Taming the Art: A Portfolio of Their Own

{photo via Schoolfolio}

A few years back, I told my daughter it was time to recycle some of her artwork off of the gallery (a clothesline with clothespins in our kitchen). I had no idea the effect this would have.

I saw her secretly try to hide artwork around the house. Behind a plant. Under a bed. Behind a door. Etc. And, then, I realized that she wasn't ready--she needed to hold onto her artwork longer. But, where could we keep it? Well....


A dear friend of mine created a brilliant solution for storing your child's art -- Schoolfolio.

Schoolfolios are archival quality (no fading masterpieces!) plastic storage cases or portfolios. These attractive (and highly practical) portfolios come in two sizes - a single folio and an all-in-one.

{photo via Schoolfolio}

Now, all year long, my daughter puts her art (after it has gotten due time on display) in her portfolio (the single version). At the end of the year, I sort through and pick out a good sampling and put them for more permanent storage in the all-in-one. From time to time during the year, my daughter pulls out her portfolio and admires her work. I love watching her sort through it.

 {photo via Schoolfolio}

If you decide a Schoolfolio is right for you, order at Schoolfolio.com -- please select my name (Michelle Lambert) under Affiliates so my friend knows I referred you! :)

Taming the Art

I love kids art - especially art created by my little artists. I hang it with pride.

Or, at least it started out this way. 

But, a couple of years ago, I started getting pretty overwhelmed by the quantity of art being cranked out by my prolific aspiring Van Gogh.

I haven't found the solution. But, I've been slowly figuring out a way to tame the art. It's a delicate balance of proudly displaying these masterpieces, then finding it's next life. (Yes, sometimes that includes the recycle bin.) This process has involved a lot of research into clever ways to display, store and re-purpose art -- and, I thought I'd share some of my learning.

So, throughout the rest of this week -- and into next week, I'll be highlighting the various cool things I've learned about. And, as always, I'm eager to hear from you. What do you do with your child's art?