bear with me for a moment, while I brag about one of my little men.
I know I’m totally biased. And I know those of you out there probably {maybe;)} have the same level of craftsmanship with your just-turned five year old. But I think Aiden’s are fantastic.
When I was younger, before I had children…I always swooned over little kid’s drawings. When my niece would do a picture for me, I put it on the fridge and oogled at it for days. There’s something absolutely beautiful about the purity in a child’s drawings. (thus the reason I almost got my master’s in art education) SO naturally, my own children’s is my most favorite thing in the whole entire world.
The other day, I asked Aiden to sit in front of our kitchen chalkboard, and draw whatever he wanted. I snapped pics as he went. He titled them himself. The one on the left is “Frankenstein.” The one on the right is “Grobie” from Yo Gabba Gabba. These are just quick sketches via him. You should see the detailed ones. His characters are delightful. I think I need to re-create a few of them in fabric or t-shirt form.
Hello my name is Aiden…and I like to do drawings…
This one on the left, is “Aiden’s Fuzzy Booty.” I can tell it’s gonna get awkward in the comments section if I don’t explain that thing in the middle. It’s a tail. (Minds out of the gutter, people.) The one on the right, I entitled Picasso. But he entitled it “Aiden’s Alien Brain.”
I think he is quite creative. He has this little style about him that I find endearing and very graphic, and illustrator-ish.
So…feeling quite inspired, and in no particular order, since sometimes things are better on the fly, I thought I would introduce to you the second concept in our Simple Spruce-ups in the Suburbs series:
Displaying your children’s artwork in your home. Creatively.
{YAWN} Again, you may think this is a no brainer. But I’m not so sure that it is. I’ve kind of been appalled at the number of people who’s houses I’ve been to, and they put their children’s artwork up and out of the way. Like on the other side of a closet door, or hidden in a drawer somewhere. Boo to the no.
The number one complaint I hear from people, is that they have nothing interesting to put on their walls. If you have children, then you have something interesting to put on your walls.
Your children’s artwork is completely original. No one else anywhere else, has anything exactly like it.
In a large scale frame, your child’s imaginative work, is ultimately upgraded to masterpiece status. Why not give it the attention it deserves? Added Bonus: They’re easy to switch out, for a different look.
I love the way this art clothesline is done here in this home. A wall, saved specifically for their work, free of the jumbled chaos of the fridge.
Here’s my version as seen previously in our playroom: It can be something as simple as this that gives a space instant personality…
a former DIY christmas star garland now serves its purpose perfectly.
This area showcasing the children’s work, is executed brilliantly.
Here’s another shot of those magnet boards in our playroom, as well. I let Aiden have his own space, so to the board he plunders, with photos, birthday party invitations, and of course, preschool and home grown drawings galore. It’s hard for me not to micro manage. So I refrain. But he loves having his own space.
of course, the trad family wall can’t be beat. See how much personality a cluster of frames can give a room? And you can fill it with the best art of all: your children’s. I think the best combination is artwork framed in an unexpected place…large and in charge…like the dining room.
I think I’m going to let all three of my kiddos go to town soon on a canvas I need to fill up and stick it in a cool place. It would be like a huge tribute to abstract creations!
this room would be totally stuffy and generic without the awesome paintings to loosen it up. These make the room! Showcase these little treasures of time front and center, people!
The space in my makeshift studio (read: laundry room!) totally houses a plethora things on a regular basis…but I switch it out between illustrations of my own, and my children’s delightful creations. This is an easy look to mimick with clothespins and twine.
this concept, like the one in our kitchen would also meld well with your children’s art.
A few of you have been asking, so: AMCORK is my source for all things beautiful cork.
Again, I’m kind of starting out with the basics here, but sometimes it’s good to talk about the basics. An opportunity for you to rethink what you have…and what just might work!
bloggy note: My home looks a little cluttered, showing you all my areas where our collections are stored. Promise there’s room for the eye to breathe in the spaces surrounding it. And When deciding upon which artwork to display, I only save my favorites. I file some away in a box designated for each child, and chunk recycle the rest…Otherwise, I would already be drowning in a sea of paper. Thank you for not judging me. That is all.
What are some of the ways you have displayed your children’s artwork to personalize your home? I would love to see! Don’t forget to tune back in on Friday afternoon for our first revampalooza linky partay!
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