Picture Mama: Kids’ Artwork Photo Book

The 2008/2009 school year has drawn to a close, and, if you’re like me, you probably have quite a bit of kids’ artwork piled up from the past 9 months. I’ve been saving my favorite pieces in a Rubbermaid box at the bottom of my pantry. Those little masterpieces may be safe in there, but nobody is really enjoying them in that box. As the years go by, all those Rubbermaid storage boxes are going to take up valuable storage space. So what’s a mama to do?

I saw this solution idea several months ago on Oprah when she was doing her “Clean Up Your Messy House” tour. Professional organizer Peter Walsh said a great way to preserve your kids’ artwork is to turn it into a photo book that can be easily stored on a bookshelf for years to come.  (Click on his photo below to read more about it.) 

We love this idea!

How to do it:

• Make a pile of the kids’ artwork you want to preserve.
• Lay each piece of artwork on a black piece of paper and take a digital photograph of it. Zoom in so you can capture the details in each drawing. (You could also use a scanner, if you have one.)
• Once you have digital images of each piece, use your favorite online photo store (like Snapfish.com) to create a custom photo book. (Examples of the Snapfish photo books are shown above and below, but imagine your kids’ artwork in the place of the photos to get the full effect.)

What I love about this idea is that you can add captions or other details about who created each piece.  You can even customize the hard book cover by using a photo of kids’ artwork, and you can add the date on the spine of the book. If you use it as a coffee table book, it will certainly spark conversation between guests and your kids who will enjoy showing off their book of artsy accomplishments.

As an alternative, you could also use your favorite pieces of kids’ artwork to create custom calendars and then give them as Christmas presents this year for grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. Check out the example shown here from Snapfish.com.

To get started on your own book or calendar of kids’ artwork, click on the calendar to go to the Snapfish website and upload your photos.

If you have other suggestions for smart ways to preserve your kids’ artwork over the years, share your insights with your fellow mamas by e-mailing us at mamas@nwaMotherlode.com.