I’m going to share with you the solution for kids’ artwork that I discovered, instead of letting it all sit in a pile.
There are some days where I’m just so overwhelmed by the amount of random bits of clutter in my house. It gets to the point sometimes where the clutter is such a distraction that I simply cannot focus on anything else.
Can anyone else relate? I mean… there’s pet toys, shoes, and socks that can’t seem to stay on anyone’s feet and are just strewn everywhere.
Then, there’s the paper clutter. Is is just me or is this task just so hard to stay on top of? The random pieces of junk mail, the coupons, ads, bills, it’s endless!
And then of course there are the beautiful little pieces of artwork that my crafty children have so carefully created.
But there’s not just one piece of art.
There are so many wonderful works of art made by my children almost everyday. So the pile really builds quickly. And I don’t want these masterpieces to simply sit in a pile in the corner. I decided that they needed to be seen!
Well, I came up with a solution on how to display these beautiful pieces of art! And I’m going to share with you what I came up with.
Ta da!!
It’s pretty simple, really. Just a strip of wood and some pretty metal clips.
And I feel that with the dark-stained wood and black metal clips, it blends nicely with the rest of my decor.
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How to Make it!
Allow me to show you how to make this pretty piece. First, you’re going to need some things:
- A strip of wood- however long or wide you’d like. Mine is a 6′ long pine 1×3.
- sandpaper
- wood stain- I used Minwax Jacobean.
- metal clips –These are the ones I used.
- drill
- screwdriver
Cut to Length and Sand
Next, you need to cut your board to whatever length you’d like and give it a good sanding. You don’t want to be getting splinters!
Measure and Mark
Now, that your board is nice and smooth, you need to mark where your clips are going to go. You’re going to want to have your tape measurer out for this part.
Decide how many clips you want. I used 8 clips on my 6 foot board.
Then, you will mark where the center of your clips will go. To do this, draw a line horizontally across the middle of the board. The purpose being, to make sure all clips are level with one another. It will be along this horizontal line that you place your marks for your clips.
As for spacing, I started my clips about 5” in from the end of the board. From there, I spaced my boards out about 10” apart from one another. Mark with your pencil where each clip will go on your horizontal line. Once you have these markings, erase the horizontal line. You don’t want that to show through your stain.
Drill Holes for Clips
Next, you will drill your holes for the clips. You’ll want to lay the clip on the wood, centered over your mark, and then pencil in where you will drill for your screw holes. Unfortunately, I have no photo of this step.
Drill your holes! Make sure to not drill all the way through your board.
Stain Your Board and Attach Clips
Once you have drilled your holes, you can stain your board.
Make sure to wipe it down first. Then use a rag or brush to apply your stain.
When everything is dry, you can attach the clips to your board using a screwdriver. You will then want to mount your board.
Find Your Studs
Before you mount the board, try to find the studs in your wall. If you have a stud finder, that would be super helpful. Mark the studs on the wall. We used three screws to attach our board to the wall, since it’s 6′ long. So we had three studs marked, if that makes sense. If there is no stud where you are trying to mount, you’ll need to use wall anchors.
Drill Wall Holes and Screw in Place
Now, drill your holes in the wall. You can then position the board in its place and attach the screws. Then stand back and admire your work!
Hang Your Art
Finally, you can start hanging up those precious pieces of art. Not only is is exciting for us parents because we’ve tackled a small portion of the clutter, but it’s exciting for the kids to see their hard work displayed. You have a sense of accomplishment for finally having a solution for kids artwork and the kids feel so proud of their art. It’s a win win!
Are you overrun with clutter in your home too? Let me know in the comments below!