Is your child redecorating your walls a little too often? Why not let them take the finger paints to someone else's, like the folks at I Heart Kids Art?

Of course, painting on a wall—really, a glass plate mounted over part of the wall—is a gross over-simplification of what goes on at this new open-door art studio for children ages zero to 8 in Linden Hills.

"There are a lot of activities for kids in Southwest Minneapolis, but they have the kids literally bouncing off the walls," explained owner Robyn Cruey. "I wanted to create a space where parents could come in, relax, and not have to clean up after their kids."

Cruey said she was inspired by a wealth of similar studios in Sacramento, California, where she used to live. The space in the first floor of the Learning Designs building across from Settergren's Ace Hardware has many different stations for young kids to explore their creativity and learn new art skills at their own pace, through crafting, painting, and more. 

Along with high school tutoring center Learning Designs, toddler music program Wee Bop and dance education tutors Sage Education Center, I Heart Kids Art adds to the plethora of enrichment offerings in Linden Hills.

"On a personal level, I have a serious passion for learning, because I find it both exciting and fun," Karen Swanson, head tutor at Learning Designs told Patch when she opened her doors last year. "It's easy to instill that in someone when you feel that way, too."

"We hope to be a resource, we want to be part of the community," Swanson said in the same interview.