Hanging Child's Artwork

[MrsTazlvr]

Now that DD started preschool a few days a week she is coming home with artwork that I would like to hang in her playroom. I am trying to find a unique way to hang it that I can change as she brings home new pieces. I know I once saw some type of set up where the pics were slipped into a sleave or something like that. Or maybe a pushpin strip but I don't want to use push pins. Any unique ideas? Thanks. :D

[SiValleySteph]

I saw a neat idea on an episode of Designer's Challenge where they had wires strung across the wall and then used cute clothespins to hang the artwork.

I think they do a variant of this at my DS's daycare, but it's not as cute - just string and regular clothespins. :)

[MrsTazlvr]

Bump because it was buried already. ;)

[booksie]

I think Pottery Barn sells frames for artwork - you can just slip the paper in the top of the frame and swap it out as you wish. But I think they're just for standard 8.5 x 11 sized papers, not the crazy artwork kids bring home from school. :)

[MrsTazlvr]

That's a great idea. I will check them out. Thanks. I can always unmount her artwork so it fits the frames. :)

[Winter Biscuit]

I know you're specifically looking for ideas on hanging, but this article I found online contains a few additional ideas on what to do with children's artwork. I especially like the idea to turn some of the art into placemats by laminating them.

Here's the article I found:

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Parents are among the world's most passionate art collectors, saving their children's artwork until every nook and cranny is filled. But when space runs out, how do you decide what to keep, what to recycle and how to display all of those precious things?

Sort it
To avoid drowning in papier-mâché sculptures and popsicle-stick towers, it's essential to periodically sort through your children's artwork. Jenn Wilson, an art teacher at Toronto's Mabin School, suggests parents involve their children in the process and use it as an opportunity for discussion.

"It's a great way for parents to communicate their interest and validate their child's efforts. It's also a way parents can feel involved in the art, especially if they weren't there to witness the creative process in the first place," Wilson says.

Deciding what to keep is a highly personal decision, and there will always be favourites you'll want to hang on to forever. But it helps to establish a system, even if you sometimes break the rules.

You can limit yourself to three or four pieces that sum up your child's recent artistic development. Or you can be guided by size: store the smaller items and make digital copies of the larger ones. The rest can be recycled (see recycling hints below).

Wilson advises parents to note down as much information as they can on the artwork to be saved, including the child's name, title, materials, date and grade. "If possible, include details about what the child was thinking when doing the art, gleaned from your conversation. That will be enormously valuable years later, when the motivation behind the work has faded from memory."

Technology to the rescue
After deciding what to keep, what to make digital copies of and what to recycle, start scanning, copying and photographing.

Record on a digital camera: Take photographs of your children holding their artwork and recycle the originals. With sculptures and other 3-D objects, take several shots from different angles. File the images in appropriate folders, marked with your child's name and grade. Include a Word document with more detailed information on the artwork. Back up the files by burning them onto a CD; someday you'll be able to hand your kids their own art gallery — along with the few treasured pieces you've held on to. Click here for more scanning and photography ideas and tips for taking great snapshots on vacation.

Scan and use it for projects: Scan artwork and e-mail a card to grandparents. Later, you can turn that scanned graphic into note cards, stationery or even postcards by printing on postcard-sized photo paper, ready to be dropped in the mail.

Take it online: Internet art galleries offer a great way to share your child's artistic accomplishments with friends and relatives. Kids' Space is an international site where kids can submit audio files of their music or digitized drawings. Global Children's Art Gallery is a non-profit site with more than 1,000 pictures currently on display. Some of the artwork has even been used in UNICEF calendars. If you're up for a challenge, design a children's art website for your child's school.

Make a quilt: Sherri Osborn, the Minnesota-based guide to the Family Crafts area on About.com, found a high-tech way to recycle some of her daughter's old school work. "I scanned it into my computer, printed it out onto fabric and then incorporated it into a graduation quilt for her. I not only scanned some of her artwork, but I also scanned poems, reports and certificates. This quilt was a big hit with everyone — especially my daughter."

Display it
At Shelley Lippert's house, evidence of artists-at-work is everywhere. Someday, the Toronto artist plans to "edit" her son's four-year stockpile of artwork. For now, though, it's all about how to display it.

Lippert has courageously allowed six-year-old Holland to choose what artwork goes up on the walls and where. "It's been a little challenging at times," Lippert admits, "like the day he got the staple gun out and created new venues for his art. But I think it's important to honour his work and let him decide what to display — especially since I put my own stuff everywhere."

If you'd like to create some display space for artwork, but aren't prepared to offer up quite as much "canvas," consider these novel methods:

Create a fancy art gallery: Get a few gilded picture frames at a junk store and create an elegant gallery that you can refresh regularly on one of your walls. Hang pictures at your children's eye level so they can enjoy seeing them, too.

Make funky frames: "Frames can run from professionally mounted versions to wooden IKEA versions, which are cheap and easy to decorate," says Wilson. "You can use wallpaper or fabric strips to 'frame' artwork, or try cutting out the centre of box lids. And old wooden drawers make wonderful shadow boxes."

