Turns out we've found a great little art escape at Plaster Fun Time. I took my daughter (5) and niece (8) recently, and we had so much fun I headed back the next week with my son (nearly 8) and he loved it just as much. With nine locations in the metro Boston area, Plaster Fun Time is a fantastic way to spend a good hour or two painting and relaxing. It works like this: when you walk in you can choose from dozens of plaster creations from racks all around the wide open studio-type room. The prices range from around $3 or so for a small fridge magnet, up to $30+ for some seriously heavy garden gnomes. Gnomes are not our thing, so we opted for a cute rainbow wall hanging for the girls, and for my son, a cartoon character.

The folks who run this place totally know their audience and have an impressive and swift operations protocol not unlike a NASCAR pit crew, only they wear painting smocks. I noticed that the friendly staff (we love the Reading location) simultaneously hosted two toddler birthday parties while easily tending to the needs and questions of walk-in painters like us.

For over an hour, the kids and I sat on comfy benches at our table -- me with coffee and the kids with brushes, paints, and some serious (and quiet!) creative concentration. Once you finish at your leisure, the staff will spray your piece with your choice of varnishes. After a few minutes you can head home, thanks to the cardboard matte they provide for easy carry out -- no need to remember to come back a week later to pick up your finished piece! And one last fun parting tidbit: Plaster Fun Time takes a picture of every piece and posts it online for about a month so you can look at it later and share via email.

Image credit: Plaster Fun Time