Wednesday, January 19, 2011

All Those Little Masterpieces!

 

Artwork, Artwork
Everywhere!!!
"The most important function of art & science
 is to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those
who are receptive to it"   Einstein


 

It's lovely, it's treasured, and great balls of fire- it's taking over the house! The amount of artwork produced by even one child can be a bit overwhelming at times. When you add a couple of extra kids & all of their beautiful creations along the way- it can become downright cluttered!

But what is a good mother/parent to do? Well, I originally fell to my trusty 3 ring binder system to corral the clutter, but about a quarter through the year I realized that we would soon be covered up in binders.
Then I began shipping them off..."Oh, you know who would love this one..... your grandmother!" But that will only get you so far when you are three kids deep in clutter artwork.

Don't get me wrong! I adore their little masterpieces! I love love love watching them be creative and creating with them- but you can only have so many bulletin boards, and there is only so much refrigerator space to go around. The little light bulb finally clicked on for me in the form of a flash from my trusty camera!

Now, I take pictures of all of the wonderful creations that come through the door- display them for a time- and throw them away. Shocking, I know. And also quite liberating. The kids don't even mind once they see the digital photo of their art- they know it has been preserved & treasured appropriately.

As a matter of fact, when they see me go to the trouble to photograph their work, I think they consider it even more valuable. I'm sure it won't be long before one of them decides to begin charging me for the honor!

Enjoy the art, get in there and create something with them, & don't even worry about where you could possibly find to put it! Ahhhhhh, freedom....

I definately love to frame a special piece of art and childrens art (especially your own) is the best! I've spent over a hundred dollars having a special painting custom framed. (Back when we had one child & a larger budget!)

These days - I think this is a perfect - and perfectly affordable way to frame a few of the special pieces that you will treasure for a lifetime. It makes a great gift for the grandparents too!

5 comments:

Valerie @ Inner Child Fun said...

I've been doing this for years and it is such a great space-saver without compromising how much you value the artwork -- especially if you display several of their pieces around the house as well. Great tip!

Unknown said...

Time will pass and they are on to the next COOL project...I LOVE the idea of doing a digital scrap book! Still shows meaning and you can actually see the difference as the years go by how their creativity blossomed! You got me thinking now...:)

Tonya said...

Great idea! The artwork does get a little overwhelming. I'm a purger, so I have to admit it doesn't stay around long here...I'd rather have a few pieces displayed than a houseful of clutter no one notices!

Unknown said...

thankyou ladies! we must all have the most clutter free houses on the planet- (that would be a dream come true for me-) One step at a time~

Simplifying in the South said...

This is a great idea! I think it could even apply to the art of simplifying and getting rid of things you don't need. Next time I come across something I don't need but want to remember I am going to reach for my camera! Thanks for sharing.

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