Hang it up: Hang clotheslines in your children's bedroom and attach the artwork with clothespins. Hang items low, so your kids can reach them and rearrange or add artwork whenever they like.

Make a laminated book: Select special pieces of art and have them laminated and spiral bound into a picture book. Ask your children to record their inspiration and ideas behind their masterpieces and you'll have a treasured keepsake. Keep it on the coffee table with your other art books for easy access.

Recycle it
No matter how much you love your kids' artwork, the sheer volume means some of it has to end up in the trash. Or does it? Here are some ideas for giving discarded artwork a new lease on life.

Make placemats: Laminate paintings or drawings and turn them into placemats. These make great gift items for friends and family.

Use as raw material: Make birthday hats and crowns from old artwork.

Create an original art calendar: Have your child pick 12 of her favourite drawings, colour photocopy them, put together a 12-month calendar and distribute them as gifts. Instead of photocopying drawings and creating identical calendars, you could also use original art for each calendar you produce.

Make original wrapping paper: You'll never run out of wrapping paper if you use your children's artwork.

[MrsTazlvr]

Those are so AWESOME ideas. Thank you so much. I think I might make a calendar for everyone in the family using her artwork. I was looking for something inexpensive for the holidays since DD#2 is due in early January and money will be tight. I might then take the originals and make them into a bound book at Kinkos at the end of the year. Meanwhile, I think I might attatch a few clothespins to the wall or a few frames and display the work that way. :D Thanks again.

[Aug2002Bride]

One of my friends hangs it all (well the older pieces) in her garage. It is neat and it jazzes up the garage walls. She keeps the newer pieces of artwork on the clothes line type deal in the little girls room.

One of the moms in my playgroup she hung something like a clothesline up the stairs and hangs it on there....Ive also seen the picture frame thing.

[booksie]

This isn't a hanging idea, but one thing we do with all the extra artwork is send tons to grandmas and aunties and uncles. It makes their day and makes me feel much better than chucking things out.

[artist]

Maybe I am crazy, but depending on your taste, it might be cool to mount a large piece of metal to the wall and get neat magnets and just hang them that way. At least you wouldn't have holes in the wall! I guess that could either look cool/funky or tacky depending on how it was done. Just a thought.

But I do like the whole clothespin idea too! And also making a book.

[Sabre]

We're thinking of doing something like this in our DD's room.

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel181945&catid=cat252&navLevel=2

[postkalidurga]

I was thinking magnets as well but more as a strip of metal along the wall with cool magnets. Then the art doesn't get damaged at all and the metal strip can add interesting detail to the room even if there isn't much on it.

[Lorann]

I am working on the playroom and was looking for ways to hang their art. I saw two systems I like one in PBK http://www.potterybarnkids.com/srch/index.cfm?words=art+cable+system&search.x=28&search.y=1 and one from Land of Nod http://www.landofnod.com/search.aspx?query=work+of+art+clips . To me it seems the PB ones would be more sturdy (they are 39.99) but the other are cute. Only problem is they are string and I hope they wouldn't be to flimsy. Anyone have either of these and any input? TIA!!

[Sol]

Along the magnet idea, you could also just paint part of the room with magnetic paint and hang them there.

[HGMorgann]

I attached a couple of paintings together and put them in a big frame - about 18"x24". Its proudly hanging over our couch in our living room:-)

[emschwar]

I saw a frame somewhere (helpful, no?) and I can't remember where. But, it was a frame for holding artwork - the "cover" swung open and when you got a new piece of artwork, you could just put it in over the old one. That way, you'd display the new one, but the old ones were still safe and stored for later. The back was sort of spring loaded so you could fit lots of art in. Let me see if I can find it.

[emschwar]

Well, that was easier than I thought it was going to be :)
http://www.improvementscatalog.com/product/id/118326.do

[MrsTazlvr]

Thanks, Emily. That frame is awesome. I might have to ask for one for Mother's Day since I told Hal I didn't want anything but some peace and quiet. ;)

Right now I just put the stuff up in the playroom with that sticky tack stuff. Of course I got lazy and all the artwork is from last school year. :rolleyes:

What I was planning on doing if I even get around to it is this. I am going to put up a metal strip on the wall. I am going to buy those magnets that have a clip on them. I'll stick the magnets on the strip and then clip artwork on that. At least that's my plan anyway if I don't get the frame that Emily posted.

[MrsT]

i don't know if you have an ikea around, but they sell a metal strip (with three magnets) for 99 cents. (It's where the bulletin boards and clocks are). I think it's around a foot long? At that price, you could line the room...

[MrsTazlvr]

i don't know if you have an ikea around, but they sell a metal strip (with three magnets) for 99 cents. (It's where the bulletin boards and clocks are). I think it's around a foot long? At that price, you could line the room...

Thanks. No Ikea here but they are building one I think so maybe in a few months. :)

[Lorann]

MrsT,
Thanks. My parents have an Ikea near them. I'm going to see if it is online. :)