As a child I loved playing with little figurines. I could spend hours playing with my Fisher Price Little People toys, Barbie Dolls, or even small found objects. I have one vivid memory of myself pretending the tiny jars from a paint set were people and moving them around my desk in a land made up entirely by my imagination.
Georgia has entered that world and I am loving every moment. Seeing her across the room will her Daniel Tiger characters all lined up. Listening to the scenarios she comes up with for her tiny Elsa & Olaf. Watching as her Sophia the first miniatures, playing the part of the Wizard of Oz characters, have a pool party in the bathtub. I feel like I’m getting a peek into that brain of hers.
Several months ago while reading one of Dear Lizzy’s blog posts, I noticed this adorable figurine display in her daughter’s bedroom. I loved how it looked like it was passed down. It wasn’t brand new, it had character, but most of all it was filled with her daughter’s current treasures. I thought, I would have loved to have something like that as a child…a place to showcase my favorite figurines.
above 2 photos courtesy of elizabethkartchner.com
One weekend while in South Jersey visiting my parents we decided to build a display for Georgia. It was so much fun looking for something charming to showcase her toys. We didn’t want to buy something custom; we wanted to make something custom!
We found the perfect wooden serving tray at our favorite thrift store. It had a couple nicks and scrapes, but I immediately knew it was perfect. Plus, it was two dollars. We couldn’t go wrong. We bought three packages of craft wood at Michaels, as well as a pad of beautiful patterned paper.
When I showed Georgia the serving tray and described our plan, she ran and got her figurines right away. Before we even began to customize it she loved it. Kids have the best imaginations!!
We built this in stages. While at my parents, in their basement, Chad cut the craft wood to size to act as dividers.
Back in Brooklyn, Georgia and I decided what patterns we wanted where and cut the paper accordingly. While Conroy napped and she played with her princess castle I hot glued the paper and wood dividers into place. It couldn’t have been easier.
Watching her play makes me smile from ear to ear. Seeing her pride because we made this together just melts my heart. When Conroy woke up from his nap, he wanted in on the action as well.
Sometimes, as a parent, the idea of a “weekend project” seems impossible. Before kids we were always painting, building, or creating something for our home on the weekends. We hope this post inspires you to make your own weekend project. If you have children, it might not be as simple as it once was, but it is possible. A little planning and a little extra time and you can make it happen!! We need to thank my parents for playing with the kids so we could go thrift-ing. And a big thank you to Conroy for taking a solid nap! With their help we completed our “weekend project.” It may have been more like an “entire week project” by the time we finished it, but the joy it brings us now is still the same!!
