10 Ways to Display Kids Artwork

10 Ways to Display Kids Artwork

We recently heard a neighbor friend say that her quarantine home looks like “a craft store exploded inside.” Can any of you with small kids else relate?? So, what should we do with all those newly created art masterpieces from our kiddos? We want to celebrate all their little creations!

Instead of just stashing all their art in a folder or adding it to "the pile," here are 10 creative & manageable ways to bring some color into your home, celebrate the seasons, & show off your kids' imagination through art.

1. Use tacks on a wall that's not front and central in your home.

So this first one's not rocket science, but it's what works in our home. Our laundry room is on the main level & has gray walls so the art can really pop! I (or my kids) just rotate their art 2-3 times a year in this room leaving tiny holes from the tacks. The way I look it, when the art stops coming home someday, I'll be ready to repaint the room anyway, but until then, I get to be reminded of these little people I love so much while I'm trying to find that missing sock or checking their pockets before they hit the washer. 

Try these Push Pin Clips

2. Thrift frames with glass removed and cork board added.

This is a great option for a more polished look that keeps it super easy to rotate art. Shannon Makes Stuff has great images for ideas. Let the kids have another art project by painting the frames themselves.

Try this cork board.

3. Have Simply Create Kids create a collage poster of your child's art.

This option is a bit more pricey, but well worth the money to have one piece that speaks for many. My kids would love how professional this art display would make their art look.

4. Create vertical art on a string.

The folks at Artful-Kids used a hanging wire to display art vertically allowing for easy rotation. This is a great option if you're short on wall space.

Use this Hanging Picture Display Holder.

5. Use inexpensive IKEA frames in the color that work for your space.

We love how Amanda Medlin created this wall for her boys' room with multicolored frames, but all white or all black frames would be another great option to showcase your child's art.

6. Clothespins are great for art display.

Aimee of It'sOverflowing.com has a great DIY plan to create a fun clothespin line for your kids to be able to change their own art with ease. HYD helped a client design one similar to this last year & it was a huge hit with their four kids.

Try these mini clothes pins.

7. ArtKive it by photographing your child's art with your smartphone.

This is brilliant. ArtKive has designed an app that allows you to photograph the artwork, upload it, and then turn it into books, gifts, or keepsakes.

8. Mount clipboards to the wall.

HYD loves reclaimed wood projects. These from Old House to New Home are some of our favs. Of course, you could use lots of different styles of clipboards that work best for your space.

9. Professionally frame special holiday pieces.

My thoughtful mother decided to pick a couple of my brother's & my best Christmas creations. My brother's is a Santa with no arms, he's a beauty. I did a lovely manger scene that brings back memories but doesn't come close to the fine artistic ability of my brother. It's been over 30 years since we created them & every year, we reminisce & poke fun at each other when mom hangs them. I love them!

10. Keep it simple with a line of twine.

Assortment Blog

Nothing too fancy here. Just find a color of twine or string that works for your space & use clothespins, paper clips, or even colorful hair clips to hang the art. The image above is our favorite using the spools as the anchors to hang. I have a friend who uses the twine method above her kitchen sink with smaller art pieces & it's so cute. She uses her childs' art in lieu of a curtain valance.

Get some twine here.

We hope you find these ideas helpful!

Do you have an art wall that works in your house? We'd love to hear how you're showing off your kids' art.

Read some more helpful blogs dwelling well with kiddos!

How to Make Your Own Special Nook

Home Tour by Style Me Pretty

Making Your Own Special Nook

Here in Knoxville, like so many around the world, we have spent more time at home lately. We have many things to be grateful for and we’ve had to come to terms with new challenges in our daily lives that need tending to. One thing that’s been incredibly helpful during this time are our special spaces.

With all the time inside, we've so appreciated having that special spot to retreat to when we need a little breather from all the folks being around all day.  Do You have that spot?

It doesn't take much, really.  Just a chair or seat of some sort, a reading lamp, a blanket, a small table, & a few of your favorite things.  Each of us have those few items that make a spot ours.  For our team member, Kayla, there's a little plant, some homemade "mommy" items from her kids, a pic of her as a child with her dad and brother, her favorite business card of the month, and always... her journal & the Word. She also feels so thankful to have a built-in bookcase nearby filled with other fun items that inspire her & are available when the mood strikes.

