let's pretend

From habitat magazine - issue 35, bright ideas for kids

Fire up your kids' imaginations and get creative with Resene paints and these colourful, out-of-this-world projects.

A fairy tale

Fairy doors are portals to a fantasy world. Attach yours to trees, fences and raised garden beds and head off into the garden on a discovery mission.

You will need:

• 9 x ice block sticks
• 2 x small ice block sticks or matchsticks
• Resene testpots and brushes
• PVA glue
• Buttons, beads and drawer knobs painted in your favourite colours to decorate

Instructions:

Select three Resene testpots for your main door colours. Paint eight ice block sticks in one colour, one in another colour and your remaining two smaller ice block sticks/ matchsticks in the final shade. To make the door, line up the eight ice block sticks face up on a flat surface, with the ninth different coloured stick at the end. Create a curved door by moving each ice block stick up slightly more than the previous ice block stick. Or use a mug or cup to shift the ice block sticks into an arch.

Apply glue to the two smaller ice block sticks and attach them horizontally as a brace to hold the sticks together. Paint your fairy door in your favourite Resene paint colours. Add decorative rocks and buttons, painting them in your favourite Resene colours before gluing them on.

• Old wooden drawers
• Resene Lustacryl in Resene Splish Splash
• 240 grit sandpaper
• Resene space-themed stencil templates, available at www.resene.com/stencils
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Resene FX Nightlight
• Resene testpot in Resene Cotton Wool
• Resene artist brushes
• Roller and tray

Instructions:

Lightly sand the drawers and wipe away any dust with a wet cloth. Remove the knobs and paint the drawers and knobs in your favourite colour. We used Resene Splish Splash.

Once dry, use a pencil to trace an image onto the drawers. You can find plenty of templates at www.resene.com/stencils. Using artist brushes, paint the design in one coat of Resene Cotton Wool. Once dry, paint Resene FX Nightlight over the top, which will create a glow-in-the-dark effect when the lights are dimmed. Re-fix the knobs and your ‘out-of-space’ drawers are ready to use.

• Jam jar preserving rings
• Photocopy paper (white)
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Resene testpots, testpot brushes and artists’ brushes
• Cotton wool balls
• Olive oil
• Resene StainLock
• Double-sided tape or glue
• Ribbon or cord

Instructions:

Lay a preserving ring on a piece of paper and trace the outline of the inner rim. Cut out the circle. With a pencil, lightly draw a design onto the paper. When happy with your drawing, using an artist’s brush, paint it in Resene testpot colours. Allow to dry.

Dip a cotton wool ball into the olive oil and apply the oil to the unpainted side of the paper until it turns translucent. Set aside.

Prepare the preserving jar rings using Resene StainLock and when dry, paint using Resene testpots. Using glue, fix the painted paper circle in the preserving ring once the paint has dried. Tie ribbon or cord around the ring to hang your sun-catcher.

Best of all, as your child gets older or moves on to other interests, it’s easy to update the room with a new wallpaper.

For more wallpaper ideas, see the full collection at your local Resene ColorShop or view a taste online at www.resene.com/wallpaper.

Projects: Sarah Kolver, Leigh Stockton
Images: Bryce Carleton

Want to get your own free copy of future issues of habitat magazine?

Printed copies of habitat highlights are available from late March 2024 at Resene ColorShops and resellers, while stocks last. You can view back issues of habitat magazine online.

• Specifiers:

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If you have an idea, project or story that you think would suit habitat, we’d love to hear from you. Please drop us an email with your details and include photos if submitting a project.

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