recycled painting

Today was a painting day.  Some days it is worth every bit of the hassle it takes to paint with the kids.  They adore making art. I adore making art with them... the clean up afterwards would be whatever the opposite of "adore" is. So anyway, I purchased some pre-cut wood from our local craft store (40inches x 40inches... big). Instead of canvas I used an old curtain that used to hang in my college dorm room which got demoted to a table cloth, then a drop cloth for painting walls, then Lord only knows what, and now... a work of art!  I stapled the fabric around my wood with a small upholstery stapler and let the kids have at it!

I turned on some quiet classical music and they spent a whopping 45 minutes painting a beautiful background. We took a break to run around in the sprinklers and eat lunch, then back to work. I drew a fleur-de-lis with chalk and they filled it in (sort of) with paint. I did some touch up work around the edges and there you have it! 

This project cost me $4 (only the cost of the wood... if you have your own wood it's free!) After I spray it with some clear acrylic finish, it will find a home... maybe above our red sofa. What can you recycle into a work of art?