4 Nook Ideas to Get You Started

Below are some thoughtful nook ideas that might help to nudge you into getting your space just right.  Or maybe it's a space for your child to read, imagine, or just feel safe & quiet.  We found a couple of ideas for the littles, too. 

We'd love to hear any other ideas YOU may have.  What has worked for you or for your family?

1. Window Seat Nooks

Kate Pruitt for Design Sponge posts fabulous pictures of Lora Neveu's window seat nook that she designed for her daughter.  A little more work involved, but well worth the effort for the results.

Lora Neveu on Knee High To A Ladybug

2. Master Bedroom Nooks

This master bedroom nook by Courtney Fernan is a simple example of just a few items that make the spot just cozy enough.  She also links where all the items were purchased.

Courtney Fernan of A Thoughtful Place

3. Reading Nooks

For the littlest ones, Jen with Mama.Papa.Bubba. gives us a great idea to encourage reading & quiet time from an early age.  Just a few pillows, a spot for books & a fun curtain & you're ready to go!

Jen at Mama. Papa. Bubba.

4. Corner Nooks

Kara Tippetts' "Corner Nook" is just enough & not too much when she needed it most...

Kara Tippetts of Mundane Faithfulness

Need a few items to perfect your nook? Here are some great resources you might enjoy:

Vintage Lamp by Seaside Village

Snake Plant by Costa Farms

Cotton Throw by The Loomia

Candle by Knoxville’s own Silver Dollar Candle Co.

Kids Throw Pillows by YOUR SMILE

3 Ways to Refresh Your Entry Way for Spring

Entry way by Meegan Buschor of Mia Interiors

When March rolls in, we move out… outside! It’s that time of year to transition our lives from cozy and cuddled to playing and planting. Spring is just around the corner and we want to come alongside you to help transition your home and life for the changing days ahead. Each week this month we will bring you helpful insights, inspirations, and steps for you to get a kickstart on spring organizing. 

Let’s begin with the places in our homes we use every single day! Do you think much about your entry ways? We’re talking about any space that welcomes you and your people into your home. This could be your front hallway, garage entry way or mud room. Whatever you call your “drop your things and kick off your shoes” space… we’ve got some tips for you to get you ready for a new season. 

Inspiration from @industrieelchique

PURGE

Begin with a fresh start! As you look at your entry way, consider what clothing, jackets, or shoes may be piling up that you may not need anymore. Perhaps kids have outgrown shoes. Start by pulling everything out and organize them in piles with like objects. Sort through each pile determining what to keep and what could be dropped it off at your local KARM store. 

Tessa Hop’s natural tones brings simplicity to this clean entry way.

ORGANIZE

Put away your winter coats (when its finally warm enough!) and your heavy boots in their off season home. Pull out that rain jacket and gardening shoes to replace your winter gear! As you enjoy the simplicity that comes as bulky clothes leave, leave only what you need in this area as it can become cluttered easily. Start with assigning a hook, cabinet, or cubby to each person in your home.  

Consider decorative bins or a shoe rack or tray for your remaining shoes to stay tidy. Tyne Martinez of Atlanta, in an article on The Scout Guide recommends “choosing a material that adds interest without detracting from the house’s aesthetic, and opting for a style that reflects the formality of the abode.” 

Here are a few links for items much like you see in Tessa’s simple and stylish entry.

Pegs
Bags
Bench

Juniper Home’s recent mud room reveal has us drooling!

DECORATE

As always, we want to walk into a beautiful home as well as a functional one… but keep it simple! A small antique table for your keys can add some charm to a small entry way. A welcoming bench brings a warm space for taking off muddy spring boots. Save a hook to show off your favorite hat or basket full of spring flowers! Transition a favorite piece of art or collectible to display in this area to bring some life and warmth. 

