NAPSnet.