The Family Room

DESIGNATE A PROJECT TABLE
The kitchen table is a great place to do crafts, except for one problem:everything has to be cleared off for meals. To avoid this ebb and flow in creativity, set up a small table in the family room and dedicate it just to crafts, puzzles, models and other long-term projects. Make this the one area in the house where kids can work without having to clean it up each day.

SHOWCASE KIDS' ART
With inexpensive picture frames and the help of your local copy shop, you can decorate your walls and make your artists-in-residence proud. Look for frames at yard sales and discount stores; paint them, if you wish, for a consistent look. Have matting cut at a frame shop. Finally, for a slick look, use a copy shop's color photocopier to make a color copy just the right size to fit the mat. When the next masterpiece comes along, simply reduce or enlarge the new work with the photocopier and swap in the artwork.

PUT TOYS ON WHEELS
If your kids are constantly bringing their toys into the family room to play, think about creating an attractive toy storage area right in the room. Some ideas: bookshelves (labeled so each child has his or her own), an old chest (works as a coffee table too!), or sets of labeled baskets. Still too cluttered? Pick up a small cart with wheels and haul it out when the children want to play, then have them load it back up and wheel it out of the way (or even out of sight in a closet) until they want it again.