43. Salvaged Wood Art Display

If you have children, you have a lot of drawings and paintings. Kindy mums I know you understand what I'm talking about. I love the artwork my kids create but sometimes wondering what to do with it all can be a little overwhelming. We already have a pin board and the fridge covered and it feels a little heartless to throw such precious work away. So what's a parent to do?

A few weeks ago Mr J and I were on a date at a Junkyard (oh yes, you read that correctly) and we came across this great painted piece of old wood. I had an idea for a place to hang the kids art and certificates and this wood was just about perfect. We bought it for $5 and threw it in the back of the car.

The only issue with the wood was that I wanted a long thin piece and this one was short and wide. We were going to saw it in half but in the end Mr J gave it one almighty kick and it split just where I wanted it to. Nice.

We needed 6 metal 'letter clips', we recycled four of them and bought another two for $1.20 each at a stationery shop. The clips work really well because you can change what art you're hanging quickly and they don't damage the drawings.

The clips are secured to the wood using a drill and screws. We left all of the old nails and rough bits on the wood because we liked the look of it, but if you plan for this to be within reach of little hands make sure it's smooth first.

We used removable velcro mounting strips to hang the wood on the wall.

The kids loved seeing their work displayed on the wall for everyone to admire. Jemima brought home a merit certificate from school and that was promptly added to the mix. Ben will add something tonight no doubt, as he spends a couple of hours drawing each day.

So that's our Art Display made from salvaged wood. Total costs were under $10 and it took about two hours to put it all together.

Have a great Friday everyone!