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A home filled with children's artwork is a home filled with love.  Something about those sweet little drawings and scribbles on the wall brings warmth and happiness to any area.  Anneke of This, That & Life is here today to share how she created a darling art display for her children's artwork; which really feels like it is highlighted while blending seamlessly with the rest of their beautiful home.



You guys.  Seriously.  As a mom of three kiddos in the month of "almost" April, the amount of fantastic creative work that comes home from school was beginning to overwhelm me and honestly create HUGE mommy guilt of what to do with all of it.  I know this is a common dilemma these days and I have seen plenty of creative solutions out there, but none of them quite resonated with me and our family.  I love the idea of using digital means to remember our kid's creative endeavors, but I wanted to create something that allowed everyone to celebrate, enjoy, and appreciate the actual piece of art that any one of our kids had created.  Our girls have been involved with an after school art program and would bring home painted canvases, oil pastel works, and so on.  Since my kids know that I refinish and build furniture, I felt that it was the perfect opportunity to take what I love and use it to show them how much I love them and that what they create matters too.  I've been working on bringing some life and personality to our upper hallway {where you can see the "before"} and found the perfect way to showcase their work by creating a custom art display for each of them.  Here's what we ended up with and we are so happy with the results!



Here were my personal requirements and details for this project:  The art displays needed to be accessible for each of the kids to change their artwork whenever they wanted:

• This is their art, and they have A LOT of it!  I wanted to free my time while still allowing us all to appreciate their work as a family by not creating something that would be a hassle to change out so frequently.  I needed to consider the height they were displayed, whether they involved glass or hooks, etc.  This solves a problem area without creating another one, and that's win-win!
• We chose to hang these at the end of the hallway coming from the kid's bedroom {yes, all three share!}.  It's where we all pass multiple times a day.  We decided to go with clothespins spaced evenly and secured with hot glue so the art wouldn't slide around.  We might upgrade to something a little fancier in the future, but for now it was a quick, easy, and affordable option.  We could have painted or stained them as well, but the kid's wanted them to stay "as is".
• They needed to fit a variety of sizes of artwork.   We have anything from 11 x 14 paintings to small photos to display. This needed to fit all of these art mediums in a non-sliding, secure format.
• They needed to be affordable to build, preferably with materials already on had.   Use what you got if you can, right?!   From how these were hung to what they were built with, we did pretty well.  We had to buy a few materials, but the cost on materials and time was low.  Even if we bought all materials brand new, the cost of each art display would only be about $20 each. Sweet!  For this project we used whitewood boards from the hardware store, heavy duty D-rings, our brad nailer, stain, some clothespins and hot glue.  Easy peasy!  See the cut list and plan below.

• I preferred that they fit the style of our home {vacation rental turned permanent residence} so they could "grow" with the kids or be used elsewhere in the future.
• These would be great finished in any color or stain, and can be easily changed, but we wanted to start out with a basic stain that fit our home now and in multiple places.  Maybe down the road we choose to display large portraits.  That will work with the style and finish we chose.
• The kids would get to have some creative say in what they looked like.  Sometimes it's hard for me to let go and let my kids get involved in some things. I'm totally working on this because I know how important it is, and after all, I was doing this for them.  Of course they should be a part of the decision making process!  They are 4, 6, and 8 just for reference.  This was the perfect opportunity to get them in the mix of it, excited, and proud of the result.   I gave them some choices in stain and we went with Minwax Classic Gray.  They decided what to do with the clothespins and left them "as is". They helped me decide on the design and how to arrange the boards.  It was overall very FUN!  My oldest even was over the moon because she got to use the brad nailer for the first time, which is pretty much the funnest tool in my opinion!

