Willow House

If you read about my cluttered home office (the project which has taken a backseat lately), one of the piles on top of a bookshelf is my “Save” pile of my children’s artwork.

I have read several tips on how to save children’s precious artwork (and let’s be honest, it’s not the artwork that’s so precious as it is the darling hands that created it):

• File folders sorted by child, by year
• Whatever doesn’t fit into your folder/container – take a picture of your child holding it, so that you’ll have both a snapshot of the artwork and a moment in time of what your child looked like at the age he/she made the art
• Accordian-type storage which is expandable
• Store every piece for 1 month then ask your child to pull out their top 5 favorites to keep
• Make sure to keep pieces that contain representations of your child’s age, milestone or memory; such as a handprint/footprint, the first time your child wrote her name all by herself or a drawing of his favorite meal at the time
• Larger pieces on easel-size paper can be used to wrap gifts to grandparents
• No matter how precious or perfect, never, ever, ever, save anything with glitter.

If you’re looking for a new way to store your child’s masterpieces, here are a few options I’ve come across:

My Masterpieces Art Portfolio

My Masterpieces Art Portfolios:  I’ve purchased 3 of these from Willow House, one for each of my children. What I like about this storage system is that it’s accordion-style with 5 pockets, comes with letter stickers to personalize with your child’s name on the front, and it expands to about 6″ deep, which would accommodate either lots of papers, or collage-type artwork with dimension. It’s actually on sale right now for $16.96 in the Willow House outlet.

Wall Art Gallery

Wall Art Gallery: From Lillian Vernon, the Wall Art Gallery is so new it’s not even available until 3/21, however you can order it and it will ship when it becomes available.  I’m excited about this one. I have framed 3 pieces of my kids’ art in our basement with cheap-o metal frames that have a flexible backing for 3-dimensional work, but I love this Wall Art Gallery because the of the hinged door, and that you can store up to 50 pieces of 8 1/2 x 11 artwork inside, so you have the option of changing out what’s seen, and have a place to store it forever (or until the 51st piece comes home!).  The Wall Art Gallery is priced at $27.98, and on orders over $50 you can use code 351830100 to ship for just $3.99, now through 3/31/11.

Kids Hanging Art Pockets

Kids Hanging Art Pockets:  Here’s a neat-o way to display multiple pieces at once, and have a colorful addition to your child’s bedroom or playroom. Organize.com has this “Kids Hanging Art Pockets” for just $15.99. You can display up to 9 pieces of A4 (roughly 8 1/2 x 11) either horizontally or vertically, and easily change them out for new pieces. You can use code MAR1550 to get 15% off your purchase of $50 or more from Organize.com.

Curtain rod art display

Lastly, I came across this idea to display children’s art, by using a simple, stylish curtain rod and drapery clips you can hang your kids art all across the room. I totally love this! Thanks, Budget Wise Home!

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