My daughter has built an empire of collected art projects from school. They are wonderful in the sense that she’s proud of them and they also tell me a story of how she’s progressed
throughout her preschool year. (eg: Wow look at that scissor use! Impressive, animals now have eyes on their head instead of other places of their body.) For me, this tower of art was also a tower of dread. How can I save these milestones, yet get them out of my house because they are taking over my laundry room? I started making a photo book online to include pictures of the school year and also art from along the way. A few hours later, I was giving up and realized this would be like my second daughter’s baby book…incomplete (or did I just never start?). I needed something quick, something I could get done in an hour and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Something that would be meaningful and keep the pride my daughter had for her work without the hard evidence. This is when I figured out that Chatbooks not only prints from your Instagram account, but can also print from your phone’s camera roll. Bingo!
I downloaded the Chatbooks app, and I went to work. I quickly lined up my daugher’s art in the order I wanted the photos (this is important as you can’t really switch them around later) and saved them to a photo album on my iPhone. I registered my Chatbooks account and within a short period of time and a small learning curve, I had created an art keepsake that I could easily have reprinted anytime or even share the link with family if a grandparent wanted to order one too. That pile of paper went from skyscraper to tiny house and all was right in the world. My daughter thinks she’s quite the artist to be published in her own art book, and I don’t have guilty feelings about tossing most of them because they’re here to stay in a cute little book. 
If you decide to save your art or other prints via Chatbooks, here are some recommendations
- Read up about the Chatbook process before you begin. This will help you make this an even more seamless process.
- Take the pictures in good lighting and consider ditching the filters to show the real colors of the work.
Do they have a project that is particularly loved? Consider making it into a keepsake with these ideas!
Note: I have not been compensated by Chatbooks for my opinions or to try the product. I simply wanted to share what I had found.
What other ideas are out there to save a child’s work?
Great suggestions. Storing/displaying children’s artwork can be such a tricky thing when you’re trying to keep it from exploding all over every surface in the house and the kids are constantly bringing home new projects. This is a wonderful compromise for everyone involved. The house gets to remain recognizable and the kids get to be proud of their hard work on display. Love it!
We love chatbooks! We use it for the kids artwork + family picture albums from my IG account. I live that I don’t have to do much and I just get an email letting me know my album is complete so I can review it before it goes to print.