How to Display Childrens Art Projects

The conservation of your childrens art projects can be a challenge, especially if your children are taking art lessons for children or your little ones are in preschool and bringing home toddler art projects. Way too much art and way too little fridge space. If you are determined to show every work of art, before long your house begins to transform into a kids' art gallery. There is a need to find some ways of keeping the important pieces in a way that adds to your life rather than takes over your life.

Most of the items for the ideas below can be found in the craft and hobby supplies section of department stores or in a craft supplies store such as Michaels Craft Supplies or Tall Mouse.

Cable Display

One way is to attach a cable at an appropriate height in a place you want the art displayed such as along a hallway, in a childs bedroom or childs playroom. Use clothespins or binder clips to hang these childrens art projects.

Collage

Choose 4 or more pieces of art that complement each other. They may have similar colors, or the same subject. Scan each piece artwork. You can then make a collage in Photoshop or a Photoshop-type program, print it out and frame it; or print each piece out separately and frame each one in an acrylic frame or acrylic box and hang them together in a grid pattern.

Decorated Bulletin Board

Purchase a framed bulletin board or place a piece of cork inside a frame that you like. Now you can pin your kids art projects up in a contained space that won't leave your walls looking like a pincushion.

Magnetic Wall

Use magnetic paint on one wall of your childs bedroom or childs playroom. After the magnetic paint is dry, you can paint over it with the color of your choice. Place a few decorative magnets on the wall. Now your child can hang art projects on his own with a magnet.

My wonderful pre-screened babysitter here in Orange County California came up with this idea. She's always coming up with new ways to keep the kids occupied with constructive activities. Anyway, she came to the house one day with some ugly advertising magnets from an Irvine daycare center, a weight loss program and a fitness center. She used these promotional magnets to create beautiful magnets out of my kids old art projects.

Start by scanning the children's art project into a computer. Shrink it to fit the size of the advertising magnet. Or you can take the art to a copy shop and have it shrunk to the size you want.

Cut out the image and glue it to the front of the advertising magnet. Spray the finished creation with clear polyurethane for protection. If you have enough of these for your own fridge, don't forget the magnets can make gifts also.

This is one of my favorite ideas! It's so easy to make a unique t-shirt from your childs art project. Scan your child's piece of art into your computer. Size it to fit the front of a t-shirt. Then simply print it out on t-shirt transfer paper. Follow the instructions to iron it on to your t-shirt.

T-shirt transfer paper can be purchased at crafts stores and office supply stores.

This works best on white or pastel color t-shirts. Anything other than a white t-shirt will change how the finished art will look on the t-shirt.

This technique can be used to make a unique pillowcase, napkin, fabric gift bag, quilt, sweatshirt, blouse, patch to iron onto jeans or tote bag ... and the list goes on!

We used this technique to make a t-shirt for our wonderful Orange County babysitter. Now that we have the process down, we're going to make a t-shirt for our San Diego babysitter as well as the grandparents.

Art CD

Scan your childrens art project into your computer and make a CD. Discard the original art project. These CD's are also a nice gift for mom or dad.

Frame It

Designate a wall where you wish to make a kids art gallery. Pick up a collection of nice looking frames that look good together. If they're simple acrylic frames then they don't need matting. If the frames you choose need matting it's best to stick to white or black and have the same matting for all the frames.

After hanging the art you can periodically change out the art in the frames as new projects come in.

Decorative Floor Mat

Easy Floor Mat: Decide how large you want your finished floor mat to be. Lay clear contact paper out with the sticky side up so that it fits the size and shape of your finished floor mat. Place your children's art pieces face down on top of the contact paper. When all the art is placed, lay more clear contact paper on top of the art, sticky side down. Turn your floor mat over and place wherever you like.

Canvas Floor Mat: If you want a more durable floor mat you can use canvas cut to the size you want plus 1 inch on each side. Fold the canvas over and tape to the back of the canvas using carpet tape.Place your children's art on top of the canvas until you are sure of the finished design. Remove art. Using a roller, apply clear polyurethane to the entire surface of the canvas. Place art back on canvas. When polyurethane has dried, roll on another coat on top of art. Continue applying polyurethane and allowing to dry until you have three to four coats.

Alternative edge finishing method: Use iron-on blanket binding on all edges of floor mat after you've finished decoupaging.

Make a Calendar

Scan art into your computer. Use a program designed to create a calendar such as Broderbunds PrintShop to arrange art for each month of the year. Print out your calendar.

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I hope that these ideas will help you to declutter your home and preserve your childrens art projects in a way that adds to the quality of your life and home.