1. Cut your 1" x 4" and 1" x 6" main boards. Sand and clean them. Then apply your stain or paint following your product's instructions. I used Minwax Classic Gray.
2.  Place your boards front side down, alternating a 1" x 4" board with a 1"x 6" board. I spaced mine with quarters and provided measurements accordingly.
3. After getting your boards square (such as with a T-square), attach the 1" x 2" boards with at least two 1.25" brad nails (either 16- or 18-gauge) per board as shown in the illustration above.
4. Now cut your 1" x 3" boards (to measure) with a 45 degree miter cut on the ends and stain or paint them. You can use the alternative framing style, but your measurements will change slightly, so be sure to account for this.
5. One by one, line up and attach your 1" x 3" boards (as seen in the photos) so that the back of the display is flush with one edge of the 1" x 3" board. The edges of the main display will line up about the middle of the 1" x 3" board and this is where you will nail the board into the main display with brad nails. GO SLOW! And if unsure about the alignment, angle the nail gun slightly towards the back side. Creating a faint line with a pencil may help.
6.  Attach your D-rings to the top back edge of the 1" x 3" boards.
7.  Hot glue your clothespins slightly below the top 1" x 3" board.
8.  Hang it up, display your art or photos, and enjoy!

There you have it! I hope you enjoy this fun project!  If you give it a go, I 'd love to see it.  Especially if you get your kiddos in the mix or change it up a bit to make it your own!   You can share it with me via Facebook or tag me on Instagram at @thisthatandlife under #ttlprojects.  Thanks again for having me today!


"Hi everyone! I'm Anneke and you can often find me working with some tools, browsing for great furniture finds, or getting all girly for a date night! Like many of you, I'm often looking for ways to make life run more smoothly amidst kids, messes, responsibilities, and limited time. I recently celebrated the awesome 3-0, ten crazy years of marriage with my hubby Michael, and have the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom to 3 amazing kiddos, not to mention our sweet miniature schnauzer. We live in the beautiful Northwest, near Seattle. Although I have a degree in Music, my brain spins with ideas about DIY projects, interior design, health, and family, all of which I blog about over at This, That and Life. I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the wonderful contributing team at IHeart Organizing and can't wait to get to know some of you better as well!"

There are endless ways to store toys big and small, however, I am personally partial to finding pieces that are versatile enough to remain functional in the home, once the kiddos outgrow the toy stage {because sadly, that does happen}.  So whether you use a dresser, entertainment center or dining buffet, you will get more bang for your buck when the item lives on and takes on a new storage life.  Anneke from This, That & Life, is here today to share with us how she found a fabulous credenza on Craigslist, and with the help of a little paint and some inexpensive storage bins, she gave her kiddos some super great organization in their playroom. 

When it comes to DIY, people definitely do it themselves for a variety of reasons. A couple of reasons I personally LOVE to DIY and upcycle furniture is 1} Because the area I live in has SO many great second hand treasures, and 2} Because I absolutely LOVE the custom look you can create. I would rather build or refinish something that will fit my space perfectly, not cost me a "custom" fortune, and give that special touch to our home. Usually I don't go very bold within our own home and stick to coastal casual look, but as I contemplated on what to do in our kiddo's playroom, I just knew it was the perfect opportunity to really have fun with it! Situations like this are so fun to let loose a little. I wasn't worried about resale, just finding a great organizational piece of furniture that I could have some fun with. Our kid's playroom toys were getting out of control! I went full blown gold and am in LOVE with how it turned out!

Organizing is an ongoing process of tweaking things around the home to maximize daily efficiency and time.  Our systems always evolve as we grow, the weather changes, we play a new sport, we move, we start a new year at school, etc... One small change in our daily lifestyle can create the need to evaluate our homes and how we are utilizing them.

Anneke from This, That & Life, is here today to share how she manages through those changes in routine and her organizational thought process.  Usually the answer is right under our noses, and doesn't require us to head out to the store.  One small change and life can become much easier moving forward, those are the absolute best organizing tasks, am I right?



"It doesn't have to be complicated." This is a constant reminder to me every time I tackle an organizing project.  To keep it simple, functional, and pretty doesn't mean I have to paint all the walls, install new trim, and buy all new things.  It doesn't have to be perfect!

Often times, organizing is not just a one time get it done task, but something that needs to be revisted every now and then.  For us personally, as the seasons change, our organizational needs change as well.  I recently realized I was going to have a pretty frustrating summer with our three kids if I didn't address a problem area in home. The back slider where the kids come in and out off of the beach was already causing major tension as water and sand were being tracked into our house. The number one request has repeatedly been, "Mom! Can you get me a towel?!"


