As a mama, I’m always looking for unique ways to showcase Gracen’s artwork without our little house looking like a cluttered mess. One of the places we love to hang multiple pieces is on her bedroom door. So much so, that over time, it’s become her little art gallery of sorts. For the longest while we were just taping things up using masking or scotch tape rolls, then I jumped on the washi tape bandwagon, which took it up a notch, but neither were overly toddler-friendly. I wanted Grae to be able to hang her artwork and switch around the pieces without having to muck around tape or ask for assistance. So today, we put together a little gallery door that she can update and add to all on her own, with just a press of a clothespin. Here’s what we did…
Yesterday, while Grae splashed in the wading pool out back, I painted a handful of regular wooden clothespins. She’d come out, dripping wet, help me with some painting, and jump back into the pool, splashing my table in the process. With a couple of base coats dry, we used the eraser side of pencils, dipped them in white and black paint, and polka dotted our way along each pin. The result was very handmade looking clothespins with a charm all their own.
Today, we took some small 3M poster hanging strips and sliced them vertically using a utility knife and a ruler. (This can be done using scissors, but trust me – use a utility knife. It’s much easier.)
Next, we peeled off the protective paper backings and stuck the strips onto the backs of the clothespins, leaving just the tiniest touch hanging over the top edge (hoping it might make the job easier when we want to remove them one day).
As a last step, I removed the other side of the protective paper and adhered the pins onto the door. I put them on very gently at first, and once I knew my {random} layout would work, pressed them down quite hard to ensure a good stick.
The result was a gallery door where Grae can proudly display her favourite creations, without needing much help to do so.
♥
Mama. Papa. Bubba. 