Old frames = Perfect for children’s artwork

So, all around the interwebs, I see moms doing fabulous things with their children’s artwork…magnetic strips on the wall, a row of clips on a rope or a backing board, frames that allow paper to be slid in and out easily, magnetic frames that go on the fridge, and so on.

I always feel inspired when I see stuff like that because it makes kid-art look really great.

When I was decluttering the other day, I came across a few frames that had seen better days, so I decide to use them for my kids.

One frame originally had a peeling silver finish. I tried spray painting it with silver paint, but it just looked dumb, so then I sprayed it with white paint, and it was a little better.

Unfortunately, then someone stepped on the frame (maybe it was me? I don’t remember!), and the glass broke. So, it had been in my, “I don’t know what to do with this.” pile for a while.

Fortunately, this time around I realized the frame would be perfect for a kid-art application. So with Zoe’s permission, I used my paper cutter to trim her painting down to the appropriate size, and inserted it into the frame.

There’s no glass in the frame and it’s not in perfect condition, but Zoe’s painting looks so much better now, and she can actually display it this way.

Also, since there’s no glass, there’s really nothing about the frame that’s breakable (a lovely asset in a child’s room).

I also found a larger Goodwill frame which I’ve had for a while. It used to be sort of an off-white shade, but I’d painted it bright white.

And then I never did anything with it for some reason.

So, I brushed the dust bunnies off, helped Lisey trim down one of her paintings, and framed it up for her.

She was so pleased with how her painting looked in the frame. A frame makes everything look just a little more official and professional, doesn’t it?

The unframed butterflies above the framed picture don’t look nearly as polished as the framed one…I wonder if I can scrounge up some frames for those too. Maybe if I cut them apart, they’d fit into square frames.

Hmm.

Anyway, if you’ve got some old frames around your house (most people seem to!), consider using them to display your kids’ art. Spruce them up with a little spray paint if they’re in bad shape, and put them to use.

If you’re so low-clutter that you don’t have frames collecting dust bunnies under your bed (ahem), you can always poke around your local thrift store. Thrift stores are generally blessed with an abundance of ugly frames that can be transformed with spray paint.

P.S. Use decent spray paint, because the cheap stuff is hard to spray and it doesn’t cover well. Also, patiently apply several thin coats instead of one gloppy, thick coat.