To the naked eye, and from across the room, the kids' play table in the addition looks like this most of the time:
However, if you were to approach when the table is not covered with Littlest Pet Shop toys or tea party stuff, you'd see evidence of a crime scene...
There are only two suspects, but no one has come forward to claim the marker streaks yet. I've tried everything short of sanding off the poly and repainting the tabletop. (Any suggestions? Edited to add: Magic Eraser was the first thing I tried!)
In the meantime, I found a great thrifty solution!
Enter: The Dollar Tree
For just one dollar, I grabbed a plastic tablecloth from the party wall and brought it home for the play table.
We won't keep the table cloth on all the time--just for important events like coloring...
...and {cue horror movie theme music}...Play Doh.
If you've been chatting with me on my Facebook Fan Page, you know I have a little problem with Play Doh colors mixing and tiny bits of the stuff ground into the table. Blech.
Clean up is a breeze now, and I don't have to worry about the girls spilling/painting/coloring/ripping, etc. the plastic. We can toss it and buy a new one.
I've seen heavier vinyl table cloths at WM and Target, but they can be bulky. I can fold the plastic one up and store it in our slightly organized art bin!
{Are you a Dollar Store fan?}
Hope you'll come back tomorrow, or sometime this weekend to link up YOUR best post of the week at my Weekend Bloggy Reading linky party!
I'm off to the first day of a new Bible study for my MOPS group! I'm doing my best to catch up with emails and visiting each link for the Crafty Cutter party. Thanks for your patience, friends!
We play with play dough in my Sunday School class each week and every pair of church shoes I own has a different color play dough stuck to the bottom of them! YUCK! I love Dollar Tree, but for some reason the last few times I've gone it they haven't had what I was looking for:( Have fun at your bible study....I'm skipping my bible study today to help at my boys' school.
ReplyDeleteGreat solution! I think I'll tuck that tip away for when my tiny boy is a little bit older.
ReplyDeleteIt looks adorable with the table cloth, but if you still want to try removing the marker, I've found that toothpaste (regular, not the gel kind) has removed permanent marker from our hardwood floors & our lcd flatscreen wonderfully.
ReplyDeletehave you tried the magic eraser? that works good for everything.
ReplyDeleteGotta love the dollar store :-) Have you tried Mr. clean magic eraser? It work really well & will clean up just about anything.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried Goo Gone Extreme in an aerosol can? You can buy it at Lowes. I used it to get paint off of my window sills after painting and it wiped right up. Very smelly though and you have to be careful not to use too much as it will take off the paint too.
ReplyDeleteHope that helps! Good luck!
I love the Dollar Tree! I need to get myself over there today or tomorrow, as a matter of fact.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you have some good suggestions for marker removal--I hope something works. In the meantime, it sounds like a tablecloth is just the ticket!
I just love the Dollar Tree! You can solve many a problem there:)
ReplyDeleteExcellent table!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great fix! I would buy a yard of oil cloth or some type of cloth that has a glossy surface and cut it out to the size of the table and either spray glue it on or use modge podge. Then finish off the edges with a grosgrain ribbon or trim :) My long term solution.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am a huge fan of the dollar store tablecloths for little one's messes. Oh, and I too am a stickler for the playdo-mixing/finding ground into the carpet/floor/clothes. Slight shudder.
ReplyDeleteHave fun at your mops group. I've thought about joining one for a while.
Well, even though it is a necessity, I like the pink table cloth. The Dollar Store is great!!!!
ReplyDeleteBTW, have you tried body lotion (like plain, old lotion) to get the marker off? It sometimes works with pen ink so maybe marker???
I LOVE $Tree...I have used several of those tablecloths for the same reason!
ReplyDeleteI find nail polish remover gets out marker stains. Dab a bit on a Q-tip and do a tiny test first. It saved my daughter's dresser when she 'decorated' it! Love dollar stores- especially for kids' craft supplies!
ReplyDeleteLOL! I am known as the Playdoh Nazi!
ReplyDeleteAnother thought....it would take a lot of staples and stretching but a cute piece of oil cloth would do the trick! You can use goo gone on it to get rid of marks or such! And there are some really cute oilcloths out there right now! At about 10.00 a yard?? Just a thought.....:) Sandy
ReplyDeleteLove the Dollar Store!
ReplyDeleteTry rubbing alcohol or alcohol-based hand sanitizer...it takes ball point ink off of skin, anyway.
Oh I really like Dollar Tree. That is such a great idea and looks cute too.
ReplyDeleteI feel ya! E has taken to coloring with Sharpies, which quickly bled through onto my dining room table and now won't come off. UGH! I wish I had thought to get a tablecloth from DollarTree before said coloring!
ReplyDeleteGreat solution for the marks.
ReplyDeleteI love to browse through the dollar store. I always find things that I didnt' know I needed!
Actually I just went to the dollar store the other day! There are certain things there that are definitely a better deal than Walmart, etc., but I always seem to forget that. Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteI'm all about the plastic table cloths. I use them all the time when the kids want to do some sort of craft, that way if it gets too messy I can just wrap it all up and toss it. Easy clean up huh :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog visit and all the sweet comments!
I *heart* Dollar Tree!!!! One of my very favorite stores! So many great solutions...so many fun decorating things...so many many things!!! LOL LOL
ReplyDeleteSorry you haven't found something that works! Love the pink table cloth!
Building Home with Him,
Mary Joy
You are my kind of Mom! I love that tip. If playdough wasn't good for creativity, motor skills etc., I would just outlaw it in my house!
ReplyDeleteI love the little table and chairs. Too bad about the marker!
Great idea!
ReplyDeleteI once made an Alice in Wonderland costume for my daughter for a storybook birthday party she was going to out of dollar store table cloths!