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LIVING / HOME Artful Ways to Display Art Some children produce a ton of artwork. If you have a prolific artist in your household (I have two), trying to figure out what to do with all those drawings and paintings can be a challenge. Ideally, little artists will use sketchbooks, making it easy to keep everything contained. But if not, try building a sketchbook after the fact. Gather loose drawings made on the same size paper (likely 8½-by-11-inch), and have them hardbound or wirebound into one book that will offer decades of enjoyment as they flip through it and remember that year they spent drawing ninjas. If putting art into book form doesn’t make sense because of its irregular dimensions or large size or dangling streamers, create a way for it to be displayed. String a wire or sturdy twine across a family room wall, hang a box of wooden clothespins nearby, and let your artist choose which works make it to the gallery. Scanning and minimizing is another smart and sweet option. You can create a wall poster with a grid of dozens of drawings, each miniaturized to just two inches square, with white space between. If your scanner won’t accommodate some of the larger projects you’d like to save, take them to your local copy shop. Lastly, you can also put artwork to work. Use a laminator to make place mats from your son’s creations, or turn your daughter’s art into your family’s postage stamps for the year. Or simply cover a whole wall with unframed art in lieu of wallpaper. When the wall is full, overlay the old pieces with new ones. 'String a wire or sturdy twine across a family room wall, hang a box of wooden clothespins nearby, and let your artist choose which works make it to the gallery' > a family that works well together is getting away from each other every once in a while. I’m reminded of that saying, “If you never leave, how will you know what it feels like to come home?” Taking time away from each other makes coming back together feel like a treat. To a child, hiding away in a private nook is as rejuvenating as a vacation or an inspired day at work. (While we’re talking about hiding away, do I need to mention that the same goes for adults in the home? Thirty minutes to yourself and by yourself—even if you can’t leave the house—refills your patience tank when you’re running on fumes.) In our house, we have a reading loft in the family room with a soft rug, floor pillows, a comfortable reading chair, a warm throw blanket, and shelves packed with books the kids love. It’s set apart, and we parents try to stay out of it. It’s a place for the kids to escape to and we want them to feel like it’s theirs. IMON SIN , KATHR GARRE T T IS ALEX IST ST YL ITH W. PHOTOGRAPHY JIZA , EL IR BL A STANLEY IELLE GABR IST ST YL ITH WLOKEN ISTEN I, KR NAPTHAL , ANNA IS DAV S ARA IST ST YL ITH WPHOTO CARPENTER BY PHOTOGRAPHS .PABST ANNE JO IST ST YL ITH WTAYLOR GRANT , AND IR BL A STANLEY IELLE , GABR ADAMO , COURTNEY COLEMAN , ME TA FERNEY JORDAN IST ST YL ITH WIG ZWE , HEATHER MACLEAN JANE T TE IST ST YL ITH W 72 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 www.thegreenparent.co.uk
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LIVING / HOME GO GREEN SPECIAL the green kitchen The eco-friendly kitchen begins with sourcing sustainable food, but it doesn't end there. Energyefficient food preparation and cleaning habits, using equipment made from sustainable materials, and dodging toxic chemicals are also important if you want to have a truly healthy kitchen. Fortunately, making the right choices for your well-being is also good for the pocket and the planet. 1MAKE IT LAST - Choose cookware and utensils that stand the test of time and won't have to be thrown away with your leftover casserole. That means ditching the Teflon. The debate about the health hazards of non-stick surfaces continues, there are concerns about the chemicals used in the manufacturing process and how these substances are affected by heat. Besides the health concerns, there is no doubt that it has a limited useful life. Go for stainless steel or cast iron instead. Scanpan (scanpan.eu) make non-stick alternatives. Though a bit of an investment, a good cast iron skillet will last for generations – see lecreuset.co.uk. Buy high-quality knives that you can sharpen by hand, and use long-lasting cloths instead of kitchen roll. .NZ .NE T GOOD AT TAP FLO LOW AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 www.thegreenparent.co.uk 73

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LIVING / HOME

Artful Ways to Display Art Some children produce a ton of artwork. If you have a prolific artist in your household (I have two), trying to figure out what to do with all those drawings and paintings can be a challenge. Ideally, little artists will use sketchbooks, making it easy to keep everything contained. But if not, try building a sketchbook after the fact. Gather loose drawings made on the same size paper (likely 8½-by-11-inch), and have them hardbound or wirebound into one book that will offer decades of enjoyment as they flip through it and remember that year they spent drawing ninjas. If putting art into book form doesn’t make sense because of its irregular dimensions or large size or dangling streamers, create a way for it to be displayed. String a wire or sturdy twine across a family room wall, hang a box of wooden clothespins nearby, and let your artist choose which works make it to the gallery. Scanning and minimizing is another smart and sweet option. You can create a wall poster with a grid of dozens of drawings, each miniaturized to just two inches square, with white space between. If your scanner won’t accommodate some of the larger projects you’d like to save, take them to your local copy shop. Lastly, you can also put artwork to work. Use a laminator to make place mats from your son’s creations, or turn your daughter’s art into your family’s postage stamps for the year. Or simply cover a whole wall with unframed art in lieu of wallpaper. When the wall is full, overlay the old pieces with new ones.

'String a wire or sturdy twine across a family room wall, hang a box of wooden clothespins nearby, and let your artist choose which works make it to the gallery'

> a family that works well together is getting away from each other every once in a while. I’m reminded of that saying, “If you never leave, how will you know what it feels like to come home?” Taking time away from each other makes coming back together feel like a treat. To a child, hiding away in a private nook is as rejuvenating as a vacation or an inspired day at work. (While we’re talking about hiding away, do I need to mention that the same goes for adults in the home? Thirty minutes to yourself and by yourself—even if you can’t leave the house—refills your patience tank when you’re running on fumes.) In our house, we have a reading loft in the family room with a soft rug, floor pillows, a comfortable reading chair, a warm throw blanket, and shelves packed with books the kids love. It’s set apart, and we parents try to stay out of it. It’s a place for the kids to escape to and we want them to feel like it’s theirs.

IMON

SIN

, KATHR

GARRE T T

IS

ALEX

IST

ST YL

ITH

W. PHOTOGRAPHY

JIZA

, EL

IR

BL A

STANLEY

IELLE

GABR

IST

ST YL

ITH

WLOKEN

ISTEN

I, KR

NAPTHAL

, ANNA

IS

DAV

S ARA

IST

ST YL

ITH

WPHOTO

CARPENTER

BY

PHOTOGRAPHS

.PABST

ANNE

JO

IST

ST YL

ITH

WTAYLOR

GRANT

, AND

IR

BL A

STANLEY

IELLE

, GABR

ADAMO

, COURTNEY

COLEMAN

, ME TA

FERNEY

JORDAN

IST

ST YL

ITH

WIG

ZWE

, HEATHER

MACLEAN

JANE T TE

IST

ST YL

ITH

W

72

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 www.thegreenparent.co.uk

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