This morning we stopped by
Bellevue Art & Frame and
The Toy Place so Finley could try out her first art class. They hold
Masterpiece Monday and Masterpiece Wednesday classes from 10 - 10:45 a.m. Each session is $2 to cover the cost of supplies.
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| He picked up the biggest truck on the shelf. I think I know what Santa will be leaving under the tree for him. |
The class is for kids age 3 and up so I was a little worried about bringing Grady along and wondered what I would do to keep him occupied. But then I realized, oh yeah, we're in a toy store, I'm sure there will be plenty to do. And of course there was. About 5 feet from the crafting table was an entire aisle of trucks and cars. Enough to keep my boy busy all day.
This week's project was finger puppets. The kids chose the animal and then decorated them with sequins, googly eyes, smiles, and pom-poms.
Finley was a little unsure at first. But the teacher, Miss Gretchen, was great with her and helped her create a cute little froggy. Finley was the first one there this morning, but more kids came and went during the 45 minute session. It seems totally relaxed and fun, so if you're like most moms and you run on your own time, don't worry about strolling in at 10:15 and not 10 on the dot. It wouldn't be a problem at all.
After the crafting session, the fun continued. I'm a little bit in love with this toy store. They have loads and loads of art and crafting supplies. I was in heaven. And for an independent toy store, their prices were really good. I got some googly eyes (I heart googly eyes) and pom-poms for less than I paid at Fred Meyer last week. And I found a chalkboard eraser that I was having a really tough time finding elsewhere. Oh, and Finley's first pair of scissors, too. I can't believe my little girl is old enough for scissors. :(
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| Yee-haw! |
The toy section is great, too. They have lots of toys on display for the kids to play with. And they didn't seem to mind at all that my kids played with every single one of them. There is a big display of little wind up toys. I'm pretty sure Finley tried out each and every one of them.
On my way out I signed up for the
Buyer Rewards Program. Like most rewards programs, you spend money and earn money (spend $500.00 and receive $25.00 rewards voucher). I also received their holiday catalog and it included some nice coupons. Santa might be using the 20% off coupon on a nice big truck for Grady this Christmas!
I love crafts and I love toy stores. So, crafts + toy stores =
Play! Your kids will definitely enjoy this morning art session. The $2 fee makes it a pretty frugal outing. (I'm a little ashamed to admit that I've paid more than twice that much for a Pumpkin Spice Latte recently!) And if you have younger kids it's no big deal to bring them along. If you have preschoolers and older kids they have lots of other
classes and events at their store. Finley is very into her art so I think we'll be visiting this store quite a bit.
Details ---
Where: Bellevue Art & Frame and
The Toy Place (13131 NE 20th Street Bellevue, WA)
When: Mondays and Wednesdays 10 a.m. - 10:45 p.m.
Cost: $2
More Info: Here
I wish we had one!
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