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10 Functional & Creative Uses for School Artwork
by Rachel Webb
What do you do when the fridge just won't hold anymore? No, I'm not
talking about food, I'm referring to Artwork! You know, those
cherished pictures every child brings home, insists it's their favorite
and on the fridge it goes! Can you just throw them away when the
child is not looking? Not in my family. My dear mother has saved my
kindergarten artwork in a box for over 25 years! So how does a
mother keep her home organized and still display and enjoy her
children's artistic efforts? First get them off the fridge or out of the
box and try some of these creative idea's.
1. TAKE A PICTURE. Line up the best pictures and craft projects
and take a picture! The artwork can be tossed but you still have a
record of them. Photo albums are more accessible to enjoy and much
easier to store than boxes. If you store the pictures in a acid free
sheet protector, your pictures will even outlast the original artwork.
2. ORIGINAL SCRAPBOOK PAPER. Scan or color copy one of the
artwork pictures onto acid free cardstock and use it as a background
paper for a scrapbook page or make a headline for your page by
tracing your letters out of the color copy and cutting them out!
3. HANDMADE SEASONAL PLACEMATS. Mount several seasonal
pictures to a large piece of colored cardstock. Use matching
background paper to coordinate with you other holiday decorations.
After having your child sign and date the back, laminate the placemats
for easy cleanup and durability. I used this idea for our cub-scout
blue and gold banquet and they were a hit!
4. CREATE CUSTOM ART CALENDARS. Purchase inexpensive
calendars and glue your child's artwork to the generic
picture. Matching seasonal pictures with the appropriate month makes
a great gift for grandparents and uses up 12 pictures quickly and
creatively!
5. MAILING ENVELOPES. Everyone mail's arts and crafts to
extended family so this time let the kids fold their artwork into the
envelope! Take apart an old envelope to use as a pattern and use a 2"
white label so that the address can be easily found and identified by
the post office.
6. MERCHANDISE. Many office supply stores offer services to
turn your photo's into custom mousepads, mugs, clocks, quilt blocks or
t-shirts. Instead of using the child's photograph, take a picture of the
art to display on the merchandise. Some tile shops will turn your
child's art into bathroom wall tiles or http//www.jigsawpuzzle.com
offers photo puzzles in a variety of sizes and shapes from a few
pieces to many and they are surprisingly affordable! This often takes
2-4 weeks to get your product back, so plan early if the kids want to
do this as a Christmas gift or unique Mothers Day idea.
7. FRAME IT. The most obvious idea can also provide a great storage
option. Choose a favorite art piece to frame then as new favorite
pictures arrive from school, put the new one over the old picture.
8. WRAPPING PAPER. Use large artwork for wrapping gifts for
giving to grandparents and children's birthday parties. Cut out
greeting cards to match. This is a great money saving tip too! If you
want paper that has a more retail look www.artfulgiving.com lets you
customize your gift wrap with your own saying or downloaded picture!
9. DECOUPAGE TEACHERS GIFTS. Adhere art to pillar candles or
terracotta planters for a useful and practical gift!
10. ORIGINAL CHECKBOOK COVERS. Purchase a blank clear
checkbook cover or remove the pre-printed insert of an existing cover
to attach your own picture. (If you have difficulty finding see
through plastic covers e-mail me for help.) The important thing is to let
your children see that you are proud of their talent and creative
efforts!
Reprinted with permission.
