It killed me not to have these done in time for the Mantel Party yesterday.  So I’m linking up to my own linky.

Every time I paint a room, my boys beg to help.  This time, I was prepared. I bought a $10 pack of 8×10 canvases from Michaels Craft Store and let them go to town.  Because I am a control freak and wanted to be sure I could easily incorporate these paintings in our family room, I predetermined the color palate–just like I did way back when.  Some of you will accuse me of child abuse for doing this, however, unless I wanted to hang 6 canvases of red and blue and black NASCARs above my fireplace, this was the only option.  Trust me.

We had already painted the canvases with a color a little lighter than our wall color–it is the color I used for the stairwell so it’s in the same family but not as dark.  They painted those the other day.  Painting the background is important so there isn’t any white space.  White space on a canvas makes me crazy.  Again with the control.

They didn’t complain once about the colors, and I told them to do whatever they wanted, mix the colors, splatter the colors whatever.  See how uncontrolling I am?

And yes, they do have plenty of their own paints, crayons and colored pencils in all sorts of colors that don’t go with our family room decor.  I locked them all up someplace and threw away the key.  Kidding.  Their bedrooms and playroom looks like a rainbow and a circus and club penguin had a baby and that baby is their domain.  And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Here are most of them, the lighting is horrid but you get the idea.  I think I might have hung them a little low, but since I used upholstery tacks the hole is so tiny and it’s easy to move them up if needed.  Using my boy’s artwork in our home is a fun and inexpensive way to make a memory.  And they love walking into the room and telling their friends that they painted the “pictures” even if it’s not a NASCAR.

PS, I’m experimenting with window mistreament fabric and styles, please try to ignore.