The Little Farm Museum of Art

I don't know about your house, but sometimes I feel as if we are drowning in artwork here on the Farm. Over the years, thousands of masterpieces have been created by our children. They draw while listening to me read; they draw while listening to books on tape; they draw in the tree fort; they draw because the mood just hits them. I shudder a bit to think of the hunk of forest that has been sacrificed for their creativity.

It took me a few years to come up with a way to honor the hard work and pride of my little Monet's. On one hand, I didn't want to crush their spirits when they found their hard work in the recycling bin and on the other hand, I was getting worried about whether or not we'd lose the couch, chairs or even one of the kids under a mountain of crayon and colored pencil drawings we'd amass by the time all of the kids had passed through the big drawing phase of their lives.

Part of the solution to this dilemma came with the creation of The Little Farm Museum of Art. We had a blank wall in the kitchen that needed something on it. A really big white wall that was calling out for some art. I'd looked for just the right picture or nick knack to fill the space, but everything I found was either...well...really tacky or really expensive.

That's when I realized I had LOTS of one of a kind pieces made by my favorite artists at my disposal for free! I bought 4 frames and painted them all to match each other and the room and filled them with some of the kid's and/or my favorite pieces of art. They look great on the wall. I love looking at them. The kids like having them there, too!

From time to time, one of our resident Van Gogh's will present me with a piece that they deem frame worthy and we'll put it up. Sometimes, one of their works strikes my fancy and up it goes. The collection is always changing so we're never bored with it.

My empty wall is filled. My budget is saved from expensive decorating. My kids know that I value their skills. As an added bonus, I think they've become more careful and selective in their work. After all, they never know when it might end up on the wall at the Museum!

By the way, the Little Farm Museum of Art has free admission. Feel free to stop by sometime.