If your kids are anything like mine, they bring home lots of, um, artistic masterpieces from school. I usually leave them on the counter for everyone to admire, and then some of them end up in an art storage bin I keep for each child, while others somehow get mysteriously crumpled beneath empty spaghetti boxes and almond milk cartons in the recycle bin. Hmmm, how does that happen? But when there is a piece of art that Hailey and Ashley is excited about, they love putting it on display. Displaying their art makes them feel very proud, and I love to encourage this.
As a partially OCD mom, I cannot stand to see art haphazardly on the fridge. The thought alone gives me a little anxiety. My version of fridge art lies in the pantry. I put up some magnetic boards in the pantry with lots of magnets. The girls can hang and rearrange their art as they choose. They absolutely love it. And yes, we all spend A LOT of time in the pantry. I love looking at their art as I secretly eat cookies, while the kids think that I am snacking on almonds.
I have managed to find some other ways to put the girls’ works of art on display. Here are just a few:
I strung a piece of pretty ribbon and secured it at each end with a sparkly push pin. I then hung rhinestone covered clothespins along the ribbon. The girls love telling me which pieces they want to hang here. It is empowering for them to dictate what goes up here, and the art also adds some great color to the wall. I try to make sure to have pieces from both Hailey and Ashley up at all times. The great thing about this ribbon display is that the clothespins slide easily to accommodate different sizes of artwork. 
I found this really cute board with convenient, oversized clips attached. The clips let me easily switch out the kids’ artwork. I can even put two pieces in one clip, or tape multiple pieces of art together vertically. It’s actually more versatile than you might think, and it keeps the kids’ art looking nice and neat.
This display of the girls’ art is my favorite. I decided to create a gallery of kids’ art with frames that match the style of our house. I put these in the hallway so we could all see them as we walk in and out of the door. The art can be changed easily, as well. Hailey did two of these pieces of “abstract art”, and Ashley did the other two. I’ll let you guess who did which. Budding Picassos for sure!
As Amanda starts to add some of her art to our collections, I will have to expand our displays. I might even fill up an entire wall of art, but I’m not jumping to conclusions just yet. I’ll let my OCD take a breather until that day comes!
Lace And Lollipops 