One of the first things I do before tackling a problem like this is to look all around the house and see what I can change out.  I believe we have an amazing opportunity to repurpose items in our home and give our home and entire new look, feel and function.  I recently applied this to our guest bathroom makeover.  Everything except the new shelving came from all around our home and I LOVE how it turned out!  Being able to repurpose items is typically true in transitional areas, but you never know unless you stop and think about it.  As I looked around our house for a solution before hitting the store, I settled on nixing this basket as my magazine and blanket drop zone.


"Hi everyone! I'm Anneke and you can often find me working with some tools, browsing for great furniture finds, or getting all girly for a date night! Like many of you, I'm often looking for ways to make life run more smoothly amidst kids, messes, responsibilities, and limited time. I recently celebrated the awesome 3-0, ten crazy years of marriage with my hubby Michael, and have the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom to 3 amazing kiddos, not to mention our sweet miniature schnauzer. We live in the beautiful Northwest, near Seattle. Although I have a degree in Music, my brain spins with ideas about DIY projects, interior design, health, and family, all of which I blog about over at This, That and Life. I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the wonderful contributing team at IHeart Organizing and can't wait to get to know some of you better as well!"

One of the many reasons I instantly fell for my friend, Anneke, is because she has this amazing gift of making over furniture.  Seriously, it is hard to put into words just how talented she is and how stunning her pieces look after she gets her hands on them.  For me, furniture equals storage.  So naturally I have an admiration for furniture and furniture makeovers. 

Today's example is no exception.  Anneke scored big when she found some thrifted bookcases; a pair I am guessing were glanced over by person after person.  Not everyone has the eye to see potential in outdated furniture, but because Anneke did, she now has great and beautiful storage.  Here she is now!


I have to be honest. Since the last time I visited here with all of you awesome IHeart Organizing readers, the stress of moving, commuting, and so-on was really starting to wear on me......so much so that I was in a major DIY slump. We recently downsized this past August from our custom-built home to our beach house rental and are truly so glad we did. However, we went from a full-size mudroom, full-size walk-in closet, full-size walk-in pantry, and pretty much large everything - to no mudroom, teeny-tiny-closet, no pantry, and so on. To say that I've been in full-fledged organizational mode is a massive understatement! With all of the day to day grind though, I just didn't want to take the time to find thrifted storage pieces that would work in our new home. I'd been burnt out on DIY. To be blunt, I just wanted everything perfectly organized as fast as possible before I literally went crazy! I didn't want to waste any more time simply not being able to find things.

Well, low and behold I walk into Goodwill one day, and there before me were these:


I just.about.died.  Kid's book storage has been on my top 5 list of "Most Important Storage Needs" and I kept coming up short on Craigslist for bookcases. These would be perfect! And at $12.99 a piece, I said, "Load 'em up!" In our last home {shown below}, we did really well when we switched to using baskets for books. The kids can easily grab a basket, {which we try to keep organized by themes such as "boyish", "girlish", seasonal, particular reading levels, etc.}, take it wherever they'd like to read, then bring the basket back when they are done. No more books piled on the shelves and disorganized = winning.


It's a system that has finally clicked for our family, so I definitely wanted to implement that same idea in our beach house.  I decided to refinish these new found bookcases, place them side by side, and then top them off with a large rustic wood board to create an instant entryway console that can accommodate our baskets of books. The thrifted finish on these were just plain awful....almost as if a stain were applied directly over the top. That just doesn't work as you can see.

Welcome to the final round of Ask the IHeart Team!  I polled you all on Facebook to find out your top organizing questions and then the team and I compiled our answers for one, gigantic amazing post!  Are you ready for this?  Start the Pump Up The Jam music and let's get started!



How can I encourage my spouse to keep things tidy after I spend the time organizing them?

