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    Home » DIY » Build It » Family rules sign

    Family rules sign

    Published by Gail | Published August 5, 2010 | Updated April 9, 2019
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    I made a Family Rules Sign, the hard way! Family Rules Sign

    These signs are everywhere. I think they are so cool. I wanted one for my living room. You know I’m all about using what you have. I did not have a wide board, but I have a lot of luan.

    Build up the Family Rules sign with a frame

    how to make a diy sign

    I cut the piece of luan. See that green blob? You know what that means. I paid .51 cents for the entire sheet. It was the piece I blogged about Monday. I still have a lot left. I just used some off the end.

    make diy sign

    Because I wanted it to look like a thick piece of wood rather than thin luan, I ripped some 1x’s and made a little frame on the back.

    Paint your DIY sign

    paint diy sign
    I painted it black. You can see that it looks like a 1x instead of a piece of luan.

    Design the layout for your stencil

    how to family rules sign

    This is where it gets detailed. I cut my phrases out of construction paper on Cathy’s Cricut. I used different colors so that I could try to keep track of the bubbles and inside pieces to the letters. Cathy has one font cartridge, so I used the fonts as many ways as I could. Cathy hasn’t used her Cricut much and I have never used one so it was a challenge for us to get this right. The only thing I can remember is we used 12 inch wide construction paper and used the “fit to length” feature. That gave me different heights on the fonts.
    make family rules signI laid the strips out on my board and taped them together with painter’s tape.

    Spray diy stencil with adhesive

    family rules sign stencils
    Carefully carrying  the piece outside I laid it on a piece of plastic, upside down.
    spray adhesive paper stencils

    I used Elmer’s Craft Bond to get a temporary bond. Following the directions it says to spray a light coat, wait 3-5 minutes then apply.

    Protect painted board with painter's tape

    paper stencil family rules sign

    After applying the stencil to my board I made sure I covered up every speck of black board. I tediously put in all the little missing pieces on the e’s, a’s, o’s, etc. A glue stick was used a to adhere those little bits.

    how to family rules subway art

    Use spray paint for DIY stencil

    spray paint family rules sign

    I took it outside and sprayed it with white paint. You can see that I apparently didn’t spray the adhesive well enough on SMILE. I’ve learned that when you spray stencils, you spray it straight on, being careful not to tilt the can. (If you tilt the can, the paint can sneak under your stencil)

    working on family rules sign
    Back in the house because it was about 100 degrees outside! I pull off all the tape and the construction paper. You can see that some of it stayed behind.
    diy sign family rules subway art

    I used a dish cloth with some slightly soapy water on it to soak off the remaining paper and glue stick.

    DIY Family Rules Sign

    family rules sign
    It looks great in my living room with the white media center and black wall clock.
    make family rules sign

    I know I am certainly not the first to make one of these. I was going to cut it all out by hand, but decided to borrow Cathy’s Cricut instead. I’m glad I didn’t do it by hand, because I am so pleased with how it turned out.

    subway art family rules

    I have one spot that I sit at on the couch to do my blogging business. Every time I look up, this is looking right back at me!

    subway sign family rules

    My number one goal in life is simply to “be happy”, that’s why I put it at the top. All the other phrases mean a lot to me too. I try very hard to follow all of these rules. Wouldn’t it be a better world if everyone did?

    gail

    Related Content:

    Subway Art for Granny

    See more stenciling projects here

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    1. Gretchen

      October 18, 2011 at 9:33 pm

      Your family rules sign turned out incredibly and you were so creative with how you did it. Great look and fabulous job.
      Gretchen Schaumann
      Mimi-Toria's Designs

      Reply
    2. Brandi

      September 29, 2011 at 2:10 pm

      Holy cow- you read my mind. Was laying in bed last night & randomly decided I needed one of these AND you have almost every 'rule' I would use. Woo hoo! Thanks for the inspiration!!

      Reply
    3. April Moffatt

      April 13, 2011 at 12:45 pm

      Love it! You are very industrious and determined. I think I would of cried when the paper got stuck to the board:) It looks awesome though and was obviously worth it!

      Reply
    4. Megan

      September 02, 2010 at 2:59 am

      awesome job! I love it! I'm featuring this in a post tomorrow on crazydomestic.com. feel free to grab our "I was featured" button!

      Reply
    5. Barn Owl Primitives

      August 13, 2010 at 10:37 pm

      Great Job! I paint these signs for a living and yours turned out beautifully! Stop by my shop and take a look around when you have a minute!

      http://www.barnowlprimitives.etsy.com

      xoxo ~ kristi

      Reply
    6. Mel

      August 09, 2010 at 10:19 pm

      Fantastic! A great tutorial and a fabulous sign. Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring us all.

      Reply
    7. Candace@craftysisters-nc

      August 09, 2010 at 8:08 pm

      Great words to use! I need one just like that in my house too. 🙂

      Reply
    8. I♥naptime w/ Chocolate Sundaes

      August 08, 2010 at 8:55 pm

      looks great! I love it!

      -Jamielyn
      http://iheartnaptime.blogspot.com/

      Reply
    9. ~ Regan

      August 08, 2010 at 8:28 pm

      Wonderful job, Gail! I have SO been wanting one of these! I have the perfect place for it, too... It was just a matter of getting the words cut out... My cousin has a cricut... I wonder if I can con (uh, I mean, ask politely) 😉 her into cutting me some stencils? Hmmm...

      Thanks for the tute on how to make one on the cheap!

