How to turn your child’s artwork into home décor

If you made it through 2020 with kids at home, one thing’s for certain — you have a lot of art on your hands you don’t want to throw away! The fridge can start to get a little busy when you hang up every single drawing, but lucky for you there are a number of chic ways to decorate with your child’s artwork. We’ve put together a list of the best ideas for you to find inspiration.

 

Create your own clothesline display

If you spent ample time drawing together, you probably have one or two (or 10) artistic masterpieces ready for display. Find pieces that match or complement each other either by colour palette or content, and pin them using clothing pins along one to two strands of rope. You can find everything you need at the dollar store, on Amazon, or at local craft suppliers. It all depends on how fancy you want to get.

Use nails or thumbtacks with colourful ends to attach the string or rope to your wall. If you want to keep it completely hassle-free, adhesive hooks like the ones found at hardware stores, at IKEA, or even on Etsy, will do.

Space your nails or hooks out equally and levelled. Or offset them for a funky look. Grab a single piece of string and tie a knot around each spaced wall mount. Use the clothing pins to attach the artwork and you’re all set! This is a great way to dress up a family room wall, especially because you can change out the artwork as it gets made!

 

Put LEGO® on display

If your children love LEGO®, you probably have several sculptures, buildings and imaginative creations lying all around your house. While LEGO® usually gets disassembled to create the next masterpiece, there are a couple of interesting ways you can display your kids’ creations if they want to keep them intact.

The first way is a wall-mounted LEGO® creation. You’ll need a piece of wood, LEGO® base sheets, some paint, glue, and a bit of imagination. Attach the base sheets to the painted piece of wood, then affix your child’s LEGO® creations to those base sheets. Add any adornments you see fit, like stickers, drawings, or glitter! Tip: you might need a little glue to help you out here. Crafting Cheerfully has a step-by-step guide on how to create a LEGO® wall masterpiece. This option is great for a playroom!

Another great way to display LEGO® art is by creating a shadow box. A shadow box is an enclosed display case with a glass front that lets you show off any number of objects, which makes it perfect for showcasing LEGO® creations.

This is definitely a more sophisticated way of turning your child’s art into home décor, and would look great in a study room—for both kids and adults!

 

Wall calendar

Sometimes your fridge gets a bit full of drawings, but there’s a way you can display it year round! Have your kids’ artwork professionally scanned, or if you’re a bit more tech savvy, you can download an app to scan and enhance the art for you! From there, you’ll have a wealth of options at your fingertips. Creating a wall calendar is a unique way to display multiple pieces of artwork from your kids. Try using a custom calendar maker like Mixbook or Vistaprint which offer easy drag-and-drop functionality.

Alternatively, these make great custom gifts for family members and close friends.

 

Tapestry

Once you’ve had the art scanned the world becomes your oyster! One of our favourite ways to display a child’s original art is a custom tapestry. Pick the most delightful piece of the bunch and send it off to a printer who specializes in custom tapestry. Etsy and Zazzle are both great options for this.

 

Playdough mobile

If your kid is more the arts-and-crafts type, wall hangings and mobiles are a fantastic option. If they’re a fan of playdough, you can easily craft a wall hanging by attaching a few pieces together using string and connecting them to a rod. It’s worth getting some oven-bake clay if you’re looking to make a mobile, as it’ll probably last a bit longer on the wall.

If your kids are fans of glueing and crafting with mixed mediums, you can create a hanging mobile which allows more depth as it hangs from the ceiling.

While the build-up of art in the house may feel overwhelming, you’ll feel better about displaying it intentionally and incorporating it into your home décor. Your children will feel good knowing you’re proud of their work, and you’ll feel good showing it off. If your kids are old enough, you can even get them involved in building the displays! Work together to make their art even more special.

There are endless ways to display your kids art, it’s just about finding the best option for you.

— Realtor.ca