This is actually a funny one because of how we handle laundry. I do the laundry for the family and often get irritated when the clothes don't quite make it to the laundry room. We have an upstairs laundry room and it's super easy for everyone to toss their clothes in a hamper. My husband tends to use his closet floor as his "laundry basket." I got tired of nagging and didn't want to cause friction. I made a cute little sign that says, "Your laundry service has been terminated." It's just become a big joke. So if things are really crazy in the closet, I will set that sign on his pile and nothing needs to be said. I'll hear an, "Uh-oh" from the closet and within a day it's totally clean again. The man doesn't want to do his own laundry so he happily complies!
- Courtney, A Thoughtful Place






I think I lucked out in that my husband's probably more of a clean freak than me, and that's no understatement. We do however work together a lot to problem solve trouble spots in our home and that makes a huge difference. We both have ownership of it. When we're both on board it's a lot easier, but being patient helps in times of conflict. I love this organizing project we worked on together and I learned a lot.
- Anneke, This, That & Life



It has taken me years to finally come to peace with the fact that my hubby just doesn't have the same organizing and cleaning ambitions that I do.  It is such a give and take, as are many things in marriage.  By sitting down and agreeing on which one of us owns specific tasks around the house, we have solved a lot of frustrations and problems.  And when it comes to organizing, I try to put in solutions that work around his daily habits.  I just look at each problematic area as a fun mystery to solve.  And if I try to implement a solution that doesn't seem to be working for him, there is no harm in trying again.  Of course, it is always a good idea to get their ideas and solutions and input as well.  Lastly, it is all about picking your battles.  Some things just are not worth mentioning, I am pretty sure he keeps his lips sealed about a few things I do that drive him crazy, so I try to offer the same respect.  You can catch more of our answer in the video found in our cleaning plan post here. 
- Jen, IHeart Organizing




When it comes to organizing, where do you pinch pennies and where do you splurge?

Gosh. I don't think I really splurge. I tend to use what I have. Although the Ikea Expedit is my all time favorite furniture piece. I use them in various rooms in our house. Here it is in my daughter's room. Keeping all of her toys and fun items in the bins makes cleaning up so much easier.




If it's an item I know will get a lot of use or last a long time, I'll spend a little more money.  For small things or things that aren't always visible, like file folders or drawer organizers, I'll save my money and go the inexpensive route.
- Chelsea, Two Twenty One



I like really good, sturdy baskets and have splurged on them in the past.  I think it makes it worth splurging on something when the organizational element becomes part of the decor and you know you'll use it for many years.  For instance, I have for coordinating baskets in our mudroom.  I like the dark color, the large weave, and the baskets were the perfect size and shape.  I bought them at Target.

I like to save money on inexpensive magazine storage because you can paint or cover them anyway.  In my home office, I covered teal magazine holders with floral gift wrap.
- Megan, Honey We're Home

 






We always try to pinch pennies, but if it's a specialty product that would easily solve a lot of the issues I'm trying to fix, or if it's really beautiful, way more durable than anything I could rig, or more time/cost-effective to buy it, then I'll spend the money. It usually just depends on how many other projects we have going on at the time! I love that we saved so much money fixing up our porch ourselves, but I also really love some of the store-bought solutions we have, like our Ikea storage benches & the pull-out drawers in our kitchen cabinets. I think we usually spend money on the "quick fix" little things & pinch pennies to DIY the bigger projects, where we're saving hundreds of dollars in return for the time we're investing.
- Casey, Pretty Organized 



I think it's safe to say I pinch pennies on furniture when I can. I occasionally buy new items as seen here in our side table and ottoman, but I definitely find used or refinished items when possible. The chairs in this photo were found on Craigslist, but again, they were literally brand new for half the cost. Score! Dressers, hutches, console tables, night stands....that's my thing. With that said, I don't mind splurging on things like clear totes and containers, baskets, buying a nice label machine, etc.  
- Anneke, This, That & Life  



I penny pinch when it comes to containers and baskets. The dollar store is my best friend! I also try and DIY where I can-- like the remote control pillow and sewing caddy. But when it comes to furniture like bookshelves and dressers, I like to spend a little more, knowing that they will last a long time. 
- Palak, Make it Handmade 

 


Although we try and save whenever possible when it comes to storage, there are times when I am recovering boxes and times when I am investing in something that I use on a daily basis.  I ask myself a few simple questions when determining a budget for storage:

