Are you unsure of what to do with all of the artwork that your children or grandchildren bring home from school and gift to you? I know it sounds awful but some days the stacks of paper are just too much! So, not only do I lose important papers in the mix but my kids’ artwork goes unseen as it’s hidden beneath the piles of paper from school, home and life. I recently committed to finding a solution to the problem because my mommy guilt was too much!
One night while at a friend’s house for dinner I noticed that she had displayed her kids’ artwork by simply using clothespins and a string attached to the wall. My first thought was…well that’s genius and something so simple that I could go home and do right now! And so I did.
Only my children and I decided to take it a step further to make it more personal. We decorated the clothespins to give our art gallery wall more of a pizzazz! {We also switch out our clothespins as the seasons and holidays change so that it’s often new and fresh!}
What I love most about this is once the art gallery is setup, the kids can take over. They literally come home from school, walk over to the art wall and pin up their beautiful artwork all on their own. I LOVE that we all get to enjoy their hard work!
Here are my steps and tips for creating a beautiful clothespin art gallery at home for your children that doesn’t cost a lot of money or take a lot of time.
Supplies:
- Wood clothespins
- Variety of yarn colors
- Washable paints
- Variety of stickers and crafting materials that match with the seasons/holidays OR can be used year round
- Thumb tacks or command hooks
Steps:
Have children paint the wooden clothespins however their little hearts desire and lay them out to dry.
Decorate the clothespins with stickers, craft balls, googly eyes or seasonal/holiday themed craft supplies.
Insert thumb tacks or apply command hooks to the wall equal distance apart in a straight line.
Tie yarn around tack or hook and secure the yarn, but be sure there is some slack in the yarn and thread it across to the other tack or hook so as to create a “clothesline” with your yarn (we change the color yarn to match the season/holiday).
Attach clothespins randomly along the clothesline.
Hang up children’s artwork from the clothespins.
Stand back and enjoy your beautiful art wall gallery!
*Tip: add 2 rows of yarn and clothespins so that you can maximize the space on your art wall and the amount of artwork you can display*
Written by About a Mom contributor, Mandy Mae. Mandy is a wife, mother, teacher, and frugal-DIY-enthusiast. Hoping to inspire mothers to take action in making a positive influence in the lives of their children with simple DIY, crafting, thrifting, and teaching projects. You can see more from Mandy Mae on her blog MissMaesDays.com.
This is such a great idea. When my kids were younger we always just hung up their art on the fridge, but this is a much cuter idea.
Thanks, Stephanie! 🙂
My kids will really enjoy decorating the clothes pins. Great idea ?