Key Hooks

I've been wanting to do this "woodworking" project from The Playgroup Handbook for some time, but had kind of forgotten about it until the Family Art Coat Hooks project from Handmade Home reminded me. We don't need coat hooks in our home (at least we don't have wall space for any more coat hooks), but I did need a place to keep my car key which I am always losing.

We got to work last week. C cut some of his vast collection of scrap wood into appropriate sizes, and I set the boys up with sandpaper.

When it came down to painting, it became a bit of a struggle--I had a certain outcome in mind, which the boys were not privy to (I had no photograph to show them) and Z really protested painting his block of wood only one color. I felt kind of witchy for sticking to my guns, but I did not want just a mud-colored block of wood hanging on my wall.

They then drew pictures on paper and I Mod Podged them onto the wood while the kids were outside (just to make that part go more smoothly). I would recommend using crayons rather than colored pencils, which smeared and faded a bit from the glue.

It took me a few days to get to the hardware store to buy cup hooks. When I finally had them in hand, I screwed them in and backed them out before handing them over to the boys, so they would have the satisfaction of doing it themselves.

The Handmade Home recommends looking around your home and making things you actually need. I needed a key holder, but only one key holder (I only have one key--C leaves his in his car). But now I have two. Here's E's hanging in the mudroom by the front door:

Z's (which I haven't hung up yet because I only had one picture hanger for the back) will go in the sunroom by the back door. I'll have to think of something to hang from it!

Despite the power struggles over artistic license, E and Z had a lot of fun making these and now have plans to make one for almost everyone they know. I guess I better get to the hardware store for more hooks and picture hangers!