Children's Artwork

This project was inspired by my mom and how I didn’t want to store my children’s artwork! For the record, I am not throwing her under the bus, but does this sound familiar to any of you who grew up before 1990? My mom collected and stored her kids’ artwork the way she did coupons: haphazardly stored or filed in a bin only to be forgotten. Each child had a designated tub and she gave each of us our designated tub about 90 minutes after college graduation. The contents of my bin looked something like this:

Or maybe your kids’ artwork is conveniently displayed on a bulletin board:

Over the years I kept file folders and filed their report cards, Mother’s Day cards in their designated folder. Once the contents of the folders busted out the sides I moved them to these storage cartons. In my mind these Container Store boxes are way more attractive than a storage tub and I could “hide” their artwork, poems and cards in plain site. Not that I have peeked into the contents since filling these last summer. In full disclosure, on my master to- do list, I have “buy new storage box.” I am over the pink. It clashes with the green or vice versa. Either way, it’s bugging me. #suburbanmomprobs

Part of this process involves pulling some of the kids’ favorite artwork (or my favorites) and putting them into a new folder marked “to be framed.” Here is a sneak peek of some of my favorites that are already “out and proud” :

Check out what I did with all of the ceramic/pottery pieces: put them in the garden or under the water fountain in the backyard. It adds a spot of color and it makes me smile each time I walk by it! Better than it sitting in a storage tub in the basement!