1. How often will the item be used?  If it is a low wear item, then I can most likely try my hand at DIYing it and not worrying about it falling apart a few days later.
2. Is the piece versatile?  I am a lot more likely to invest in an item that can work in more than one way or in multiple spaces around the home.  Our storage and organizing needs are constantly changing, so it is important to invest in versatile storage that can evolve with us.  
3. How long will we need/use the storage?  If the storage is something I foresee us needing for 15 years, then I am willing to throw a little money at it.  It is less expensive in the long run if you don't have to replace something every few years.  If it is to solve a problem that is just a "phase" in our life, again, I look for something that will be versatile, or we just get out the hammer and drill.  

There are endless ways to save money on storage, try and pretend to be Sabrina Soto from the High, Low Project for a day.  The Elfa System from The Container Store is great, but there are also pieces at IKEA that function in a very similar way for a fraction of the price.  Custom Closets are fabulous, but you can go to a big box store and purchase stackable Closetmaid pieces to create a custom closet on your own.  Craigslist is becoming a bit of an obsession for me, as is eBay.  Second hand doesn't bother me, I love a good deal and items with a little bit of character.   A little creative thinking will get you a long way!
- Jen, IHeart Organizing




What is your favorite tip for staying organized during the holidays?

The day after Christmas, I'm ready to have my house holiday-free, and am always tempted to just chuck things in boxes. But instead, I take the extra time and effort to organize the decor in sturdy, plastic bins. I wrap lights and garlands around paper towel tubes, group like ornaments, etc...then label each of the bins. This makes storing them during the off-season easier, and is so nice to discover when the next holiday season rolls around!
- Cassie, Hi Sugarplum! 

 


When I'm decorating and putting holiday items out, I'll put the everyday decor items in the box the holiday items are stored in.  That way I don't have extra clutter hanging around.  When it's time to store the holiday decor, I get the totes out and put the everyday decor back where it belongs.
- Chelsea, Two Twenty One



I have learned to put away my Christmas decor in a very organized way so that it's not a mess for the next year.  It makes pulling it out that much more fun.  I use giant green tubs with red lids and label them.
- Megan, Honey We're Home 






I Christmas shop almost all year round. That way I am not forced into the mall in December. Nothing drains you of holiday spirit faster than a mall parking lot in December.  
- Ashli, Mini Manor Blog




We have really simplified gift-giving lately. With friends, we've kind of made a rule that we do experiences, not gifts (go out to dinner, etc). With my hubby's huge family, we just draw one person's name from a hat & spoil the bejeezus out of them. It makes shopping a lot easier when you don't have to stress about finding the perfect, thoughtful gift for all 5,000 people in your life! I have a very easy set-up for my gift wrap station, and everything either gets wrapped in white kraft paper or popped in a bag, then I store each group of gifts in a separate storage tub (one for my family, one for Leif's family), so it's easy to grab & go when we are making our rounds. 




I wish I was of more help here, but we keep things pretty minimal and laid back. I limit our Christmas decor to 2-3 Christmas totes. You know the red ones with the green lids? But really you can use any large storage totes. I wrap our lights around cardboard rectangles with notches on each end and saved a ton of money. 
- Anneke, This, That & Life  



As someone who sews and knits, my best advice for staying on top of things during the holidays is to not take on too much. Starting last year, I took the Happy Holidays pledge-- and pledged to not knit or sew gifts for the holidays. This leaves me with much, much less holiday stress, and much more time for hanging out with family. (I still sew gifts through out the rest of the year, though!) 
- Palak, Make it Handmade 




My new Holiday Planning Binder is rockin' it for us this year!  I am loving having everything in one spot, and love even more that I have caught my kiddos and hubby using it and looking through it as well.  Pinterest is a great way to keep gift ideas and home decor ideas organized.  To find all of my favorite holiday storage solutions, check out this post here.
- Jen, IHeart Organizing




What is your favorite tablet or organizing app?




  




If you could share one time saving/organizing tip with the world, what would it be?



