Image courtesy of ApartmentTherapy.com
With the kids back at school we are faced with a flood of art projects that are being sent home already. When I was a kid, the routine was pretty simple. We brought home a piece of art or, as we got older, 100% on a spelling test, and it was proudly displayed on the refrigerator. There was a natural rotation of art and papers because as we brought home more papers the old ones were taken down to make space for the latest and greatest. It was pretty simple. Now, with stainless steel refrigerators and other non-magnetic surfaces, the ritual of putting special work on the refrigerator has been forced to evolve. The question for us has been, “where do we put it?”
Because my kids like to display their work proudly for all to see, I did not want to relegate it to their rooms. For us, it makes the most sense to have a space set aside in our basement. It currently serves as the kids playroom but is also used for movie and game nights with family and friends.
As I started to look, I realized their are some great ideas out there. Here are a few of my favorites.
Image courtesy of younghouselove.com
The giant cork board above was the first idea to catch my eye. It is simple and, best of all, I could make this myself relatively easily. But, the more I thought I about it, I worried that the set up could lead to fighting. With two kids who demand equal space, I could see a line of blue painter’s tape down the middle of the board. So, I decided to look for options that would allow both kids to have their own spot.
Image courtesy of SimplyOrganized.me
The image above is an easy solution to potential fighting. If everyone has their own board, there is nothing to fight about. While I think this is perfectly adequate (and may well be what we end up with), I pressed on in search of more creative options.
Image courtesy of Bellini.com
While not particularly creative, the art wall above is simply beautiful. I think it would be relatively easy to do something like this with frames from IKEA and a few extra hours on a Saturday. Let’s face it, though, once the art went into those frames I would never change the artwork. So, it would not really accomplish the purpose of a refrigerator replacement.
Image courtesy of Craftionary.net
Now we’re getting somewhere. In the image above, empty frames are painted high gloss yellow and fitted with a piece of fishing line and a couple of mini clothes pins. The frames create a finished, playful look and the fishing line allows you to easily switch out the artwork as new masterpieces are created. My only concern is whether there would be enough space for ALL of the artwork that comes home from school. But, for a more curated look this is top notch.
Image courtesy of Houzz.com
The use of curtain rods and rings with clips make a perfect display for artwork. I also love that this can double as an art supply station by simply hanging buckets on the lowest rung. My only hesitation is that it seems like it would be a bit more work to remove the whole set up once the kids outgrew it. Then again, maybe that is a problem for another day.
There are clearly pros and cons to all of the examples above. It is going to be hard to settle on one idea. But, I feel a DIY in my future. Stay tuned.
