 |
| Photo: http://tinyurl.com/artdisplay |
If you have small children, most likely your home is
sprinkled with brightly colored plastic toys of various shapes and colors and coloring pages and artwork of various degrees. This
week our Facebook posts have focused on helping you organize and clean the sea
of toys, but what about all of the cute pictures that your kids or grandkids
paint, draw, or color? How do you display those without making your home feel
like a classroom?
Designate a Spot. Find a wall in your home to display the
artwork – all the masterpieces should go here and not be scattered around the
house. Make the spot special by adding frames or a fun sign above the display - “Family Gallery”. Hallways and playrooms make great display locations.
Frame Them. Use the artwork to decorate your home by placing
the art in frames. You can switch out the art each time a new piece is
completed and save the previous piece in the frame behind the new one.
Create with Purpose. Thinking of buying a new painting? Why
not create your own and have the kids or grandkids help? Start by selecting the
canvas size and paint colors from your local craft or art store. If you want a
specific pattern in the painting, use painter’s tape to create the design, then
let the kids go to work. This not only can be a money saving idea, but it also
gives you a one-of-a-kind piece to display. Don’t forget to have the artists sign the back and date it.
Shrink Them. Don’t want a ton of pictures hanging on the
wall? Scan in each piece, making a digital copy. Then, create a retrospective
gallery poster showing all of the child’s artwork for the year or just your
select favorites. Add the child’s name
and the year to the bottom of the poster. You can then switch out the poster each year or create a wall
gallery of posters.
Go Digital. Scan in each piece and make the images your
computer’s screensaver or wallpaper. Plus, you will have digital copies of the
work to use in other projects for years to come!
Bonus Tip: Selling Your Home? Take this time to start
packing up and organizing all of the artwork. While you love all of the
artwork, potential Buyer’s may find it distracting. Keep the kid’s artwork
displays to a minimum. Remember, you are selling your home, so it’s time to
de-personalize as much as possible.