On a larger scale, I think systems save us from falling down the crazy train road. Whether it's a system for going through homework or filing artwork, we really try to have systems in place so that everyone knows how things are done. The systems save us time and keep us from drowning in piles. Silly things such as coming home from school. The children know they have to wash their hands, unpack their backpacks, and hang everything up in the mudroom. While they are doing that, I prepare a snack and they grab a place mat and go straight to the table. Things like that take a couple of weeks to set in place but then everything runs so much more smoothly.
- Courtney, A Thoughtful Place



I love the kitchen timer method. If you’re having trouble designating time to de-cluttering or organizing a space, try setting a timer for 20 minutes and commit to working on it the entire time until the buzzer goes off. Then set it again for five or ten minutes and reward yourself with a little Pinterest action or a change of scenery by taking the dog out for a quick walk. When the timer goes off again, set it for another 20 minutes and get back to work. You’d be surprised what you can get done in 20 minutes!
- Ashley, 7th House on the Left 



There is really no one tip, because what works best for me, might not work for you. So my tip is to find the systems that work for your home and family, a system you will actually use and stick to...and keep doing it! It may take some trial and error, but keep tweaking until it's perfect for you. Our Family Command Center went through a few growing pains before it finally molded into an efficient and helpful space for us!
- Cassie, Hi Sugarplum! 



 

Use a planner, whether it's on your phone or an actual pen and paper planner.  I'd be lost without mine.
- Chelsea, Two Twenty One
 



Hands down, my Master List saves my life on a weekly basis and I calendar everything!  The idea behind the master list is to do a "brain dump" onto paper and then sort it into categories.  The brain dump allows me to stop worrying about one item or whether I'm forgetting something.  I draft mine on the computer, then print it out, updating it weekly.  I'm old fashioned in that I like this paper list and I feel so good crossing things off my list.  
- Megan, Honey We're Home 




Robotic Vacuum Cleaners are a great investment. Truly. I'll admit I used to think that they were some sort of Back-to-the-Future type kitschy invention (thank God they don't run on Plutonium or lightening), but can now say I'm a happy convert. You simply switch them on (or schedule them!) and let them work their magic. My little robot saves me hours per week in cleaning, and keeps my floors looking like new on a daily basis (and with a Border Collie constantly running around, that's no easy feat). I'll admit they are an investment, but I see it as investing in all the time you get back to do other, more enjoyable, things. 
- Serena, Pretty Fluffy 


 


My number one organizing tip would have to be:  organize it where it drops. Putting hooks for backpacks in the mudroom but your kids come through the front door and drop their backpacks makes no sense and you will just end up frustrated.  The best chance is to organize things where they land. A console table with a bowl in the exact spot your husband drops his keys everyday. A hook by the front door to hang your purse. Things like that. 
- Ashli, Mini Manor Blog




As humans, I believe we can feasibly only take on so much. There is a balance of knowing how much you can manage without it managing you. If you're life is being overtaken by the "things" or "tasks" of your life, you need to either reduce those things and/or let something/someone else help you.  Be willing to let go of things or control. I know there's more to the nitty gritty of it all, but for example: 



Stay inspired! Perusing blogs like IHeart Organizing help me keep motivated and keep me from feeling alone in my battle against clutter. I pick up so many great ideas and time saving tips that it brings the joy back into organizing! 
- Palak, Make it Handmade 



Spend 15 minutes at the end of the day to pick up the house.  So simple yet often forgotten and overlooked.  15 minutes is not a lot of time to do a full house sweep, picking up pillows in the living room, wiping down the bathroom with a cleaning wipe, wiping down the kitchen and taking care of any piles.  I like to start my day with a clean slate, it clears my mind and sets me up for success!
- Jen, IHeart Organizing



A giant THANK YOU goes out to each of the contributors who provided so much inspiration to us all in 2013, and for taking time to answer these questions today!  I always say, twelve heads are better than one, and these gals think of everything!  So blessed to have them on my team and part of my life.

Thank YOU to all that participated and took time to ask questions.  I have kept note of all of the commonly asked questions, so if they weren't answered today, that doesn't mean I won't address them in the future.