Regardless of who you are, you know that a home — be it apartment, condo or house — doesn’t feel complete with bare walls. If you love travel, you may have pictures of scenic destinations on the walls. Fond of art? Your walls may be adorned with expensive paintings. A parent? People assume that the best way to reflect the family is with photos hung in abundance.
Trust me, we have quite the collection of family photographs to hang.. but there is something on my walls that I feel make it feel more like home. Memories of my children on canvases that hang on walls throughout my home. What memories? Their hand and foot prints from different stages. One child’s prints, or all three children’s prints.. these canvases are my favorites.
It’s not expensive. In fact, our local craft store often puts their canvases 50% off so I can buy bigger sizes without feeling like I’m spending too much. I use child-safe paints because, well, it’s going on their body. Then? I let them have fun. Sometimes I’ll stick the canvases outside and let them have free reign. Other times we set them on the play room table and help them along. Then, I label the back with the name and age of the child who made it, and hang it.
I enjoy looking back.. walking through the house and saying “He was only 2 months old when we did that!” or “Look at how small your hands were!” They are priceless pieces of art, and they make my house a home.
What is your favorite way to preserve memories of your children’s different ages as they grow?