Unsure where to start when considering donating unused items from your home? Read these past HYD blog posts on donations:

Living with Intention to Create a Lasting Legacy

We recently took a road trip to Nashville for the annual Antique & Garden Show, this year being it’s 30th Anniversary. This spectacular event provides spaces for high quality antiques and a platform for experts in the fields of antiques, landscape gardens, and horticulture. Additionally, it is a charitable event in which proceeds go to Cheekwood Mansion and ECON Chartities in Nashville. 

We walked through a sea of gorgeous furniture, art, and decor in thoughtful display and heard educational lectures from the top of each field, including our very own East Tennesseans Kreis & Mary Celeste Beall of Blackberry Farms. This show is top notch to say the least. Above all, we were struck by the beauty of intentionality. 

Antiques set before us a reminder that our things tell a story. Each hand crafted piece brings us to imagine the hands that shaped it and the beauty and comfort it brought to the space in which it sat. Gorgeous furniture, like the vintage furnishings from Eneby Home, remind us of how the past, present, and future all intersect before us everyday. Our homes, like our things, mirror the stories of our lives.

Are we living with intention within the spaces we dwell? 

Art by Henry Botkin: 1896-1983

Living with Intention to Create a Lasting Legacy

A highlight of the show was attending the lecture in which Kreis Beall & Mary Celeste Beall shared their insights on home, family, and making it all beautiful. Kreis and Sandy are the founders of Blackberry Farms while their daughter-in-law Mary Celeste is the proprietor. The incredible experience that Blackberry Farm has become seems so difficult to wrap ones mind around until you hear these two women speak of their inspiration from their own family history and each other. 

“...she wanted the place “to look like Mom’s and smell like Mammy’s” paying homage to the two women who had helped shape her.”

The respect and love that is shared between this mother and daughter-in-law duo speaks to the power of family in creating home. Both spoke with such vulnerability, humor, and wisdom on how their separate journeys have led them to today. Kreis shared that in the early days of Blackberry Farm, she wanted the place "to look like Mom's and smell like Mammy's" paying homage to the two women who had helped shape her. She also encouraged us business owners to dream big and "start at the top" like the time she called Julia Child to ask if she would lead Blackberry Farm's first cooking class.

Mary Celeste spoke on the importance of creating a home that works for one's own personal living style. As she and Sam designed their forever home at Blackberry, they were very intentional to include the parts that were important to them, not what was trending at the time. They planned their home to grow with their growing family (they have 5 children), and the home centers around the table, the most important place for them.

The thread of sadness of Sam's passing almost 4 years ago is palpable and real as one listens to this journey, but his inspiration and commitment to creating a place to gather with the highest quality food, drink, and venue is very much alive.

What a gift it was to hear this story in person! If you'd like to hear more about Kreis's journey, her new book, "The Great Blue Hills of God" is now available and it's wonderful!

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So, as we think about the impact of our stories…. How can you live with intention in your home?

Consider the Past.

Our “stuff” have a story. The floorboards we walk on everyday. The trim around the doors we swing countlessly open. The hearth we face every night after a long day. And that favorite chair we curl up in as we welcome a new day. Every thing has tells the story of the past. We were struck by the knowledge expert antique collectors and sellers brought to us at the Show. Consider seeking out experts on the pieces you already own or before you pursue something new to learn how you can be more intentional with your spaces.

Pay Attention to the Present.

How are you wanting to live? Like Mary Celeste, can your spaces reflect how you want to live, not just what is in style? Consider your current dreams and intentions (maybe whip out those new years resolutions you drew up just over a month ago!) and how your home can be a sanctuary for those dreams. Who are the people most important to you, and how can your home and things provide pathways for those people?

Leave a legacy for the Future.

Lastly, we want to encourage you to consider the things you currently own or the ones you intend to welcome into your home with intentionality toward the future. Of course, there is always a time and place for mass made products that we can pick up on the fly! But as you move through your own home, consider how you fill it. Consider what you are leaving to the ones you love. A thoughtful look at the past and present can inform a beautiful future.

As you can hear, this show renewed our love of antiques and their place within the spaces we dwell! In our work with HYD, we love seeing how YOU intentionally craft your spaces. Comment one way that you are living with intention.