DECORATING WITH KIDS' ART by Stacy McSpadden

You didn't know you lived with a little artist...

Now I know you all are thinking, she doesn't have kids, so what does she know about this....but I love kid's art! It is so fun and colorful and creative. I think that kids are such great artists because they don't put too much thought and stress into the piece. When I was a child, I used to love drawing and I should have known what my future would hold because I would draw houses and even floor plans. (Nerdy. I know.)  When I went to college and decided to become an interior design major, I had no idea that this meant art classes! My first drawing class (and, yes, there is such a thing) was eye opening. There I was with several other optimistic art students drawing a series of crumpled paper bags, wondering what I had gotten myself into! Needless to say, with time, I have understood the importance of learning art skills throughout my career. All that to say, what do you do when you have been blessed with a little artist? I have learned during my time as a Wee Kids Praise leader that parents don't particularly enjoy the endless amounts of paper that they are given when they leave church, but what do you do with those special pieces that make you proud? Here are some ideas for displaying your child's masterpieces.

                                          

I think this is really fun and displays not only the little artist's masterpieces, but also some fun photographs of the kids. This display above is done in the kitchen eating area, a place where family gathers on a regular basis for all kinds of tasks.

                                      

This display is fun because it is a little more 3 dimensional. They have used a combination of pieces permanently framed and mixed in some temporary pieces so that they can change the art as the child does new things. It looks like this was displayed down a hallway in the home.

               

Last is the kids playroom. In an organized fashion, they framed everything the same way to give the room continuity.  I think this is fun because it can grow with the child and still look great when the playroom isn't so full of toys, but full of teenagers hanging out watching movies.

This last piece was done by Lauren Epps last year at her summer art camp. When we re-decorated Lauren's room last spring, Kelley took this piece to a local framer and had this done. Personally, I think it's a great piece and I would seriously like it for my house, but it really looks great in Lauren's room and I think that we will be seeing this in the Epps' house for years to come.

Take a serious look at what your kids are creating and see how it can be used to decorate your home.

Happy Decorating!

Stacy


Stacy McSpadden
Manager of Interior Design Services
Chestnut Hall Interiors
3075 Forest Hill Irene Road
Germantown, Tennessee 38138
901.753.8515

stacy@chestnuthall.com