Things are always changing in our home. I probably rearrange something, switch a picture out of a frame, move an accent from here to there, paint something … every week. Sometimes daily. It’s my little creative outlet I guess.
This is the latest change to our play room. Found this awesome clock at WalMart, of all places. Already had everything else – the frames and stands, the painted wooden animals (from World Market) and bookcase (from Razmataz). And I left Porter’s handwritten alphabet in the smaller frame from when he was almost 5 years old.
The dinosaur art is new. Porter loves to draw. It’s never the same thing. It’s whatever he sees or feels like that day. Recently it was dinosaurs. One dinosaur per sheet of paper.
I love putting the kids’ art in frames or hanging it on the walls or using it as our desktop wallpaper. Not only because I’m their mother and therefore a total sucker for everything they write and draw … but displaying their art nurtures their creativity and boosts their ego. If you missed my post about Nurturing Creativity in Our Children, you can find that here.
So back to the dinosaur art. This is what I did:
1. I scanned each page (at least 300 dpi).
2. I opened up each file in Photoshop and cropped each piece of art so that each dinosaur (with a little space around it) was 4″ x 3″. I knew the size of my frame and just figured it out so I would have 9 sections for the 9 dinosaurs.
3. In Photoshop, I created a canvas size (fit for my frame) and one by one, I dropped each 4″ x 3″ image onto the canvas.
4. I added a bit of text at the bottom. (Mom taught me to sign and date everything.)
5. I saved the document as a .psd (so all the layers are still there and in case I ever want to make changes) and as a .jpg. The jpg file is what compresses all of the layers and you can upload that to be printed.
Oh, the possibilities! Perhaps this is something you could put to good use with your favorite art that came home from school this year? Maybe you have been hanging on to the art from your own school years. Wouldn’t that be cool to create a grid of your own masterpieces?
Now that the file is created – this collection of dinosaurs – it’s super easy to print 4×6 copies of this and send postcards to friends and cousins. That’s next on the list of summer activities.
Tags: bookcase, clock, dinosaurs, kids' art, photoshop, play room, porter
Brilliant idea Becky. I really appreciate you sharing this. I hang my three kiddos art work in our game room throughout the year. when the school year commences, I take it down, scan it, let them choose their most precious pieces to keep, then send the rest to my parents who live in another state.
Thank you for sharing your ideas with us. I have done the hanging ornaments in a pass through we have & we do the handprints every January.
Love it! What a wonderful keepsake and how nice to have it one frame to display. I have got to learn photoshop. Are there any good starting points you can recommend? Also… would love to see the enitre playroom.
]Thanks for sharing!!
I love that idea!!! i recently put some of my kids artwork on my living room wall: http://meandmyscraps.blogspot.com/2010/05/priceless-artwork.html
My kids love to draw so I’m gonna try your idea next!!
Ahhh… Becky? I was just in your recipes section and under comments in apple-pear salad…. there is some very strange comments going on. I have to say I have noticed wierd comments since your blog comment section got the new look… somehow they are getting routed to your blog. You may want to see about getting no anonymous comments…. it is very disturbing.
Sorry to say this on here, but I didn’t know how else to let you know!
As a teacher, I love how you have an analog clock in Porter’s room. Most kids have no idea how to read time when it’s not digital.
Oh how I love this, my kids draw all the time, now I just have to figure out photoshop!
Wow…Porter’s a pretty good little artist!
Hi Becky– We found your idea for life story books and were planning on doing it for a combined young womens activity next Wednesday. The only problem is, we just realized that they were made for smaller binders, and we already have the larger binders. Do you happen to have the pages in a larger format? We LOVE LOVE LOVE the pages you have already created and are trying to figure out how to make it work. Thanks for your time!
-Christianne
Wonderful idea. Love it. TFS
This is AWESOME!!!! May have to give it a try! Thanks for the idea!
becky your a doll! (this is alex hansen….new in the ward) thanks for making the transistion of moving into a new ward/relief society so much easier and making me feel welcome! i finally googled your name like i was told to and found you were famous!
your blog is so much fun!
You are such a good mom!!!!
I really need to start scanning my kids’ art work!
Thanks!
Gorgeous idea! My 5 year old loves dinosaurs. I was boasting to my husband today that he is really skilled at drawing them (as only a mother would!) I think I’ll have to try this with them…
That is such an awesome idea! Your son is a great artist. Great way to display what he draws. I’ll have to try this idea at home. I see these ideas and wish like crazy I had photoshop. There are so many neat things to do with that program. I’ll put that on the top of my wish list….
If your son loves dinosaurs, have you checked out Dustin Pike’s website at Dragon Doodles? My grabdson loves the dragons as much as his dinos!! I use these images all the time and Dustin is such a sweet and generous guy! Love that your son is becoming an “artist” already!!!
[...] Meet Porter’s alien friends. These are his latest creation(s). Porter and his friend Cameron spent hours drawing unique characters, organizing them, and playing with them. Kind of reminds me of his recent dinosaur art. [...]
Try GIMP it is very similar and it is free
Allie
Hi Becky! I’m a newbie to your blog, but love it so much already! Thanks for sharing your awesome ideas.
xo