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We're starting to collect piles of paintings and such. What do you all do with them? Keep? Toss?

Hi Christy! My suggestion is for flatter projects such as paintings and drawings get an inexpensive 10x13 inch frame (most paper should fit in here)for each child to display on a wall. They could even decorate the frame with glitter and such. Place the artwork in it and change them out weekly, monthly, or however you want to do it. Another idea for such projects is to get a corkboard, a nice size one, and display them for specified amount of time up there. There could be a folder or basket for the pieces, and say on Friday, your child could pick out of the basket or folder which piece of artwork goes in the frame/up on the board . Then when the artwork comes down, it gets tossed.

For other pieces of art that are not flat, like clay pieces and other mediums, I would either choose a part of a bookshelf, a table top, or if you have room on a wall put up a decent size shelf to display such things. That is your child's personal display gallery, just explain to he/she/them that if it doesn't go in that frame or on that shelf, and it can't be hung in their room, that it does have a life expectancy of mom's choosing. Another thing you can do is take digital shots of all of the work to keep in a type of cd album for them. Then they can pop it in the computer anytime they want to look at what they've made. Hope that was helpful

We enjoy them for a while and then put them in a plastic bin. We have a few that rotate in picture frames here and there but most are in a plastic box. I have a box in our craft room for current and a big one in the garage. Some get tossed when nobody is looking. But I always ask myself is this something I will treasure in ten years then if not I toss. HTH

Each of our children has a BIG clamp magnet on the fridge that all of their work gets clamped in each day. They often show dad their favorites at night. At the end of the week, they go into a file folder or on the shelf next to the file folder if they're too big. Every once and a while (when the file folder/shelf is bulging), they go through their file folders, etc. and keep their favorites and discard the rest. Of the things they keep, if they're flat, we put them in clear sleeve protectors in 3-ring binders. If they're not flat, each son has 1 laundry basket under his bed for any of those they wish to keep. Every once in a great while, we go through the tub (usually when it's overflowing ) and throw out whatever is not so important anymore. Having a few "sorting" steps helps them not hold on to everything. Sticking to the one tub only has helped them choose what they really feel is important to keep and what they've grown less attached to. I do not tell them what to keep - it is totally up to them. If there's something I adore that they're throwing, I'll rescue it!

In Christ,
Julie

Julie,

I love the big magnetic clamp on the Fridge idea! My husband works long hours and this would keep everything handy for my son so he can remember to show his father later.

We were just going through my sons "art" basket. It was overflowing and HEAVY. I told him we were going to have to figure out where to keep the things he wants to keep. So this thread is timely for me. I think I will also take the rest of your ideas and do those hear too!!

Thanks,
Paige in TN
Joshua 9 BHFHG
Jacob 2 Driving me crazy but that's another post

I like the clamp idea too! My kids are under the impression that any paper that they have put even the tiniest of scribbles on it MUST go on the fridge. They then argue over who has used up more magnents. This would keep the fridge not so cluttered (on the outside...now to work on the top.... ) as they would each have just one spot for their "art".

Is that something that I could just purchase at Walmart or that type of store?

I put all the art work in a binder. When it gets full I choose the very best ones for saving. The rest get tossed openly or sneaky depending on the humors of the child in question. I pick the very best for the scrap book.

I just send my stuff off to the grandparents and right now a handful off to my husband over in Iraq. I take pictures of the big stuff and after the year is over I toss 90% of it.

Thanks Paige and Holyhart! We got the magnets for free from my dh job, but I've seen them at places like Walmart and Target too. Holding up all of those heavy papers is not a job for a wimpy magnet though - the ones we have could pass for Superman! It's probably worth the extra buck or 2 to get the really heavy duty magnetic clamps. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie