Tricia's Rose City Framing Podcast
As back-to-school season gets closer, many parents start cleaning out bedrooms, organizing school supplies, and making space for a new year. Along the way, they often discover stacks of drawings, paintings, and little masterpieces that have been tucked away for months or even years.
One question I hear quite a bit is, "What should I do with all of my child's artwork?" It is such a thoughtful question because every piece seems to capture a moment that you never really want to forget.
I truly believe children's artwork deserves better than sitting in a drawer or slowly fading under a refrigerator magnet. Those creations represent imagination, confidence, and memories that become more valuable as the years go by.
When children proudly hand you a picture they made just for you, they are giving you more than paper and crayons. They are sharing a piece of themselves, and that deserves to be treated with care and respect.
One of the first things I encourage parents to do is choose a few favorite pieces rather than feeling like every single drawing has to be displayed. It is perfectly okay to keep a collection while selecting the artwork that tells the biggest story about your child's personality and growth.
After you decide which pieces are the most meaningful, storing them properly becomes very important. Keeping artwork away from excessive sunlight, moisture, and folded corners can help preserve it much longer than simply stacking everything together.
Many parents are surprised to learn that everyday materials can actually cause artwork to deteriorate over time. Acidic papers, inexpensive tapes, and poor-quality frames may not seem like a problem today, but they can affect how those treasured pieces look years from now.
That is one of the reasons we spend so much time talking with families before we ever recommend a framing design. We really want to understand the story behind every item because that story helps guide the best way to preserve it.
Sometimes a simple drawing becomes the centerpiece of a family hallway. Other times, several smaller pieces are combined into a custom display that celebrates an entire season of childhood in one beautiful frame.
I have always believed that custom framing is about much more than decoration. It is about protecting memories so they can continue bringing joy long after the moment itself has passed.
We have worked with many meaningful items over the years, from family heirlooms to historical artifacts that required extraordinary care. Even though every project is different, the same belief guides our work, and that is treating every item as if it were our own.
Children's artwork deserves that same level of thoughtfulness because the emotional value is often far greater than the material itself. Years from now, those colorful paintings may remind you of a tiny hand, a funny story, or a season of life that seemed ordinary at the time.
I also love seeing the reactions families have when they pick up a finished project. Sometimes there are huge smiles, and sometimes there are tears because they realize those memories are now protected instead of hidden away.
If your child is heading back to school soon, this can be a wonderful time to look through the artwork you've collected together. You may discover a few pieces that deserve a place on your wall instead of another year in a storage box.
It is important to remember that preserving memories does not always mean saving everything. Sometimes it simply means choosing the pieces that tell the story you want your family to enjoy for generations.
My hope is that every family takes a few moments to appreciate those little works of art before another school year begins. They remind us how quickly children grow and how meaningful the simplest moments can become.