Organizing art & papers
My girls all start school this Wednesday so I have been busy getting all the school supplies. Most stores are having back to school sales so I want to share what I started about 4 years ago when I was bombarded with papers and art projects from Haley in kindergarden and Ruby in preschool. I wanted to keep all their papers and art, but quickly realized that was not going to be possible. 
I purchased 3 plastic file folders from Walmart, the kind that are not connected at the bottom so they can expand a ton. I have each section labeled Preschool, Kindergarden so on and there are enough tabs to go to 10th grade. My rule is that what I save from each year has to fit in it’s section. I make sure that I have report cards, and samples of how their handwriting changed through the year and plenty of art projects from school and church. I do not include photos, those are all in their scrap book thanks to my Mom. I have really been able to fit a lot in for each year. Some art I fold and put in the section but large pieces of art that I want to save unfolded I keep on a large zippered plastic bag. 
These have worked out so well that last year I bought 2 for Eric and I (the red and green ones) from Target. I do not like these as well as the ones from Walmart because they do not expand that much. Eric’s has Cards that he has received, awards, artwork from when he was a kid etc. Mine has sections labeled Family, Decorating/house ideas, organizing/cleaning, B-day party ideas, Holiday ideas, Travel, Lesson/talk ideas, Holiday ideas, cool cards and gift ideas. I have loved this because it allows me to pull out ideas that I like from magazines, blogs etc and organize them in a way that I can quickly reference them. 
If you want to do this, I cannot stress enough that the bottom needs to be able to open like an accordion and not have something that limits how large it can open.
10 comments:
I love this idea. We have 3 big cork boards to display each kids artwork. When they get full I weed out the "keepers". I'm going to get some of these so keep the good stuf in.
This is a fabulous idea. I have been using rubbermaid containers, but they are so big and bulky and really nothing gets thrown away. Last year I started using a 3 ring binder with page protectors and putting Lindsey's writing samples and things in it that I wanted to save. I bought new ones for this year, but I am really liking your expandable accordian file. Great idea!!
Brilliant my friend, just brilliant. I am going to target today to get three. I have been de-junking to get the house ready to be put on the market, and needed this idea. Thank you!
Mine are in a huge tupperware bin (very unorganized.) Love this idea. Thanks for sharing!!
This looks like an excellent plan, I need to do something like this. I have enjoyed being able to scan the kids' (Whitney's really) art work into the computer and then having it in a Smugmug gallery because it feels like I've got a good back-up system and I don't have to keep some of the less-important pieces. She's very prolific so she could fill that folder in a year if I let her.
I do the rubbermaid storage thing and I also scan the kids artwork that I know I'd really want to save, plus I have it on the coputer already if I want to turn it into a card, etc. I like the accordion file idea. I use them for myself - one for each job I have - but it never occured to me to use them for my kids.
I love this idea! I have one for me as well with different decorating, craft, cleaning, etc. just like you...but never thought about doing one for the kids. I haven't put away their stuff I got at the end of the school year because I couldn't figure out where to put it. I'm going to walmart. Thanks!
Thanks for the great idea! You don't know me- I am a friend of Suzie Selby's, but I love reading your blog! Another idea for you: I take a picture of my kids with the big projects (diorama's, etc...) then toss the bulky projects. With 4 kids I do not have room to save stuff like that. I will pick up the folders today!
Don't I qualify as a "friend that blogs" yet? How do I make your list? I'll send a resume and referral asap. Check out my shnazzy new look. My artist friend Rachel helped me.
Since I read this, I have been obsessing about this idea and I finally found them at Walgreen's today! (Thanks to your suggestion.) If anyone wants to have the exact one Chanel has, the website is www.betteroffice.com. Thanks for the organizational tip! Thank you to the others for the idea to scan the artwork. I have taken a picture of my son standing in front of a wall with all of the month's projects which works well too.
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