All those artworks, so little fridge space. Here’s how to show off your mini Monet’s and petit Picasso’s biggest masterpieces and still keep things stylish.
Along with snotty noses, an appetite to put a post-hibernation bear to shame and enough germs to rival a science lab, we can rely on our kids to bring home one other thing in copious amounts from school: art. Now that the kids have returned to in-school learning (hurrah!), it’s coming back in their rucksacks thick and fast. Although, to be fair, we accumulated a fair amount of scribblings and Warhol-esque creations during lockdown. But there’s only so much fridge space for my toddler’s artwork. Which is exactly why I’ve put together some tips on how you can display your kid’s art without your home turning into a hoarder’s paradise. Read on, dear parents…
5 fun ways to display your kids’ art
1. String and mini wooden pegs
If you’ve got preschool paintings coming out of your earholes, this is a fantastic way of displaying the never-ending supply of your kid’s art. It’s like an art gallery made whoopie with a clothes line. All it takes is some pins in the wall, some string tied between the two and some cute-as-a-button mini pegs. Check out Design Improvised’s easy how-to and you’ll be pegging up their Picasso’s in no time. Not hipster enough for you? You could try gluing some wooden clothes pegs to a vintage yardstick and attaching that to the wall instead.
2. Make a digital scrapbook
Can’t move for all the artworks in your home? Fear not! Before chucking your kid’s milk-carton sculpture in the recycling bin (again) while they’re not looking, take a photo of their creation. The same goes for all their paintings, drawings and other works. Then jump on a photobook site and magic up your shots into a digital record of their talents. You could even be really fancy and create a book for each year of their lives. Ooh, get you. Be gone stray goggle eyes, rogue sequins and flyaway glitter (because let’s face it: nine times out of 10, glitter is never a good idea).
3. Create a gallery with decals
If, like many of us, you live in a rental condo in Singapore and don’t want to jeopardise your hefty deposit by festooning your walls with screws, hooks and nails, then this is the perfect solution. Hop on to Etsy and check out these cool wall decals. These non-damaging stickers, designed to look like doodled photo frames, affix to your walls. You then use them to display the revolving door of artwork within; the result being your own cool gallery. Moving home soon? Remove the decals from your wall and your landlord will be none the wiser. Winning.
4. Use actual picture frames
Like the gallery idea? Ditch the decals and go one step further with The Real McCoy. I’m talking actual picture frames, with the glass and backing removed, that you attach to the wall and use to pop your kid’s art in. Or follow guidance from The Caterpillar Years to make your frames matchy-matchy and extra special, thanks to some fishing line and some nifty pegs.
5. Put your old coat hangers to good use
Coat hangers – who knew? I’m all heart eyes over Honest’s too-cool-for-(art)-school tutorial on how to give your old wooden trouser hangers a new lease of life. A trusty lick of paint, a spot of stencilling and Bob’s your mother’s brother. How’s that for a great recycling idea?
And that’s it! Go forth, folks and reclaim your fridge. Thank us later.
