Kids' Artwork, Best of SF and More!

Welcome to the Fall Issue of Create Your Home. This issue is all about kids! We discuss ways to manage the constant flow of artwork they create and ideas about displaying, keeping and archiving their masterpieces.

Also, see the kid-focused Donation Spotlight for ways to help kids in need and the On The Blog section for a fun new resource to help your kids build independent routines.

I am also happy to announce that PICK IT UP was named Runner-up Best Organizer by San Francisco Magazine in their 2018 Best of SF Issue. I am so honored to get this distinction. Thanks SF Magazine!

I hope you are having a wonderul fall,

Erin Becker is the owner of PICK IT UP, a San Francisco-based home organizing service.
At PICK IT UP design and organizing come together.

Pick It Up may receive a commission for purchases made through a referral link for Keepy at the end of this article.

If you have kids, you know they love to create! From stick-figure family portraits to clay animals, they love to make, make, make. And you, of course, are the recipient of these amazing artistic gifts.

But, you may ask, what do I do with all of these masterpieces? The artwork is covering the refrigerator, piled on their desk and pouring out of drawers. As this recent Atlantic Monthly article shows, it's definitely something parents struggle with!

There is no single best way to handle all of your kids' art, but after trial and error, here are a few strategies I have developed to help parents to appreciate, honor, share, and maybe even let go of some of it.

Strategy 1: Show & Go
This strategy focuses on making it easy to display, swap out and store your kid's art. First, create a temporary holder for the incoming artwork. I like using a woven storage bin or large document case for this purpose. Regularly purge through the pile, saving only the very best pieces.

Next, set up a little gallery with some twine and clothespins. Swapping the art out is so easy that even the artist themselves can do it! Once an exhibition comes down, keep items for long-term storage in a handled portfolio labeled with each child's name.

Strategy 2: Display & File
This strategy is all about displaying and appreciating your kid's artwork. As with the first strategy, make a temporary storage area for the constant influx of art and regularly purge through the contents.

Next, display the best pieces with style in Dynamic Frames. These look like traditional frames, but the glass front hinges open to make changing the artwork easy.

At the end of the school year, whittle down the artwork to a manageable amount and permanently store it in a legal size expanding wallet labeled with the school year.

Strategy 3: Archive & Share
This strategy is for those that love sharing and technology. As with the other strategies, make a temporary storage area for the constant influx of art and regularly purge through the contents.

Next, snap photos of the best pieces and share them with an app like Keepy. Keepy makes it easy to digitally organize and save artwork, schoolwork, and mementos. Since it is a digital platform, you can easily share your kids' artwork, videos and audio clips with friends and family and they can share their thoughts back as well. Keepy is about more than archiving your kids' art, it's a community platform with so many fun uses.

Keepy also makes it easy to print photo books of your kids' art. If you do, be sure to use the code PICKITUPSF20 at checkout to get 20% off! By using this referral code, Pick It Up does receive a commission.

Of course, you can create your own individual strategy for managing your kids' artwork using any combination of the above ideas. The most important thing is to have a plan, or the art and school work can easily take over!

If your little artist needs a dedicated studio space, take a look at my Kid Art Area Pinterest board for some ideas on making creative spaces. Alternately, feel free to book a session to help tackle the art spaces and artwork together!

Donation Spotlight!

Project Night Night is a national nonprofit that donates Night Night Packages each year to homeless children in our country. Last year they donated over 25,000 packages to homeless children. Their website states:

"Each Night Night Package contains a new security blanket, an age-appropriate children’s book, and a stuffed animal — all nestled inside of a new canvas tote bag. By providing objects of reliable comfort, Project Night Night reduces trauma and advances the emotional and cognitive well-being of the children we serve."

The next time you are shopping for kids books, consider purchasing some for Project Night Night. Also, if you love to knit or crochet this would be a wonderful place to direct your energy and skills towards!

In San Francisco, items can be dropped off every day at Hotel del Sol (3100 Webster Street ) from 8AM-7PM. Items they accept for Night Night Packages are:

NEW blankets - new or newly handmade, 50″ x 60″ or smaller.
NEW books - appropriate for ages 0 to pre-teen.
NEW stuffed animals - must be smaller than 20 inches.

PROJECT NIGHT NIGHT
415-310-0360
projectnightnight.org

Find additional Donation Spotlight organizations on the Pick It Up blog.

Now that we are back in the swing of school, many of us are helping our kids build healthy and independent routines. Recently, I discovered The Trip Clip, a website where you can design personalized charts, lists, and routines for your kids. When finished, the chart is saved as a PDF that you can print yourself. You can also go in and edit the chart as your child's routine changes.

The Trip Clip offers morning, bedtime and after-school routines, lunch and packing lists, and chore charts, just to name a few. What's really cool is that you get to choose the icons and the wording for each list you create.

The Trip Clip also has tons of printable activities for kids like coloring pages, mazes, math games, bingo, and crossword puzzles. There is a multitude of options for each game and activity.