Eco-décor For Kids!
by Jillian Pritchard Cooke
by Jillian Pritchard Cooke
- Do not throw outgrown clothes away. Couple a favorite sports jersey with a snapshot of your child playing that sport and display in a shadow box. Vintage t-shirts make unique floor pillows or a great quilt. This teaches your children to not instinctively throw away items that can be given new life.
- Accessorize an outfit…and your room. Use your little girl’s hair ribbons and sew them together to make a keepsake pillow. When your little boy outgrows his ties, combine them with a few of your husband’s to create a pillow that they both will remember. Use the scraps from your project to stuff your new pillows to avoid using a synthetic fiber stuffing that release toxic emissions.
- Bring the outside in. Teach your children to respect the natural beauty of the outside and press colorful flowers from summer vacations. Frame the flowers with dates and special stories.
- Old toys can be treasured art. Display doll clothes on miniature mannequins to inspire fashion creativity even when playing with dolls is a pastime. For a boy’s room, display vintage metal cars and trucks on a plate shelf approximately 18” from the ceiling as an alternative to wallpaper border.
- Stop and smell the flowers. Work together to plant your child’s favorite color flowers. Not only will your child learn to take care of the environment, but the air quality within the room will positively increase.
- Play with your food. Allow your children to paint with vanilla pudding dyed in a variety of colors. While it might be messy, it is a healthy alternative to finger painting with synthetic paints. A great art statement will be made when these masterpieces are framed and displayed in the room.
- Treat yourself and your windows. Transform heirloom tablecloths, bed linens or even a once worn wedding gown into one-of-a-kind draperies.
- Make memorable chairs last a lifetime. Slip cover a favorite arm chair in a fun, bright colored 100% natural fabric. Slip covering furniture allows it to be clean easily and change with evolving design, all while keeping an outdated chair out of a landfill.
- Extreme sports make for an extreme room. Save a bike from rusting in a landfill and hang it on the wall or reassemble it to become an interesting sculpture. Hang a surfboard from the ceiling to create a unique focal point.
