I did not own an easel until I won this baby from Katie's Nesting Spot this past fall. I know it is hard to believe that a crafty mama such as myself did not own an easel for her budding artists but it was true. I had not bought an easel for my girls primarily because I wanted to get a good quality one (which equals $$$) and we also do not have a lot of extra room to set one up.
So you can imagine how thrilled I was to win this incredible adjustable easel and 27 pieces paint set, an $89 set from Early Childhood Resources, available at All Children's Furniture. I couldn't believe my luck. I would willingly figure out a storage solution for it!
I decided to save it for a Christmas present for the girls since they both had just had late summer/fall birthdays. My husband and I didn't open the box until Christmas eve to assemble, which could have been a bad move, but turned out better than we hoped. The easel is sturdy, well made and simple to put together. You can adjust the height of the boards which is nice. We set ours up on the lowest setting. The easel folds flat which is a great feature for those space challenged. Another great feature is the metal folding hinge. It is secure and locks the easel firmly in place versus a wooden hook and knob type closure I have seen on some easels. The girls can not open and close the easel and it won't fold up on them if bumped around. One side is chalkboard and the other is a plain chipboard. My only suggestion would be that it would be nice if one side was a dry erase board.
The easel also included an art kit which included various brushes, spoges and rollers, plastic paint containers and paints. The paint containers were great. They are the kind that allow easy access to the paint, are spill resistant, have nice resealable lids and are clearly labeled in big bright letters. They had color coordinating brushes so each paint pot had its own brush so no washing out brushes and mixing colors up - unless you want to. The paints were mediocre in quality, although I do have to admit I am a quality stickler about paints. I like for the paints to be thick, the colors to be vibrant and the paints should not flake when dry. It was nice that it did include paints so I am really not complaining. Overall, I would highly recommend this easel.
The girls and their cousin had a blast painting. I know the girls will enjoy this easel for years to come. It is a wonderful addition to our craft time.
Tip: don't spend a lot of money on those Splat Mats and Painting Mats advertised in catalogs. First of all they are $$$ and secondly they are small. Nothing works better than a vinyl tablecloth. It is large, cheap and can be wiped clean. I also carry one of these in my car for impromptu picnics.
So you can imagine how thrilled I was to win this incredible adjustable easel and 27 pieces paint set, an $89 set from Early Childhood Resources, available at All Children's Furniture. I couldn't believe my luck. I would willingly figure out a storage solution for it!
I decided to save it for a Christmas present for the girls since they both had just had late summer/fall birthdays. My husband and I didn't open the box until Christmas eve to assemble, which could have been a bad move, but turned out better than we hoped. The easel is sturdy, well made and simple to put together. You can adjust the height of the boards which is nice. We set ours up on the lowest setting. The easel folds flat which is a great feature for those space challenged. Another great feature is the metal folding hinge. It is secure and locks the easel firmly in place versus a wooden hook and knob type closure I have seen on some easels. The girls can not open and close the easel and it won't fold up on them if bumped around. One side is chalkboard and the other is a plain chipboard. My only suggestion would be that it would be nice if one side was a dry erase board.
The easel also included an art kit which included various brushes, spoges and rollers, plastic paint containers and paints. The paint containers were great. They are the kind that allow easy access to the paint, are spill resistant, have nice resealable lids and are clearly labeled in big bright letters. They had color coordinating brushes so each paint pot had its own brush so no washing out brushes and mixing colors up - unless you want to. The paints were mediocre in quality, although I do have to admit I am a quality stickler about paints. I like for the paints to be thick, the colors to be vibrant and the paints should not flake when dry. It was nice that it did include paints so I am really not complaining. Overall, I would highly recommend this easel.
The girls and their cousin had a blast painting. I know the girls will enjoy this easel for years to come. It is a wonderful addition to our craft time.
Tip: don't spend a lot of money on those Splat Mats and Painting Mats advertised in catalogs. First of all they are $$$ and secondly they are small. Nothing works better than a vinyl tablecloth. It is large, cheap and can be wiped clean. I also carry one of these in my car for impromptu picnics.
Enjoy!
Posts
