Moms are especially good at helping their children reach their highest potential—and it turns out the same goes for their children's artwork. Over the years, we've had so much fun seeing how talented moms have made art and framing a family affair.
In honor of Mother's Day, we rounded up a few of our favorite mom + kid collabs. From artworks created together to mom choosing the custom frame and mat combo that elevated a little one's piece to wall-worthy, these joint projects definitely fall into the 'art that warms the heart' category. Props to all the amazing moms—and kids!—for making it happen.
When Meriella was about 18 months old, Jamie M. began to teach her the alphabet. As part of the memorization process, the mother-daughter duo drew an item to symbolize each letter (A for avocado, B for bear, and so on.) In our White Gallery frames, the letters now create a showstopping gallery wall in Meriella’s playroom. "I did most of the drawings, but Meriella helped with little things like the buttons on the coat, and the dots on the ice cream cone," Jamie told us. We focused on things that she likes: Avocados are her favorite food, she’s obsessed with elephants, she wants to learn how to play the violin."
Nataliya Khan's 9-year old drew this adorable family portrait on the white board in her husband's office. Luckily, Nataliya's husband snapped a photo, which inspired Nataliya to print and frame her daughter's doodle in our Natural Gallery frame as a sweet family keepsake. "I've got boxes saved of her artwork, but I felt that having it custom framed like this would be just the reminder we need in our home," said Nataliya.
The art here is all Samantha Hahn's. But her daughter was, according to Samantha, "the client", and directed the original rainbow painting that would eventually grace the walls of her new bedroom in our White Gallery frame. "She said she had a certain palette in mind," explained Samantha. "I tend to go for less usual color combinations, but she knew exactly what she wanted. I convinced her to not go with a traditional rainbow arch, but she did insist on the colors you see here. It was a negotiation!"
Dara + Miles
Here, Miles (age 4) was responsible for this fun and colorful composition. But who better than Dara Deshe—his mom and our founder—to select the perfect frame to elevate the artwork? She chose to float the piece in Simply Framed Black Label. “Kids’ artwork looks great floated because this allows the texture of raw paper edges, thick paints, and mixed media to shine," explained Dara.
Liz + Louise
When Lewis founder Liz Libre's 7 year-old daughter hand lettered 'Peace Begins with Me' on a notecard, it resonated so much that Liz decided to make it a new offering in Lewis's print shop. Shown in our White Gallery frame, Louise learned the piece's meditative mantra from her teacher, and we certainly agree with Liz's sentiment that the print is "a constant reminder of where we need to turn first."
Amy Webb of This Little Miggy created this stunning drawing with her youngest child and custom framed it in our White Gallery frame. Zuzu laid the groundwork with a pencil drawing and Amy finished the piece with oil paints—truly a collaborative effort. "Since it's something I did with my daughter, it reminds me of her at that age," Amy told us. "I still have an image of her in my head, laying down on my studio floor with this giant piece of Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper underneath her, while she started drawing with absolutely no hesitation. I treasure that memory."
Our Director of Content Greta's son Peter was the model and muse for this acrylic painting in our White Canvas Float frame. Greta painted Peter's portrait in an evening painting class—her first weekly excursion away from her toddler. "The joke is that even when you get a break from your child you still talk about them the whole time you're away. The irony is not lost on me that in the moments away from my kid, I painted his portrait, effectively still staring at him the whole time."
Hanging your kids' artwork in a room where they create art? Amazing idea! We love how Joy Cho of Oh Joy did just that, making her daughter Ruby's beautiful custom framed painting in our White Gallery frame the centerpiece of a creative arts and crafts room. And we can't wait to see what's next, because Ruby created this gorgeous painting when she was just 2 1/2. "I love turning some of my kids’ artwork into permanent pieces of our collection," Joy said.
Nyja Richardson sourced the art prints and chosen the Antique Gold frames for her son Nolyn's bedroom—but the overall direction was all Nolyn's, who requested a Black Panther-themed room. "Although my son has never watched the movie Black Panther, he still understands the strength and power that the movie evokes. He’s able to look at a superhero and feel represented." We love how Nolyn's awesome costume takes the room's theme to a whole level.
Kid's art, mom's art, any art—we can frame it. Head to simplyframed.com to see all the gorgeous frames we offer.
