With four kids, I learned early on that I just couldn’t save every single piece of artwork that my boys brought home – no matter how much I might want to. Up until now, I’ve been saving as much as I could (and trying to keep things organized) but we’re getting buried in paper!
One of our previous artwork walls is to the right.
Not everyone has the space to properly display ALL of their children’s art. I would like to share a couple of easy ideas I have come across to help you wade through the sea of paper.
Make and Frame a Photo Collage
This super cute idea is featured by Jen on jenthousandwords. I could easily see doing one of these for my boys – I need to get to work on it!
1) Take a photo of the artwork you would like to include in your collage
2) Create your collage / arrange the photos on your computer
3) Print it yourself, or have it printed at Staples or Kinkos, if you need a larger size than your printer will accommodate (I suggest finding the frame you want to use first, to help you choose your desired dimensions)
When I complete and frame mine, I’ll be sure to share the finished product.
Artkive
Artkive is a really great app – it used to be free, but now there are minimal monthly charges (starting at $3). This app makes it easy to upload photos of your child’s artwork, especially if you take the photos with your phone. You can also access the albums from your computer.
They also offer photo mosaic creations (like the collage above) you can hang on your wall, and can they even create bound photo books of your child’s artwork. (I need to do some of my own, so I can maybe recycle some of the many piles of ‘masterpieces’ – but don’t tell my boys!)
Now that my boys are older, I don’t have as many art projects that come home, but there are some and I do try to take photos of artwork as soon as it comes into the house. Nothing is going to get lost now! Sure, I may still save a few examples of my budding artists’ work for each school year tucked away – but I can relax also, knowing that I have other ways in place (or in progress) to save these wonderful memories.
