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4.18.2011

A Lego Solution

I'm sure moms of boys can relate when I say, legos are taking over my house.  I step on them, I vacuum them up, I sit on them, sometimes I even purposely throw them away.  I have recently banned them all to the playroom on the third floor.  Of course, every once in a while, a few will mysteriously make their way downstairs to, once again, get stepped on by me. 

Our playroom is carpeted, which makes lego building somewhat challenging.  I have come across some really neat lego tables on-line.  In an effort to save money, I decided to make one myself.  I started with this coffee table that came with some outdoor furniture we purchased last year.  The set came with two tables and I wasn't using either one of them.  


We had a piece of MDF in the garage which was leftover from a DIY headboard project.  I had my husband attach the MDF to the table base with screws and bolts.


Having three kids and extra kids here all the time, sharp corners always make me nervous.  I got out the trusty jigsaw and rounded all the corners and then I gave the entire thing a light sanding.


The next step was to prime the top. I rolled on the primer with a four inch foam roller.  It happened to be beautiful outside today so my four year old and three of his friends did circles around me on their scooters the entire time I was working on this project.


The top coat was, of course, chalkboard paint.  I know it must seem like I whip out my chalkboard paint every other day, but it is such a great product for so many projects.  I thought it would be fun if the kids could draw different scenes on the table.  Once the table was finished, I asked my four year old and his friend if they wanted me to draw something for them.  Of course, I was thinking maybe a tree lined street with some pretty flowers.  Then they could build a cute little house out of legos.  

Not quite what they had in mind.  The had concocted some giant lego ship an they wanted some water,  hot lava, a tornado and fire coming out of the water.  


I would love to stumble upon some large baskets that fit perfectly underneath to store the legos in, but for now, these bins I had on hand will do the trick.


The kids seem to approve.


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18 comments:

  1. Look how excited they are! Kid-related projects are so great because the kids get so excited. My daughter loves her painted nightstand because I painted it just for her!

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  2. What a fun project! My kids would love this!

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  3. Well done! I have an old table that is the perfect "lego-building" height sitting in the garage - I think you have inspired me to paint it! Isn't chalkboard paint the best invention ever for design-minded Moms??!!!

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  4. Oh gosh that's cute! We're just starting out with Lego right now so your table is definitely something to thing about, thanks.

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  5. SO CUTE ANDREA! You did such a great job! I bet your kids are loving it!

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  6. very cute idea! love that you used the chalkboard paint too!

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  7. Nicely done! I think chalkboard paint is such a great staple since it has so many great uses both for moms and for kids. Love this!

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  8. Fabulous idea!! My son was a Lego maniac too! He is now a very talented mason! Who knew??
    Paula

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  9. Great idea- I rarely see stuff to make for boys- when my son gets older I am totally going to make this for him. I hope you link this to my new party Workshop Wednesday @ goobyecityhellosuburbs

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  10. This will be a great "hand me down" for your darling nephew, who will most likely be my one and only Lego maniac.

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  11. So fantastic!!! Sometimes I can barely see the carpet in my son's room from all of the Legos everywhere. :-) This is such a great idea and I hope you will share it with us at Inspiration Friday this week!
    Vanessa

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  12. I have a love/hate relationship with legos too. I love the table; what a wonderful idea! Question: I painted chalkboards for my kids and the paint came out all bumpy. How did you get your paint so smooth? ~A~

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  13. Great idea! I have a 4-year-old son and legos are a permanent fixture on the kitchen table. I'd love to have a place to banish them!

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  14. Great way to repurpose that table. And yeah, I totally relate to the lego problem ;)

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  15. Such a good idea! Chalkboard paint is the BEST stuff for keeping things interesting!!! Stopping by from CSI!

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  16. Thanks for linking to the party- again I love this idea- Hope to see you this week! goodbyecityhellosuburbs

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I love reading each and every one of your comments!