Roadtrip Project #2.1 Dollar Store Lap Desk

Okay so if automobile primer, chalkboard spray paint, industrial adhesive, and a couple hours of coat after coat of paint seem like a little too much effort for a kids lap desk a) you're probably right and b) I have a cheaper and way easier alternative to my magnetic chalkboard lap desk for you!

The only thing that will make my 1 year old actually keep a lap desk on her lap for any amount of time is seeing her sister with one.  While I was picking up the cookie sheet at the Dollar Tree I saw these little plastic trays and matching placemats.  I made this version of the lap desk in less than an hour and $5.50 in materials.  Here how you do it.

All you need is a little tray, a placemat, a large and small bag of beans, hot glue, foam core, and super glue.

Follow the instructions for making the pillow (you can find them in my last post, here) and super glue it to the under side of the tray.  That's it!

Roadtrip Project #2 - Magnetic Chalkboard Lap-desk

A lap-desk is pretty much an essential for kids on a road trip.  I considered buying one, but decided I could design one with more features than what I could find already made... and for less money.  I really couldn’t be happier with my version!  It’s just right for a kid sized lap, the lip keeps pencils and crayons and whatever other little bits from rolling onto the floor, it’s magnetic (more on why that’s important in a future post!),  the “pillow” is comfy and squishy enough to create a level table top, and the surface is chalkboard.  Want to make one for your kiddo?  You’re in luck, I put together a tutorial for you, with a video even!

You’re gonna need:

A small cookie sheet.  It should be a cheap one… I got mine at Dollar Tree.  Your life will be much easier if it’s not coated in anything.

Fabric a little bigger than your cookie sheet

Dried beans

Latex primer made specifically for metal – The guy I talked to at Home Depot recommended the automobile primer, so that’s what I used.

Sanding block

Chalkboard spray paint

Industrial strength glue

Foam core, matt board, or some other stiff but cuttable material

hotglue
 

Prepare your cookie sheet

This seems like a lot of steps, but if you don’t do them all the paint will chip/flake off (trust me on this one!). 

wash the cookie sheet with hot soapy water

sand the entire surface (top, bottom, & sides) with a sanding block

wash it again and dry it completely

paint the top, sides, and the edges of the bottom with the metal primer & let dry

lightly sand the entire surfacespray the top, sides, and the edges of the bottom with chalkboard paint & let dry (I had some metal paint in black on hand from another project, so I used it instead of the chalkboard paint... a.k.a. a crafting staple for me... on the bottom of the tray)

lightly sand the entire surface

spray a second even coat of the chalkboard paint on the top, sides, and the edges of the bottom & let dry

spray one last thin coat of chalkboard paint on the top

Create the “pillow”

Cut a piece of your fabric 4” bigger than the bottom of your cookie sheet.  My cookie sheet is 9x13, I added 4” to each measurement & cut a 13x17 rectangle of fabric.

Cut a 2.5” square out of each corner of the rectangle.

Match the right sides of each corner and sew to create the bottom and sides of a box shape.  I made a little video for you of that piece:

Press the raw edges down a half inch

Measure the opening “top” part of your box from corner to corner and cut your foam core/matt board to that measurement.  I had a plastic placemat on hand that had seen better days, so I recycled it for this step of the project.

Hot glue the half inch edge you pressed all around the board, leaving an opening in one of the long sides. 

Fill the pillow (now with the hard top of the “box” hot glued on) with dry beans.  I like beans best because they make the pillow conform to your lap which is key to getting a level surface. 

Hot glue the opening you filled the pillow through closed.

Attach the pillow to the top

Depending on what material you used for the top of the pillow, choose an industrial strength glue to adhere it to the under side of the cookie sheet.  Gorilla glue and E6000 are good options for lots of materials.

so the chalk "markers" didn't work so well... I almost had a panic attack when I couldn't erase them... I suggest sticking with plain ol' chalk!

Check back to see more of the projects I have planned for our road trip this summer!