I’m very excited to share a practical and beautiful solution for showcasing all that artwork your kids create!
Like so many five-year-olds, my daughter Adelaide is a prolific artist. We ran out of fridge space a long time ago and since then, I’ve been looking for new ways to showcase her favorite masterpieces.
I love seeing her artwork in frames, but at the rate she creates artwork, putting everything in traditional picture frames would mean framing and un-framing art at least once a week. Not to mention the cost of frames…yikes!
She recently resorted to using tape to hang her favorite pictures on the big blank wall in her room, but now I’m going through rolls of tape faster than an elementary school! Something had to be done…
So this is my solution—a DIY art gallery, using empty frames, monofilament (fishing line) and clothespins. Her artwork is framed AND she can change it out whenever she likes, without needing additional supplies or my help! Now that’s what I call a winning solution!
Here’s how to make a children’s art gallery of your very own!
- Frames – quantity and size depend on your wall space
- Spray Paint Primer – I used Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 2X Ultra Cover Flat White Primer
- Spray Paint – color of your choice—I used Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Gloss Protective Enamel in Sunburst Yellow
- 5/8 inch Screw Eyes (aka eye hooks, two per frame – similar)
- Monofilament – similar
- Clothes Pins – I used tiny 1″ clothes pins by Woodsies
- Picture hanging nails or Command Picture Hanging Velcro pack
- Tools that may come in handy:
- Utility Knife
- Flathead Screwdriver
- Needle Nose Pliers
- Hammer
- Wooden Skewer or Chopstick
- Scissors
I had one frame in my garage, waiting for a purpose, but the rest were sourced from my local Savers (Goodwill, Salvation Army or other second-hand stores are good sources for cheap frames as well). Don’t shy away from frames with finished art inside—these are often higher quality frames and are just as easy to disassemble—just use a sharp knife to cut the paper backing, then pliers and a flat-head screw driver to remove the nails and/or staples keeping the artwork in place. Finally, remove the glass and voila! An empty frame!
Wherever you get your frames, make sure they’re made of wood, or you’ll have difficulty getting the eye hooks to screw in.
Once your frames are prepped, it’s time for paint! Add two coats of primer, and several light coats of spray paint in the color of your choice.
Once your frames are dry, the real fun can begin! It’s important that you figure out your frame layout, so you know which orientation you’ll be using for each frame (portrait or landscape).
Need some help creating your layout? Read my post, Simple tips for a Stunning Gallery Wall.
Measure and mark the place on each side of the frame where you want to screw in the eye hooks. Since the eye hooks are so small, I found it helpful to use a hammer to gently tap them into place. Once the hammer started the process, it was easy to screw the eye hooks in the rest of the way. Depending on the hardness of the wood, you may want to employ a wooden skewer or small screwdriver to help you with this part.
Once both of your eye hooks are in place, thread two tiny clothespins onto your monofilament, through the hole in the spring of each clothespin. Then attach the monofilament to one of the eye hooks by tying a knot (square knots work best).
Stretch the monofilament across the frame to the other eye hook, and secure it with another knot, making sure to keep the monofilament tight across the frame.
Cut off any excess monofilament and admire your handiwork!
Using picture-hanging-nails or Command picture hanging velcro, attach your frames to the wall in your design from step 2.
And finally, add your child’s favorite artwork to the frames! Then step back, and enjoy 😀
Adelaide is IN LOVE with her new gallery wall and has already taken it upon herself to change out two pictures since I took these photos!
I hope this inspires you to rescue your kids artwork from that giant storage bin in the garage, and display it proudly on your very own gallery wall!
This post originally appeared on Yellow Bliss Road.
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Easy, fast & fun
Hi Heather!
I absolutely love this idea!! I also LOVE your daughter’s bed. Can you please tell me who makes it?
Hi Ally! The bed from is MALM by IKEA. The bedding is from Pottery Barn Teen, and it’s a combination of “Paisley Pop” and “Dottie”. Thanks so much for your comment!
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing Heather!
What a great way to display a child’s art. I am sharing this on Pinterest.
Thank you so much!! 😀
Hello Heather,
Loved your Wall. Please could you call young children CHILDREN. KIds are baby goats. I find kids disparaging and dis repectful thank you Judith baylis Retired Head mistress.
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I’ve been searching for frames like this! Where did you find them??
Hi Stacey! I found them at second hand stores like Savers, Goodwill and Salvation Army. The majority of them had artwork inside (prints/paintings/mixed media), so you really have to look past what you see on the shelves, to just see size and texture. The more texture the better!
It can take a little while to get the right collection of frames—I’m still adding to ours! Good luck!
I love this! Would you mind telling me the sizes of the frames? It looks like they worked out well!
What a great way to showcase your children’s artwork! I am featuring this on my Kids Bedrooms Roundup if you don’t mind.
I don’t mind at all! Thank you Alyssa!
Thanks so much for sharing this idea! Would you mind sharing the wall color? It’s the perfect neutral backdrop for that pop of color. Thank you!
Hi Beth! I wish I could tell you…the room was painted this color when we moved in, and it was so perfectly neutral, that I haven’t changed it! I’m sorry I can’t be of more help 🙂
thanks for sharing this project! i love the idea and will be doing something similar for my son’s room.
Thank you Mary! I hope you and your son love your art wall as much as we love ours 😀 I’d love to see pictures when you’re done! You can email me, or tag me on instagram. heather (at) thecaterpillaryears (dot) com
Fantastic idea, my daughter is very excited about this project. What did you use to hang the frames on the wall with?
Thank you Julia! To hang the frames, I used Command Velcro Picture Hanging Strips. Hope that answers your question!
I LOVE this! I have a 6 yr. old who loves to make things and is always wanting us to display his stuff. This is the perfect solution.
Thank you! It’s been a game changer in our house 😀 Hope your little one loves it as much as mine does!
Loved THIs and I just found some great frames and got them painted. Can’t wait to finish them and hang them on the wall. I loved the yellow color too I did the same. Thanks for this great idea!!!
Oh ya! I’m so happy to hear this!!! I’d LOVE to see photos of your finished wall! Will you please share one with me when you’re done? You can email me (heather (at) thecaterpillaryears (dot) com), or tag me on Instagram 😀
That is too cute! We are always drowning in art work around here! This would be so easy for the kids to change on their own!
Now that’s thinking. On a side note, how long did it take for the primer and spray paint to dry?
Thank you Min! I was painting in the summer on an 80ish degree day, so I let each coat dry for about an hour. Then I let everything off-gas for 24 hours before I installed the frames in my daughter’s room. Though, I still noticed an odor, so I probably should have let them off-gas for 48 hours. Hope that helps!!
This is such a fun idea!! Thank you for sharing!!
This is awesome! My children will love this!
Pinned! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/87749892715989207/
K-
Thank you so much Kristin!
I love this idea! I also love the bedding, can you please tell me where you got it?
Thank you so much Eleisha! I purchased the bedding several years ago, and unfortunately, it looks like it’s no longer available. The duvet is the Paisley Pop series from Pottery Barn Teen, and the sheet set is the Dottie series in bright pink, also from PB Teen. I think some of the sheet sets in the paisley might still be available. Good luck!!
I really love that idea! I think I will incorporate that in my girls room.
Thanks Kiersten! I’d love to see pictures when you do, so come back and post a link! 😀