      Reply
    10. FrouFrouBritches

      August 06, 2010 at 8:41 pm

      I am also desperate to win a Silhouette or Cricut. DESPERATE! That turned out GREAT! I love it! I especially loved that your "say" is sideways for both of the phrases beside it. AWESOME IDEA!

      Reply
    11. Kelli

      August 06, 2010 at 7:02 pm

      I love your sign! I want all those phrases and words, and more! You are awesome!!!

      Reply
    12. Simplegirl

      August 06, 2010 at 5:57 am

      That is wonderful. You did an awesome job! Visiting from Feature yourself Friday. I would love to make one too:-)

      Reply
    13. Lindy

      August 06, 2010 at 4:52 am

      I love the way you are building this project up on the edges giving the piece depth. I paint a lot on 1/4" masonite and I'm going to use this idea on my very next painting... L.

      Reply
    14. Amber Dawn

      August 06, 2010 at 2:14 am

      This is wonderful. I have GOT to get myself a cricut!

      Reply
    15. Cathy @ The Far Fifty

      August 06, 2010 at 1:47 am

      It's so happy, it makes me smile!

      Reply
    16. De Javu Crafts

      August 05, 2010 at 11:56 pm

      wow....i just spent the last hr or so looking through your blog....i love LOVe all your ideas....and your like me..your a bench makeing mania...thanks for all the ideas!!!

      Reply
    17. Jan @ bobbypins boardwalk

      August 05, 2010 at 11:25 pm

      I love it! It's a great piece of art! I can think of a dozen places where this would work in my home. I will have to figure out a way to do it without a cricut, however. I also like the way you built the woodup with the boards on the side!

      Reply
    18. Nana's Fun Stuff

      August 05, 2010 at 5:00 pm

      Oh Gail it turned out great!! I love it 🙂 I have yet to try these but just may have to put it on the "To Do" list to see what I can come up with 😀 Have a great day Sweetie!

      Reply
    19. Maryann @ Domestically-Speaking

      August 05, 2010 at 4:52 pm

      LOVE your sign!!

      Reply
    20. Suzanne@Meridian Road

      August 05, 2010 at 4:47 pm

      I think it looks great, and I really like the phrases you used. I'm going to have to try this.

      Reply
    21. Jill

      August 05, 2010 at 3:18 pm

      That turned out great! I made one a while back using a small canvas, and because I don't have a cricut, I cut all my letters out of white cardstock.

      This week Tatertots and Jello is having a subway art party. You should add yours to it! http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2010/08/subway-art-party.html

      Reply
    22. Attic Rat

      August 05, 2010 at 2:27 pm

      Oh, Crud! Now I want a Cricut. LOL

      Your sign came out beautifully. Where did you find that 51 cent luan? What a great find.

      I like Bev's idea of using freezer paper. Will that work okay in the Cricut?

      Reply
    23. Bev

      August 05, 2010 at 1:07 pm

      Great idea! FYI, next time try using freezer paper. It will iron onto your board. Paint and peel it off. Fun!

      Reply
    24. LisasCreativeHome

      August 05, 2010 at 12:09 pm

      GReat sign! I have never seen one like that before. Love it:)

      Reply
    25. A Pretty Pastime

      August 05, 2010 at 11:35 am

      Great job Gail! I love the way this turned out and it looks really nice against the painted wall. Nice work!

      Katy

      Reply
    26. Cassie @ Primitive & Proper

      August 05, 2010 at 11:26 am

      it turned out beautifully! i have been wanting to make one, but it seems like a whole lot of work... am i lazy or what? it really looks smashing!

      Reply
    27. Cassie @ Primitive & Proper

      August 05, 2010 at 11:26 am

      it turned out beautifully! i have been wanting to make one, but it seems like a whole lot of work... am i lazy or what? it really looks smashing!

      Reply
    28. Granny J

      August 05, 2010 at 11:26 am

      The sign looks great in with the crisp white on the black background.

      Reply
    29. Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co.

      August 05, 2010 at 11:10 am

      Love this sign! Thanks for such a detailed tutorial!

      Reply
    30. Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co.

      August 05, 2010 at 11:10 am

      Love this sign! Thanks for such a detailed tutorial!

      Reply
    31. Rose @ Confessions of a Curbshopaholic

      August 05, 2010 at 10:36 am

      That's the best sign I've ever seen! Great job, and you just gotta smile at the perfectly imperfect "SMILE" at the bottom.
      I hope you win one of the silhouettes too! (but good use of Cathy's, it's nice that you have friends nearby that can share)

      Reply
    32. Something Nice and Pretty

      August 05, 2010 at 10:06 am

      That is so neat, love that you used spray paint and thanks for the tip on how to hold the can while spraying!

      Rondell

      Reply
    33. Proper Prim

      August 05, 2010 at 9:46 am

      Oh Gail, I want one of those so bad... I have been eyeballing them for so long too... I don't have a Cricut and I really don't want to have to use stencils, it would take forever... I love that you spray painted it, wow does that save some time. You did an awesome job and I love each one of your sayings.

      Fantastic job...

      Hugs, Deb

      Reply
    34. Maria Gridley

      August 05, 2010 at 8:22 am

      wow you did an amazing job! I love how it turned out! 🙂 Great idea on how to make it look like a thick board. so clever. 🙂

      I too need a cutting machine.. dont have one.. and I entered every silhouette giveaway I could find as well. LOL 14 of them(posted a list on my blog)!! Im hoping I win one too. Hopefully you will be a winner too!!

      Reply

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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