Between school and home, my two boys are constantly creating masterpieces. With the constant influx of painted paper, cardboard box sculptures, and pipecleaner statues, my smallish house was getting smaller. So I came (and researched) up with some ideas for displaying kids’ artwork.
Here are some of the ideas for displaying kids’ artwork that I have employed.
Gallery Walls
I love the splash of color their artwork brings to the room. A touch of whimsy and something much more personal than a framed reproduction. Not to mention the boys love that their work is on display.
In the boys’ play area in the basement, I framed a gallery wall with painter’s tape. Nothing is permanent, and it cost $3 (the cost of the roll of the tape)
Changeable Frames and Bullentin-esque Boards
Here’s another gallery wall in the house. The snowman in this gallery wall is in a changeable frame. These changeable frames are great. You don’t have to take the frame off the wall, just flip open, and slide in the new art. Brilliant!
Remember the Holiday Card Holder frame? Well, I kept that puppy up and use it now as another spot for displaying my guys’ work.
Photo Books
Here’s my latest solution to the piles of art. After each year, I take pictures of each of my boys’ art. I upload, crop, and put into a picture/photo book. I can then recycle all that paper, save on space, and give the boys their very own book of art.
How do you manage the art of your kid’s (kids’) masterpieces ?
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Last you’ve heard, we’ve made some progress in L’s room. With some of the more dire projects around the house out of the way (more on those later), I am finally ready to add some fun and color to that big empty wall above her dresser.
The plan is to add a mirror and fill the rest of the wall space with lots of bright art work that are inspired by L. I’ve started a collection of DIY pieces like this and this (more on those later), but I needed more. So I’ve been scavenging the Internet for unique and affordable prints to add to my collection. Then, I came across http://www.minted.com/art, a site that houses hundreds of art work from independent artists around the world. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for! I’m sharing a mood board of a few things in my shopping cart to give you a little preview of L’s gallery wall.
This mirror is a front runner for the gallery wall. It’s the right size and and I love the shape. (PB Kids)
This little sign is just the right amount of adorable and chic. And it can be personalized with L’s name. (Minted)
L LOVES animals. I bet this will be her favorite thing on the wall. (Minted)
L is quite the little gardener. Watering plants is one of her favorite activities. I like to think a bouquet in a watering can is kind of a classic art print. I like the cheery blossoms and personalized detail. (Minted)
How cool is this map?! Talk about functional art! It makes a great gift too. (Minted)
Simple yet pretty. Since the ikkat/boho/arrow trend is still going strong, I’m hopping on that bandwagon. (Minted)
The curtains in my room growing up were of a very similar popsicle pattern. Nostalgia! (Minted)
This gorgeous gold foil map is of Washington DC. A city we frequent often with L. Plus it’s always fun to add a little bling. (Minted)
I plan to keep all the frames in similar hues to give the gallery wall a more uniformed feel. I’m thinking either distressed/white washed oak or gold tones. Can’t wait to show you the finished product. Stay tuned!
Have you visited Minted.com? I seriously spent hours browsing.So many pretty things! Are you obsessed with gallery walls as much as I am? I’ve pinning gallery wall inspirations every waking minute.
In this post I shared my plans for L’s big girl room in the new house. Since we moved in two months ago, we’ve been busy completing projects day and night (mostly at night after L is in bed). I thought I’d share the progress we’ve made in her big girl room so far.
We decided to use L’s nursery furniture until she’s ready for a big girl bed. The paint color on the wall is Benjamin Moore Foggy Morning. Originally, I was set on a neutral tone, but I couldn’t resist this shade of pale pink. It does have a beige undertone which makes it appear neutral in natural light. The ceiling fan came with the house. L’s pretty obsessed with the butterflies, so we are keeping it for now.
I went with vinyl decals to create an accent wall instead of painted stripes in the original plan. The white clouds were purchased from this Etsy shop. I cut out a few gold ones myself using vinyl sheets from Joann’s. I like that they aren’t uniform which created a more whimsical look and easy to install (don’t need to worry about perfectly lined up or straight).
The gray rug is the third one we purchased for the room. The graphic yellow rug in the original plan just wasn’t big enough. Her room needs a 8′ by 10′. The second rug we bought was a cushy shag rug, but it smelled terrible even after airing out for days. Upon research, I learned there are so many scary chemicals in synthetic rugs (I get paranoid about these things), so I went on a hunt for a backless wool rug (no backing means no glue which means less chemicals). I was drawn to the color and the graphic element of this rug and it was on sale. You just can’t pass up a 8′ by 10′ wool rug for $310. It doesn’t have a high pile and it’s a bit scratchy, but it doesn’t smell and hides stains well. I put a felt rug pad and an old blanket underneath for cushion and that seems to do the trick for now. I’m keeping my eyes open for a high pile, colorful, affordable wool rug.
The bookshelves are spice racks from IKEA. I’m sure you’ve seen this hack all over Pinterest. They turned out really cute and I like that they display the books’ covers so L can pick out exactly the book she wants. The reading nook is made from old sheer curtains, an embroidery hoop and some upcycled pillows.
You probably recognize the alphabet cards from L’s nursery. We decided to keep those in her room to give her a sense of familiarity in the new space. Plus she is really into pointing out letters and singing ABCs these days. Eventually I want to add a mirror and framed art to this wall.
For now I can cross off a few things on the list for L’s big girl room.
paint the walls
accent wall
new light fixture/ceiling fan
big rug
make reading nook/book shelf
new curtains
gallery wall art
closet organization build-in
night stand (in a fun color)
build-in seating for bay window
round play table
I hope to find time to complete a few more projects and give you another update in a few months. When do you tackle your DIY projects around the house?
