EASY AS ABC

Wooden blocks make a decorative addition to any nursery, but as baby grows, they will have hours of fun knocking down these chunky blocks Time: 1 hour Skill: Beginner

Materials:

Plain wooden blocks Sandpaper Undercoat Non-toxic paints in a variety of different shades Stencils of your choice Masking tape

Fine paintbrushes Water-based non-toxic acrylic varnish

1. Decant small amounts of the different coloured paint into glass dishes. 2. Lightly sand the blocks with sandpaper to smooth edges if necessary. Apply undercoat to prime the blocks for decoration. The more solid the undercoat, the easier it will be to apply the coloured paint, so apply two coats to achieve good coverage. Paint the top and sides first and allow to dry before painting the bottom of the cube.

3. Paint the blocks in an array of different colours and allow to dry completely. Apply a further coat of paint to each to provide smooth, complete coverage.

4. Place a stencil on one side of the block and use masking tape to hold it in place. Load up your brush with paint, then blot it on. Allow to dry and stencil another coat if required. Repeat the process on the other sides of the block. When dry, varnish the finished block.

Text © Catherine Woram Photograph © Loupe Images/ Polly Wreford