artist parents, do you have artsy craftsy kids?

[beanma]

If so, where do you keep all of their output? I have kids who produce huge amounts of artwork. Flat stuff we can shove in a portfolio, though, it's bursting at the seams, but what do you do with the three-dimensional stuff? There's something new everyday and I can't keep up! Help!

I didn't want to put this in decluttering because I specifically wanted to ask artist/craftsy parents. I'm a graphic designer by trade and I suspect that dd1 will continue to pursue this as she grows older. Her grandmother (MIL) is also an artist. I just can't keep up with it!

[sunanthem]

perhaps she could start an etsy shop.. with your help...

or perhaps make a big wall shelf, maybe cubes or something, where she could display 3d stuff, then after a month or whenever, take it down and switch it out with new stuff?

Also aunties and grannies love gifts like that, perhaps she could pass a few on out to the fam?

[The4OfUs]

I know you weren't asking for decluttering advice, but how about taking digital photos of the flat stuff and then just saving her favorite pieces and giving the rest away to family and friends?

[beanma]

thanks for the tips. I certainly don't keep all of it. I'm overwhelmed with it as is. Luckily our town has curbside mixed paper recycling .

The etsy shop is an interesting idea, but we're definitely not there yet.

She's making things like an elaborate 3-d kitty house with scrapbook paper. It has kitchen, bathroom, bedroom with bunk-beds, living room, etc. She put a lot of effort into it so I don't want to toss it in the recycling right away (it'll probably end up there at some point), but on the floor of her room (which is where it is right now) isn't a good place and it won't fit in a portfolio.

Maybe the cube/shelves...

Love to hear other ideas as well!

[notjustmamie]

Well, so far we don't keep most of it. :

I've heard lots of folks take digital photos or videos of each piece and only keep the special ones. I've also heard of the one-box method (each kid gets one box a year, when the box gets full, the parent and child go through each item and together choose what to keep and what to release into the wild). My sister used to collect drawings/paintings that her girls did and use them for wrapping paper over the holidays. That wouldn't work so well with 3D projects, though.

We also try to encourage temporary art, e.g., play dough that is sculpted into many fun things, then returned to the jar at the end of the day (or use bread dough to craft with and bake it!)

As DD gets older, I think I'll also try to get her to focus on some themes. What I'm thinking of is ... when I was a kid, my parents helped me glue some cardboard boxes together to make a doll house. Many of my art and craft projects about that time were to decorate the house. I made furniture, curtains, rugs, etc. When I was done, all of it was already "put away" inside the house. Sometimes, I don't think I gave my parents enough credit for being absolutely brilliant.

[rere]

Right now my daughter is really into drawing and sewing so it's not as big of a problem but I have been considering hanging "art display shelves" and giving her the responsibility of deciding what stays and what goes.