I mentioned in my school paper storage blog that I initially kept every piece of art my oldest son made for me, which included painted rocks and handpicked flowers (they were really dandelions-but not the point). I just couldn’t get rid of anything!

A couple of years into this mindset, our basement started piling up with bins of artwork. I decided to go through them and keep my/his favorites. My initial thought was to put them in the school paper storage boxes I have for each kid.

The problem with that is even though they’re little, their artwork is most often giant. I thought I could take pictures of the pieces and put it in the folders by year, but realized from past experience that the chances we’d ever look at them were slim.

So I decided to take pictures of the artwork and store them on my computer by child and year. Then once a year, I load them to Shutterfly and create art books for the past 12 months.

Now I’m all about a good deal, so if you keep your eye out you can find coupons for free Shutterfly books all over (Pampers, JoAnn Fabrics, Ibotta, etc.). All you have to do is pay for shipping! I like knowing that not only do I have the book, in case something ever happens to it, I have all the pictures not only backed up on a hard drive but saved on the site as well.

However, for those who don’t have the time or desire to do option 1, I provide this as one of my offerings! You provide the art, I do the work, you get mailed the finished product. If you’re interested, let’s get in touch.

This has been the easiest way I have found to organize and celebrate my children’s creativity while enjoying a clutter-free home.

Since starting this system, not only have I cleared an entire storage shelf of totes, I have also created these art books that we actually look through. Something my son is so very proud of!

If you want to clear the clutter but sentimentality is holding you back, this strategy might be just what you need to simplify your organizational journey.

Simply,

Erin

Art, Art, and More Art