Tuesday 31 January 2012

How to Cut Down on Kid Clutter

You love your children's art projects, don't you? You'll hang them on the refrigerator or wall but what to do with all these treasures that will surely accumulate throughout each year? Parents would love the opportunity to display all of their children's artwork, but there's only so much room in a person's home. That, however, doesn't mean that you need to merely sneak these items into the trash. Create digital copies of the artwork, and then host an annual art show with a rental projector.

Create a Digital Copy

The first thing that you need to do is make a digital copy of the artwork. A scanner works the best for this process. You simply capture the artwork, and save it to your computer. If you don't have a scanner, you can always use a digital camera to take a photograph of the work. You may, however, have to crop the image to make the artwork appear straight.

If you are planning on user the latter method, place the artwork on a solid white or black background. Try to include this background in the shot. That way, if you do have to crop the image, you won't be cutting off sections of the artwork itself.

Use Digital Storage Options

You want to keep all of your images in the same location. This may be a file on your computer, a DVD or a backup storage drive. Label the artwork by month and year so you can remember when it was made (and by which child!).

You also have the option using an online storage option to store your child's artwork. For example, Flickr and Photobucket allow you to store your images via their free option (which has limited storage capacity) or the pro option (allowing you to store an unlimited number of images for a small fee). Programs like these also allow you to turn your photographs into slideshows.

Rent a Projector and Start the Party

At the end of the year or school year, gather up the family and your child's friends for a family art gallery night. Rental projectors are one of the best ways to show off the artwork. Set up the projector screen, and play a slideshow of the digital copies of the artwork.

Or, gather up a few projectors, and display artwork individually on different walls just like a real gallery. Encourage your child to be the "artist for the night." Invite friends and family, and have your child walk around and talk about their images. Make this an annual event that the family can look forward to each year.

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