Inspiring Creativity With IdeaPaint
Today, Paige shares a review of locally based IdeaPaint, a brilliant solution for inspiring creativity in the vertical direction, whether at home, work, or school. Read on for Paige’s review, as well as to learn how to win an IdeaPaint kit (entry closes November 19):
From Paige:
“This summer, in a classic public radio “driveway moment,” I found myself totally engrossed in an interview with children’s author and cartoonist Mo Willems. The crux of the interview was that although we all start out as artists, somewhere along the way, we (grown-ups) lose interest in drawing and doodling because we decide we’re not any good at it (sing it, Mo…that’s me). Mo went on to say that many kids stop drawing, or just never pick it up to begin with, because they don’t see Mom and Dad draw. One solution? The Willems family painted their dining room walls with chalkboard paint, inspiring “group draws” with family and friends.
Brilliant! Off I went to the hardware store, returning home with a big can of chalkboard paint and the drive of a mother not wanting her kids to grow up creatively-challenged.
And then I thought about what this chalkboard paint scenario really meant -- chalk, dust, and worst of all, nails down a chalkboard. Needless to say, the chalkboard paint is still sitting in my hall cabinet.
So when I received the opportunity to test IdeaPaint, the brilliant invention of three Babson undergrads, I was thrilled. With this dry-erase paint, I could turn a kitchen wall into a space for raw creativity, minus the bone-chilling squeak.
According the directions, it looked like application would be a cinch (not for nothin’, IdeaPaint’s packaging is totally clever and fun to read). Two coats of primer, a pour of this into that, mix, and apply within an hour. Easy peasy. (Note: as a devotee of latex paint, I wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming stink-fest that ensued, but within four hours or so, the smell had pretty much disappeared.)
After applying, we had to wait for seven days for the paint to cure (no small task for my five-year-old who couldn’t wait to draw on the wall). And then, on day eight, we had at it. With dry-erase markers we had on hand, we started drawing (him) and writing to-dos (me) and generally reveling in the experience of writing all over our kitchen wall (it felt so naughty!). However, a swipe of the eraser to start again, and…whoops…what’s this? Ghosting. Everywhere. Everything we had just written and drawn was still there -- at about a 10% shade of its former self, but still there. Hoping it was a fluke, and that the paint just didn’t like my old markers (even though we use them with no problem on our two other whiteboards), I bought a new set and tried again. This time, it was perfect…the markers erased with no ghosting, and I was able to get rid of the other ghosting with some dry-erase board cleaner.
The paint is pricey ($99 to cover 25 square feet and $175 to cover 50 square feet), but worth it. We’re going to be painting our kids’ rooms in the next couple of months, and I’m considering using IdeaPaint on a wall or two in these rooms as well. ‘Cause no kid of mine is going to grow up creatively-challenged.”
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Judy!
+ + + + +
Now, want to win an IdeaPaint kit? Here’s how:
*One lucky winner (drawn using Random.org) will receive a 25 square-foot kit of IdeaPaint (value: $99).