Reduce the Clutter. Preserve the Memories.

When gazing upon the growing mountain of parent notes, school newsletters, and endless art projects it’s not uncommon for any parent to feel slightly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it all. By the time your child reaches the tender age of three, it’s likely that their paper trail has contributed to the demise of your ability to maintain any semblance of order in what was once your dream kitchen..or bedroom…or dining room. Ok, perhaps it’s all of the above! Despite your best efforts it seems impossible to stay on top of it all.

Let’s be honest though. You’ve never had a problem shredding your monthly credit card bills, or parting ways with that pile of retail catalogs in the cupboard. No, for some reason the stakes here feel much higher. The reason being, every little scribble and scrabble, every family portrait, every “I love you” message triggers a heightened sense of emotional attachment. These feelings, subconscious or not, disable your ability to discard these precious momentos that will one day be looked back on with fondness and nostalgia.

So how can you consolidate the clutter, while still preserving the integrity of your young child’s work, and avoiding the recycling bin? Here are a few of our favorite sites where creating a portfolio for your little learner is as easy as 1-2-3!

For starters we love the unique options available on minted.com Whether it’s creating a meaningful collage of photos and art, or adding a pop of color with a customized frame, minted.com will provide you with a variety of creative ways to preserve your child’s meaningful work.

Plumprint.com allows you to turn your child’s work into unique and useful items such as calendars, pillows, posters, and notecards. Their website is clean and streamlined, and their simple, 3-step process can’t be beat.

Finally, if you’re interested in displaying your child’s work in your home, we highly recommend the Wexel Art floating frames available on wayfair.com. Their sleek design and magnetic closures, make it super simple to rotate your child’s special work whether seasonally, or just because.

Keep the memories intact, along with your sanity. We think you’ll find that both are possible with a little creativity and the help of some modern technology!