I have been thinking about something lighter and brighter to go over our mantel for spring.  I had a mirror there, but I was getting a little tired of it, and wanted something more original, like a bight, happy painting.  This weekend, I was a little desperate for a distraction for the girls, as it was raining, and they had been a little sick, so painting seemed like a great option to keep those little hands occupied.

To create something similar, this is what you will need:

24" x 24" sheet of 1/2" plywood (note: MDF would also work really well - I just didn't have a lot of time to get the guys in the store to trim it for me) | 4 3/4" square dowels | screws & drill | picture hanging hardware | paintbrushes & paint (I used this really fun acrylic paint from Target)

First, put a good coat of white paint (or whatever color you would like the background to be) onto the plywood and let it dry completely.  Then let your little have a great time painting.  This piece is Brigette's handiwork, and I just let her paint in her diaper, because acrylic paint is not really washable.  This works really well if you give one color at a time, and take each color away once they are done.  This way, it doesn't end up being all brown.  Vivi loves mixing the paints (who doesn't?) but you will end up with a more display-worthy result if you do one color at a time, and maybe give a minute or two for that color to dry before moving on.  Once Brigette was all done, I let it dry overnight and then gave her a thick black marker to add some finishing touches.  I think it adds a lot of depth to the piece, don't you?

Next, trim the dowels to size.  You can have this done in the store; I simply used a hacksaw.  Mitered joints would look much neater, but I don't think it takes away too much if you don't have the tools.  You'll need two 24" pieces, and two 25.5" pieces.  I used screws to attach them to the sides of the painting, but I'd recommend pre-drilling, and a neater look would be to use a small bit, and then hammer in finishing nails to minimize the hardware.  Then, add your picture hanging hardware on the back and hang!

Super simple, and so fun!