10 Functional & Creative Uses for School Artwork
by Rachel Webb

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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.

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