DIY Kids Art Binder

Kids Art Binder
Kids Art Binder

Since becoming a mom and being inundated with not only baby + kid gear but also plenty of paper + art, I’ve realized that I cannot save it all. My son is now in preschool and has already created a vast collection of artwork in his short four years of life. As much as I want to preserve every last bit of it, there’s just not enough room in our home to properly showcase it all. That’s where the Instax art binder comes into play!

Kids Art Binder

I recently pulled Jack’s art that we were storing in a plastic bin and gathered together all of our favorite pieces and paired them with corresponding photos of Jack creating the masterpiece or simply photographed the artwork with my phone and printed it with the FUJIFILM Instax® SHARE SP-3 SQ printer. The whole process took a few hours and minimal supplies, but the end result is a handmade book that my whole family will treasure forever. Here are some of my best tips for creating an Instax art binder:

 - Don’t overthink it. Start with your very favorite pieces of art; don’t worry about documenting your child’s entire portfolio. Grab a small handful of crafting supplies (I only used white cardstock, a large date stamp, some alphabet elements and washi tape) and limit yourself to using those items only. The key is to get it done (while having fun, of course!) so you can document your child’s masterpieces while freeing up valuable space in your home.

- Tackle the oversized. For all of those extra large or dimensional pieces of artwork that just don’t seem to fit anywhere, take a photo with your phone (in my case I am using an iPhone X) of the art in natural lighting. You could also trim the piece down to fit the parameters of the binder while still capturing the essence of your child’s creativity. Print the photo out with the Instax SP-3 printer wirelessly from your phone. Note that you’ll need to download the Instax SHARE app from iTunes or Google play. You can also edit photos or add text to the photos before printing. Back to the options for oversized pieces, the Instax printer has a “split” feature so you can get creative and print one photo on two prints! Once you have documented the art, consider using the oversize original for wrapping paper!

- Curate the best parts. One of my favorite aspects of creating an art binder is that I get to showcase my favorite elements of Jack’s artwork by cutting them out of the original and gluing them to the cardstock background paper. Then I ask Jack for a little insight into the meaning behind the art and I write down his thoughts next to each piece, if it wasn’t there already.

- Use the front and the back. You know when your child is really feeling inspired and they express their creativity on the front and backside of a single sheet of paper? That’s where the Instax comes in handy. You can take a photo of one side and then glue that side down in the book. Then you pair the photo with the reverse side of the art and now you can treasure the entire masterpiece in a single, one-dimensional space.

Kids Art Binder

- Take photos that represent the era. As much as I would love to have images of Jack creating every single piece of art, I just don’t. One of my most beloved pages features a questionnaire from Jack’s very first day of preschool that I paired with a photo of him taken on the same day. Being able to read his answers to basic questions (i.e. what’s your favorite movie?) and compare it to what he would say now is invaluable, plus his cute little baby face on the first day of school makes me swoon. If you don’t have the corresponding images to every piece of art, simply use a photo of them from that general time period and include it with the artwork. Remember that it’s more important to capture the essence of a moment rather than getting hung up on everything being exact.

Kids Art Binder
Kids Art Binder

- Make the book accessible. I love to think of my Instax art binder in the same way that I think of coffee table books; I want it to be readily available to anyone who wants to look at it.

Kids Art Binder

SUPPLIES: FUJIFILM Instax® SHARE SP-3 SQ printer | Binder | Page Protectors | Alphabet Stamps | Mega Date Stamp

This post is in collaboration with FUJIFILM, all ideas and opinions are my own. As always, my creative partners and I appreciate the support.

Jack's BIG BOY BED

Jack's Room + New Car Bed! | Amy Tangerine

When I was little, I was a total tomboy and I was completely enamored with the idea of having a car bed. My obsession with cars was fueled by not only the little cars I would play with instead of dolls, but also a show called Knight Rider. I was certain that if I could sleep in a "car," my dreams would be that much cooler! So once Jack outgrew his crib (as seen in this house tour post), I knew exactly what kind of bed he would get...

Jack's Room + New Car Bed! | Amy Tangerine

Imagine my excitement when Step2 offered to send Jack the bed of my (I mean his) dreams! How awesome is that?! You may have seen others similar to this one, but this blue color is a Step2 product exclusively available at Walmart. I couldn't wait for JC to get it all set up in his room and let him take it for a "test drive!"

Jack's Room + New Car Bed! | Amy Tangerine
Jack's Room + New Car Bed! | Amy Tangerine

Luckily he was just as excited about it as I was! He even helped JC figure out all the sticker and decal placement while I was out of town. Even though his room is quite small, I'll now often find him playing or reading on his bed throughout the day.

Step2 car bed
Jack's Room + New Car Bed! | Amy Tangerine

We decided to move our library cart of children's books from the playroom to Jack's bedroom so he could reach for his favorite stories while laying in his awesome new bed. 

Jack's Room + New Car Bed! | Amy Tangerine
Jack's Room + New Car Bed! | Amy Tangerine
Jack's Room + New Car Bed! | Amy Tangerine
Jack's Room + New Car Bed! | Amy Tangerine
Jack's Room + New Car Bed! | Amy Tangerine

He loves showing it off to people when they come over. "Do you want to come and see my bed?!" Which I suppose is only cute and acceptable at a certain age. So far the best part to me is that while he knows how to get out of his bed, but chooses instead to call for me or "DADA!" to get him up in the morning. Also the best news for you all is that the bed is currently on sale!

This post was written in collaboration with Step2. All words and opinions are my own.