What do I do with all this artwork???

[bellee]

I've got a very creative 2 1/2 year old who's curently whipping out original artwork like nobody's business. I've got STACKS of paintings and drawings. I feel bad just tossing it (well recycling it really ) . Anybody in this boat? What do you do with all your children's artwork? Can you possible keep it all?

[fizzymom]

We keep our favorites (some of them look pretty impressive when matted and framed-- think modern art). We take pictures of the rest (digital camera) so even after they get recycled, we can still look at them.

[meco]

I pick my favorites and paste them in a scrapbook

I also had a friend who strung up a few strings on the walls, and she clothespinned pics at a revolving rate on them. Great art display. and easy to change.

[stirringleaf]

i reuse them. i made a shelf under his little wooden chair that sits at his table, that we put paper on. i put the pics there that arent necessarilly "the best ones" and we re-use them . for example, if he is in a cutting mood ( he is almost 3, ) then i let him cut those up. sometimes i even save those scraps, and next time we do a glue project and make mosaics or something. i do throw some out, just not in front of him, unless it seems like he could care less, then i just ask him first if he wants it anymore.

the ones i just love get saved. like his first "person" and the first time he "wrote his name". i dont have a scrapbook but i stick them in a photo album in those sheet protectors you can buy for like school reports or whatever. its like $3.00 for a pack of them.

[meco]

also, laminate for place mats

[mother_sunshine]

Originally Posted by meco

I also had a friend who strung up a few strings on the walls, and she clothespinned pics at a revolving rate on them. Great art display. and easy to change.

We do this in our hallway, with two levels (high and low). We call it "the gallery wall".

I have always kept dd's artwork in a deep drawer, then once a year we go through it and pick out our favorites and seal them in a tyvek envelope marked with the year. The rest is recycled.

[sun-shine01]

I tape them to the walls, doors, every kitchen cabinet is covered, our beroom walls - even the ceiling. She gets a kick out of telling me where to hang them and she pointes them out to guests sometimes.

I would love to get a contraption like some metal rod that has a bunch of 8x10 glass frames hanging from it to mount on our living room wall but all the ones I have seen have a mixture of frame sizes and I don't want to cut the pages.

[Melda]

I must be the bad mom ... i saved a few but the rest goes to recycle ... ... maybe i will start saving more of them ...

[melissa17s]

Frame the best and save other nice ones in a portfolio to give to ds and dd when they are older. Ds does like cutting and altering some of his pieces. We let him decide if he wants to work his paintings and drawings in new ways, and keep them when he is done as long as he has not mutilated them. I have a book called young at art and it advocates treating art as art, and I agree. Recycling is good, but we try to recycle household paper products and plastics into art supplies instead of recyling the artwork.

[bellee]

Wow, there's so many good ideas here

I already frame some. It does look really nice I like the saving for cutting then for mosaic idea too! I'd LOVE to be able to hang them everywhere in the kitchen and such but my DD #2's nikname is "Maggie the destroyer" Maybe when she's older and doesn't eat everything

[bellee]

Oh, yeah, and taking pic of the artwork...brilliant

[chersolly]

Publish them into a book!
Take digital photos of the special pieces and then upload the photos to www.mypublisher.com. Often, they have a free 20pg. book offer.

[jessemoon]

Get a poster mailing tube and start rolling up some to send to grandma or some other adoring relative!

[tenne]

We fold them in half and make cards for people. Bigger things with give to grandparents for their refrigerators or hang in her play area.

[DebraStorm]

What I used do was put my absolute favorites in matted frames & hang them on walls. I haven't done theat yets ince we moved into our house last year.

I also scrapbook so periodically I have DS & I go through what all is saved. We'll pick our favorites & then I make a collage of them in his scrapbook. And then his extra favorite ones, I do seperately. I have him write the date & a small story about the picture with all the deatils of the art...sortof like a journal entry.

I've also taken themed art (like for holidays) & had them laminated & we've used them as place mats. My kids loved that!

We take some of their art to an assisted living or nursing home. DS really loved seeing the elderly's smiles when he handed them art work, even though he didn't know them!

We use some of the art to make a simple art book that is given to the grandparents at Christmas. But really, it can be done at any special time. I just cut all the pages to the same size & then punch holes in one side & let the child run yarn through the holes. And then we write the date of when it was given & a brief note. The grandparents always love it!

[jeca]

you can make a scrapbook for grandparenst, godparents, etc also.

[annettemarie]

I don't think I saw this choice- we use them as wrapping paper.
Annette

[onlyzombiecat]

Give as gifts (grandparents) ... or just use as giftwrap.
Use as packing material.
Cut up for collages. Use for greeting cards. Use behind photos in scrapbooks.
Reuse other side of paper.
Take pictures of the artwork and keep the photos instead.
Choose a sampling (example: best 1 or 2 of the month) to keep in a "portfolio" and get rid of the rest after that month. Put the date on the pictures. It would be fun to look at the changes over the year/s. You can display things for the month, but don't have to keep everything forever.

[artgirl]

I use them as wrapping paper and thank you cards. I'll cut out the best parts and paste them on a solid colored card then write on the inside.

I also bought a picture frame with five windows. I cut my favorite parts of some of dd's paintings and put them into the frame and it hangs in my office. It's beautiful!

[maya44]

Our "gallery" is in the garage! We line the walls with art (the best we keep seperately or frame).

There is lots of space out there and you don't have to worry about it interfereing with your decorating! LOL