How to make your child’s artwork last forever
Online options are available to help curate and consolidate your sentimental treasures
For parents of a school-aged child, there are two things that converge at this time of year: spring cleaning and the realization that you have accumulated almost a year’s worth of your kid’s artwork. Usually the two are at odds: You want to clear the clutter, but sentimentality gets in the way, leaving you with another big pile.
I always curated my kids’ artwork; I kept only the best pieces and still proudly display some of them, with others stored in a slim document box. (I have one for each child.) My approach was ruthless and lowtech, but today there are many other options — scanners, 3D printers, computer design programs and a slew of websites can consolidate your kid’s masterpieces into a book or transform them into wallpaper, jigsaw puzzles and more.
If you want to organize and consolidate your kid’s art:
— Plum Print (plumprint.com) takes all of your child’s artwork — drawings, macaroni necklaces pinch pots and anything else — digitizes it and then prints it in a custom coffee table book. The full-service company makes the process easy: It sends you a prepaid box, which you fill with artwork and ship back to them. Once received, the artwork is professionally photographed or scanned, and the photos are edited and laid out in book form. A digital proof is sent to you for approval. Afterward, the book is printed and mailed to you. You can opt to have the original artwork returned, or the company will dispose of it. The price of the process varies depending on how much artworkyou send. (A book that includes 24 pieces of art starts at $89.)
For DIYers, consider Shutterfly’s Mini Masterpieces (shutterfly.com), a book template designed to feature your child’s artwork. You will need to photograph or scan every item you want to include, then upload the photos to the site and design the pages yourself using the provided templates, backgrounds, and embellishments. A 20-page book costs $40.
If storage is your issue, Artkive (artkiveapp.com) helps you keep images of your kid’s artwork organized via its app and website. Just take photos of the artwork, schoolwork or any other memories you want to save, then tag each image with your child’s name and grade, the title of the piece and the date it was made. You can then share the images with family and friends. The service is free for up to 40 images, but if you want to add more, you have to pay for one of its three membership options, which start at US$3 per month.
If you want to transform your kid’s masterpieces into something else:
Scan or take a picture of a drawing, and DesignYourWall (designyourwall.com) will turn it into wallpaper or a removable, self-adhesive wall decal in a few weeks. There’s a 30-foot minimum for the wallpaper, and prices differ based on what material you want (paper, vinyl, self-adhesive paper, so on).
All custom wallpapers come untrimmed on 54-inch-wide (1.37m) material. The company has designers available for US$75 an hour to help you lay out or colourmatch your design.
Upload an image of a drawing, and Giftskins (giftskins.com) will turn it into wrapping paper. Choose from three sizes — the smaller the image, the more it will be repeated. For best results, use an image of at least 200 dpi. One sheet (19 by 76 inches; or 48 x 193 cm) costs $15.
Crayon Creatures (crayoncreatures. com) turns your kid’s 2D drawings into 3D figurines using the latest 3D printing technology. The figures are not inexpensive; they cost approximately US$199 each, and additional orders of the same design are US$88.
PrintArtKids (printartkids.com) will transform your kid’s artwork into notepads, cards, gift labels, jigsaw puzzles and more. Just send the company a digital picture of the artwork, making sure to crop and rotate the image for the correct orientation before uploading it, and it will do the rest. A jigsaw puzzle starts at US$34.