The kids are back to school!  Yay!  Mine are all grown up now, but I remember it well.  With back-to-school comes all sorts of new activities and responsibilities, but also an influx of PAPER into your house.  Forms to fill out, newsletters, home work, and the ever-abundant artwork.  That little budding Picasso put their heart and soul into that creation, and it should be displayed for all to see, right?  And, what about those math tests with an A+ scrawled across the top in red pen?  We want to see those too!

So, now comes the question of WHERE.  How do we display these important papers without wallpapering the refrigerator with them?  I think as long as that appliance has been around, that’s how long they’ve been hidden under a blanket of papers, and I don’t care how neatly you try to arrange the display, or what fun little magnets you have, it somehow always looks messy and cluttered.  It’s a place to store food, and wasn’t really designed to double as a bulletin board, so if your refrigerator is covered in papers, notes and pictures, it can actually become the focal point of your kitchen.

• Frame It! ~ One idea for displaying artwork is to buy inexpensive frames and create a wall grouping.  With frames like these shown above, you can easily swap them out in a matter of minutes!  I like that these frames are just clear class with no backing, so it really makes the art prominent.  One rule of thumb for doing any grouping is to have all the frames identical.  This way, you focus on the art, not the frames.

• Clip It! ~ If you want an even easier way to swap out the school papers, try clipping them to a decorative ribbon hanging on the wall.  I couldn’t find an image with kids’ school work, but this one with photos gives you the idea I’m thinking of.  Now that they make binder clips in cool colors, you could have a little fun with this!

I think this clothesline idea below is especially cool, and I found this wire curtain rod at IKEA that would work perfectly!  Add the clip rings too, and for $20 bucks, you’re all set!

I hope you found these ideas helpful!  If you’re feeling a bit stuck with how to have all your kids’ stuff in the house, yet still make it feel like an adult space, my Designer Download© session can help!  It’s one session, with lots of answers, at one affordable price.

Design should be fun, not stressful!

~ Kathy